The narrator shares a story about his adolescence, particularly about being left back a year in school and forging his report cards to hide the truth from his mother. He recounts his experiences with a girl he fell in love with, his struggles with homework, and his involvement with substance abuse.
The narrator also talks about his mother, who owned a bar and would often bring him home food late at night. She would also share with him stories about her day, including her bookmaking operation, and would sometimes do cocaine in front of him.
The story takes a dramatic turn when the narrator comes home one night after a party, where he had consumed acid, and finds his mother dead on the floor. His first thought is that she will never find out that he got left back in school. He calls 911 and starts crying.
The narrator reflects on the experience, saying that it taught him a valuable lesson about honesty. He realizes that he had been lying and spinning the truth for years, and the shock of finding his mother dead made him understand the importance of telling the truth. He concludes by saying that this experience is the reason he doesn't lie today.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. The narrator was thrown out of Catholic school after the fifth grade.
2. He attended McKinley school in North Bergen, New Jersey.
3. His mom was a single parent who owned a bar.
4. The narrator's mom had a habit of waking him up at 3:20 every night to talk about her day.
5. The narrator's real name is Jose Antonio.
6. He failed the seventh grade and had to attend summer school.
7. He forged his report cards to hide his poor grades from his mom.
8. The narrator's mom died, and he found her body on the floor.
9. He called 911 and started crying after finding his mom's body.
10. The narrator's mom never found out that he got left back a grade due to his forged report cards.
11. The narrator learned a valuable lesson about honesty after his mom's death.