Summary

In Chapter 16, Georgina went back to feed Willy. Mookie said he was glad she showed up because Willy looked hungry, like he might eat all of his Hoover gravy. Georgina told Mookie that Toby was getting homework help from their mom because he wasn’t very smart. Mookie told her that being smart had nothing to do with school. She said you had to go to school to get a job. He told her he worked every day and never went to school past sixth grade. She asked why he lived like a bum. He laughed and said he didn’t get paid for all the work he did. Mookie did all kinds of work – roof repairs, painting, ditch digging, and fixing tractor engines. He did that work for free to help people. He said his motto was “Sometimes the trail you leave behind...