Summary

When Roger tells Mrs. Jones that he tried to steal her purse to buy a pair of blue suede shoes, she tells him that he did not need to steal from her to get the shoes. He is confused, and Mrs. Jones tells him he could have simply asked her. Roger is skeptical of Mrs. Jones. He sits across from her and continues to wipe his face dry, not knowing what to do and uncomfortable in the silence. He thinks that she is far enough away from him that he could make a run for it, but he stays put. Mrs. Jones tells him that she was young once, too, and that she had also wanted things she could not have. The boy frowns, and Mrs. Jones tells him she knows what he is thinking, that he is expecting her to lecture him about...