Chapters 8 through 12 Summary

In "Be Present at our Table, Lord", the next morning, Homer and Ulysses wake up together, and Ulysses watches as Homer does bodybuilding exercises learned from a magazine he ordered from the city. Ulysses tells Homer about the black man on the train, and Homer explains to him that everyone has a different home to come back to, adding that he (Homer) will always be glad to come home when he goes on his world travels. They also discuss Homer's determination to do well in a track meet that day - specifically, in a hurdling event. At breakfast, Bess challenges Homer to explain to her exactly what the prayer he uses for grace, "Be Present at our Table, Lord", means. He does, and Mrs. Macauley adds that "it's faith that makes anything wonderful - not the thing itself." Mary Arena arrives...