The opening describes The Goober’s feelings when he runs, which is the only time he feels right in his body and free from thoughts and worries. The Goober is not out for a run, but in Brother Eugene’s classroom, after hours, to carry out his assignment. Tears blur his vision and he fears discovery and that he will fail to loosen every screw in the room in the allotted six hours. He has finished only two rows of desks and chairs. He imagines himself being discovered unconscious on the classroom floor in the morning, a disgrace to himself and The Vigils.

The Goober hears noises in the hall. A group of masked figures arrives to assist him. One explains that the assignment is more important than anything else, and if The Goober ever reveals that he had help completing it, he’ll be done at Trinity. They finish the assignment together.

The chapter opens with exposition, which provides background about Jerry’s mother, how much Jerry and his father had admired her, and how painful it was to watch her decline and die. Jerry recalls his anger that they couldn’t save her, his sleepless nights, and how he and his father wept at the cemetery.