The Power of Testimony

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In one way, moving into our new home drew a sharp line— on one side
were our cramped, primitive trailer days, while on the other stretched a
future filled with luxuries like our own beds, running water, and a living
room where we could lie on the floor and play games of Monopoly
by the woodstove. In other ways, however, life went on much the same
as always. A different dinner table, maybe, but the same chronic shortage
of food—​and the same wandering days filled with exploration and
battles and boredom and sand.
When Jerry started school, I didn’t think much of it. While he was
gone, I played by myself—​except when Mom forced me to play with
my sister—​but since I slept late and the bus brought him back early, my
routine remained much the same.
I had a vague sense of the year passing by and summer arriving—​
then Jerry and I both slept in—​and suddenly it was time for me to start
school as well. From what Jerry had told me, school wasn’t anything
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