Read Push for Free Online Page A

good."
    "What?" somebody say.
    "Name it!" Rhonda shoot back.
    "Peas 'n rice!"

    "Yeah yeah," like why even mention somethin' so basic.
    "Curry goat!"
    "Yeah, you name it," Rhonda say. "My mother usta have a restaurant on Seventh Ave before she got sick, she taught me everything. I'm here,"
    she say serious, "to bring my reading up so I could get my G.E.D."
    The skinny light-skin Spanish girl speak, "My name is Rita Romero. I was born right here in Harlem. I'm here because I was an addict and dropped out of school and never got my reading and writing together. My favorite color is black."
    She smile messed up teef. "I guess you could tell that." We could looking at her clothes 'n shoes, all black.
    "What you do good?" Rhonda ax.
    "Hmm," she say, then in shaky voice real slow,
    "I'm a good mother, a very good mother."
    Brown girl talk. We about the same color but I think thas all we got the same. I is all girl. Don't know here.
    "My name is Jermaine."
    Uh oh! Some kinda freak.
    "My favorite color—"
    "Tell us where you born first," Rhonda again.
    Jermaine give Rhonda a piss on you look.
    Rhonda cut her eyes at Jermaine like jump bad if you want to. Jermaine say she was born in the Bronx, still live there. Red her favorite color. She a good dancer. She come here 'cause she want to get away from negative influence of the Bronx.
    Spanish girl Rita say, "You come to Harlem to get away from bad influence?"
    Jermaine, which I don't have to tell you is a boy's name, say, "It's who you know and I know too many people in the Bronx baby."
    "How did you find out about the program?" Miz Rain ax.
    "A friend."
    Miz Rain don't say nothin' else.
    Girl foun' my notebook next. "Jo Ann is my name, rap is my game. My color is beige. My ambition is to have my own record layer."
    Miz Rain look at her. I wonder myself what is a record layer.
    "Where was you born and why you at this school," Rhonda ax. OK, I see Rhonda like to run things.
    "I was born in King's County Hospital. My mother moved us to Harlem when I was nine years old.
    I'm here to get my G.E.D., then, well I'm already into the music industry. I just need to take care of the education thing so I can move on up."
    Next girl speaks. "My name is Consuelo Montenegro." Ooohhh she pretty Spanish girl, coffee-cream color wit long oP good hair. Red blouse. "Why I'm here, favorite color—what's-alla dat shit?" She look Ms Rain in face, mad.
    Miz Rain calm. Rain, nice name for her. Ack like she don't mind cursing, say, "It's just a way of breaking the ice, a way of getting to know each other better, by asking nonthreatening questions that allow you to share yourself with a group without having to reveal more of yourself than might be comfortable." She pause. "You don't have to do it if you don't want to."
    "I don't want to," beautiful girl say.
    Everybody looking at me now. In circle I see everybody, everybody see me. I wish for back of the class again for a second, then I think never that again, I kill myself first 'fore I let that happen.
    "My name Precious Jones. I was born in Harlem.
    My baby gonna be borned in Harlem. I like what color— yellow, thas fresh. 'NI had a problem at my ol' school so I come here."
    "Something you do good," Rhonda say.
    "Nuffin'," I say.
    "Everybody do something good," Ms Rain say in soft voice.
    I shake my head, can't think of nuffin'. I'm staring at my shoes.
    "One thing," Ms Rain.

    "I can cook," I say. I keep my eyes on shoes. I never talk in class before 'cept to cuss teacher or kids if they fuckwif me.
    Miz Rain talking about the class. "Periodically we'll be getting into a circle to talk and work but let's put our chairs back in rows for now and move on with our business. Well, first thing, this is a basic reading and writing class, a pre-G.E.D.
    adult literacy class, a class for beginning readers and writers. This is not a G.E.D. class—"
    "This not G.E.D.?" Jermaine ax.
    "No, it's not. This class is set up to teach students how to read and write," Miz