Home of the Brave

In his next ESL class, Kek uses his interview assignment to talk about his new job tending to the cow on Lou’s farm. He notes that Lou has given him the honor of naming the cow, which intrigues his classmates. They ask questions about the cow and her lack of a name. Then Ms. Hernandez writes the names that the class suggests on the chalkboard. When they are done looking at the names, Mr. Franklin asks Kek if he has thought of a name for the cow. Kek says he wants to name the cow “Gol,” a word in his language that means “family.” He then asks for the class to vote on the names, as that’s the way Ms. Hernandez has explained things happen in America, when large decisions are made. Gol ends up as the winning name, and Mr. Franklin says to Kek,” Good job, Cowboy” (134). For the rest of the day Kek is called “Cowboy,” a nickname that pleases him.