Lawn Boy

Arnold stays behind, and Joey, Pasqual, and the boy jump into Pasqual’s pickup truck. They arrive at Pasqual’s home and find Rock sitting in a truck with two accomplices. Joey walks over, effectively handles the situation by force, and warns the men never to threaten the boy or his employees again.

The boy suggests next time Joey try reasoning with dialogue first rather than jumping to violence. However, Joey counters that Rock already dialogued enough when he threatened the workers. Pasqual and his cousins mumble awestruck at the scene they witnessed. The boy suggests that Joey adopts a fighter name, and Joey decides he likes “Joey Pow,” because “it’s catchy and it’s [his] name” (61).

The boy returns to Arnold’s and relates the afternoon’s events. Arnold cautions him against calling the cops because his parents aren’t yet involved. On his way home, the boy resolves to tell his parents everything.

At home, rather than explaining the situation outright, the boy asks what his parents would want if they could have anything in the world. His parents both respond that they want him to have a good, fulfilling life. As the boy guides them toward a more materialistic answer, his mom notices a large man sleeping in a pickup truck outside their house—Joey.