Make Lemonade

LaVaughn has “got[ten] a whole country wrong” (26) in social studies and worries that her mom will make her quit babysitting. Thinking of the cockroaches in Jolly’s apartment, she fears she’ll “end up old and no college […] and looking at cockroaches for my entertainment” (26).

Jolly is gone for two days and LaVaughn stays with her kids, causing her to miss a day of school. Her mother is “in her outrage” (27) about the situation, but Jolly finally returns and pays LaVaughn. Jolly doesn’t “look so good” (28), but LaVaughn is afraid to ask her what happened. When LaVaughn leaves, Jeremy is still “at the lemon pot” (27), watching.

Back at school, LaVaughn struggles to catch up with what she missed, but when the social-studies teacher appears to be reaching for LaVaughn’s shoulder, perhaps to sympathize or offer help, LaVaughn quickly walks away.

Jolly only has three diapers left, so LaVaughn tries to potty-train Jeremy, but he wets himself. Meanwhile, LaVaughn studies hard and gets A-minuses on two tests, and becomes “determined” (30) to succeed with Jeremy as she did with school. Jeremy still doesn’t catch on, but he talks to the lemon pot the same way LaVaughn talked to him, saying “‘This is a pot, and you stand right HEOH/and you gonna GO’” (30).