Maya becomes good at measuring flour by eye. When she makes mistakes, she does not eat sweets in self punishment. She loves spending time working in the store. In the mornings, opening the store is like opening a present. One day, the former sheriff comes to warn Momma and Uncle Willie that the Klan is around looking for a man who assaulted a white woman. Momma and the children empty the vegetable bins and Willie climbs inside the bin. The kids pile the vegetables on top of Willie. He spends the night there hiding from the Klan. Maya hears him whimper in the night.
Maya has internalized Uncle Willie's method of teaching. As he would threaten punishment for mistakes, she now punishes herself. She tells how she tries to measure the.....
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