After the departure of his grandmother, Joey returns to an empty house after school while his mother works at a local beauty parlor. She gives him a house key to wear around his neck on a long string and establishes a variety of rules for him: he may not light the stove, take a bath, open the door or leave the house.

During the afternoon class, Joey starts to put the key in his mouth; he progresses to swallowing the key whole and then pulling it out of his throat by the string “[…] like I was fishing for bottom feeders” (31). Mrs. Maxy notices this, cuts the string and puts the key in Joey’s pocket. Despite his efforts, Joey loses focus and makes a bet with his classmate, Seth Justman, that he can swallow the key whole in return for a dollar. Joey forgets that the key is no longer attached to the string and advises the teacher that he has swallowed the key. The school administers Ipecac, a medication that induces vomiting; however, the key does not appear. Nurse Holyfield asks him a series of questions, such as whether he loses things frequently. Principal Jarzab brings him to the Special Ed room and explains that he will receive extra help there in learning to sit still.