marion would never miss an exam ; she knew how important her education was too her mother . then something else hit me and since i had his attention , i had to say something about it . and even though it had taken special pains and an incredible amount of money , he felt it had been worth it . i felt goose bumps rise on my skin and i asked , `` how ? '' she slithered across the floor frantically , unable to control the direction . once again he stood back and just looked at us . 