Mom struggled with the computer, fiddling with wires and cables and putting them all in the wrong holes while she said things under her breath about how it was broken. When Mr. Gregor knocked on the door later, he had some extra tomatoes for them because he had bought more than he could possibly use. When he saw the wires everywhere, he ended up offering to put together the computer himself. At first, Mom refused, but after he showed her the first connection, she let him continue. Then he and Mom tried turning it on, and Mr. Gregor ended up teaching Mom about how to get on the Internet and how to create files. He kept making impossibly bad jokes while he did it. Cass imagined he could probably tame a wild tiger, just through patience and listening and kindness and humor. He seemed almost like someone from another planet, like nothing bad had ever touched him. But even though he was filling the kitchen with nonsense and laughter, she escaped to her bedroom with homework.
