The chapter opens with a flashback to the beginning of the novel. The narrator tells us that the narrator was born deaf, and that he was born in a foreign country. He says that he is sorry that his family did not tell him about the birth, but that he does not care what caused it. He also says that if he had known about the disability at the time, he would have done something about it, and he would not have had to hide it from his family. He adds that he doesnt care if the child is deaf or not, because he doesnt want anyone in his family to be like that. He goes on to say that he will go to the hospital to find out what is wrong with his mother. He wonders if he will be able to take the child and learn sign language, and wonders if his mother will change in the child's presence. He is sure that the child will grow strong, but he is not sure that her mother will. He asks his sister if she would like to cheer up her sister, and she says that she has not been able to do so. She asks her sisters to come along and cheer her up. They do, and they give her a present, which she thinks is too clean