Four Eyes

Rex and his mother go to the laundromat, where she urges him to talk to someone about whatever is bothering him, even if it isn’t her. She leaves Rex there to finish the laundry on his own. Later, his abuela visits and brings food and new clothes. Over dinner, she asks when Rex will get his new glasses, which makes Rex’s mother feel inadequate. She gets upset and storms off, and Sam follows her. While they’re gone, Rex opens up to his abuela about his problems at school and how he’s bullied about his mother’s job and his glasses.

Rex’s abuela tries to give him some perspective, telling him how hard her life was as a child in Mexico. Her family lived in a one-room house with dirt floors, and she hardly got to eat most days. She traveled across the border for work when she was older and eventually decided to stay in the US, where she built the life she has now. She urges Rex to be grateful for his life, even if he doesn’t have everything he wants, because he has everything he needs. She also points out that Rex’s mother has a respectable job, and his bullies likely have their own issues that Rex is unaware of. She ends by saying that Rex’s glasses are important and will allow him to succeed in life. That’s when Rex’s mother returns and apologizes to her mother. She thanks her for all her help and regrets not appreciating it before.

At school, Rex apologizes to Scott for yelling at him and avoiding the cafeteria all week. Scott forgives him, and they shake hands. Rex admits that he has “a lot to be grateful for” (185) and tells Scott about how his abuela helped him see that.

Rex’s mother takes him to the frame store again and decides to get him the gunmetal frames since his father will be paying for them. Rex also gets special lenses that aren’t as thick.

In class, Rex receives a brochure about the upcoming school trip to Washington, DC. He joins Scott for lunch, who is already planning all the places he hopes to visit. Rex admits that he doesn’t think his mother can afford the trip, but he hopes Scott will tell him all about it. When Victor approaches and starts teasing Rex about his mom’s job, Rex turns around and shows a new side of himself. He tells Victor he doesn’t care what he thinks and that they aren’t friends. Afterward, Scott compliments his bravery.

Rex goes with his mother to pick up his new glasses. He tries them on and loves how he looks. He hugs his mother, thanking her for everything she does for him, and smiles all the way home. The next day in class, people actually compliment his glasses, and Kennedy says he looks cute. On the way home, Rex looks out at the football field and sees Victor being yelled at by his father. He starts to understand why Victor lashes out at others. Rex sees Sam when he gets home and thanks him for being a good dad.

Later that evening, Ford wants his own glasses, so Rex makes him a pair out of a coat hanger. Ford wears them with pride for the next several weeks. Rex goes to see Star Wars with Scott, and they run into Kennedy and her friend there. In the theater, Drew sits alone, admitting that none of his new friends like science fiction. He approaches Rex after the movie and says they should hang out again, but when Rex offers to let Drew sit at his lunch table, Drew declines, and it’s clear that they’re going their separate ways. They hug and say goodbye, and Drew leaves with his new friends.

When Rex gets home from school the next day, the school trip brochure falls out of his bag. His mother asks if he wants to go, but Rex confesses that he thinks the family can’t afford it. When Sam comes home, Rex calls him “Pops,” which puts a smile on Sam’s face.

Ford wears his coat-hanger glasses to his karate test and breaks a piece of wood with his hand. The family goes for ice cream afterward, and Rex tells Ford he should take his glasses off. Rex’s mother explains that Ford wears them because they remind him of Rex, the person he admires most. Rex looks at his brother and assures him they’re “real, full brother(s)” (210). At school, Rex hangs out with Scott, Kennedy, and Kennedy’s friend. They talk about comics, and Rex feels like he’s right where he belongs.

Rex’s mother surprises him with money for his school trip, which she got from his abuela and Rex’s father. Rex is thrilled and grateful but assures his mother that he’d be happy just to have his family. They hug and smile together, knowing that Rex has made such an important realization.

On the last day of sixth grade, Rex and his friends stand in line for their yearbooks. Rex realizes he made it through his first year of middle school. When he checks his photo in the yearbook, he finds he actually looks alright, even with the stain on his shirt. Rex also notices that his appearance isn’t really much different with or without glasses, but the person inside has changed a great deal since that photograph was taken. He leaves school smiling, and knowing that glasses “aren’t so bad” (220).