He never learned how to read. He relied only on the words people spoke and the expressions on their faces.

It posed a bit of a problem now that he found himself working as a slave in the hotel where he had been given a room for free for the night. Just his luck.

It was there that he met you. During one of the many nights you spent getting to know each other, his little secret came out.

"Uh, Aaa . . . Bee? Cee?" He sounded out the alphabet you had made him, his brows furrowed in concentration.