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Diaha
“Sorry about that, Chief,” said De
“Man used to have a comedy act in D.C.,” said Darius.
“Was he fu
“And now, please welcome Diana Quarry and her brother, boxer Jerry Quarry, who are going to perform a very special song tonight.”
“He’s go
“Gotta do somethin’,” said De
“He decisioned Floyd Patterson,” said Darius.
“An old Floyd,” said De
“Government gives Ali his gloves back,” said Derek, “he go
As the heavyweight and his sibling attempted a rock-and-roll duet, Darius Strange read from the newspaper. “Elgin Baylor had thirty-seven for the Lakers, can you believe it? Now L.A. go
“Baylor?” said Derek, gri
“Local boy, right?” said De
“Came out of Spingarn,” said Derek.
“You lyin’?” said De
De
“Quit playin’,” said Darius, stifling a grin, not looking up from his newspaper.
Alethea came into the room rubbing her hands dry on a dish towel. She wore a flower-patterned housedress with a cloth rose, similar to those that were printed on the dress, pi
“Satisfaction?” she said, looking with affection at her men grouped around the Sylvania in the living room.
“Yes, ma’am,” said Derek. “That chicken was right. Greens weren’t too shabby, either.”
“Glad you enjoyed it.”
“Could’ve used a nice bottle of wine with it, somethin’,” said De
“You want us to buy that for you, too?” said Darius.
“Darius,” said Alethea.
“We pay his way for everything else around here, don’t we?”
“He’s just havin’ a little fun with me,” said Alethea.
“I can move out, Pop,” said De
“What I want is for you to work,” said Darius. “That’s what a man does. Your brother’s out there breaking a sweat. He’s got a car, his own apartment. That’s what you need to be moving toward, too.”
Derek couldn’t look at De
The silence that had fallen on the room ended as an a
“Man looks like one of his beagles,” said De
“Hush,” said Darius.
President Johnson began by talking about the war in Southeast Asia. He said that he would immediately order a cessation of air and naval attacks on North Vietnam, except in the area north of the twentieth parallel. He went into an explanation of what this meant in terms of the conflict’s history and its progression. Then he indicated that he wanted to speak on something else. His face was somber but somewhat more relaxed than most Americans had seen it for some time.
“I will not seek, and I will not accept, the nomination of my party…”
“Damn,” said De
“Can’t believe it,” said Alethea.
“Man’s giving up,” said Derek. “You can see it on his face, though. He’s had enough.”
“So what fool we go
“That won’t happen,” said Darius. “I got to believe, you get down to it, the people in this country are better than that. They get in the voting booth, they’re not go
“Unless they’re scared,” said De
“Scared of what?” said Darius.
“Everything,” said De
Derek rubbed at his face. “Bobby Ke
“That would work,” said Darius. “He’s a politician like the rest of them. But his heart seems right.”
Alethea nodded. “Least there’d be hope.”
They sat there in the glow of the television screen, listening to their president. But soon their thoughts returned to the smaller, more manageable conflicts in their own lives. Derek thinking of his job. De
He’d been getting these jolts lately, sometimes on his feet, sometimes while simply relaxing in his chair. A few days earlier, he’d noticed blood in his morning movement as well. There was something wrong with him, for sure. But what could he do? He still had to provide. His wife, God love her, couldn’t work any harder than she already did. They were in debt, as they had always been. He couldn’t afford to be sick, so there wasn’t any use in worrying about it either way.
“I’m going out,” said De
“Where you off to?” said Darius.
“Out,” said De
“You stop acting like seven instead of twenty-seven,” said Darius, “I’ll stop quizzin’.”
“Darius,” said Alethea.
“Boy ain’t gone no further than a child.”
De
De
In the kitchen, Alethea washed the di
“You in a hurry?” said Alethea.
“I’m meeting someone,” said Derek.
“That little girl from Northeast, works in the beauty shop?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Whatever happened to Carmen?”
“She’s around. Finishin’ up over at Howard.”
“You ever see her?”
“Not lately.”
“Shame. Always liked Carmen. Good family, and a neighborhood girl, too.”
“Yeah, she’s good.”
“Nice girl like that, growing up right beside you. Sometimes you can’t see the good things ’cause they’re too close to your face. Like the story about that man, went all over the world looking for treasure, only to come back home and find -”
“Diamonds in his backyard,” said Derek. “I know.”
“Guess I’ve told you that one before.”
“You might have,” said Derek, smiling at his mother as his hip brushed against hers.
“Well, I hope you’ve been hearing me all these years.”