Negro Digest - Freedom Archives

and I was afraid Mama would hear
us . I backed to our side of the porch
and sat down on the top step .
All at once, I looked up and saw
Mama standing at the screen door .
She stepped out on the porch . Her
face was wet with perspiration, and
her stomach stuck out so far that it
looked as if she had swallowed a
watermelon .
"What's all the noise for?" she
asked crossly . Tina, Mike, and Jim
released their hold on Janice and
stood up . I stood up too . Janice
rose slowly . Her nose was bleeding .
She wiped her face on the bottom
of her blouse . We all looked
ashamed and guilty, the way you're
supposed to look wren grown-ups
catch you doing something wrong .
But Janice put her hands on her
hips and glared at my mother. With
blood still dripping from her nose,
she looked as if she were going to
attack Mama . Mama looked at her
with distaste .
"Well!" Mama said . She waited
for an explanation .
"It's all her fault," Mike said
quickly .
"Sure was, Mama," I said .
"We was out here playing, minding
our own business, Miss Dorothy
." Tina said . "Then she starts
fighting and carrying on ."
"Sure did, Mama . She said a bad
mord," I said .
"She's always causing trouble,
Miss Dorothy," Jim said . "Can't
nobody get along with her ."
"Do you know what she said,
Mama?" I said eagerly .
60
"I don't want to hear none of her
nastiness," Mama said . "You little
heifer, why don't you stay on your
side of the porch if you can't play
nice like the others ."
"I am on my side," Janice said .
If I had spoken that way, I
would have been whipped .
"Don't you talk back to me,''
Mama snapped . "I don't play with
children ."
Janice closed her mouth tightly .
Even though she was silent, she
(coked defiant . Mama was furious .
Sl.e couldn't bear to have anyone
stand up to her . Again, I was impressed
with Janice . "I don't want
to hear no more foolishness from
any of you," Mama said .
I looked away from Mama to the
other side of the porch, and I saw
Miss Ruth peering through the
screen door at us . I didn't know
how long she had been there nor
what she had heard . My face
grew hot with embarrassment and
shame . For the first time, I really
began to feel the summer heat .
Miss Ruth opened the screen
door and poked her head out of it .
Apparently she had been sleeping,
for she wore a red bath robe which
was unfastened . She held it together
with one hand . "What's
wrong?" she asked in a soft voice .
"These kids are fighting again,"
Mama said . She looked at Miss
Ruth as if she were looking at sin
itself . "I done told 'em I don't want
no more of this foolishness . If they
disturb me with their noise one
more time, I'm gonna give every
March 1968 NEGRO DIGEST