You Condemn Me Now

Summer - 1989

                      

I look over at Rasheeda, whose sound asleep, with resentment for all that happened yesterday. Every time she and Darryl bully me I'm the one who gets in trouble for retaliating.

She always sleeps on the side of the bed that's against the wall because she's always scared at night. She makes Tangy sleep in the middle because she doesn't want to be next to me.... Don't bother me none.. I don't want to be next to her either.

I hear my grandma in the kitchen humming, so I quietly walk through the dimly lit house so that I don't wake anyone else.

I stopped dead in my tracks once I entered the living room though. I was startled by The Man Who Doesn't Talk sitting in a chair in the corner. My nerves settled a bit once I recognized it was him.

He's ALWAYS here... Never speaking... Always looking...... He gives me the creeps..

.

I never mention him or any of the other people I can see anymore. It always made my aunts and uncles mad when I did. My grandma and grandpa never seemed bothered by it tho... Almost as if they believed me.

I accept defeat in the staring contest between me and The Man Who Doesn't Talk, and proceed to the kitchen to see what grandma is up to.

I stood in the doorway watching grandma peel sweet potatoes. There's turnip greens in the sink and a bowl filled with water and raw chicken sitting on the counter.

"Hey grandma.."

"Moanin suga!" Grandma replied and looked up at me and smiled... "What you doin up so early?"  she asked

"I heard you here in the kitchen and it woke me up" I r

eplied

"Aww grandma sorry.. I needed to get on up and get dinner cooked early.. Ya uncle Jacky will be here this afternoon." S

he said

"Who's uncle Jacky?" I asked

Grandma gave me a puzzled look before responding... "I guess you wouldn't know Jacky.. he ain't been here since you was a baby" she replied and finished pealing the last potato before continuing...

"Jacky is my brother... He still lives in Shreveport me and yo grandaddy hometown" She says as she gets up and goes over to the sink to wash the greens.

"Where is Shreveport at Grandma?" I ask wanting to know more about grandma's hometown.. I thought she and grandpa always lived here in Rag Town.

"Its in Lewsanna..." She replied and paused in deep thought

"Yeahh... my brother always gittn hisself in trouble down there and everywhere else he go" she shakes her head and continues... "He called me at 5 this morning tellin me he on his way here... prolly runnin from da law.. Ain't no tellin bout dat boy!" She fussed and pursed her lips as she continued washing the greens.