number for him?”
“Sure,” Franky said.
“Gone get something to write wit, boi? The name is Donita.”
“I’ll remember it.”
The girl frowned but spit out the numbers and walked away. Franky walked back over to the table and wrote it down exactly like she said.
“The next time I’ll suggest we study at the library,” he said. “It’s a million and one distractions around here.”
“Who was that?” Khadija asked.
“I don’t know, but she came for my cousin Rico, and he’s always into something out in left field. But I think he can do better than that … or maybe he can’t.”
Khadija hunched her shoulders and smiled. “So can I but I’m here.”
“No, you can’t,” he said. “You’d be lonely without me.”
“I’m just kidding with ya, shawty,” Khadija said. “I like being with you.”
“I like being with you, too. I was surprised you said you would come over.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. I mean, you’ve known me for only about a week now, and you’re all up in my crib.”
“I trust you, and plus I know that you can throw them thangs,” she said, holding up her fist simulating a boxer’s stance.
“I don’t like fighting. I’ve had only two fights—well, if you don’t count the times my cousins beat me up. That’s in my whole life. My dad put me in boxing when I was young, so I still remember a few things, but I really could do without it. Fighting is for those without brains.”
“I hear ya, shawty,” she said. “Did you talk to Coach English today?”
“Yeah,” he said. “I have him for PE. He told me I can come out for the team, but I need to get a physical first. So I gotta find somebody to take me and get one.”
“I can ask my dad to take you,” she said. “He wants to meet you anyway.”
“That would be cool. I appreciate that.”
“No problem, man.”
“Finally,” Franky said, throwing his hands up in celebration. “I’m a man not a shawty.”
“Boy, stop,” she said.
Rico burst through the front door with a mean mug on his face. He paused when he saw Khadija sitting at the table “How ya doing, lil lady?” he said with no smile.
“I’m fine,” she said. “And you?”
Rico nodded.
“Khadija, this is my cousin Rico,” Franky said.
“Nice to meet you, Rico,” she said.
“Same here. I heard a lot about you,” he said before turning to Franky. He used his index finger to call him over. “Can I talk to you for a second?”
Franky stood and walked over to Rico. They went out onto the front porch for some privacy.
“Some chick named Donita came by here looking for you.”
“I don’t know no Donita,” Rico said. “What she look like?”
“She looked crazy. Spiked hair, scars on her face. Then she had on a coat,” he said. “Hot as it is out here. She had on a full-length coat.”
“And she asked for me?” he asked.
“Yeah,” Franky said. “She looked scary.”
Rico searched his brain, then all of a sudden he seemed to know who this crazy woman was.
“She left a number for you,” Franky said. “It’s in the kitchen. She said to tell you your call got through. Whatever that means.”
“Okay,” Rico said, nodding his head. “Cool. I’ll get with her in a minute. Gotta get this money right first.”
“Who is she?”
“Don’t worry about it,” he said, then turned away from Franky and stared across the street. He shook his head and seemed to be overwhelmed with emotion. Franky walked over and put his hand on his shoulder. “You a’ight, cuz?” he asked.
“Nah, I’m not good right now, whoadie. I’m not doing good at all. As a matter of fact, I think I’m about to lose my mind.”
“What’s up?” Franky asked, genuinely concerned about his cousin.
“You know Mrs. Bertha from across the street passed on,” Rico said, wiping away tears.
Franky had never seen his cousin cry. Not even when his dad died and they placed his body into the ground. Nigel was a mess at the funeral, but
“Sure,” Franky said.
“Gone get something to write wit, boi? The name is Donita.”
“I’ll remember it.”
The girl frowned but spit out the numbers and walked away. Franky walked back over to the table and wrote it down exactly like she said.
“The next time I’ll suggest we study at the library,” he said. “It’s a million and one distractions around here.”
“Who was that?” Khadija asked.
“I don’t know, but she came for my cousin Rico, and he’s always into something out in left field. But I think he can do better than that … or maybe he can’t.”
Khadija hunched her shoulders and smiled. “So can I but I’m here.”
“No, you can’t,” he said. “You’d be lonely without me.”
“I’m just kidding with ya, shawty,” Khadija said. “I like being with you.”
“I like being with you, too. I was surprised you said you would come over.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. I mean, you’ve known me for only about a week now, and you’re all up in my crib.”
“I trust you, and plus I know that you can throw them thangs,” she said, holding up her fist simulating a boxer’s stance.
“I don’t like fighting. I’ve had only two fights—well, if you don’t count the times my cousins beat me up. That’s in my whole life. My dad put me in boxing when I was young, so I still remember a few things, but I really could do without it. Fighting is for those without brains.”
“I hear ya, shawty,” she said. “Did you talk to Coach English today?”
“Yeah,” he said. “I have him for PE. He told me I can come out for the team, but I need to get a physical first. So I gotta find somebody to take me and get one.”
“I can ask my dad to take you,” she said. “He wants to meet you anyway.”
“That would be cool. I appreciate that.”
“No problem, man.”
“Finally,” Franky said, throwing his hands up in celebration. “I’m a man not a shawty.”
“Boy, stop,” she said.
Rico burst through the front door with a mean mug on his face. He paused when he saw Khadija sitting at the table “How ya doing, lil lady?” he said with no smile.
“I’m fine,” she said. “And you?”
Rico nodded.
“Khadija, this is my cousin Rico,” Franky said.
“Nice to meet you, Rico,” she said.
“Same here. I heard a lot about you,” he said before turning to Franky. He used his index finger to call him over. “Can I talk to you for a second?”
Franky stood and walked over to Rico. They went out onto the front porch for some privacy.
“Some chick named Donita came by here looking for you.”
“I don’t know no Donita,” Rico said. “What she look like?”
“She looked crazy. Spiked hair, scars on her face. Then she had on a coat,” he said. “Hot as it is out here. She had on a full-length coat.”
“And she asked for me?” he asked.
“Yeah,” Franky said. “She looked scary.”
Rico searched his brain, then all of a sudden he seemed to know who this crazy woman was.
“She left a number for you,” Franky said. “It’s in the kitchen. She said to tell you your call got through. Whatever that means.”
“Okay,” Rico said, nodding his head. “Cool. I’ll get with her in a minute. Gotta get this money right first.”
“Who is she?”
“Don’t worry about it,” he said, then turned away from Franky and stared across the street. He shook his head and seemed to be overwhelmed with emotion. Franky walked over and put his hand on his shoulder. “You a’ight, cuz?” he asked.
“Nah, I’m not good right now, whoadie. I’m not doing good at all. As a matter of fact, I think I’m about to lose my mind.”
“What’s up?” Franky asked, genuinely concerned about his cousin.
“You know Mrs. Bertha from across the street passed on,” Rico said, wiping away tears.
Franky had never seen his cousin cry. Not even when his dad died and they placed his body into the ground. Nigel was a mess at the funeral, but
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