street, you’re my responsibility. I can’t look after me and look after you at the same time.”
She stared down at the point of the pen pressing into the white notebook paper. “You don’t find it possible that I can look after myself?”
He laughed, but not because he thought it was funny. “Look at this shithole.” He waved his hand out the window. “You think you can handle yourself outside this car?”
Kate felt her eyes go wide. She’d been too busy writing to notice the scenery had changed. They were smack in the middle of the projects.Young black men were clumped around the street corners. Scantily clad girls strolled the sidewalks. She suppressed a shudder of fear. They were the only white people around.
“Capitol Homes,” Jimmy announced, as if it wasn’t obvious they were in a government housing project. “Look behind you.”
Kate turned. The gold capitol dome shadowed the complex.
He said, “Funny thing, ain’t one of those windows looking this way. They all look toward downtown, where the money comes in. They don’t see the filth and the trash the city shits out behind them.”
Kate took in her surroundings. Scores of two-story brick buildings dotted the complex. There were no trees, nothing on the lawns but red Georgia clay. Children who should have been in school were playing outside, their bare feet kicking up dust. The temperature was low, but people had their windows open. She saw old men sitting on front stoops. Women leaned out the windows to yell at their kids. Litter was everywhere. Graffiti. Condoms and needles collected around the drains in the street.
And the smell. The stench was indescribable.
Jimmy slowed the car to a crawl. “You get a whiff of that?”
Kate tried not to gag. The air burned her eyes and nose, cut into her pores. Sweat, urine, rancid food. Kate didn’t know what the odor was, but she would never forget it as long as she lived.
He said, “Roll down your window.”
Kate didn’t want to, but she grabbed the handle. Her hand was sweating so badly she couldn’t get the lever to turn.
Jimmy leaned across her and cranked down the window. He yelled, “Romeo, get your ass over here.”
A black man sauntered over, his fingers tucked into the waist of his pants. He was dressed in wide yellow bell-bottoms and a vivid green shirt. The buttons were open so low that Kate could see the hair trailing down from his belly button. And then she saw it closer, because he was standing so near that Kate’s shoulder almost touched him.
Jimmy said, “Stop fuckin’ around, Romeo.”
The man finally leaned down and stuck his head through the openwindow. Kate pressed her spine so hard into the seat that her handcuffs pushed apart the vertebrae.
Romeo asked Jimmy, “Whatchu want, honky?”
“You hear about Don?”
“What’s that?”
“Don’t dick me around,” Jimmy warned. “Tell me what you know.”
“I know y’all lookin’ to do some beatin’ today.”
“You wanna be my first?”
Romeo winked at Kate. Like Jimmy, he seemed incapable of looking at anything higher than her chest. “Shit, man, you know I don’t know nothin’ about that. I’m just a bidness man goin’ ’bout my bidness.”
Jimmy lightened the pressure. “You got your ear to the ground.”
Romeo nodded his head. “That might be true.”
“You get me a name, I’ll give you a coupla passes.”
“I’m gone need more than a coupla somethin’. My black ass’ll be toast folks find out I’m helpin’ you crackers.”
Jimmy’s face was stone. “Whatta you want?”
“I’ll thinka somethin’.”
“You get me that name, you better think fast. I don’t leave no open tabs.”
“I hear ya, brother.” Romeo turned his attention to Kate. She held her breath. The odor off him was foul—something sickly sweet, like burned candy. He showed her a row of gold teeth. “You a foxy little thing.”
To Kate’s horror, Jimmy said, “She is, ain’t she?”
“Blonde hair.
She stared down at the point of the pen pressing into the white notebook paper. “You don’t find it possible that I can look after myself?”
He laughed, but not because he thought it was funny. “Look at this shithole.” He waved his hand out the window. “You think you can handle yourself outside this car?”
Kate felt her eyes go wide. She’d been too busy writing to notice the scenery had changed. They were smack in the middle of the projects.Young black men were clumped around the street corners. Scantily clad girls strolled the sidewalks. She suppressed a shudder of fear. They were the only white people around.
“Capitol Homes,” Jimmy announced, as if it wasn’t obvious they were in a government housing project. “Look behind you.”
Kate turned. The gold capitol dome shadowed the complex.
He said, “Funny thing, ain’t one of those windows looking this way. They all look toward downtown, where the money comes in. They don’t see the filth and the trash the city shits out behind them.”
Kate took in her surroundings. Scores of two-story brick buildings dotted the complex. There were no trees, nothing on the lawns but red Georgia clay. Children who should have been in school were playing outside, their bare feet kicking up dust. The temperature was low, but people had their windows open. She saw old men sitting on front stoops. Women leaned out the windows to yell at their kids. Litter was everywhere. Graffiti. Condoms and needles collected around the drains in the street.
And the smell. The stench was indescribable.
Jimmy slowed the car to a crawl. “You get a whiff of that?”
Kate tried not to gag. The air burned her eyes and nose, cut into her pores. Sweat, urine, rancid food. Kate didn’t know what the odor was, but she would never forget it as long as she lived.
He said, “Roll down your window.”
Kate didn’t want to, but she grabbed the handle. Her hand was sweating so badly she couldn’t get the lever to turn.
Jimmy leaned across her and cranked down the window. He yelled, “Romeo, get your ass over here.”
A black man sauntered over, his fingers tucked into the waist of his pants. He was dressed in wide yellow bell-bottoms and a vivid green shirt. The buttons were open so low that Kate could see the hair trailing down from his belly button. And then she saw it closer, because he was standing so near that Kate’s shoulder almost touched him.
Jimmy said, “Stop fuckin’ around, Romeo.”
The man finally leaned down and stuck his head through the openwindow. Kate pressed her spine so hard into the seat that her handcuffs pushed apart the vertebrae.
Romeo asked Jimmy, “Whatchu want, honky?”
“You hear about Don?”
“What’s that?”
“Don’t dick me around,” Jimmy warned. “Tell me what you know.”
“I know y’all lookin’ to do some beatin’ today.”
“You wanna be my first?”
Romeo winked at Kate. Like Jimmy, he seemed incapable of looking at anything higher than her chest. “Shit, man, you know I don’t know nothin’ about that. I’m just a bidness man goin’ ’bout my bidness.”
Jimmy lightened the pressure. “You got your ear to the ground.”
Romeo nodded his head. “That might be true.”
“You get me a name, I’ll give you a coupla passes.”
“I’m gone need more than a coupla somethin’. My black ass’ll be toast folks find out I’m helpin’ you crackers.”
Jimmy’s face was stone. “Whatta you want?”
“I’ll thinka somethin’.”
“You get me that name, you better think fast. I don’t leave no open tabs.”
“I hear ya, brother.” Romeo turned his attention to Kate. She held her breath. The odor off him was foul—something sickly sweet, like burned candy. He showed her a row of gold teeth. “You a foxy little thing.”
To Kate’s horror, Jimmy said, “She is, ain’t she?”
“Blonde hair.
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