there were a few drops of rain in the gusts that blew into his face. He searched the streets, looking at the shapes of the men standing on the corners, until he found the one he wanted.
“You come back to interview me again?”
“What was the biggest thing you tried that failed?” Darnell asked.
‘The biggest thing I tried?” Sweeby ran his fingertips over the stubble on his chin. Then he nudged the man next to him. “Tried to fly to the moon one time,” he said. “But my retrorockets weren't working that day, so I took me a walk around the block instead!”
The two men laughed, and in spite of himself, Darnell laughed, too.
“Did you ever go back to school?” Darnell asked.
“Now how would I look going back to school at my age?” Sweeby's voice had an edge to it. “If that's the best you can do, you better take up some other profession.”
“Yeah.” Darnell shrugged.
The walk home seemed short. When he got there he told his mother that Tamika was going to see Molly.
“Her mother called and told me,” his mother said. “You hungry?”
“Sort of.”
“Dinner will be ready in about ten minutes.”
Darnell went to the phone in the hall. The directory was in the shelf under it. He looked up a number and called it.
“Hello? Is this the
Oakdale Journal?”
The voice on the other end said that it was, and Darnell asked for the editor. He needed to make some changes in the story he had written.
TWELVE
Someone knocked on the door at six-thirty in the morning. Mrs. Rock and Tamika were sitting at the kitchen table.
“I bet it's Larry” Tamika said.
“Not this early.” Mrs. Rock got up and went to the door. She looked through the peephole, then unlocked and opened the door.
“Good morning!” Mrs. Rock nodded to Mr. Green, the building's superintendent.
“Just thought you'd want to see this.” Mr. Green handed Mrs. Rock a copy of the
Oakdale Journal.
“I always knew that boy would be something.”
By the time Mrs. Rock had thanked Mr. Green for bringing up the paper, Tamika had run into Darnell's bedroom and shaken him. It took less than a minute for him to get into the kitchen.
“What's going on out here?” Mr. Rock came out in his bathrobe.
“Darnell's article is in the
Journal
today,” Mrs.Rock said. “Mr. Green brought it up. Here it is. Tamika, read it aloud!”
Tamika looked at the article, nudged Darnell, and started reading.
“Nobody wants to be homeless,” Sweeby Jones said. He is a homeless man who lives in our city of Oakdale. It is for him and people like him that I think we should build a garden where the basketball courts were, near the school. That way the homeless people can help themselves by raising food.
“You see a man or woman that's hungry and you don't feed them, or help them feed themselves, then you got to say you don't mind people being hungry,” Mr. Jones said. “And if you don't mind people being hungry, then there is something wrong with you.”
This is what Mr. Sweeby Jones said when I spoke to him. I don't want to be the kind of person who says it's all right for some people to be hungry. I want to do something about it. But I think there is another reason to have the garden. Things can happen to people that they don't plan. You can get sick, and not know why, or even homeless. But sometimes there are things you can do to change your life or make it good. If you don't do anything to make your life good, it will probably not be good.
“I was born poor and will probably be poor all my life,” Mr. Sweeby Jones said.
I think maybe it is not how you were born that makes the most difference, but what you do with your life. The garden is a chance for some people to help their own lives.
Darnell Rock is a seventh-grader at South Oakdale Middle School. The school board has proposed that the site that Mr. Rock wants to make into a garden be used as a parking lot for teachers. The City Council will decide the issue tomorrow evening.
“I think
“You come back to interview me again?”
“What was the biggest thing you tried that failed?” Darnell asked.
‘The biggest thing I tried?” Sweeby ran his fingertips over the stubble on his chin. Then he nudged the man next to him. “Tried to fly to the moon one time,” he said. “But my retrorockets weren't working that day, so I took me a walk around the block instead!”
The two men laughed, and in spite of himself, Darnell laughed, too.
“Did you ever go back to school?” Darnell asked.
“Now how would I look going back to school at my age?” Sweeby's voice had an edge to it. “If that's the best you can do, you better take up some other profession.”
“Yeah.” Darnell shrugged.
The walk home seemed short. When he got there he told his mother that Tamika was going to see Molly.
“Her mother called and told me,” his mother said. “You hungry?”
“Sort of.”
“Dinner will be ready in about ten minutes.”
Darnell went to the phone in the hall. The directory was in the shelf under it. He looked up a number and called it.
“Hello? Is this the
Oakdale Journal?”
The voice on the other end said that it was, and Darnell asked for the editor. He needed to make some changes in the story he had written.
TWELVE
Someone knocked on the door at six-thirty in the morning. Mrs. Rock and Tamika were sitting at the kitchen table.
“I bet it's Larry” Tamika said.
“Not this early.” Mrs. Rock got up and went to the door. She looked through the peephole, then unlocked and opened the door.
“Good morning!” Mrs. Rock nodded to Mr. Green, the building's superintendent.
“Just thought you'd want to see this.” Mr. Green handed Mrs. Rock a copy of the
Oakdale Journal.
“I always knew that boy would be something.”
By the time Mrs. Rock had thanked Mr. Green for bringing up the paper, Tamika had run into Darnell's bedroom and shaken him. It took less than a minute for him to get into the kitchen.
“What's going on out here?” Mr. Rock came out in his bathrobe.
“Darnell's article is in the
Journal
today,” Mrs.Rock said. “Mr. Green brought it up. Here it is. Tamika, read it aloud!”
Tamika looked at the article, nudged Darnell, and started reading.
“Nobody wants to be homeless,” Sweeby Jones said. He is a homeless man who lives in our city of Oakdale. It is for him and people like him that I think we should build a garden where the basketball courts were, near the school. That way the homeless people can help themselves by raising food.
“You see a man or woman that's hungry and you don't feed them, or help them feed themselves, then you got to say you don't mind people being hungry,” Mr. Jones said. “And if you don't mind people being hungry, then there is something wrong with you.”
This is what Mr. Sweeby Jones said when I spoke to him. I don't want to be the kind of person who says it's all right for some people to be hungry. I want to do something about it. But I think there is another reason to have the garden. Things can happen to people that they don't plan. You can get sick, and not know why, or even homeless. But sometimes there are things you can do to change your life or make it good. If you don't do anything to make your life good, it will probably not be good.
“I was born poor and will probably be poor all my life,” Mr. Sweeby Jones said.
I think maybe it is not how you were born that makes the most difference, but what you do with your life. The garden is a chance for some people to help their own lives.
Darnell Rock is a seventh-grader at South Oakdale Middle School. The school board has proposed that the site that Mr. Rock wants to make into a garden be used as a parking lot for teachers. The City Council will decide the issue tomorrow evening.
“I think
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