slammed the door behind him. Tee was still pointing her pistol at the spot where he had been standing. She slowly lowered it to her side.
“You okay?” I whispered.
She nodded and looked at Nik. “You okay?”
Nikki managed a small smile. “Since when you start carryin’ a gun?”
Patrice and Tiffany looked at Sherika and they all burst out laughing. What was so funny?
“Tell her,” Tiffany said, “so she won’t think we all gone crazy!”
Tomika grinned at me. “It’s a toy.”
“A toy?”
“I took it off Duane last week. He said his uncle Jarvis gave it to him.”
Tee handed me the gun. Up close, you could easily see it wasn’t real, but it had looked real enough a minute ago to convince Junior to get back in his car and go home. I couldn’t believe this was a toy.
Nikki picked it up and turned it over in her hand like she couldn’t believe it either. “Well,” she said finally, “then I guess it’s a good thing Jarvis didn’t get out the car. He might have wanted it back!”
We all laughed. At that point, I guess we were a little hysterical. By the time one of Idlewild’s finest pulled up a few minutes later, we had calmed down enough to make our statements. By the time he left, it was snowing again, the kids were waking up from their naps and the telling and retelling of Tomika’s brave improvisation had become our little tribe’s first war song.
Somebody produced a pocket camera and suggested we record the moment for posterity.
“Should we hold up the gun?” Tiffany said, a now wide-awake Diamante gurgling happily against her shoulder.
“No,” I said quickly. “Let’s hold up the baby.”
So that’s what we did.
EIGHTEEN
the designated man
I THOUGHT IT WOULD be a good idea for Tee and Nikki to stay the night at my house in case Junior was still feeling crazy. Nik said she’d bunk with her mother until things settled down a little, but Tomika immediately took me up on my invitation.
I told her to put Mavis to bed while I made us some chamomile tea. When I came back in the living room, she was already curled up on one end of the sofa. I handed her a cup. She took a long swallow and sighed.
I joined her on the couch and we tucked one of the world-famous Circus afghans around our feet and sat for a long, quiet moment.
“Were you scared?” I said finally, really wanting to know.
Tee considered the question. “I was too mad to be scared. Either The Circus is our place or it ain’t, right?”
I nodded. “You know how I felt out there?”
“How?”
I held my cup with both hands and the warmth was as comforting as a pair of slippers that have been sitting beside the fireplace. “ Helpless . I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t done what you did.”
“You’d have thought of something.” She smiled with a lot more confidence in my abilities than I felt at that particular moment.
“Maybe,” I said, “but I didn’t have to. You handled it. I owe you one.”
She grinned. “One what?”
I grinned back. “One absolutely unexpected moment of creative sister strength when you truly need it.”
She laughed softly. “That sounds pretty valuable, Miz J. Maybe I should get it in writing.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t forget.”
We clicked our mugs to seal the deal and then just sipped our tea in silence for a minute or two. It was one of those good silences where you feel like everything is already clear, so there’s no reason to muck it up with a lot of chatter. I refilled our cups and Tomika chuckled softly.
“What?”
She pointed at the bag of videos she’d picked up on our way out. “They been fussin’ at me about these videos all day and we never even got to ’em.”
“Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“What is it about Denzel?”
She laughed softly. “Well, a couple of months ago, I went tothis revival in Big Rapids with my cousin Jan. The preacher came all the way from Chicago and he kept sayin’ that to be a good
“You okay?” I whispered.
She nodded and looked at Nik. “You okay?”
Nikki managed a small smile. “Since when you start carryin’ a gun?”
Patrice and Tiffany looked at Sherika and they all burst out laughing. What was so funny?
“Tell her,” Tiffany said, “so she won’t think we all gone crazy!”
Tomika grinned at me. “It’s a toy.”
“A toy?”
“I took it off Duane last week. He said his uncle Jarvis gave it to him.”
Tee handed me the gun. Up close, you could easily see it wasn’t real, but it had looked real enough a minute ago to convince Junior to get back in his car and go home. I couldn’t believe this was a toy.
Nikki picked it up and turned it over in her hand like she couldn’t believe it either. “Well,” she said finally, “then I guess it’s a good thing Jarvis didn’t get out the car. He might have wanted it back!”
We all laughed. At that point, I guess we were a little hysterical. By the time one of Idlewild’s finest pulled up a few minutes later, we had calmed down enough to make our statements. By the time he left, it was snowing again, the kids were waking up from their naps and the telling and retelling of Tomika’s brave improvisation had become our little tribe’s first war song.
Somebody produced a pocket camera and suggested we record the moment for posterity.
“Should we hold up the gun?” Tiffany said, a now wide-awake Diamante gurgling happily against her shoulder.
“No,” I said quickly. “Let’s hold up the baby.”
So that’s what we did.
EIGHTEEN
the designated man
I THOUGHT IT WOULD be a good idea for Tee and Nikki to stay the night at my house in case Junior was still feeling crazy. Nik said she’d bunk with her mother until things settled down a little, but Tomika immediately took me up on my invitation.
I told her to put Mavis to bed while I made us some chamomile tea. When I came back in the living room, she was already curled up on one end of the sofa. I handed her a cup. She took a long swallow and sighed.
I joined her on the couch and we tucked one of the world-famous Circus afghans around our feet and sat for a long, quiet moment.
“Were you scared?” I said finally, really wanting to know.
Tee considered the question. “I was too mad to be scared. Either The Circus is our place or it ain’t, right?”
I nodded. “You know how I felt out there?”
“How?”
I held my cup with both hands and the warmth was as comforting as a pair of slippers that have been sitting beside the fireplace. “ Helpless . I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t done what you did.”
“You’d have thought of something.” She smiled with a lot more confidence in my abilities than I felt at that particular moment.
“Maybe,” I said, “but I didn’t have to. You handled it. I owe you one.”
She grinned. “One what?”
I grinned back. “One absolutely unexpected moment of creative sister strength when you truly need it.”
She laughed softly. “That sounds pretty valuable, Miz J. Maybe I should get it in writing.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t forget.”
We clicked our mugs to seal the deal and then just sipped our tea in silence for a minute or two. It was one of those good silences where you feel like everything is already clear, so there’s no reason to muck it up with a lot of chatter. I refilled our cups and Tomika chuckled softly.
“What?”
She pointed at the bag of videos she’d picked up on our way out. “They been fussin’ at me about these videos all day and we never even got to ’em.”
“Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“What is it about Denzel?”
She laughed softly. “Well, a couple of months ago, I went tothis revival in Big Rapids with my cousin Jan. The preacher came all the way from Chicago and he kept sayin’ that to be a good
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