was kinda silly of me, because he’s not really coming home until the end of the week. So I’ll have to make another cake then.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“So you’re doing me a favor,” she said. “Seeing as how I have to get rid of this one. Believe me, I’d have no trouble eating it all myself.”
I looked over at her. She was taking her last bite of cake, and clearly enjoying it.
“I know it’s going to be a hard adjustment for him,” she said, putting her plate down. “A man with a record, that’s one big strike against you, no matter what the circumstances might be.”
She was right, of course. It was already nearly impossible for a black man to find a job in this city. Add a felony conviction and your chances get much worse.
“There’s a man in my church who says he’ll give Darryl a chance,” she said. “That’s a real blessing.”
“That is. I hope it works out for him.”
She studied me for a moment.
“What was your name again?”
“Alex. Alex McKnight.”
“The years have been kind to you. You don’t look much older at all.”
If only you knew, I thought. It sure as hell doesn’t feel that way.
“But like I said, Alex … I know why you came here.”
“Actually,” I said, not sure where to go with this, “I came down here to catch up on things, see a couple of people. I ended up just driving around today…”
“To an empty block with one house left standing,” she said. “On the way to nowhere. You expect me to believe it was just an accident you ended up sitting here in my living room?”
“I admit,” I said. “When I saw this street … I mean, it all kinda came back to me. After all that hard work, we were just about ready to give up. But then…”
“But then you found my son.”
Yes, I thought. We found your son, after finally catching a break, one of the most unlikely breaks ever, a break that led us right to your front door. Then you lied to us about him being here. A forgivable lie, but a lie just the same. Then the way you wailed as we put your son in handcuffs and dragged him away.
I wasn’t about to say any of that, of course.
“Now you’ve come back,” she said. “Just like I knew you would. Someday. It must have been hearing the news about Darryl getting out that made you finally come here. Am I right?”
I just looked at her.
“You didn’t have to wait so long. You could have come years ago. You might have even helped get him out, you know.”
“Ma’am, I’m sorry. You’ve totally lost me.”
“You came here to apologize,” she said, her voice fortified with resolve now. “And it’s about damned time. Pardon my French.”
“Ma’am, apologize?”
“For taking my son away. Even though you know he didn’t kill that woman.”
I looked at her for a while, then down at the plate I was still holding in my lap.
“I’m so sorry,” I finally said. “I’ve accepted your hospitality, but I don’t think I’ve come bearing the message you wanted to hear.”
“Listen to me,” she said, moving forward to the edge of her chair. “Look me in the eyes and listen to me.”
I leaned forward in my own chair. I looked her in the eyes.
“My son did not kill that woman. As sure as there’s a God in heaven. As sure as the sun is going to come up tomorrow morning.”
“Mrs. King…”
“There’s a lot of things my son was capable of doing back then. But killing somebody was not one of those things. Dragging some woman into a train station and cutting her up with a knife was not one of those things. Do you hear what I’m telling you?”
“I hear what you’re saying.”
“Do you believe me?”
I hesitated. “I believe that you believe that. It’s only natural that you’d—”
“Oh, stop it,” she said. “Just stop that right now. I don’t need you to pat me on the head and tell me I’m just blinded by motherly love. I don’t need that one little bit.”
“Mrs. King, where is your son serving his
“Yes, ma’am.”
“So you’re doing me a favor,” she said. “Seeing as how I have to get rid of this one. Believe me, I’d have no trouble eating it all myself.”
I looked over at her. She was taking her last bite of cake, and clearly enjoying it.
“I know it’s going to be a hard adjustment for him,” she said, putting her plate down. “A man with a record, that’s one big strike against you, no matter what the circumstances might be.”
She was right, of course. It was already nearly impossible for a black man to find a job in this city. Add a felony conviction and your chances get much worse.
“There’s a man in my church who says he’ll give Darryl a chance,” she said. “That’s a real blessing.”
“That is. I hope it works out for him.”
She studied me for a moment.
“What was your name again?”
“Alex. Alex McKnight.”
“The years have been kind to you. You don’t look much older at all.”
If only you knew, I thought. It sure as hell doesn’t feel that way.
“But like I said, Alex … I know why you came here.”
“Actually,” I said, not sure where to go with this, “I came down here to catch up on things, see a couple of people. I ended up just driving around today…”
“To an empty block with one house left standing,” she said. “On the way to nowhere. You expect me to believe it was just an accident you ended up sitting here in my living room?”
“I admit,” I said. “When I saw this street … I mean, it all kinda came back to me. After all that hard work, we were just about ready to give up. But then…”
“But then you found my son.”
Yes, I thought. We found your son, after finally catching a break, one of the most unlikely breaks ever, a break that led us right to your front door. Then you lied to us about him being here. A forgivable lie, but a lie just the same. Then the way you wailed as we put your son in handcuffs and dragged him away.
I wasn’t about to say any of that, of course.
“Now you’ve come back,” she said. “Just like I knew you would. Someday. It must have been hearing the news about Darryl getting out that made you finally come here. Am I right?”
I just looked at her.
“You didn’t have to wait so long. You could have come years ago. You might have even helped get him out, you know.”
“Ma’am, I’m sorry. You’ve totally lost me.”
“You came here to apologize,” she said, her voice fortified with resolve now. “And it’s about damned time. Pardon my French.”
“Ma’am, apologize?”
“For taking my son away. Even though you know he didn’t kill that woman.”
I looked at her for a while, then down at the plate I was still holding in my lap.
“I’m so sorry,” I finally said. “I’ve accepted your hospitality, but I don’t think I’ve come bearing the message you wanted to hear.”
“Listen to me,” she said, moving forward to the edge of her chair. “Look me in the eyes and listen to me.”
I leaned forward in my own chair. I looked her in the eyes.
“My son did not kill that woman. As sure as there’s a God in heaven. As sure as the sun is going to come up tomorrow morning.”
“Mrs. King…”
“There’s a lot of things my son was capable of doing back then. But killing somebody was not one of those things. Dragging some woman into a train station and cutting her up with a knife was not one of those things. Do you hear what I’m telling you?”
“I hear what you’re saying.”
“Do you believe me?”
I hesitated. “I believe that you believe that. It’s only natural that you’d—”
“Oh, stop it,” she said. “Just stop that right now. I don’t need you to pat me on the head and tell me I’m just blinded by motherly love. I don’t need that one little bit.”
“Mrs. King, where is your son serving his
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