‘I dunno. In a few days, or less.’
‘What you need Easy for?’ She said it like a challenge.
‘He my friend, Jo, like I tole you.’
‘Well. You go on out an’ I sen’im in a minute.’
Mouse leaned dose to me and smiled his golden smile. He winked, then he was gone out the door.
A match struck and Momma Jo was there lighting an oil lantern. Shadows jumped around the room and I wondered if it was really night outside. She was just as tall but she looked different when she was naked. Her breasts made her look more human, they didn’t stick straight out anymore but they didn’t sag very much either. The hard nipples curved upward like blunted black barbs on thornbush.
‘Mo’nin’, Easy,’ she said gently. ‘How you?’ There was a moan and the rustling of blankets and I could see Ernestine laying on the pillows from where Momma Jo came; Clifton was nowhere to be seen.
Momma tossed a blanket over the girl and wrapped another one around her own shoulders. She asked me to sit down there on the floor, but I shook my head and picked up my pants.
She stood close to me while I dressed, letting her shoulders sag down so she was dose to my height. ‘You gonna come back wit’ Raymond, baby?’
‘No, I don’t think so.’
‘Why not?’
‘Well, I gotta job you know, an’ we jes’ gonna say hi to his fam’ly, then we gone.’
‘Raymond say he comin’ back.’
‘I ain’t got the time.’ I looked her in the face for a second. Her eyes were full of sympathy or pity; I didn’t know what for.
‘You had some time las’ night.’
There was nothing to say to that so I concentrated on the buttons of my shirt.
‘Why’ont you come back t’say bye?’
‘Okay,’ I lied to keep her quiet, but she looked down at Ernestine and then back at me.
‘You shouldn’t be mad ‘bout us girls gettin’ together, Easy. She just excited an’ you an’ Clifton was out. Girls need t’talk ‘bout they men.’ She smiled and looked coy.
I wanted to tear off my skin.
‘I don’t care bout them. I gotta go an’ I’ll come say bye fo’ we get back down.’
I moved to go to the door, but she touched my arm.
‘Come back, Easy,’ she said, and I felt something.
‘I cain’t, Jo. This ain’t right, an’, an’ you don’t even know me.’
She looked at me for long time. While she did she seemed to get older and older; her eyes were tired and there were folds in her face. It was like she was aging to death and I was killing her. The lantern was fluttering, maybe it had been the whole time, but right then I thought that if the light went out she’d die.
‘Okay,’ I said. ‘But just to say bye.’
When she kissed me I felt sick but excited too; I wanted to scream.
When I got to the door she said, ‘You watch out fo’Ray-mond, honey.’
‘Mouse don’t need me t’help him.’
‘I mean you make sure you don’t get hurt. Raymond hate this place an’ he don’t have no good reason t’ be down here.’
‘I be okay, Jo.’
She put her hand on my throat like she was going to choke me, but softly. Then I left.
Chapter Five
The sky was black and crowded with stars. The land was like a heaven too; everywhere there were dusters of fireflies, glowing white with glints of green and yellow and blue. They covered the ground in a shimmering net of light. In the middle of that light was the dark form of a man holding a yellow lantern.
‘Hey, Easy! She let you go, huh?’
‘Where’d you go?’ I asked Mouse. ‘How come you left me there?’
‘I had t’go see my friend, Easy. I figgered you could take care’a yo’self.’ Mouse snickered. ‘Who gonna figger you for runnin’ after witch pussy?’
I took two steps toward him with my fists clenched.
‘Hole’it, man.’ He was laughing and holding the lantern out as a play shield. ‘If Momma go after somebody, then what can they do? We just people, Easy, and she is more’n that.’
‘What you go’n leave me for?’
‘I had t’see somebody. I din’t know what’s on that crazy woman’s mind.’
