Negro Digest - Freedom Archives

to switch his hips the way Miss
Ruth did . Janice's mouth swivelled
up until it became very small . Her
eyes narrowed . They were almost
closed . She jumped up from the
chair and slammed the door as she
went inside the house . Mike and
Jim marched over to Janice~s side
of the porch . I hesitated only for
a few seconds before joining them .
"I'm glad to see you back from the
army front," I shouted in a high
pitched voice .
The lights went out in Janice's
living room . "I'm glad to see you
. . ." I stopped abruptly . Janice's
skinny face peered out the window
facing the porch . She made a fist,
brought it up to her nose and shook
it at me . Startled and frightened, I
backed over to our side of the
porch . Jim, Mike, and Tina were
still chanting when Miss Ruth and
Curly walked into the yard .
Curly was carrying a six-pack of
beer under his arm . His light skin
was brightened by his yellow shirt .
He didn't wear a belt . His hips held
his brown slacks up ; and they
looked as if they were going to fall
down .
"Where's Janice?" Miss Ruth
asked, looking around .
"Aw, she went in," Mike said .
Miss Ruth thanked him with a
smile . Before entering the house,
she and Curly stopped at the door
and whispered together for a few
minutes . Afterwards they went inside
of the apartment ; and Janice
dashed out as quickly as she had
dashed inside .
58
Mike never stopped when he had
a good game going . Army front
was a good game . Every time one
of us marched across the porch,
Janice's eyes would get narrow
and her mouth would shrink . We
didn't have to say anything : all we
had to do was march . One afternoon,
when we were all on the
porch, Mike jumped down the
steps and ran down the sidewalk
for about a block . He turned and
marched back toward us . He
stopped in front of the house and
looked around . Then he marched
into the yard and up the steps . aim
dashed over to Janice's side of the
porch and stepped inside of the
screen door . He put his left hand
on his hips and patted his hair with
the other one .
"Well, hello wife," Mike aaid .
He stopped in front of the screen
door .
Tina and I giggled .
"It ain't `hello wife,' " I said .
"It's `hello darling .' "
"Only white folks talk that way,''
Mike said .
I started to disagree . But then, I
had never heard Dad call Mama
"darling ." Maybe Mike was right .
"Hello wife," Mike said again .
"I'm back from the army front ."
Jim opened the screen door and
stepped out on the porch . "Hello
husband," he said . He put both
hands on his hips . "I'm glad to see
you back from the army front ;" he
chanted softly .
"Ohhhh," Tina said, running her
hand through her short, nappy hair .
March 19b8 NEGRO [1fGEST