The Gift-Giver (2 page)

"Come here, Doris."

I took a chance and didn't answer.

"Doris!" He said it fast and loud. I knew I'd better look like I heard him.

"Come over here, girl."

I went over to him. I figured they'd put me under punishment and make me stay in the house. They acted like it's the worst thing they could do to me. I thought about making them think I wanted to stay in the house all the time, then they'd send me outside for punishment.

"Doris, me and your mother decided that you'll be under punishment all week. You can't play outside after your homework. Can't go to the movies Saturday. You got to learn to come straight home after school, like you told."

At first I didn't say anything. Then I remembered that the next day was the big basketball game between the
fifth and sixth grades. I'd picked the worst time to mess up.

"Daddy, tomorrow is the big game after school. Can I stay for that?"

"They gonna miss you this year," my mother hollered from the kitchen.

I hated when she did that. It was like her ears was all over the house. She could hear everything anyone said or did. You couldn't escape her ears—or her mouth.

"But I been looking forward to this game all year," I said to my father.

The voice came from the kitchen again. "You should've thought of that before you decided to take yourself over to that playground. You already had your after-school fun."

My father spoke real soft. "Doris, I'm sorry. You have to come straight home from school."

"She's the one who should be saying sorry," my mother yelled. "A hard head makes a soft behind."

I think my father was surprised she heard him. He was really trying to talk soft.

I whispered, "Daddy, please, I'll stay under punishment from now till June, but please, don't make me miss the game."

Ma came flying into the room. Guess I whispered lower than she could hear. She couldn't stand that.

"Look Doris, we already told you. You coming straight home from school," she said.

"Mama, please. I promise I'll do anything you say. Please let me go to the game."

"No, and that's it. You got to learn to do what you told."

"Why is this game so important, Doris?" my father asked.

"It's between the fifth and sixth grades. Looks like we're going to win this time. Please Daddy?"

My mother stood there with her arms folded around a dish towel. "Who on that team? That rude, skinny Sherman? And that tub-a-lard Russell? That who you want to see? What you should be doing is reading some books after school—getting something in your head."

"Ma, why you hate Russell and them?"

"I don't hate them. They somebody's children just like you my child. And I hope their mamas be telling them the same thing I'm telling you—to get something in their heads."

My father sat there quiet. I tried to read his face, but I couldn't tell what he was thinking. I decided to start crying. I knew that'd get to him.

My mother rolled her eyes at me. "Stop that, Doris."

Then my father looked at me, but he talked to my mother. "Let her go to the game," he said. "Nothing else."

My mother has kind of slanty eyes. When she gets mad they look like two black slits. I turned to my father. "Daddy, please?"

This time he looked at my mother. "Just let her go to the game. She'll come home right after."

Mama sucked her teeth real loud and stomped into the kitchen. She clanged and banged pots and pans like it was New Year's Eve. Then the baby started crying. It looked like I saw a laugh somewhere in my father's face. "Doris, stop crying," he said. "Go and get the baby. This sounds like a crazy house."

I was miserable for the rest of the night. When I went to bed I heard them talking. My ears ain't like my mother's so I couldn't tell what they was saying. But I decided there was no way I was gonna miss that game. I'd go anyway. Since I was already under punishment, there'd just be some more punishment added to that. Probably I'd get a whipping. Still, I couldn't miss the game for nothing in the world.

When I got to the kitchen the next morning my father had already left for work. Mama was still banging pots. Sometimes I felt sorry for those pots and pans. I didn't say nothing. I just drank my milk.

"Listen, Miss, you speak when you come in this kitchen."

"Mornin'," I said quietly.

"You lucky your father is so soft-hearted. He talked me into letting you stay after school for the game."

"Oh, Ma!" I yelled so loud the baby jumped.

"Okay, all that noise ain't necessary."

She came over to me and shook her finger in my face. "Girl, you better walk a straight line home after that game."

The first crazy thing about that day was that Sherman was absent. This was the day of the big basketball game between the fifth and sixth grades. Sherman was the captain of the fifth-grade team. Big Russell was angry because of Sherman. I was mad too. We just knew that the fifth grade would win this year 'cause Sherman was so good.

As usual we went to the schoolyard after lunch. Amir came with us—quiet like always. All the boys practiced for the game except Big Russell. He sat by himself looking like a fat volcano ready to explode. We all knew to stay away from him when he got mad. Russell is okay but you always got to be so careful how you act with him. I went over to him, kind of nervous-like. Amir followed me.

"Russell, what you think happened to Sherman?" I asked.

"How I know? He just don't care, I guess."

"Maybe he's sick," I said.

"He ain't sick. He just don't care about us winning."

Amir turned to Russell. "Don't you know how to play basketball?"

Lordy, I said to myself. This boy better stop asking Russell them dumb questions.

Russell looked at Amir like he was crazy. "Of course, man. What you ask me that for? You trying to be funny?"

"Since you play too, why you thinking you'll lose 'cause Sherman ain't here?"

"Don't you understand nothing? Sherman is the captain. He's the best player, man. He plays better than them sixth graders. He tall and big like them."

"So are you," said Amir.

Oh, oh, I said to myself. Russell gonna bust him a good one now if he don't shut up.

But Russell just looked at Amir again, like Amir had no sense at all.

"Sherman knows all the moves. All the plays," he said.

"Don't you know them too?" Amir asked.

"Yeah, but he's the captain. We need another man. None of them guys is good as Sherman."

"Use Yellow Bird," Amir said.

Even I had to laugh at that. Yellow Bird never played in important games. I mean it was crazy to think of Yellow Bird with his little, short self trying to play a regular game with guys like Russell and Sherman—not to mention those big sixth graders.

"You really stupid, man. Bird can't play in no regular game!" Russell yelled.

"He practices with you. He's little and fast and could keep the other team confused."

"Look, Amir, you're confused. It don't make no
difference. We gonna lose anyway. I'm gonna get Sherman good for this."

"If you gonna lose anyway, may as well put Yellow Bird in the game."

Russell looked at Amir like he was really gonna hit him this time.

"Man, what do you know? You can't even play ball."

At three o'clock everyone headed for the gym. We looked forward to this game all year. The fifth grade had never beat the sixth grade at Paul Laurence Dunbar Elementary School. I felt real bad for the team 'cause they thought they had a chance this time. This was the one time I hoped Big Russell would get Sherman for letting everyone down like this.

Me and Mickey and Dotty got good seats in front. I saw Amir on the other side of the court talking to Big Russell. I wanted to know so bad what they said my ears hurt.

"Hey, Mickey, I wonder what them boys talking about."

"About the game."

"I know that. But what they saying?"

"How should I know?"

"Tell Dotty to go over there and find out."

We always sent Dotty on errands to find out what people said. Somehow she could be some place and nobody see her. She came back in two minutes, sat down and didn't say a thing.

"What them boys saying?" I asked.

"That new boy just say 'You play good like Sherman, you should win.'"

"That sound like some of that Amir talk. What Big Russell say?"

"My mama don't allow me and Mickey to talk like that."

Sometimes I don't understand Dotty at all. What did her mama have to do with her telling me what them boys said? Before I could ask her to explain, the game started.

The sixth-grade team came out first and them old sixth graders in the audience yelled and hollered. I got so mad. They knew they was gonna win.

Then the fifth-grade team came out. Russell led them. Suddenly the audience started stomping and yelling. I looked to see what the noise was about. Who do I see at the end of the lineup but Yellow Bird, looking like he wearing his daddy's drawers.

Russell went and listened to Amir after all. Yellow Bird was a sight. Even me and Mickey and Dotty laughed until our faces hurt. Yellow Bird didn't care. He grinned and got ready to act the fool. At least we had a good laugh even if we lost the game.

The game began. First of all, I thought Yellow Bird was going to lose them shorts he was wearing. That kept me worried. Them shorts waved like flags as he flew from one end of the court to the other.

Russell looked like a tank—mowing people down.

The sixth graders had six points and the fifth graders six fouls. Then I heard some noise on the other side of the gym.

I see Amir moving around where a lot of fifth graders is sitting. Then he comes running over to me and Mickey and Dotty. He puts them big eyes on me and says, "We cheering for Russell."

So we all yelled, "Go, Russell! Go Russell!" Seemed like every fifth grader was yelling.

Meanwhile, down on the court, Russell is butting heads and Bird is flapping. But Russell made a basket and finally got them two points.

Bird caught the ball and spun like a top back to Russell who made a beautiful hook shot.

The fifth-grade team started moving. Yellow Bird darted and dribbled all over the place. No one could catch him.

Russell made all kinds of shots.

The sixth-grade team looked confused. Another point for the fifth grade. Then the crowd starts yelling, "Go Bird! Go Russell!" We screamed till we lost our voices.

It was worth it. For the first time in the history of Dunbar Elementary, the fifth-grade basketball team beat the sixth grade. They beat them just by one point. But that didn't matter.

Of course, Bird and Russell was the stars. Russell looked like he lost twenty pounds 'cause he wasn't blown up and evil anymore. He looked so proud it made me feel proud.

Before I even had a chance to say something about the game to her, Mickey was on the court grinning in Yellow Bird's face. Dotty disappeared too. I remembered I was under punishment. I left without saying anything to anybody. I didn't want everyone to know I had to leave right away.

I walked down 163rd Street slow as I could and still keep moving. I saw Amir and caught up to him. After I ran over to him I felt stupid. I didn't know what to say. He looked at me and smiled.

"That was some game," he said.

"Yeah. The fifth grade did good." I wanted to ask him
something about himself. But how you ask somebody why they strange?

"Hey, Amir, how come you...."

Some boys from our class came dashing down the street. "Amir. Come on to the playground with us."

Amir looked at me. "See you later, Doris."

He went with the other boys. Mickey and Dotty came over to me. "Let's go to the playground," they said.

"I gotta do some things for my mother."

They laughed. "Come on, Dotty," Mickey said. "Let's find Lavinia or anybody who can do something."

"You some friends," I yelled to them. They just laughed again.

I went upstairs. Mama still looked mad. But she was baking a chocolate cake—my favorite, and this wasn't even Sunday. I went to my room which was really a hallway. But it was my own spot.

"Get the baby, Doris. Don't you hear him crying?"

Don't you hear me crying? I thought. I'm never going to get married or have babies. I'm going to be free and do everything I want.

I thought about Amir. If I could've went to the playground I could've talked to him. When I picked up the baby he started crying even more. I felt like crying too.

All I wanted was to do some of the things my friends did. Mickey and Dotty was my best friends, but I could tell they was getting tired of being with me cause I couldn't do anything.

The next morning I waited for Mickey and Dotty, but they never showed up. I took the shortcut through the playground. Mama said I couldn't play in the playground. She didn't say I couldn't use it as a shortcut to get to school. I saw Mickey and Dotty up ahead and ran over to them.

"Hey, I waited for you this morning. What happened?"

Dotty didn't even bother to answer. Mickey said, "We thought your mother wouldn't let you come out."

"You think you so funny! You could've waited for me."

Dotty twisted her little round head to the side. "Me and Mickey thought you was gone. Lots of times you don't wait for us, you know!"

"That's a lie! I always wait."

"You better not call my sister a liar," Mickey said.

Dotty twisted her face. "Come on, Mickey," she said. "Forget her."

"Later for both of you," I said.

I walked away from them. I should've known when
I saw them dressed exactly alike in green skirts and green sweaters that they was gonna be acting hinkty. It was sickening having twins for friends anyway. Sometimes they act like nobody's in the world but them.

When I got near the school I saw Amir.

"What's wrong with you this morning?" he asked.

"Nothing."

"You look mad."

"I ain't mad."

"You walking fast like you're mad. Where's your two friends?"

"What friends?"