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Today's Friday. I like Fridays. It means we ain't gotta go to school for two
whole days! And the best part about Fridays is we get to go to Jasper. Jasper
ain't that big. It ain't as big as Valdosta, but it's bigger'n
Statenville. Jasper's got two red lights. And it's got a train track with red
lights that flash if there's a train comin'.
Jasper's got one road that runs past the school and into town. There's stores on both sides of the street. You can park your car around by Kayo's drugstore and walk all the way down the street. That's what we do. Me and Mama and Granddaddy and Lisa. She's my baby sister. She's a brat. She always rides in the front seat of Granddad's blue Chevy Nova. I don't think that's very fair. I have to sit in the back with Granddaddy. He blows cigar smoke over on me the whole time we're ridin'. That stuff stinks and makes my eyes water. And if I roll down my window to let the smoke out, Mama fusses at me. And it's all Lisa's fault cause she sits in the front seat. I'm always glad when we get to Kayo's and park the car so I can get out and breathe again. We walk all the way down the block. Me and Lisa have to jump over all the cracks in the sidewalk. We don't want Mama's back to break. I have to explain that to Lisa cause she don't understand. "Step on a crack, break your Mama's back." Lisa just thinks it's fun to hop.We finally hop up to the barbershop and go inside. There's always two old men who sit in the front window and play checkers. I ain't really sure how they do it. The red and black on their checkerboard is all faded and old, like them. But they play. They play different than me and Lisa do. Me and Lisa play fast. But those old men play real slow. They'll make a move and then sit back and talk. And they stare at the checkerboard for a long time before they make a move at all. Maybe they're tryin' to see the colors. We sit and watch them while Granddad gets his hair cut. We have to sit in ugly green formaldehyde chairs. They itch my legs where the duct tape holds them together. I scrunch around and try not to sit on the tape. I finally get Lisa to switch chairs. She don't know no better. I think it serves her right to make her legs itch.The barber calls Granddad for his turn, and Granddad goes and gets the neck apron put on him. Then the barber dips his comb in the jar of blue water and starts to trim Granddad's hair. I like the sound his clippers make. He works on Granddad awhile. I can't see that there's any difference. But finally he turns off the clippers and picks up his powder and brushes it across Granddaddy's neck. After Granddad gets up the barber sweeps up around the chair, then goes to sit by the men at the window. They're still playin' checkers. I wonder if they'll stay there all night. I wish I could stay and see, but I can't. Mama's anxious to go next door to Levin's. Levin's is |
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These pages created by Lori Miller, copyright 2004. Last updated May 24, 2007. |