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Authors: Keith Thomas Walker
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fine, Mama. It’s just . . . .”
There was a rustling on the other end of the phone. Candace heard her mother speaking excitedly to someone else: “It’s Candace! She’s on the phone. She says she wants to come back!”
There was more rustling, and then a man’s voice came to the line. Candace dreaded this moment more than anything.
“Hello? Candace?”
“Hey, Dad. It’s me.”
“Where are you? Are you still in Texas?” He seemed a lot less enthused than her mother.
“Yeah,” Candace said.
“So you’re finally ready to come home?” he asked skeptically.
“Yes,” she said. “If you’re willing to take me back, I want to come home.”
“You’re always welcome,” Gerald Hendricks said. Then, “What happened? Your boyfriend finally end up getting shot?”
“No,” Candace said, a wave of uneasiness washing over her.
“Well, what happened then?” her step-father asked. “He’s in jail.”
“Oh,” he said. “So he gets locked up and now you wanna come home?”
In the background Candace heard her mother pleading, “Don’t do that, Gerald.”
“I was already thinking about going home,” Candace said. “I didn’t know how to tell him.”
“But now he’s in jail?” her father asked.
“Yes,” Candace said.
“You missed a whole semester of school,” he said. “You could have been halfway through your freshman year by now. It didn’t do you a bit of good to graduate early if you were going to skip a year of college.”
Candace didn’t like the way this conversation was going at all. “I’ve been going to school,” she said. “I took five classes at the community college.”
“ Community college? ” Her father said it like it was a naughty word. In the background, Candace heard her mom again.
“Gerald, stop that.”
“I’m pregnant,” Candace blurted.
“She says he’s in jail,” her father said off line, then, “What?”
“I’m pregnant,” she said again. “Seven months.”
“I knew it!” There was more commotion on the other end. Candace heard her father speaking to her mother: “She’s pregnant ! And he’s in jail! That’s the only reason she wants to come back.”
When he got back on the phone, Candace already had her finger poised to disconnect the line.
“So you’re pregnant?” he asked. “You ran all the way over there and messed up your life—just like I said you would! Now everything’s shot to hell and you wanna come back and be a burden to me and your mother? We stopped changing diapers a long time ago, Candace. Don’t think you’re gonna come back and stick us with your baby!”
In the background her mother begged for leniency, but Gerald ignored her.
“You had it all,” he ranted. “You could have gone to whatever school you wanted to! You could have had anything you wanted!”
“Daddy, please . . . . ”
“ Please? Please what, Candace? You wanna call me for help, but you don’t want to hear what I’ve got to say about it? We’re disappointed in you, girl. You’ve disgraced this family. We’ve been lying to the neighbors. Your mother’s been in counseling—”
There was more rustling. Candace knew her mother was trying to take the phone, but her father wouldn’t give it up.
“Hold on, woman! She’s going to hear what I have to say!”
But when he got back on the line this time, Candace had already hung up.
She sat in the phone booth and cried for an unprecedented fourth time in one day.
There would be no one to dry her tears on this night.
Chapter 7
THE FAME GAME
They say they know my name
They say they know my game
They say I’m guilty
Now they got my ass locked in these chains
Rilla
C Block
Candace slumped on Trisha’s couch watching The Simpsons with the kids. It was ten p.m. Most families were getting ready for bed at that hour, but Trisha’s apartment was still humming. In addition to the television, a radio blasted in one of the bedrooms. The apartment was filled with
There was a rustling on the other end of the phone. Candace heard her mother speaking excitedly to someone else: “It’s Candace! She’s on the phone. She says she wants to come back!”
There was more rustling, and then a man’s voice came to the line. Candace dreaded this moment more than anything.
“Hello? Candace?”
“Hey, Dad. It’s me.”
“Where are you? Are you still in Texas?” He seemed a lot less enthused than her mother.
“Yeah,” Candace said.
“So you’re finally ready to come home?” he asked skeptically.
“Yes,” she said. “If you’re willing to take me back, I want to come home.”
“You’re always welcome,” Gerald Hendricks said. Then, “What happened? Your boyfriend finally end up getting shot?”
“No,” Candace said, a wave of uneasiness washing over her.
“Well, what happened then?” her step-father asked. “He’s in jail.”
“Oh,” he said. “So he gets locked up and now you wanna come home?”
In the background Candace heard her mother pleading, “Don’t do that, Gerald.”
“I was already thinking about going home,” Candace said. “I didn’t know how to tell him.”
“But now he’s in jail?” her father asked.
“Yes,” Candace said.
“You missed a whole semester of school,” he said. “You could have been halfway through your freshman year by now. It didn’t do you a bit of good to graduate early if you were going to skip a year of college.”
Candace didn’t like the way this conversation was going at all. “I’ve been going to school,” she said. “I took five classes at the community college.”
“ Community college? ” Her father said it like it was a naughty word. In the background, Candace heard her mom again.
“Gerald, stop that.”
“I’m pregnant,” Candace blurted.
“She says he’s in jail,” her father said off line, then, “What?”
“I’m pregnant,” she said again. “Seven months.”
“I knew it!” There was more commotion on the other end. Candace heard her father speaking to her mother: “She’s pregnant ! And he’s in jail! That’s the only reason she wants to come back.”
When he got back on the phone, Candace already had her finger poised to disconnect the line.
“So you’re pregnant?” he asked. “You ran all the way over there and messed up your life—just like I said you would! Now everything’s shot to hell and you wanna come back and be a burden to me and your mother? We stopped changing diapers a long time ago, Candace. Don’t think you’re gonna come back and stick us with your baby!”
In the background her mother begged for leniency, but Gerald ignored her.
“You had it all,” he ranted. “You could have gone to whatever school you wanted to! You could have had anything you wanted!”
“Daddy, please . . . . ”
“ Please? Please what, Candace? You wanna call me for help, but you don’t want to hear what I’ve got to say about it? We’re disappointed in you, girl. You’ve disgraced this family. We’ve been lying to the neighbors. Your mother’s been in counseling—”
There was more rustling. Candace knew her mother was trying to take the phone, but her father wouldn’t give it up.
“Hold on, woman! She’s going to hear what I have to say!”
But when he got back on the line this time, Candace had already hung up.
She sat in the phone booth and cried for an unprecedented fourth time in one day.
There would be no one to dry her tears on this night.
Chapter 7
THE FAME GAME
They say they know my name
They say they know my game
They say I’m guilty
Now they got my ass locked in these chains
Rilla
C Block
Candace slumped on Trisha’s couch watching The Simpsons with the kids. It was ten p.m. Most families were getting ready for bed at that hour, but Trisha’s apartment was still humming. In addition to the television, a radio blasted in one of the bedrooms. The apartment was filled with
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