Read Online M.C. Higgins, the Great by Virginia Hamilton - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Virginia Hamilton
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dude was here.”
They all stared at him. “He was?” Harper said.
“A Mr. James K. Lewis,” M.C. said, “looking for Mama . . .” He stopped, uncertain whether this was the moment to tell his father they would have to leave.
“Mama won’t be home until darkness,” Harper said. “I heard her say so even when I was still asleep.”
At the mention of their mother, Macie suddenly began to cry. Tears fell to her cheeks like silver beads. Jones patted her a minute. “She’ll be home by darkness, you stop it now,” he said.
M.C. blurted it out: “He was just looking to get Mama’s voice down. Say he’s coming back tonight for sure. Should’ve seen him, with the best clothes and everything. Boots all muddy—he let me listen to his tape recorder.”
M.C. stared at all of them watching him. “He going to take Mama out of here. Make some records with her.”
Macie sucked in her breath, her eyes glistening through tears. Lennie Pool began to bob up and down.
“Everybody says she’s good,” M.C. said eagerly. “Dude couldn’t wait to hear her. She going to have to go.”
“That’s something,” Jones said, clearly impressed. “You sure you got it right?”
“Sure, I’m sure,” M.C. said.
“Well, if she’s got to make records, she’s got to make records,” Jones said.
“She can’t go off to Chicago by herself,” M.C. said. He waited, afraid to breathe.
“Who said anything about Chicago?” Jones said.
“That’s where the dude come from, he told me,” M.C. said.
“But that’s not where they make the records,” Jones said. “All Banina has to do is catch the bus to Nashville. She’ll be there in a few hours and be back in maybe two days. Nashville is where they make the records.”
“Mama will be a star singer,” Harper whispered.
“She’s a stone singer right now,” Jones said, “but it’ll take a little time for her star to rise.” Never doubting that it would rise, he laughed and began eating again.
Stunned, M.C. sat silent. His mother would go to Nashville and they would stay behind.
I had it too fast.
They would have to wait for her to become a star and they didn’t have time to lose.
How am I going to get him to leave? Why come he can’t see that spoil is going to fall, when even a dude out of nowhere can see it? When the kids can. They don’t say nothing ’cause it scares them. But they can see it. He must see it. So what does he think he’s doing?
M.C. felt alone, desolate. He stalked out of the house and stood on the porch, unable to fathom his father or to think what to do.
Soon the children came, grabbing at him. Swiftly he shook them off and roughly shoved them away. He raced for his pole and climbed it as Macie happily leaped up on the junk. She pulled out a chrome strip bent into a small stick. She commenced to beat the pole with it, causing piercing vibrations along its length.
Jones came out of the house and stood on the step, watching his children jumping around like crazy. Where they got their energy in the heat, he’d never know, his look seemed to say. They surely could be foolish one minute and with good sense the next.
He gazed up at M.C. on his pole with a look of pride for his difference, but with caution, too.
“You stay on the mountain, you hear?” he called to M.C. “Keep these kids to home until I come off from work.” When M.C. paid him no attention, he added, “I’ll be going in a minute.”
Jones went inside. When he came out a few minutes later, M.C. still said not a word to him. He wouldn’t even give a glance down at Jones’s leaving. He wouldn’t pay any mind to the kids, less interested in saying good-by to their father than they were in play-fighting one another to be first to climb M.C.’s pole.
Later, M.C. thought. Tell him just like the dude told me. It’s sliding down. Makes no kind of sense to stay. We have to leave. He can’t say no—can he?
4
M.C. SAT UP straight with his hands folded over his
They all stared at him. “He was?” Harper said.
“A Mr. James K. Lewis,” M.C. said, “looking for Mama . . .” He stopped, uncertain whether this was the moment to tell his father they would have to leave.
“Mama won’t be home until darkness,” Harper said. “I heard her say so even when I was still asleep.”
At the mention of their mother, Macie suddenly began to cry. Tears fell to her cheeks like silver beads. Jones patted her a minute. “She’ll be home by darkness, you stop it now,” he said.
M.C. blurted it out: “He was just looking to get Mama’s voice down. Say he’s coming back tonight for sure. Should’ve seen him, with the best clothes and everything. Boots all muddy—he let me listen to his tape recorder.”
M.C. stared at all of them watching him. “He going to take Mama out of here. Make some records with her.”
Macie sucked in her breath, her eyes glistening through tears. Lennie Pool began to bob up and down.
“Everybody says she’s good,” M.C. said eagerly. “Dude couldn’t wait to hear her. She going to have to go.”
“That’s something,” Jones said, clearly impressed. “You sure you got it right?”
“Sure, I’m sure,” M.C. said.
“Well, if she’s got to make records, she’s got to make records,” Jones said.
“She can’t go off to Chicago by herself,” M.C. said. He waited, afraid to breathe.
“Who said anything about Chicago?” Jones said.
“That’s where the dude come from, he told me,” M.C. said.
“But that’s not where they make the records,” Jones said. “All Banina has to do is catch the bus to Nashville. She’ll be there in a few hours and be back in maybe two days. Nashville is where they make the records.”
“Mama will be a star singer,” Harper whispered.
“She’s a stone singer right now,” Jones said, “but it’ll take a little time for her star to rise.” Never doubting that it would rise, he laughed and began eating again.
Stunned, M.C. sat silent. His mother would go to Nashville and they would stay behind.
I had it too fast.
They would have to wait for her to become a star and they didn’t have time to lose.
How am I going to get him to leave? Why come he can’t see that spoil is going to fall, when even a dude out of nowhere can see it? When the kids can. They don’t say nothing ’cause it scares them. But they can see it. He must see it. So what does he think he’s doing?
M.C. felt alone, desolate. He stalked out of the house and stood on the porch, unable to fathom his father or to think what to do.
Soon the children came, grabbing at him. Swiftly he shook them off and roughly shoved them away. He raced for his pole and climbed it as Macie happily leaped up on the junk. She pulled out a chrome strip bent into a small stick. She commenced to beat the pole with it, causing piercing vibrations along its length.
Jones came out of the house and stood on the step, watching his children jumping around like crazy. Where they got their energy in the heat, he’d never know, his look seemed to say. They surely could be foolish one minute and with good sense the next.
He gazed up at M.C. on his pole with a look of pride for his difference, but with caution, too.
“You stay on the mountain, you hear?” he called to M.C. “Keep these kids to home until I come off from work.” When M.C. paid him no attention, he added, “I’ll be going in a minute.”
Jones went inside. When he came out a few minutes later, M.C. still said not a word to him. He wouldn’t even give a glance down at Jones’s leaving. He wouldn’t pay any mind to the kids, less interested in saying good-by to their father than they were in play-fighting one another to be first to climb M.C.’s pole.
Later, M.C. thought. Tell him just like the dude told me. It’s sliding down. Makes no kind of sense to stay. We have to leave. He can’t say no—can he?
4
M.C. SAT UP straight with his hands folded over his
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