lollipop fantasies and candy cotton promises. That
would all come soon: that would all come soon
enough, but for no
w. I could still feel safe. What a
time that was.
One memory vividly returned. I could smell
Mama's good cooking and hear her humming and
singing in the kitchen. Beneatha and I were in our
room playing with some dolls Mama had gotten from
the lost-and-found in the supermarket. We heard Roy
come into the house. slamming the door too hard as
usual.
"How many times I tell you not to slam that
door. Roy Arnold?' Mama chastised.
"All Mama. I wasn't thinking about it." he said. "Well, you should. You'll break it off the hinges
and then where will we be?"
"In an apartment without a door," Roy said. "What?"
We held our breath, waiting for her to raise her voice even more when suddenly she just laughed and laughed. We heard Roy laugh too and when I looked out the door, she was hugging him and running her hand through his hair. When he saw me looking at
them. he pulled away quickly. embarrassed. "Aw Mama," he moaned and hurried to his
room.
"Whatcha lookin' at Sugar?" Mama asked me. "Nothing, Mama. Is Roy all right?"
"Oh, he's fine. He just has to learn to be more of
a gentleman. I'm just afraid he's not going to learn it
here though," she muttered.
"Why not. Mama?"
"This ain't exactly the place for ladies and
gentlemen," she said. Then she smiled at me. "But
don't you worry about it. Rain. You're going
somewhere good someday, somewhere special. I'm
sure."