Back in the Day...

“Back in the day, when I was young, I’m not a kid anymore
But some days I sit and wish I was a kid again” – Ahmad


While mostly unsupervised in the City we did some crazy stuff like toss bricks from rooftops so it only made me braver when we moved back to Norwalk. I was sure Jean had wore herself out when she pulled single mother duty because I got beat with the belt just about everyday. I still caught her wrath when we moved back to 18A even though she said she turned me over to my Father.

It’s true I was prone to mischief and proud to have defended my self-proclaimed Slick Man of the Year title seven years straight. We’d break the locks at S&S candy factory behind our complex, shoplifted from Jet Variety at least once a week and stole wooden coffee stirrers from Duchess and Dairy Queen then set them on fire in the woods next to the park.

We did everything in that park.

Dodge ball, basketball, tennis ball, touch football, tag, freeze tag, hide & seek, Mother may I, and red light-green light 123. Name it we played it.

One summer day we had the dodge ball game in full swing and the cutest redbone I had ever seen came over and asked if she could play. She had the Shirley Temple curls and I was in love.

“You can be on my side, I’m Donte you can throw and catch right?”

My hands and face were all sweaty and my shorts stuck to my ass under the summer humidity. We took our dodge ball very seriously actually we took every game of anything very seriously. Like when I got mad at Terry Verno and traded him for Allen Jones in between plays on some George Steinbrenner shit.

She waved her hand in my face, “I can throw and catch thanks but I wanna be on my cousin’s side.”

I felt mad played while I watched her skip over to her cousin and my volatile immaturity exploded.

“That’s all right. I’ll show you muthafuckas who the fuck runs this fucking
park. Go head throw that shit, nigga you throw like a bitch. Ahhhhh! Your ass is out! SIT THE FUCK DOWN!!! I’m a fuck all y’all up!”

“Time out, time out.” She ran towards me with hands up and a nauseas look.

“Hold up! Don’t throw the ball at me, I have time out!”

“What? Why you calling time out? I was fucking y’all up …”

“Can you stop cursing? Why are you playing like that? The game isn’t even fun when you’re talking like that …”

“Bitch! This is my block! If you don’t like the way I’m fucking talking then get the fuck outta my park, bitch!”

Her neck rolled with mad attitude and she sucked her teeth mad loud.

“Your Momma’s a bitch! I’m telling my uncle.”

She was out the park and across the street before I could respond.

“What! Tell your fucking uncle! I don’t care about that nigga, he ain’t my Daddy.”

After she left the park I yelled louder and cursed more with the glow of victory while we played like three more epic dodge ball games. Later that afternoon when I came home from the park, Mr. Robinson, also known as Deacon Robinson and the cute redbone were seated with my mother in our living room. Apparently his niece who was there for the summer went to the park to play and some wild boy cursed her out. My Mother leapt like predator to prey as soon as I walked in the door.

“You like calling young ladies, bitches? Motherfucker? You know what that is, Donte?”

The salty sound each profane word made as it fell out of my Mother’s mouth forced a nervous snort and giggle. Rage and embarrassment grabbed her face.

“Oh, so you think this is funny, you got some jokes, Mr. Nasty-mouth, do you? Well, I’ll give you something to laugh about …”

I tried to dip her reach with a drop step. “No! Mom! It’s just weird to hear you say those words …” But she was too quick and had me by the collar of my shirt.

“EXACXLY! Because you don’t hear that in this house but if you want to act a fool, I’m a beat you like a fool …”

“Mom! No!

‘Take your pants off …”

“Mom! There sitting right there, SHE’S sitting right there.”

I didn’t dare look towards the couch. I was so scared I thought I’d burst into flames.

“Oh! Now you worried about offending the young lady? Take your pants OFF!”

“We’re going to leave now, Sister Baxter …”

Mercifully he didn’t wait for her reply as the door closed on the rest of his sentence.

M