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  • Bent Up Straight
  • Jennifer Gonzalez (bio)

Mama an old Mr. Carver been kissin in the kitchen. I know cause I been sittin in the broom closet an I can see em through where the old boards don’t come exactly together no more. When Daddy got sent up river to the state penn on account of his messin with a white woman, Mama didn’t have no one to fix things round the house, us bein all girl children. I was five then, and when Daddy got out of prison four years later, he come home an say he got hisself a new lady, an he don’t want Mama no more.

Oooh Mama, she act all cool an tell us girls to go on outside an make ourselves busy. We all scoot round to the backside of the house so’s we can try an get a look at em through the kitchen window. Mama not so cool no more. She march by the window, Good Book in one hand and Daddy’s head draggin by the other. She a hollerin bout leavin us, and hellfire, all the while pullin Daddy back an forth. Mama don’t take no mess.

Mama always been a big woman. I got big bones like her, but she strong like an ox. Daddy ain’t a small man, but Mama seem to git bigger an bigger the hotter she gets. In the end, she send Daddy packin. He didn’t look none too pretty for his new lady friend neither with a black eye an missin a few clumps o hair. We ain seen Daddy since an I think maybe he dead.

Mr. Carver lost his missus a few months back. He got no kids, so Mama an a few ladies from church got together an took turns cookin for him. Collard greens, beet greens, sometimes even gumbo an sweet potato pie. Jus thinkin bout Mama’s cookin makin my mouth water somethin awful, but they still at it an I too fraid to move. If Mama knew I watchin she’d have my hide.

Then today he show up out of the blue whistlin at the screen door lookin like he jus swallowed a canary. He say he ‘come to offer his services to the lovely an talented Missus Biggs.’ He fallin all over hisself tellin her how fine she look today, an how much he like her pie. Mama standin at the door sweatin. She act all hot an sick-like, an tell us kids to go on an leave em be for a few minutes. That’s how I be hidin in the closet.

I never seen Mama kiss on no one but Daddy, an I don’t understand how come she kiss Mr Carver. He ugly. He look like a prune, his face all wrinkly an shriveled up. An he old, at least he look old. He work at the church, fixin things when they broke an cleanin up after the service. His hair look like salt an pepper mixed together, an he walk with a cane. Mama say he got shot in the leg in the big war, but that was before I born. [End Page 660]

Mama smoothin her apron now, askin if the mister would like hisself a cup o coffee. She look all mussed up, her hair all undone, but she smilin. Old Mister Carver smilin too. He laugh an say she one fine sister if you ax him. She jus grin an pour out two cups of coffee, one for each of em.

It sure warm in this here closet. Seem like I been sittin here all day. Mama gonna know I been up to no good cause my dress all wrinkled and my hair undone from sweat an she jus braid it this mornin. Saturday mornins are when she sits us girls down an braids our hair for the week. She got one of them combs with metal teeth an every time she do mine it feel like she scratchin my scalp right off my head. She always swattin me tellin me not to wiggle so’s she can get the braids straight...

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