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grazing the house. So nothing at me through the thick window

ever grew-not even weeds. pane, her thin pinky pressed up

And the grass remained soggy against the glass, pointing in my

and limp year-round, like boiled direction. She seemed startled
kale. and embarrassed when shesaw

Mom-Mom Sylvie's house, someonehad noticed her.

even as the solitary splotch of "I don't like the name Jack,

domesticity to be found on but he's your boy, Brenda, not

Dempsey Boulevard, offered no mine," she had said hurriedly.

relief to eyes weary from the "A name like Jack is going to

monotony of blacktop and cold, make him mean. Don't let him be
sterile architecture. a mean boy, Brenda,

It only added to "Sure sorry you don't let him."
the emptinessone had a boy, Three years later

begins to feel Brenda," she had was the next time my
when driving down grandmother saw me.
said to her Mom said shecame to
that road alone. hOI our houseunexpect-
Previousto edly and complained
daughter W I e the entire time about
that day, I had still holding meo her cats and how they
only seen my
grandmother three "I never did like got under her feet and
made her trip and
times during my b "oys 0000 bruise. She would
life, two of those shake her head and
times I couldn't click her tongue while
remember. Mom she pointed to the
said she and Pop-

Pop Leshad been

at the hospital when I was born, patches of blue on her elbows

and Mom-Mom Sylvie was the and kneecaps. Mom told me that

last person I was passed to to be Mom-Mom wouldn't pick me up.
held. She just watched me from my
bedroom doorway, her eyes
"sure sorry you had a boy, peering hesitantly into my crib.
All she said was, "He's getting
Brenda," she had said to her bigger, Brenda," in a disap-
daughter while still holding me. pointed tone. Thenshe left.
"I never did like boys, never got
along with 'em much." The last time I saw her, and
the only time I remember seeing
When Mom thought Mom- my grandmother, was seven
Mom Sylvie had left the hospital years after that, at Pop-Pop
that day, she found her alone at
the maternity ward staring hard

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