Page 31 - Contrast2009

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excitedly. After a minute, the'white kid turns to me and

asks if he's a good boy. It,'s an odd question, and his voice

"sounds like a woman who's ~een sm~king for 25 years. You
, sure" are, I tell him.

Tne t~ailer park reminds me at first of the commuriity in

Florida where my Grandparents lived. We pass a home that

looks OK on the outside, except for'the broken and burned

windowless frames that show the burned-black insides. We

'r

turn the COrner, and the other side of the house has "cr~ck

head" written 'in spray paint ,on the siding. Beneath that in'~

different handwr1t1ng js painted "1 g~t you joe." Next door'

is the. next ~top. A wall-eyed boy comes in with the cold. He'

is,.also, we ar i.nq pajamas. ,

" There are just two Brader kids, two girls. I buckle them,

in, 'and they are pretty good about it. No one says anyt.h i.nq

until we reach the school. One of them asks me. as I unfasten

herseatbelt if I will be on the bus this afternoon. We'll,

see, I say. When I get back to dispatch I lie to the woman

at the desk. I tell her I am not feeling we'll and will need
the rest of the day off.