when lois and i changed clothes in gym class, i noticed that she also wore delicate lacy bras and underwear. i wore sturdy cotton bras my grandmother bought from the hospital workers uniform store where she got a discount, and big cotton underwear with the name printed on the waistband.

No one else wanted to take a seat near the girl who smelled of a fisherman’s boat hull.

Everyone in that department was white, and it amazed you how many folks who may or may not have had safe drinking water reminded you of your grandparents Weesie or Teeta or any number of their friends.

The first big secret I ever learned was on the night I found my Daddy dead, crammed in the little space where my old bike’s training wheels turned rusted.

Sometimes, things are good. We have hot water and heat and everything else that keeps us comfortable. But other times, mama’s job cuts her hours, or my dad gets laid off and then they’re stuck choosing between what we need most.