At the outhouse, the boys were waiting for their turns to go, and when Boukie saw me running out with my dress up, and then falling down with my business exposed, he laughed, pointing his finger in spiritual accusation. Ever the gentleman, Baybay put his hands up to cover his eyes, but I could see he was peeking through his fingers.
The next morning, Baybay’s mother dropped the boys off as usual, and Boukie went back on his promise never to play with me again, and Baybay followed suit. We still ran around, made mud pies, and fell from trees, but every so often, Boukie made sure to remind me, no longer were we the Three Mouse-Tears. And in a few years, he was right, because Mama told me I couldn’t spend time with Baybay and him anymore. Young ladies had to be careful.
*
Before they drove off, Baybay had asked me to ride with them, but by the time he showed up in his Eldorado, a week had passed. There had been several phone calls to secure permission to spend time with my former playmates. There had been a round of calls to Uncle Root from Baybay’s grandfather, Mr. J.W. Then another round of calls from those two men to my granny. After that, Miss Rose had placed a call to Mama. She stayed huddled on the kitchen phone for twenty minutes before she put me on the phone.
“Ailey, I don’t know about this. But your granny and Uncle Root told me it’ll be all right. So I’m going to have faith.”
“It’s just Baybay and Boukie. It’s not like they’re criminals.”
“But they are boys. And boys are always up to something. I’m not trying to have you come back here full of somebody’s baby.”
“Mama, that is so nasty.”
“You know what else is nasty? Being a teenage mother. So I want you to promise me that you’ll be a good girl.”
“I promise. I totally do, Mama. Can I go now?”
“Wait just a minute. And another thing: you watch those boys. Any kind of ungentlemanly behavior—I mean the smallest thing—and that’s the end of your time with them. Because I don’t want to have to leave your daddy on his sickbed and come kill somebody’s knucklehead son and then hide the body. But I will. And that’s my right hand slapped by Glory.”
“All right, Mama. Okay. Can I go now?”
“Yes, you may. I love you very much.”
I thought that would be the end of the warnings, but when the boys showed up at the farm that Saturday, my granny was full of vinegar.
“Y’all listen to me good.” Miss Rose looked over her glasses. “Either one of y’all try some funny business with my grandbaby, I’ma cut off some privates, and then kill somebody.”
“Miss Rose, please! You’re embarrassing me!” I tugged on her arm, but she moved forward, poking her finger into Boukie’s chest.
“I’m talking more special to you, Albert Booker T. Crawford the Third. I know how the mens in your family is.”
As soon as we pulled out of the yard, he started fussing. “Why that old lady up on me like that? That won’t right!”
“Man, it’s cool,” Baybay said. “You know she just protective.”
“But I ain’t even did nothing!”
“I know.” Baybay lowered his voice. “But . . . you remember . . . you know . . . that thing that your cousin Tony did to somebody’s sister? She probably just remembering that.”
I looked out the window. This was too much, everybody bringing up stuff about Lydia. Maybe this had been a mistake, trying to hang out with these dudes. This was a lot of drama just to go for a ride.
“Exactly, though. Tony. Not me. I don’t even fuck with him.”
“Come on, partner, shake it off,” Baybay said. “We ’bout to drink us some wine, smoke a couple joints, and have us a very entertaining evening. Am I right?”
Baybay worked at the Cluck-Cluck Hut, and they gave him free chicken whenever he wanted. We ate a box while he drove through downtown, taking each corner slow. Through the square, past the old movie theater and the abandoned dime store. Then over the railroad tracks, where we stopped at the Six-to-Twelve Package Store, where Baybay motioned to Mr. Lonny the Wino. He was the old man who stood guard outside and cleaned up for the owner. If you gave Mr. Lonny a tip, he would buy your wine for you. But that day, a brown-and-tan car was parked on the corner when Baybay pulled up.
“Shit,” Boukie said. “There go the sheriff. Keep driving.”
“Naw, I’ma stop. If I drive off, it’ll look bad, and I’m not trying to get arrested.”