Bagels and Grits by Jennifer Anne Moses

Author:Jennifer Anne Moses [Moses, Jennifer Anne]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2012-01-15T18:16:31+00:00

minute or two, but frankly, I didn’t have the patience. Hi, Valerie, it’s me, Jennifer, I’ve come for a visit. Who you say you are? I’m Jennifer. I volunteer here. I’ve come for a visit. You Jennifer? You sure you not Joanna? I’m Jennifer.

I volunteer here. You the white girl? That’s right. Well Jennifer how come I don’t see you before? And then she’d be off and running, talking about her age—which sometimes was twenty-one and other times was sixteen and still other times was closer to her real age, thirty-seven—and her ex-husband who was a no-good man, and all kinds of other stuff, but I only caught every third or fourth word, and that was on a good day. I’d sit there for five or ten minutes waiting for a break in her monologue so I could say goodbye and slip out.

Out with the guys, who were fun to be with, and who told stories.

Earl’s story about how one time he’d gone over to his girlfriend’s house only she’d put all his things out in the yard, all his shirts and shoes, his neckties, his socks, even his toothbrush, and why? Because he had him another woman, that’s why, it wasn’t no sin, it was the way of men, and if she didn’t like it . . . oooo she was mad! And Earl’s going on like this, about how mad and bad and evil women could be, and then I join in the fray too, calling him a low-down, scumbag, cheating two-timer, no wonder his girlfriend threw him out, what did he expect, he was lucky none of his women friends hadn’t taken a shot at him. Which made Victor and Earl laugh so hard the car shook. Victor’s story about the first time he’d seen snow, it was when he was still driving long distances, went all the way out to the state of Washington, and it was summer, but there was snow in the mountains; he never had seen anything like it before, those beautiful mountains glowing in the sun.

One day I was about to head out the door with Earl and Victor. Victor wanted to go get new socks and a pair of jeans. Earl wanted to go to some mom-and-pop sandwich shop that he knew about on Gus Young Avenue, near the railroad tracks, you know, Jennifer, you never been to Frank’s?

(Katz’s delicatessen, yes; Frank’s, no.) Victor wanted to go to his sister’s house, too. And that’s when Philomena came padding out of her room on her two swollen, bad legs, wearing an LSU purple-and-gold T-shirt and shorts, and saying that she wanted to join us.

Caroline was the caregiver on duty that day. She took Philomena aside and said: “Philomena, honey, you wearing your diaper? Because you 82

knows you just took your fluid pill and if you wants to go out with Jennifer then you can’t be having no accidents.”

Philomena said, “I am fine. I have taken care of myself.”

“You sure?”

“I am not a child.

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