Show and Prove by Sofia Quintero

Author:Sofia Quintero
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Published: 2015-07-14T04:00:00+00:00

The weather said a high chance of rain, so Barbara made us stay in. Nike, Cookie, and I teach Sara how to play spades. Of course, Nike sticks me with Cookie as a partner. “Don’t get your hopes up, mami,” he tells Sara, “ ’cause we ain’t ever going to beat these two.”

“What you tryin’ to say?” I ask. “You calling us cheaters?”

“Stop diggin’ your bony-ass elbows in my side, yo.” Nike slides to the edge of the bench. “I meant it as a compliment, geez! Everybody knows Black people throw down when it comes to spades.”

Qusay warned us to question all stereotypes, but especially those presented as flattery. “That’s stupid,” I say. “And Cookie’s not Black.”

“How you figure?” says Cookie. “Puerto Ricans come from three races—”

“And one of ’em is African,” says Nike, interrupting her. He eyeballs me, and knowing Nike, he’s more worried about looking ignorant in front of Sara than considering that maybe what he had said was racist.

Then Cookie plays him. “Africa is a continent, Willie. That’s like saying North Americans or Antarcticans.”

“You know what I mean, and for the record, we do say North Americans.”

“Not as a race, doofus.”

“Who you calling a doofus, acheface?”

“Will you both please stop?” says Sara as she turns up the volume on Nike’s boom box. “I can’t hear the news.”

Secretary of State Shultz continues to urge the Israeli government to withdraw its troops from Beirut in an effort to compel Syria to agree to the peace agreement brokered in May.

“Yo, we should just blow all those A-rabs off the map already,” Nike says. Then he asks Sara, “How many books you’ve got, Princess?”

Sara says, “What are you talking about?”

“There are thirteen possible books, four cards apiece—”

“No, not that. What you just said about Arabs. Why would you say something like that?”

“ ’Cause it’s true.” Nike shrugs. “The U.S. should just bomb all our enemies and be done with ’em. The Communists, the Muslims—”

“Not all Arabs are Muslim, ignorant!” yells Cookie.

“And not all Muslim are Arabs, never mind the enemy,” I say. “You know my uncle Naim is Muslim.”

Sara’s eyes open wide. “Really, Smiles?”

Nike’s face betrays his thoughts. First time he agrees with Cookie the Crab and it’s against me and in front of Sara. “First of all, your uncle’s name is Nathan.”

“Not anymore.” Nike knows this, too, so I don’t know why he’s playing the role. “He legally changed it.”

Nike slams his cards on the table. “Which brings me to number two. He only changed his name because he converted to that stupid religion. Number three—”

I slap down my cards. “I don’t know a whole lot about Islam or what’s going on over there in the Middle East, but let me tell you something.” I stand up. “My uncle fought in Vietnam. He put his life on the line to spread democracy for a country that doesn’t practice what it preaches. When he came back all strung out after doing the white devil’s handiwork, the government turned its back on him. Muslims saved my uncle’s life.

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