White People by Allan Gurganus

Author:Allan Gurganus [Gurganus, Allan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-307-76412-6
Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Published: 2010-09-01T04:00:00+00:00

BARKER SAT QUIET. I finally asked what’d happened to his grandfather. How about Robby and the den mother?

“In jail. My granddad died. Of a broken heart, Mom said. Robby moved. He never was one to stay any place too long. One day he didn’t show up at Sunoco and that was it. Mrs…. the lady, she’s still right here in Falls, still a real leader. Not two days back, I ran into her at the Mall, collecting canned goods to end World Hunger. We had a nice chat. Her son’s a lawyer in Marietta, Georgia now. She looks about the same, really—I love the way she looks, always have. Now when we talk, I can tell she’s partly being nice to me because I never left town or went to college and she secretly thinks I’m not too swift. But since I kept her secret, I feel like we’re even. I just smile back. I figure, whatever makes people kind to you is fine. She can see there’s something extra going on but she can’t name it. It just makes her grin and want to give me little things. It’s one of ten trillion ways you can love somebody. We do, love each other. I’m sure.—Nobody ever knew about Robby. She got away with it. More power to her. Still leads the Youth Choir. Last year they won the Southeast Chorus prize, young people’s division. They give concerts all over. Her husband loves her. She said winning the prize was the most fulfilling moment of her life. I wondered. I guess everybody does some one wild thing now and then. They should. It’s what you’ll have to coast on when you’re old. You know?” I nodded. He sat here, still.

“Probably not much of a story.” Barker shrugged. “But, back then it was sure something, to see all that right off the bat, your first time out. I remember being so shocked to know that—men want to. And women. I’d figured that only one person at a time would need it, and they’d have to knock down the other person and force them to, every time. But when I saw that, no, everybody wants to do it, and how there are no rules in it—I couldn’t look straight at a grown-up for days. I’d see that my mom’s slacks had zippers in them, I’d nearabout die. I walked around town, hands stuffed deep in my pockets. My head was hanging and I acted like I was in mourning for something. But, hey, I was really just waking up.—What got me onto all that? You about ready for a movie, Dave? Boy, I haven’t talked so much in months. It’s what you get for asking, I guess.” He laughed.

I thanked Barker for his story. I told him it made sense to me.

“Well, thanks for saying so anyhow.”

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