Fatema stood on the balcony of her apartment looking out in to the city, thankful that for the first time in a long time, she could look ahead of her instead of at the past. Drew came up behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist and nuzzled the side of her neck. “How’s the coffee?” he asked, ...
Etta's Fast House 13 HERE WE GO AGAIN The following evening, Ms. Etta’s Fast House was half empty, mostly due to an article written on the front page of the Comet newspaper. It warned the Negro citizens to stay off the streets until tempers calmed on both sides of the color lines. Etta knew it wa...
At quitting time, she poked her tongue out at it. “Traitor!” she heckled, while waggling her finger. “You used to come through for a sistah.” When one of her female coworkers asked if she was talking to the telephone, Chandelle offered three cold words to ward off any discussion, “Mind your busin...
She was a bouquetof pleasantness throughout the afternoon. When Marcia tapped on her door just before quitting time, with a brand new replacement for the mug she’d copped for herself, Grace apologized if she’d implied that an in-kind gift was warranted. Marcia wouldn’t take no for an answer, offe...