Graduation After my abortion I wrote to Tateh and said I didn’t want to come back to Suffolk. I enrolled in Girls Commercial High School on Bergen Street in 1936. It was just down the street from Bubeh’s, but the schoolwork was hard and I struggled my entire junior year, sleeping on Bubeh’s couch and wrestling with algebra every night. Girls High was way ahead of Suffolk High and I never would’ve graduated on time, so after the school year ended I returned to Virginia to finish high school. When I came back to Suffolk, the first thing I said to Peter was, “We can’t see each other anymore. Don’t come by.” He said, “I’ve been waiting for you. I still love you,” and I was swayed, because I still felt a deep love for him. Not long after that, I was in the store behind the counter and two young black women came in. I overheard them talking about Peter, and one of them says, “Oh yeah, he’s getting married soon …” I almost fell over. Tateh was standing right next to me, so I grabbed a rag and started wiping the counter, edging close to them, eavesdropping.
What do You think about The Color Of Water (2006)?
