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“Well, no one said you were, but I’d avoid it, if I were you” What ith the attitude? Maybe soone after the old wo at school, you know Or even expelled I guess they cut you a break because you were defending your friend”

“That an’, like I say, I ain’t never been in no fight before Mr Powell, he put in a good word for me, too”

“Who’s Mr Powell?”

“Guidance counselor”

I finished up our intervieith some routine questions, a brief description of juvenile court and the probable outcome in her case I suspected that, as a first-tio easy on Tina, but I qualified every possible result with “maybe,” because you never know for sure

When we’d finished the fore Seems like I hardly have the time now What else have you read?”

“I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”

“Maya Angelou I read that, too” In high school She wasn’t lacking in intellect

Tina’s face remained impassive, but her eyes warmed to the subject of books “I also read Coldest Winter Ever by Sister Souljah” She gave me a speculative look “Whatchoo read when you was a kid?”

“Lots of books” I tried to think back Seeh it was closer to a quarter of that “Catcher in the Rye A Tree Grows in Brooklyn”

“I think we s’posed to read that Catcher book in high school Don’t know the other one”

“They uess I liked it because I’m from Brooklyn”

“Oh, yeah? I got a uncle live in Brooklyn In Bed-Stuy”

“That’s where I’m from”

Her eyes narrowed into a quizzical squint “But ain’t that mostly black?”