Double Dutch Read Free Page B

there’s been no real incidents, at least that I know of.
    TABU: That’s ’cause you don’t know everything.
    TITAN: Some stuff you don’t need to know.
    HOST: Let’s talk to these young men. Your names are rather unusual. I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone with names that are so . . . strong.
    TITAN: Our daddy named us.
    TABU: He wanted us to be tough.
    MRS. TOLLIVER: Maybe things would have turned out differently if their father had lived.
    HOST: Are you aware of the pain you’ve caused your mother?
    TABU AND TITAN: So what?
    HOST: So she’s your mother, and she obviously loves you very much, and your behavior hurts her—deeply.
    TABU AND TITAN: Oh, well.
    HOST: I notice you answered together. Do you often do that?
    TABU AND TITAN: Yeah.
    HOST: You say there are things your mother doesn’t know about. Things like what?
    TABU: We’re always getting blamed for stuff, whether we did it or not.
    TITAN: So we just decided to make it come true. Just wait and see.
    HOST: I don’t understand. Can you help our TV audience understand what you mean? What you say is very disturbing and rather frightening.
    TABU: Isn’t that why you’ve got us on this show?
    HOST: No, we’re here to try and help you, and your mother.
    TITAN: Don’t need no help. Just watch out. Leave us alone and nobody gets hurt.
    HOST: What do you mean?
    TABU: Don’t mean nothin’. Stuff happens.
    HOST: Are you just saying these things because you’re on TV? Or are they real threats? These days, statements like yours have to be taken very seriously.
    TABU: We ain’t threatened nobody. We’re on TV because our mother told us she’d pay us if we showed up.
    TITAN: And ’cause can’t nobody beat us, so who cares?
    HOST: Is this true, Mrs. Tolliver? Did you bribe them to come on the show?
    MRS. TOLLIVER: I, I, didn’t know what else to do. I need help. The producers told me I could maybe get some psychological help for my boys if I got them to come on the show. I’d do anything to save my boys.
    TABU: Save us?
    TITAN: From what?
    HOST: From yourselves. From jail. From death.
    TITAN: Everybody gotta die.
    TABU: Even you.
    HOST: I think it’s time to break for a commercial. We’ll be back after these messages.
    Randy sat stunned in front of the TV. These guys needed to be locked up or something.
    The phone rang, making him jump. It was Delia. “Did you see that? What are we going to do?”
    â€œThere’s nothing we
can
do. There’s no law against talking bad or being mean.”
    â€œYou mean we just have to wait until they do something terrible? Can’t the school do something?”
    â€œProbably not. We just gotta be careful. Especially you girls. Don’t be walking alone after school.”
    â€œYou don’t have to warn me! Did they say somebody’s gonna die?”
    â€œNot exactly. They never really said what they would do, or even might do. It sounded like it was part of an act.” “It worked. I’m scared.”
    Randy took a deep breath. “I’ll take care of you, Delia.”
    â€œReally?”
    â€œFor real. I got your back.”
    â€œThanks, Randy,” Delia said quickly. “You make me feel real good. Hey, I gotta go. My other line is beeping. I know it’s Charlene or Yo Yo.”
    â€œLater.”
    Randy got a dish towel and wiped up what the cat had missed from the floor. He wondered how big a threat the Tolliver twins could be. And he thought about Delia and how much he liked her. He chuckled to himself. He never would have had the nerve to talk to Delia like that if the Tollivers hadn’t freaked everybody out. He picked up the cat, who was now asleep on the kitchen table. But there was some stuff he couldn’t tell Delia or anybody else—stuff like he didn’t know where his dad was. He was getting really worried. He hadn’t seen his father in six