Hunting and Gathering Read Free Page B

twelve!”
    â€œHang on, don’t get carried away, Mamadou. I’m just telling you what it says here. They’re asking you to explain the situation, and to come in with all the birth certificates.”
    â€œWhat for?”
    â€œWell, I guess it’s not legal, your thing. I don’t think your brother and you are allowed to put all your kids on one form—”
    â€œYeah, but my brother, he got nothin’!”
    â€œIs he working?”
    â€œCourse he’s working. He does the freeways.”
    â€œAnd your sister-in-law?”
    Mamadou wrinkled her nose:
    â€œShe don’t do nothing. Not a thing, I tell you. She won’t budge, that mean old bitch. She never moves her big fat ass at all!”
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Camille smiled to herself: what on earth would a big fat ass be in Mamadou’s eyes?
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“Do they both have papers?”
    â€œHell yes.”
    â€œWell, then let them file a separate declaration.”
    â€œBut my sister-in-law, she don’t want to go to the AFDC, and my brother, he works nights so in the daytime he’s sleeping. You see?”
    â€œI see. But right now, how much aid are you getting, for how many kids?”
    â€œFor four.”
    â€œFor four?”
    â€œYeah, that’s what I been trying to tell you from the beginning, but you’re like all white folks, you’re always right and you never listen.”
    Camille exhaled, a little sigh of irritation.
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“The problem I wanted to tell you about is that they forgot my Sissi.”
    â€œWhich number kid is that, Mysissi?”
    â€œShe’s no number, stupid!” seethed Mamadou. “She’s my youngest. Little Sissi.”
    â€œOh, Sissi.”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œSo why isn’t she on here?”
    â€œHey, Camille, you doing this on purpose or what? That’s what I been asking you since a while back.”
    Camille didn’t know what to say.
    â€œThe best thing to do is to go see the AFDC people with your brother or sister-in-law and all your papers and explain it to the lady there.”
    â€œWhy you say ‘the lady’? Which lady, anyway?”
    â€œAny old lady!” said Camille, getting annoyed.
    â€œOkay, all right, don’t get so riled up. I was just asking you a simple question ’cause I thought you knew her.”
    â€œMamadou, I don’t know anyone at the AFDC. I’ve never been there in my life, don’t you see?”
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Camille handed the papers back to her, along with a jumble of small ads, pictures of cars, and phone bills.
    She heard Mamadou grumbling, “She says ‘the lady’ so I ask which lady, which makes sense ’cause there’s men there too. How can she know, if she’s never been there, if it’s a lady? There’s guys there too! Is she Mrs. Know-it-all or what?”
    â€œHey, are you sulking?”
    â€œNo, I’m not sulking. Just you says you gonna help me but you don’ help me, that’s all.”
    â€œI’ll go with you all then.”
    â€œTo the AFDC?”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œYou’ll speak to the lady?”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œAnd what if it’s not her?”
    Camille thought it might be time to sacrifice some of her usual cool, but just then Samia came back: “Your turn, Mamadou . . .” To Camille she said, “Here, the doctor’s phone number.”
    â€œWhat for?”
    â€œWhat for? What for? How the hell should I know? To play doctor, dummy! He asked me to give it to you.”
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The doctor had written the number of his cell on a prescription slip and added: I’m prescribing a good dinner, call me.
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Camille crumpled the piece of paper and tossed it in the gutter.
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“You know,” added Mamadou, rising heavily to her feet and pointing at Camille with her index finger, “if you fix things for me and my Sissi, I’ll ask my brother to fix it so you find yourself a