Seth and Samona Read Free Page B

I wanted to know what was going on here.
    I looked up fiercely at Monnonk Roddie’s coal black face and all the anger just fell away. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Monnonk Roddie when he wasn’t laughing at something. He’s bald and fat and smokes too much but he’s got one of those faces that is full of laughing. If it’s not in his smile then it’s in the corner of his eyes or the twitching of his mustache or the shaking of his furry eyebrows.
    My throat was starting to feel tight. Something must be terribly wrong, with Tant Renee drinking and Tant Cherise crying and Monnonk Roddie not laughing.
    “Monnonk Roddie,” I finally choked out, “where’s Manmi?”
    Monnonk Roddie put a hand on my shoulder. “We didn’t mean to scare you, Seth. Your manmi is fine. She’s in there with your granmè. Granmè didn’t take the news too well, and your manmi is trying to calm her down.
    “What news?” I asked, feeling a little bit better. “Is Papi okay? Where’s Jean-Claude and Chantal?”
    “Papi’s out taking care of everything for the wake and the funeral. Your granmè’s sister, Margaret, diedthis morning—at last.” Monnonk Roddie shook his head carefully, like he was afraid it would break. “Only person that ever laughed at my jokes. She was a crazy one.”
    Matant Margaret! Relief rushed through me. I hardly even knew her. She was ninety-four and lived in a rest home near Mattapan Square. Granmè went to visit her every Sunday and Tant Renee saw her every day but the rest of the family only saw her on Christmas. Every year we went over to the rest home to have dinner with her and the other sick old ladies. She never recognized us. All she could do was sit in her chair and stare at us with her mouth hanging open and her eyes half-closed.
    Matant Margaret was dead and I wasn’t sure what to feel. I knew Granmè and Manmi would be pretty sad. They were always telling stories about how Matant Margaret worked in the casinos in Haiti to save money to buy her visa and her plane ticket to America.
    “Is Granmè gonna be okay?” I asked anxiously. Now I could make out the soft sound of Manmi’s voice coming from Granmè and Chantal’s bedroom.
    Monnonk Roddie nodded. “She’s just feeling a little of the pain right now, Seth. I guess we all are. You go sit with your brother and sister in your room.”
    I got out of there quick ’cause I knew Monnonk Roddie was gonna try to get Tant Renee to quit drinking and there was going to be a screaming fight before Tant Renee let go of that bottle.
    My room wasn’t as dark as the living room. The shade was pulled halfway but there was an even layer of sunlight coming from the bottom of the window. The television was sitting next to Jean-Claude’s bed instead of in the living room.
    My sister Chantal was sitting on one side of Jean-Claude’s bed painting her toenails and running her mouth off on the phone about Jerome, who is all she talks about since they started going together.
    I don’t know exactly what to make of Jerome. The first time he came over to the house he had to wait for Chantal to finish washing the tub, so he started asking me all sorts of funny questions. Do I ever clean the tub? Does Chantal get good grades? Does she do all the housework? Does she get to stay out late like Jean-Claude? What does she want to be when she grows up? Does she cook all the food? I couldn’t answer half the questions. I told him that Manmi and Granmè cook and do housework too. Jean-Claude and I have to keep our rooms clean. I wasn’t sure but I think Chantal wants to be a nurse like Manmi.
    Jerome didn’t seem to like any of my answers. He didn’t ask me any more questions but I heard him whisper “typical Caribbean” and something about sexism under his breath and I started to get mad. What was he talking about? Who was he to criticize my family? Chantal told me that Jerome didn’t even have a big family. It was just him and his mother. I couldn’t seewhat