And then she looks like she just saw something that excited her, but she couldn’t have, ’cause we just walking over to my garage. I love it when I press my Genie and that door starts going up and I see my new car sitting inside it. Now I know what living good feels like. My teeth ain’t even hardly hurting me no more, and I done lost nineteen pounds. It don’t get no better than this. Lord knows it don’t.

“Vy, guess what?”

“What?”

“I’m already packed,” Loretta says, blushing like a little girl—wrinkles and all.

“I’m right behind you,” I say.

“You mean you started already, too?”

“Finished. When would I have time to pack when I move? And how in the world would I be able to find anything? You know how much junk I got?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Shut up, Loretta. See you later.”

She starts laughing, waves to me, walks over to her white Cadillac, and gets in. Loretta know she don’t need that big old car, but her husband left it to her, and she said she’ll drive it till whoever dies first.

It’s hot as hell out here. I know that much. But I don’t care. I got air conditioning in my car. And I got air conditioning in my new condominium. Hot damn! I pull straight into a handicapped space when I get to the pharmacy and put my card on the dashboard so the police can see it while I run in and get my medicine. I love having this handicapped sign, ’cause you always get a parking space. When I pull into the gas station, I forgot I just used most of my cash, and I ain’t cashed my check yet, so I hurry up and put five dollars of unleaded in, ’cause I can’t tolerate the smell of this gas and it’s hard holding my breath when I’m filling up, but sometimes when I plug my nose up people look at me like I’m crazy. I’ma just have to look crazy again today.

Shanice is standing at the curb outside Hyde Park Junior High School talking to some boy with little braids in his hair. He sure is cute. No wonder she like it here. This is one of them Magnet schools they made so that all kids could get a good education and not just white ones. I feel like honking this horn, but I don’t wanna embarrass her. She swings her head around, and when she sees me, she tells this boy something and runs over to the car.

“Hi, Granny,” she says, and gives me a kiss on my cheek.

“Hi, baby. Who was that boy?”

“Gerard. He’s in my science class. We’ve been doing our final project together on the senses.”

“And which ones would you be dealing with?”

“Taste and smell.”

“I betcha.”

“Granny! Stop it. Wait a minute. Where are we going?”

“We splurging. We going to the Mirage to eat lunch at their buffet, and then we going home and start packing. Get Granny one pill outta each bottle and then hand me that Pepsi rolling under your foot, would you? And get my spray outta my purse while you at it, please? Between that paint and them gas fumes, I swear.”