Well, they all grown now, and from what I understand, or what Viola been telling me, each one got they own share of problems—but no more than most folks. I been trying to get Viola to keep her nose outta they business and let ’em run their own lives, but she don’t pay me no mind. None whatsoever. This is another reason why I had to leave. Viola don’t listen to me. She don’t listen to nobody. She always right. But she ain’t right all the time, and she gon’ have to learn the hard way.

She been accusing me of cheating on her for years. But it’s all in her head. Well, maybe once or twice I slipped up, but that’s ’cause I was working late at the joints. I bent over backwards trying to show her how sorry I was, but my back broke. Apologizing. Now it’s her turn to say she sorry, ’cause I ain’t done nothing more than be myself.

What did I do? It was New Year’s Eve. She didn’t wanna go nowhere, so we stayed home and watched them young kids in New York City on TV. Stood outside in the front yard and watched the fireworks from the Strip and counted twenty-six gunshots and toasted with some Scott’s champagne and then went on back in the house and went to sleep. I wanted to brang in the New Year with a bang, but Viola wasn’t having it. She went on into her room, and I went into mine. First thang that next morning, I went over to Howie’s house. We in his garage. I’m helping him fix some old air conditioners. We have a little taste we pass back and forth. We get tired and clean up enough to look like we ain’t dirty and decide to stop by Harrah’s for a hot minute. I’m hitting left and right, and when I get around to looking at my watch it’s pushing close to two-thirty in the morning. That’s what them tables can do to you. Make you forget about everythang, especially time. I felt like Cinderella. I ran to the cashier and cashed in all my chips and told Howie I’d catch him later.