He was a tiny man with a face like a weasel. Ratty, Horace had once heard his Great-Aunt Jonnie Mae call him. His hair was a dusty grey, and he wore a scraggly beard with no mustache. His eyes wandered around in his head as though he were blind, but when he had your attention he focused like a hawk. Some said his eyes wandered because he was thinking so hard, others said he was just plain touched in the head. That day Lucius fixed Horace clear and true. Everyone else on the porch eyed Horace with unfriendly looks, but Lucius beamed broad, grinning and leaning forward.

“You come to work with Gideon on that project of yours, did you?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good, good.” He lifted his head up and hollered. “Gideon! Gideon? That Cross boy is here!” Lucius looked back at Horace with a quick jerk of his head. “He’ll be right out. Sit a spell.”

No one said a word as Horace moved to sit on the porch, so he quickly said Good afternoon. The menfolk all grunted and mumbled, Hey, and looked away. Viola Stone sat like a rock, her legs gaped open showing her satin panties beneath her orange-and-black dress.

“What you all working on so?” She said it more as if it were an accusation with her barrel-bottom voice, the color of a man’s.

“It’s a science project for school.”

Lucius slapped his knee. “See, now that’s good. I tell my boy Gideon to stick with his schooling and not to do like these other ones done—quit school. Mess around with these here cars like that was all there is to life.” Skillet looked back at his father, a scowl on his face. Lucius turned to Horace, then to his glass, gulped and looked away. “Now, I didn’t get much education. When I was in the fourth grade I—”

“Lucius.” Viola looked at him with one eye closed. “This here boy don’t want to hear all this foolishness about you and your education.”

“Hush, woman. I ain’t talking to you.”

She frowned and took a swig from her glass.

“See,” Lucius smiled, “education is the way this days. Ain’t that the truth, boys?”

The men all gave unenthusiastic Uh-huhs.

“Yes it is. The white man got things turned around so that a black man can’t get his hands on nothing less he got one of two things: a whole lot of money in the bank or a college degree.”

“That’s the truth.” Joe Allen Williams spoke into his glass.

Lucius closed his eyes and nodded, pleased with his observation. When he opened them he glanced at Viola, who pursed her lips in disgust. He turned once again to Horace and leaned over.

“You understand me, don’t you, young fellow?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Keep to your studies. That’s the way.”