His explanation was flimsy, and it wasn’t what I wanted to hear. “I want to know what you and Odell was talking about in the kitchen a few minutes ago?”

“Close the door back,” he ordered. I did so and locked it. I’d caught a glimpse of Aunt Mattie heading into the bathroom. If somebody was going to stumble into our bedroom by mistake, I didn’t want it to be a nosy busybody like her.

“Now answer my question. And don’t you try to—” I stopped talking when Milton went to the dresser and opened the top drawer. He reached in and pulled out a wad of money thick enough to choke a mule. “W-what’s that?”

“Our early Christmas present.” He grinned. “Odell brung our three hundred bucks tonight.” He fanned the money, sniffed it, and then kissed it.

“Bless his heart,” I mouthed. Milton held the money up to my nose and I sniffed it. “Ooh-wee. There ain’t nothing in the world that smells as good as money.”

“I don’t know about that now. You smell pretty good.” He winked and chuckled. “And you taste good too.”

“You behave yourself,” I scolded, slapping the side of his head. I exhaled and reached over and caressed the money.

“I was putting the money in this drawer until later tonight. After everybody leaves, I’ll give it to Willie Frank to give to Lamar.” Milton put the money back in the drawer under a stack of my socks.

“Did you tell Odell we’ll need another three hundred?”

“Uh-huh. He said he’d give it to me next week,” he told me as he closed the drawer and draped his arm around my shoulder.

I gasped. “Just like that?”

“Just like that.”

“Damn. This turned out to be easier than I thought.”

“Tell me about it. But it ain’t going to get him off the hook.” Milton took his arm from my shoulder, narrowed his eyes, and stared at me. “W-why you looking so sad all of a sudden?”

“I ain’t sad. I just wish we didn’t have to hurt Joyce so much in the process. She looks down on us, and says things that hurt. But she ain’t a bad person. Just snooty and insensitive and out of touch with real folks like us. I don’t think she can even tell when she’s hurting our feelings. Other than that, she’s been nice to us. It’s a shame we’ll hurt her when we tell her about Odell and Betty Jean.”