“Oh? I swear to God, I appreciate you telling me that. It means a lot to me, right here.” I stabbed at my heart with my finger. “Well, I better leave before I get emotional.” I started inching backward toward the door. Before I put my hand on the doorknob, I stopped. “Can I ask Buddy or Sadie to give me a pig foot? I didn’t have time to eat nothing before I came here.” He didn’t answer my question. He just gave me another mean look, mumbled some cuss words under his breath, and rudely waved me away. I didn’t want to get my feelings hurt no worse, so I spun around and left his office. When I got back to the main floor, I went straight up to Sadie’s counter. “Odell said I could have a pig foot.”

“Okay,” she said, already leading me to the meat section.

“It’s a good thing you asking for one now. We ran out right after noon yesterday. Odell had me set out some more this morning. I ate one a little while ago and this batch is so tender, the meat is falling off the bone,” Buddy yelled, even though he was ringing up a customer.

“Buddy’s right. You don’t want but one?” Sadie grinned.

“Well, Sister Sadie, since you asked, make it two. I’m real hungry. Me and Yvonne didn’t eat nothing the whole time we was locked up.”

“Oomph, oomph, oomph.” She patted my shoulder, gave me a pitiful look, and shook her head. “How come they turned y’all loose on such a serious charge?” I told her the same thing I’d told Odell. I didn’t see no reason to tell her or anybody else that Lamar had paid for our release. Even if Sheriff Potts still thought we was guilty, money meant more to him than us getting convicted. Lamar proved that money talked, which was one thing I’d known all my life. Unfortunately, when the money was mine, the only talking it done was to say “bye-bye.” I chuckled to myself because I knew that I’d lose that extra hundred bucks from Odell in a crap or poker game. I was already seriously thinking about asking him for another lump sum—five hundred bucks—in the very near future. If I decided to go through with it, I knew he’d give that to me, too.

CHAPTER 6 - MILTON

CHAPTER 6

MILTON