Like your friend Tonya. You was probably the only person in this world nice to her. You and Mama. Thats what make you special. You care about people no matter what everybody say about them. God gone bless you for that. I know soon yall gone move. I hope its somewhere better. You about to go to 7th grade. Probably be in high school before I get out. Promise me you aint gone hang out with girls like the Buchanans. That was cool when you was little but you getting bigger now and hanging with the wrong people can mess up your life. People like Stacia don’t want the kinda stuff you want. You got BIG dreams. Them kinda girls aint spinning no globe and looking at the world. They aint gone get out the hood like you.

Even when they move, they still gone think like people who in the projects. You know how Ms. Pierce always talked about project mentality? You ain’t gone have that kinda mind. Gone do good.

Uncle Tim be coming to see me. He said he sorry for how he acted the day I got jumped in. He was straight up about feeling scared that his son might do like me.

We cool now. He bring me stuff to read and put money on my books. I just started the Autobiography of Malcom X. And he gave me this quote by a dude name Dietrich Bonhoeffer. He was a pastor a long time ago, but his words still work for somebody in my situation. Its too long to write it out but Im trying to memorize it.

You gone come see me? I know Mama might not want you to. I understand why. She just want the best for you. Its what she want for me too. Look after her. She aint do nothing but love us and try to give us the best.

I love yall both.

Meechie

Twenty-Six
Letter to Meechie

August 23, 1999

Dear Meechie,

I found your letter. Mama tucked it away, and I don’t know if she ever planned to give it to me. I’m so glad to read your words. Are you okay? I think about you all the time.

I got a bunch of your stuff in my room. I took your crossing guard belt and baseball caps and some of your T-shirts. I want to keep you around. I got my rope too, it’s how I remember my friends. I don’t know what happened to Stacia after her mama and brothers went to jail. And did you know her brother Sweat died the day of the raid?

Tonya got taken away from her mama, then her mama moved out, so I can’t go knock on her door and ask her where she at. I miss her so much. I still see Precious in church though. I’m happy to still have her friendship.