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Back Liliane Save as PDF
Chapters (31)
  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Dedication
  4. Contents
  5. Room in the Dark I
  6. Fawns of the Diaspora Court Liliane in Paris, While Tabou Combo Whispers “Coq Qualité” in Her Ears
  7. Room in the Dark II
  8. “I Usedta Drink, Smoke and Do the Hoochie-Koo,” or What’s a Girl to Do When Her Mother Looks Like Ruth Brown
  9. Room in the Dark III
  10. “El Bochinche” es que only Fe Cortijo Knows or All the LeBron Brothers Know If Victor-Jésus María Sang Lili to Her Freedom
  11. Room in the Dark IV
  12. And Where Is Garnett Mimms?
  13. Room in the Dark V
  14. I Know Where Kansas City Is, But Did Wilbert Harrison Ever Get There?
  15. Room in the Dark VI
  16. Zoom Went the Strings of Liliane’s Heart, But Arsenio Rodriguez Could Have Told Her the Music Sounds Just as Sweet When We’re Blind and Still We See
  17. Room in the Dark VII
  18. I Know Where the E Train Stops But I’m “Sendin’ Out an S.O.S.” and I’m Not Edwin Starr Either
  19. Room in the Dark VIII
  20. “Happy, Happy Birthday, Baby” or Wouldn’t It Be Great If the Lead Singer of The Crests Wasn’t a White Boy and I Could Be My Mother?
  21. Room in the Dark IX
  22. Every Time My Lil World Seems Blue, I Just Haveta Look at You and Learn Eye-Hand Coordination
  23. Room in the Dark X
  24. “That’s Why I Love Her So and Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, I Want to Know” or Why Jackie Wilson Died in Silence
  25. Room in the Dark XI
  26. There’s No Use Cryin’ “Forever” or Hyacinthe Returns from a Very Blue Holiday for Real B(l)ack at Ya
  27. Room in the Dark XII
  28. Lollie Struts Her Stuff Thru “The Sea of Love” or the Brides of Frankenstein Catch the Bouquet
  29. By Ntozake Shange
  30. Acknowledgments
  31. Copyright

——— And you wondered about what kinds of things, Liliane, when your mother was tending to her friends?

——— Who was going to feed me.

——— And take care of you, wash you, dry off your limbs, lead you toward the sun, and then, higher, toward the ceilings, the heights of a self that is you, Liliane.

——— All that was in there?

——— Yep.

——— Don’t “yep” me. Tell me who’s gonna feed me.

——— Didn’t you say you were cooking some artichokes?

——— Yes.

——— What else were you cooking?

——— Oh, how would I know. No, don’t tell me, “It’s your dream, Lili.”

——— You’re right about that.

——— I know I’d made a salad awready. My table was set, I had salmon in white sauce and capellini.

——— Seems like a balanced, nutritious meal….

——— But I couldn’t get up to get to the kitchen.

——— Why was that?

——— Because I was a rhododendron.

——— That had very long vines….

——— Oh, yes, they went all the way to the ceiling and back to the floor…. I see what you mean.

——— Hummmn.

——— I didn’t see how far I could go. If I had, I’d have been able to go anywhere in my house that I cared to….

——— Or had to.

——— It’s funny, Jesus.

——— What’s funny?

——— The last lines to that song I was singing to you: “Ain’t it funny how time slips away.” And I could say I almost “let my vines slip away.”

——— Polished, healthy, strong vines at that.

——— Oh, by the way, Brook Benton sang that song.

——— So, Lili. Here’s some trivia for you. Who sang the song, forgive me if the melody’s a bit off, “I’m giving you your freedom….”

——— Say what, we’re finished? Done? Kaput? [She sings.] “Just like that?”

——— No, no. Not quite “Just like that.” But soon.

——— Oh, okay. Cause I’ve got a lot more songs I want to sing.

——— And paintings, I hope.

——— Paintings, drawings, funny little wood-shaped things, sand castles, watercolors, #2 pencil sketches, and…

——— And?

——— The rest of me, but that really won’t happen. “Just like that.” [She sings.]

——— No, that won’t happen. “Just like that.” [They sing and Liliane keeps singing.] And now, it really is time.

——— You are, as The Drifters say, “Some kinda wonderful.”

——— You are, too, Lili. You are, too.

Every Time My Lil World Seems Blue, I Just Haveta Look at You and Learn Eye-Hand Coordination