“I’m going out to Charles William’s house for a while,” I said. “He’s coming to get me. I might spend the night.”

“Don’t go off anywhere tonight. Your mother’s real upset with you, Rhoda. She wants you to stay around here from now on after Fannin leaves.”

“Fannin’s going to stay. She said she would. I asked her.”

“Don’t go off anywhere tonight. Your momma doesn’t want you going off and leaving these babies late at night and I don’t want you off drinking with that Waters boy.”

“Well, I’m going.” I left the porch and went into the kitchen. Fannin and the boys were sitting at the table drinking chocolate milk and eating pound cake and chicken and animal crackers. “I’m going out to Charles William’s house,” I said. “Put them to bed before you leave, will you?”

“I got a tiger,” Little Malcolm said. “I’m going to eat his tail.”

“I got a monkey,” Jimmy added. “Fannin give it to me.”

I poured some gin into a glass and gave them each a kiss. Fannin hadn’t answered me. “Will you get them to bed before you leave? I don’t feel like fooling with them tonight.”

“You’re not going off anywhere tonight and leaving us with these babies.” It was my mother coming to stand in the kitchen door. “And Fannin has to get home to her family. Put that glass down, Rhoda. Stop drinking that stuff. It makes you act like a fool.”

“What am I supposed to do?” I screamed. “Stay here and die of boredom? I’ve been taking care of them all afternoon. I took them to the pool. I played with them all day.” I threw the glass down in the sink and turned and walked out onto the porch and started down the stairs. Momma was behind me and Daddy was behind her. “I’m leaving,” I said. “I’m going out to Charles William’s to spend the night. You’re driving me crazy. I have to get out of here.”

“You are not going anywhere,” Momma said. “You are going to stay here with these babies. Do something with her, Dudley. Tell her she can’t leave.”

“I’m going out there. I’m going to see my friends. I’m not a slave to those babies.” As I started down the stairs to the yard, Charles William drove up in his Buick. Daddy passed me on the stairs and beat me to the car. “She can’t go off with you, son,” he said. “Go on home now. Rhoda’s got to stay home this evening.”