“Now, ain’t this some shit! That’s just what I’m talkin about. You ain’t changed a bit. You still think your shit’s gold bullion. And you, Mouth. I heard about you being in jail for not goin in the service. That didn’t surprise me none. You always been strange. Things other people just go ahead and do always seem to give you problems. That’s how you got the name Mouth. Remember?” Yeah, I remembered.

“I can’t wait till we play spin the bottle so I can mack with Reatha.”

“Yeah, me, too. I’m gonna be macking with Anita for days.”

“Who you gonna mack with, Melvin?”

“I dunno yet.”

“Well, whoever it is, you better do it right the first time cause if she don’t like it she’ll tell everybody and they’ll think you got crippled lips.”

“You know how to mack, don’t you?”

“Yeah.”

“How do you do it then?”

“You just hold your mouth a certain way, that’s all.”

“Aw, man, I bet you ain’t never macked with a girl.”

“So what! You ain’t never done it neither.”

“Yes, I have, too. Otis and me both did. You just wasn’t around.”

We were huddled up tight, all eyes on the bottle lying on its side. A hand reached down, gripped it, and with a flick of the wrist turned the bottleneck into an accusing finger making each of us its victim for an instant before the friction of glass and tile halted all movement. The bottle claimed me and a girl named Loretta. She was a striking deep purple, but what got to me the most about her was her smile. When she spread her lips apart, the upper gums showed like a balcony above the front row of teeth. I closed the door behind us, silencing the shouts urging us on.

“Gone, Melvin, make that mack melt in her mouth!”

Once inside, she stood against the wall with her arms folded. I was a few feet away with my head down, shifting my feet.

“What you waitin for?”

“I’m not waitin for nuthin. I just wanted to make sure you was ready, that’s all.”

“Well, come on then, if you gonna do somethin.”

Taking a deep breath, I lunged at her, forgetting all the tender practice macks on the back of my palm. Surprised by my sudden move, Loretta drew up, bracing herself. My mouth rammed hers and it was bones and teeth meeting in total disregard for lips. We both clapped hands over our mouths. I tried to apologize through my bruised chops, but Loretta had already hatted up out of the room. The laughter from the other room told me I was through, over the hill in mackland after just one step.

“One thing’s for sure, Pauline,” Alice said, “you haven’t changed a bit!”