My heart is beating. My heart never beats like this except when Daddy yells but this is a different kind of heartbeat. This day–the way my heart beats this day is thrilling. There’s a raucous, thrilling rhythm in my chest. So we meet after school and Alton comes running out of the school wearing glasses with the arms of his sweater tied around him like a cape and runs straight over to me as Robin. (ALTON) “Holy flyin’ fish Batman! Gotham City is in trouble!” (EUGENE) “Okay Robin–don’t panic. I can tell the Joker had something to do with this–probably with the help of Catwoman”–

ALMA: (Makes Catwoman’s gesture and sound) “Meow.”

ALMA: Alton, Eugene, and I are inseparable. I end up playing what they always want to play which is Batman or they’d trade Spider-Man comic books. I hate playing Catwoman. “Why I haveta play her? I wanna play the Joker or the Riddler. I don’t wanna play no Catwoman! She ain’t cool. I ain’t ga play her no more–y’all make me sick!” One day some other kids from Russelville see us playing. One of them says (VOICE 1) “Oh you an Alton playin’ wit dat ole yella boy from St. Stephen. Y’all don play wit us no more–y’all like him cause he yella an rich an live in da city limits.” (Eugene stops singing) (ALMA) I say “I play wit who I wanna play wit an y’all need to mind y’all business–Gene is my friend just like Alton my friend!” (VOICE 2) “Well if you an Alton ga be friends wit dat yella boy you can’t be friends wit us!” (ALMA) “I ain’t care! I don’t wanna be friends which y’all anyway.”

EUGENE: In the schoolyard, when Alton and I would play we’d run around the yard and as we ran, we’d extend our arms to the side. It was synchronicity Both of us running with arms extended. Two boys. Not a light-skinned boy and a dark-skinned boy–TWO BOYS–running. Running despite summer heat. Summer heat can’t stop us/summer heat won’t stop us. Once while running Alton asked (ALTON) “Hey Gene, you think anybody ever ran around the whole wide world?” (EUGENE) “No I don’t think so.” (ALTON) “Let’s you an me do it Gene. When we git to be older–let’s us run around the whole world.”