Gumbo: A Celebration of African American Writing Part 48

Freeze ignored the comment.

Give me MD 2020.

My n.i.g.g.a.

Cool, Freeze said. You can have him. Give me my man No Face. No Face swelled up with grat.i.tude, chest out, lips inflated into a grin, one eye expanding expanding expanding, and he rose, tiptoes.

Thunderbird.

d.a.m.n, Freeze, Keylo said. You gon let this b.i.t.c.h play on our team?

Jesus breathed his first whiff of Keylo's gravedigger breath.

Give a n.i.g.g.a a chance, Freeze said. Even a b.i.t.c.h. He gave Keylo a quick hug.

Come on, Country Plus said. Choose another man.

d.a.m.n, who else? Freeze studied the crowd.

Pick him. No Face pointed to Jesus.

Freeze gave Jesus a fishy-eyed look. I want him.

That doofy-lookin' muddafudda, Keylo said. He and Jesus faced one another, eyes colliding.

And I'll take Mad Dog. Okay. We set.

Jesus pondered the faulty mathematics. That's only four. Four players, not. . . . No Face pulled Jesus into the huddle.

Yo, g, Freeze said. What's yo name?

Jesus.

Jesus?

Yeah.

Welcome, Jesus. I'm Freeze. Freeze extended his hand, and Jesus took it with his firmest grip.

Country Plus pulled a dime from his pocket and tossed it shimmering into the air. Call em.

Heads, Freeze said.

The coin fell to the surface of Country's skin. He slapped his palm over it.

See, Freeze said. You already lost.

What you call?

You know.

Country removed his palm. Heads.

See.

Country Plus stared into Freeze's face, the price tag dangling from his cap and jerking back and forth in the breeze like a hooked fish on a line. From this time forward, I will make you hear new things.

Whatever, Freeze said. You talk a good game. Let's see if you can play.

No Face unzipped his jacket and pulled it off, removed his T-shirt, and revealed his Mr. Universe torso.

Hey, Jesus, Freeze said. That's yo man. He pointed to Country Plus. Stick him.

Word, Jesus said. d.a.m.n, how Freeze tryin to play me? Jesus always played center, the tallest and strongest player on the court. And here Freeze was, playin him like a guard.

We skins, No Face said. Ain't you gon take off yo shirt?

Nawl.

Why not?

Nawl.

Yo shirt gon get all funky.

I'm aw ight.

Better take out yo earring.

Nawl.

n.i.g.g.a yank it off.

Nawl.

No Face, Freeze said. Take out the ball.

No Face took out the ball. MD 2020 s.n.a.t.c.hed his lazy entry pa.s.s and tossed an easy layup. Good steal. Country Plus congratulated his teammate, and his team-Thunderbird and Mad Dog-celebrated their first basket. No Face looked at Freeze with a drowning man's eyes (eye!), begging for mercy.

Country Plus threw Freeze the ball.

Wait a minute, Jesus said. It's their ball.

Wake up! Keylo said. You in South Lincoln. Red Hook rules. Stonewall rules. Stonewall rules.

Freeze took out the ball. Fired it to Keylo, who crouched low and ran it hard on his short, baby-thick legs. Country Plus's unit swooped down on him, a flock of small fast birds moving in streaks, sparrows in a room. Keylo froze in place. Fired the ball at Jesus, but Country Plus clawed it in midair, and in the spark of a moment swept Jesus aside like a swatted fly. Jesus gave chase with everything in his legs. Country Plus launched for the nest-high basket, his elbow catching Jesus in the throat.

d.a.m.n!

Don't sweat it, Freeze said. He took the ball out. Fired it in to Jesus. Jesus dribbled. Green-thumbed gra.s.s poked through the concrete and s.n.a.t.c.hed at the ball. Tall weeds twisted around his legs. And puddles swamped him, quicksand. With each putting down of his heels, his whole body sank further into the court. Then Country Plus liberated the ball from his paralyzed fingers. Rode an invisible rainbow to the hoop. Reaming sight. The rim vibrated colors.

Freeze looked at Jesus. Took the ball out, fired it to Jesus. Jesus barely caught it. A large fish. It slipped from his hands back into the dark court waters. Country Plus clawed it up, bearlike. Lifted for the jump shot. Jesus jumped as hard and high as he could, springs in his toes. Fake. Country Plus had never left his feet. Now he took it casually to the hoop. Jesus landed back hard on the court, waves of hard concrete pulsing from his feet and through his body, mixing with waves of laughter circulating the court.

You see that muddafudda? Way up in the air.

Yeah. A real sucker.

Freeze took out the ball.

Wait, Jesus said. You take it in. The center is supposed to- Freeze fired the ball hard into Jesus's defiant chest. Jesus watched him a moment, eyes working. He dribbled the ball up the court. Country Plus yanked it from his hands, a string on rolled twine. He dribbled, in front of him, behind his back, between his legs, while Jesus grabbed at the ball, again and again.

d.a.m.n, look at that mark n.i.g.g.a!

Gettin played like a b.i.t.c.h.

Country Plus blew past Jesus. Took it behind the backboard for the reverse lay-in.

In yo eye, punk.

Mark.

Trick.

Ranked and intense observers watched Jesus. No shifting, no craning among the still faces, the still eyes. Country Plus laughed in close, Jesus hearing himself, the laugh erupt from his own belly.

Be true to the game, Freeze said.

Jesus lowered his eyes. The ball went weightless in his hands, so he hugged it to prevent it from floating away. The leather skin peeled away to allow him to look directly into the ball's hollow inside, where shapes formed then started to move. Thick sweatbands pinch head and wrists. Sleeveless T-shirts loop skinny shoulders. Jogging shorts sag like oversized diapers. Layers of brightly colored socks curve like barber-pole stripes around thin calves. Converse All Stars, Pro-Keds, and leather Pumas scuff the court with rubber music. John, Lucifer, Spokesman, Dallas, and Ernie-the Funky Five Corners-geared up for battle. Chuckers doing chumps. John with his quick little hands, hands so fast they don't move when he pa.s.ses the ball. And Lucifer, mouth open, his tongue hangin in the air, some magical carpet lifting him above the ground, the court, the basket.

And you shoulda seen that n.i.g.g.a shout out when he jammed the ball. Served up a facial. He'd be like, Take that, you punk a.s.s motherf.u.c.ker!

Quiet Lucifer?

Yeah. Quiet Lucifer. I dawked that in yo face!

One-word Lucifer?

One-word Lucifer. How you like that motherf.u.c.ker! Feel good? Taste good? That tongue just flappin. And those big hands shakin in yo face like he jus rolled seven. Yeah, he had some big hands, but they was slow. Lucifer wasn't no good at handling the ball. Dribblin. Catching a pa.s.s. Spokesman told John, Throw it at his face. He'll catch it then. It worked. Same way with everything: Spokesman had an answer. Standing there, watching from the sidelines, rubbing his belly like a crystal ball. Tryin to science the game. Geometrize plays for the Funky Five Corners. This is a human behavioral laboratory. You know, white smocks and white rats. Test tubes and Bunsen burners. Ideas lead to buildings and bridges. I like to think about yall, us, the team, the Funky Five Corners, and visualize yall, us, the team, being better players through my schemes. He measure the court with a slide rule and a triangle, then write some figures down on his notepad, sketch some pictures.

d.a.m.n, n.i.g.g.a. What you doin?

Always trying to science something.

You may be Einstein but you ain't no Jew. Still black. Science or no science.

One time he took these big-a.s.s pliers and measured every n.i.g.g.a's head on the court. They let him, too, wanting to be part of the experiment, get written up. Spokesman. This other time he took this big magnet and poked it all around in the air and kept poking it. We jus shook our heads.

When he made his report he expected you to abide by it. He shook his head when you fumbled a pa.s.s. A person your age and height normally covers three and a half feet with each step, so we must conclude that you shouldn't have taken more than ten paces. An unnecessary waste of energy. Drew his lips tight with anger when you missed a layup. Lucifer, be slow about obeying the laws of gravity. And he was always placin bets. Oh, we can't lose. I got this all scienced out. John, if my right eye jump, we win money for sure. We won some money too. Serious money a coupla times. Lost some. Did we profit? Who can say? I guess it evened out.

Yall gon play or what?

A cool breeze wafted onto the stifling court, stirring up the stench of wine and weed. Jesus breathed through his hard-winded nostrils, unsure whether it was time to breathe in or breathe out. Everything was off, out of whack. Just need some more time. Gotta learn how to fly again. He was drowning in dark waters, in spinning lights. Blood on his tongue. He surveyed the players, searching for that one face which would sanction his plight. Freeze cracked his anxious knuckles. Keylo checked his shoe soles. No Face hard-breathed. Then the sun awakened, clean and clear.

I said yall gon play or what?

Jesus saw in precise detail thick, ropelike veins stretched lengthwise in skinny arms and hands. Saw a red sleeveless T-shirt and a red baseball cap, brim backward, the price tag dangling from it. Jesus saw him. Jesus knew him. Engaged sight the pulse of his color. Red, he would get back in the game. He would-yes he, he alone, not his team-make a run.

He fired the ball to No Face, who fired it to Freeze, who fired it to Keylo, who fired it back to Jesus. Jesus held the ball above him, squeezed in one hand. He brought it upcourt, dribbled three times, blip, blip, blip, then took it up the alley, body curved, elbows high. He faked the layup, drew back for the jumper, kicking his feet ballerina-like in midair. The ball arched from his fingertips. Sunk.

Country Plus grinned. I gave you that one, he said. Felt sorry for you. He took the ball in. Lifted off his toes for the jumper. Jesus caught the ball in the palm of his hand, midflight, fly to fly strip. Swatted the ball to Freeze, who lifted for the easy basket.

You got lucky on that one, Country Plus said. He looked Jesus flush in the face.

Guess so, Jesus said.

Mad Dog fired the ball to Country Plus. Country Plus crouched low in the dribble, challenging Jesus.

Pa.s.s the ball, Country.

n.i.g.g.a, stop showin out.

Jesus punched the ball from between his legs, scooped it up, and arched it into the net.

Country looked at Jesus, anger and frustration concealed like fishhooks in his eyes.

Thunderbird inbounded the ball to Mad Dog, who bounced it in MD 2020's direction. Jesus hopped on the ball mid-air, squeexed it tight between his thighs, and rode it for a second or two like a bucking bull. Country Plus faced him, crouched, arms out, yellow sweat covering his forehead. Jesus bobbed and weaved, then broke for the basket, elbows working, tearing off a layer of Country's flesh. Jesus soared in solar heat-he could stay up in the air long as he wanted-gave n.i.g.g.as plenty time to count each tread mark on his rubber soles. He looked down on the basket miles below him, and released the ball like a bomb.

Okay, okay. Don't get happy. Game ain't over.

Country Plus planted his feet, tent in a field. Wind, Jesus blew him flat. Jumped for the shot. The ball hit the rim. Bounced. Once. Twice. Freeze s.n.a.t.c.hed the rebound. The enemy unit trapped him within a wall of raised arms. Freeze fired the ball to No Face. Perfect pa.s.s. Except No Face was three seconds behind the ball.

b.i.t.c.h, Freeze said.

d.a.m.n, you slow, Jesus said.

b.i.t.c.h, Keylo said, you better stop f.u.c.kin up. Or I'll wrap my d.i.c.k around yo head like a turban.

No playin b.i.t.c.h, Jesus said. Sweat dribbled down his nose, his mouth, his chin, every inch of his skin, every cell flooded with the energy of the game, the rhythm of his breathing. He studied his heart's double beat. Defense. That was the key. Offense through defense. Offense through defense. Fundamental. Time and distance. Count the pauses between bounces. Feel the game, deep down, somewhere behind the belly, near the lungs. Play as you breathe.

Country Plus rose like a wave for the basket, and Jesus chopped him down with one stroke.

d.a.m.n!

Jesus dunked and almost threw himself through the hoop. He landed on the court with easy footing, tiptoes, a ballerina.

That's game.

We won.