5

Time I see it I get out my handkerchief and start waving. It’s still ’way down there, but I keep waving anyhow. Then it come up and stop and me and Mama get on. Mama tell me go sit in the back while she pay. I do like she say, and the people look at me. When I pass the little sign that say “White” and “Colored,” I start looking for a seat. I just see one of them back there, but I don’t take it, ’cause I want my mama to sit down herself. She comes in the back and sit down, and I lean on the seat. They got seats in the front, but I know I can’t sit there, ’cause I have to sit back of the sign. Anyhow, I don’t want sit there if my mama go’n sit back here.

They got a lady sitting ’side my mama and she looks at me and smiles little bit. I smile back, but I don’t open my mouth, ’cause the wind’ll get in and make that tooth ache. The lady take out a pack of gum and reach me a slice, but I shake my head. The lady just can’t understand why a little boy’ll turn down gum, and she reach me a slice again. This time I point to my jaw. The lady understands and smiles little bit, and I smile little bit, but I don’t open my mouth, though.

They got a girl sitting ’cross from me. She got on a red overcoat and her hair’s plaited in one big plait. First, I make ’tend I don’t see her over there, but then I start looking at her little bit. She make ’tend she don’t see me, either, but I catch her looking that way. She got a cold, and every now and then she h’ist that little handkerchief to her nose. She ought to blow it, but she don’t. Must think she’s too much a lady or something.

Every time she h’ist that little handkerchief, the lady ’side her say something in her ear. She shakes her head and lays her hands in her lap again. Then I catch her kind of looking where I’m at. I smile at her little bit. But think she’ll smile back? Uh-uh. She just turn up her little old nose and turn her head. Well, I show her both of us can turn us head. I turn mine too and look out at the river.

The river is gray. The sky is gray. They have pool-doos on the water. The water is wavy, and the pool-doos go up and down. The bus go round a turn, and you got plenty trees hiding the river. Then the bus go round another turn, and I can see the river again.

I look toward the front where all the white people sitting. Then I look at that little old gal again. I don’t look right at her, ’cause I don’t want all them people to know I love her. I just look at her little bit, like I’m looking out that window over there. But she knows I’m looking that way, and she kind of look at me, too. The lady sitting ’side her catch her this time, and she leans over and says something in her ear.

“I don’t love him nothing,” that little old gal says out loud.

Everybody back there hear her mouth, and all of them look at us and laugh.

“I don’t love you, either,” I say. “So you don’t have to turn up your nose, Miss.”

“You the one looking,” she say.

“I wasn’t looking at you,” I say. “I was looking out that window, there.”

“Out that window, my foot,” she say. “I seen you. Everytime I turned round you was looking at me.”

“You must of been looking yourself if you seen me all them times,” I say.

“Shucks,” she say, “I got me all kind of boyfriends.”

“I got girlfriends, too,” I say.

“Well, I just don’t want you getting your hopes up,” she say.

I don’t say no more to that little old gal ’cause I don’t want have to bust her in the mouth. I lean on the seat where Mama sitting, and I don’t even look that way no more. When we get to Bayonne, she jugg her little old tongue out at me. I make ’tend I’m go’n hit her, and she duck down ’side her mama. And all the people laugh at us again.