Book Draft

Written by: Brandon Julien

I was lost. Ma was out. Pa was out. It was quiet in the house. So quiet that you could’ve heard the droplets of water trickling down the kitchen sink. So quiet that you could hear donna from next door and her kids. I was sitting in the living room chair . Lost.

Four oh clock

Five oh clock

Six oh clock

Seven oh clock

No one

Eight oh clock

Pa’s home

The hoursn of the night pass

Sleep say spa as he sees me sitting on the living room couch still.

Seven oh clock am pa goes down to the station to see about ma.

Eight oh clock pa and ma comes home. Ma was arrested because she didn’t move when a white man asked her to.

Pa looked at us back and forth and back and forth.  I could see in his eyes that he was tiered.  “Must’ve been waiting on ma like me.” I thought to myself. “ ma.” I said. “ I missed you”  She looked at me with those beautiful brown eyes marching the color of her skin and smiled. A slow sad smile.

As the day commensed the tension in he house was subtle ma and pa kept to themselfes. Each finding the strangest of things to keep busy. Clening the windows in the house. Cleaning the basement.

It was Monday. A work day. Alone again I was. So alone the sticks and stone began to calmy name. So alone the air began calling my name.

Four oh clock

Five oh clock

Six oh clock

Seven oh clock

Eight oh clock pa is home.

Nine oh clock

Ten oh clock 

Mom aint home

“It happened again.” Said pa. “I cant deal with it.”

Each day as pa brought mom he looked tiereder then the day before. Then came the arguing. After that I couldn’t takr it any more.

Something changed the next day. Ma was on ma’s side. The arguing gone. The hate gone.

Then I heard someone on the radio Martin luther was his name. He preacchrd a bout the future he saw for all. Then something changed ma and pa prayed for him.

Ithought to myself how life is going to be different from now on.