Let me start off by saying, no I’m not sorry. Margaret always picking at Mable, just caz she bigger than her. To be honest neither one of em can fight much, it’s just Margaret got a lil mo weight than Mable, really that’s all. I was tired of Mable coming to me crying all the time sad caz Margaret done whoopped up on her again. See Mable was my best friend. She was a kind girl, real timid. I liked sitting by her in school caz she was smart as a whip. I especially like standing near her during chorus class caz the teacher can’t tell which of us singing good. I just move my mouth real wide up and down mouthing the words as if im singing, but really I can’t sing a lick. That’s why I like standen wit Mable, she sings like a bird, always on pich.

I just couldn’t for the life of me understand why Margaret didn’t like her so. I always thought it was caz Mable was pretty. She had nice long thick hair, that she wore in two braids that hit right above her behind. Her skin was a smooth caramel complection, and she had light brown eyes. She was part Choctaw Native American so she also had high cheek bones. She was a real pretty girl, so I figure Margaret was just jealous. Margaret was not a cute girl at all. I mean the family always said she’d grow into herself but she had grown a lot and still wasn’t too cute. She thick as ten dollars in pennies and just never looked kept. clothes were always fallen apart, hair neva fix. She was bout the raggediest 12 year old I knew.

Or maybe she was mad caz Mable was smart. Mable was bout the smartes girl at school. Margaret always struggled with stuff; her work, her chores, and her self. Her daddy would say she dumb as a box of rocks, so maybe she was just jealous of Mable.

Margaret always thought I was gone back her up caz we was cousins, but this time I just couldn’t take it. Mable came running to my house after school, crying her pretty eyes out saying that Margaret had whooped up on her again. I knew that I couldn’t just flat out whoop Margaret so I had to think of a plan. It was getting dark and time for my favorite radio progrem to come on. I sat with my costume I had just got for christmas and listened to the, “The Black Whip” programme on the radio. It was my favorite and mama knew it so she got me a costume so I could be jus like em. The program came on and the action began, the Black Whip helped the helpless people without anybody knowing who did it. It was then that I realized what I needed to do.

I went real quiet, to the back of the house and put on my costume. I waited till I saw Margaret crossing the street coming from Big Mamas house and I screamed out, “I’m the Black Whip!!!” I whooped up on Margaret, with the plastic pistol that came with the costume, until she cried out, “I’m sorry black whip, I’m sorry”. I hopped off of her and ran home. I knew I could out run’ner caz she thick so it take her long to move. By the time she ran to aunt Mary, I was in the house.

“Sissy! Sissy! Get Fat out here!” Aunt Mary hollered from next door. “Mary why you holleren over here? Fat aint did nothing”My mama aint like people accusen her children of doing nothen.

“Margie is up in this house talken bout some, the black whip beat me up. I know it was Fat, now get her out here.”

Before mama could give her a tongue lashing, Margaret ran to her momma and said, “No mama, it wa’ent Fat it was the Black Whip.

All I could do was laugh and think, Margaret daddy was right.

Bobby went on and got himself married. Sarah was a nice gal but she was truly a city gal. She ain’t like gulfport too much. But she loved herself some Bobby. I remember meeting Sarah for the first time. She and Bobby came to Rel’s house where all us cousins go to lay back and cut up. She laughed at everything we laughed at, got up an did the mashed potato just as good as Karren Jean. Sarah really was a nice girl. But she and Bobby didn’t last too long. The love ran dry, I guess. We all knew that Sarah was too good to be true for Bobby. I mean, he worked but he was lazy as all get out and I promise you he was dumb as a box of rocks. We all wondered why a nice girl like Sarah would get with Bobby. Not to mention he moved so slow, he was slow as molasses on a 30 degree day. So we weren’t surprised when Sarah went back to Chicago with her family, but I was a little sad. I missed her company, I had kinda got used to her. She would come dressed clean as the board of health. I even started getten Fannie to make me some upidity close like Sarah’s. But she gone now. One day I came home from school to a room full a soggy faces, which is not common round these parts. I mean, we some hard folks in dis here house. A real fancy looking black detective was in the house trying to see if we knew anything about where Sarah might be caz her folks cain’t find her. Big ma went to prayen and hollering and carriyng on so, I missed what the fine fellow said about when she was last seen. We hadn’t seen her in about fo weeks. So we couldn’t help him. Isa shame tho, caz Sarah really was a nice girl. I just remeber her bright smile and fine fancy hoses she wore on her legs like the white folks. Time went on and we got a newspaper clipping telling us Sarah had been found dead in a back alley. We were so sad, we ain’t have the heart to tell Bobby, so we just let him be, he wasn’t much happy no way, why makem even mo sad. Walking home from school acrros the railroad tracks I thought about Sarah’s nice yellow jacket. It had penny sized buttons in the shape of ship yard anchors. The buttons were a sort of light copper and the jacket was always pressed and straight. After wiping dirt off my shoe, caz Big Ma would call me a dirty heathen, I stood up and saw a lady walking to me. I thought, “She look real crazy walking on the train tracks with those high heel shoes on.” I got closer to her and dropped everything in my hands. She looked surprised. “Hey Fat, ain’t you glad I’m back” I promised God I would never fall asleep in church again an den I said, “He- Hey Sarah?”.