I shrugged. "It was all right."
"Doesn't sound anything like a nice time to me." she muttered. "Ellington, Goodman. Miles Davis, they had a better time. Did you meet his friends? How were they? Did you make any new friends? Are you going out with him again?"
"Why don't you give her a chance to answer one question before you ask her another?" Daddy said.
"I'm waiting for her to say something that tells me something. anything. Cameron, thank you. I put in a lot of work for this and we spent a lot of money to get her out of this cocoon she's wrapped herself in, no thanks to you."
"They were all older girls. Mama. I don't think they want to be friends with me. I'm still in high school."
"You don't look like a high-school girl. Ice. They should want to be friends with you. I bet you were the prettiest one there. right? Huh?"
"You're embarrassing her. Lena."
"She oughta be proud of herself and of me and what we did together. You can brag a little. Ice. Well?"
"I suppose I was. Mama." I looked at Daddy, "I sang 'Lullaby."'
You did what?" Daddy was almost up and out of his chair. "No kidding? With Barry Jones?"
I nodded.
"How did it go?"
"They all stood up and clapped." I said.
"You hear that. Lena? They all stood up and clapped."
"And what was Shawn Carter doing when this was going on?" Mama asked.
"Listening and clapping, too. I suppose," Daddy replied for me. I nodded.
Mama narrowed her eyes.
"What kind of a date was this? You sang with the band?" she wondered aloud.
"She had a good time. Lena. Leave it at that."
"I'm tired," I said. "Good night."
"All she talked about was the music," Mama moaned behind me. "When I went out with a man. I had a lot more than that to say.
"I bet," Daddy quipped and she turned on him.
I shut my door on the bickering and let out a hotly held breath.
I was hoping it was over. Mama would stop asking questions and eventually the whole thing would fade away, but almost as soon as I entered the kitchen the next morning for breakfast, she was on me again. Daddy was still in bed.
"What kind of a dinner did you have? Was it expensive? I bet you had something to drink, huh? I bet they didn't even ask you for identification. Well?"
"Shawn ordered me a gin and tonic, and no one asked me to show them any identification. but I didn't drink any of it," I told her. I was still traveling on the truth.
"Men like to ply you with liquor, so they can soften you up a bit. It's no harm done as long as you play your cards right. I always pretended to be tipsy, but I always knew what was going on around me. The rest of them drank plenty, huh?"
I nodded. "You and Shawn just staved at the Kit-Kat all evening?"
"Yes," I said. but I looked away too soon. "He wanted to take you somewhere else?" I nodded.
"Where? Damn, girl, why do I have to pull