“Elkanah!” the guard called out. “Move on to your table.”
“Sir, yes, sir,” Reggie responded without breaking eye contact with my mother. He nodded and continued on to the table that held a man and a young boy.
My mother watched him walk away. She continued to watch as he embraced his visitors at the other table.
“Momma,” I stepped in front of her to block her view.
“Huh? Oh…”
She stood up to hug me. Torrey followed behind her with a hug.
I sat down across from them. Torrey immediately passed me some chips and candy she’d purchased from the vending machine.
“So, Momma, how do you know that man?” Torrey asked.
“Um,” Momma looked at us both and then gave a half smile. She rubbed her hands together in front of her and then wiped them down the front of her skirt. “We um…Reggie and I grew up in the same neighborhood.”
“Same neighborhood? Is that it? You seemed a little flustered when he spoke to you. Did he scare you or something? El, how do you know him? He looks familiar, have we met him before?” Torrey fired off multiple questions.
“He has been my cellie for a minute now. He’s the one who told me to take those college courses and stuff. Remember I told you? He didn’t mention he knew you, Momma.”
I was racking my brain trying to figure out if Reggie had mentioned knowing my mother. I knew he hadn’t. Why hadn’t he disclosed that information? I had a lot of questions for him when we got back to the cell.
“What is he in for?” Torrey whispered.
“I’m not about to discuss that man’s business out here in the open with you,” I whispered back.
“Did he murder someone?”
“Torrey!” My mother finally answered. “Yes, El I remember you mentioned that but I guess I didn’t catch his name,” she suddenly became very interested in the bottle of water in front of her.
Torrey looked at me and shrugged her shoulders.
* * *
“You didn’t mentionyou knew my mother.”
I confronted Reggie as soon as we got back to our cell. I knew I hadn’t mentioned my mother’s name to him. He knew her and hadn’t told me the whole time we’d been living together.
“I wasn’t sure if it was her or not. When we walked into the visitor room, and I saw her sitting there, that’s when I was positive I knew her.”
“So, what? Y’all grew up together?”
“We grew up in the same neighborhood, but I am a couple years older than her. I remember when she had your sister. She was a pretty little baby,” he smiled.
“That’s it?” I asked trying hard not to succumb to the anger that was bubbling up.
“No, that’s not it, but you should ask your mother.”
“My mother is not here, but you are!” I yelled while approaching his side of the room.
“Alright, El, calm your ass down before you get put down.”
“Look me in my eyes like a man and tell me how you know my mother!” I wasn’t calming down. If I had learned anything from Reggie in the short time we’d been cellies is that you didn’t back down. You stand firm in your truth. You stand for the truth.
“Alright, you want to do this now?”
“Right now!” I whisper-yelled.