CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Summary

On May 19, LaJoe throws a surprise birthday party for Pharoah after he tells her he has never had one. She has slowed down and tried to pull herself together to help her family. She has finished paying for the bunk beds, and now each of the younger children has a bed. She has also purchased wooden table and chairs. When Pharoah comes in the door, he can only smile his toothy grin, and that's how he reacts for the rest of the party. Lafeyette and Rickey steal away from this children's party so that all that's left are younger children and Porkchop. Pharoah doesn't have any other friends his own age. Suddenly, the party is disrupted by the sound of someone yelling to keep the kids inside. Apparently, there has been an altercation between two drug dealers, but nothing happens, and Pharoah blows out his candles. The party ends when a relative of LaJoe's gets drunk and passes out on the couch. He tries to get up to go to the bathroom, but falls over and wets his pants. At that, Pharoah and Porkchop go outside to play. They are stopped by a teenage girl vomiting by the entrance to the building. Through all this commotion, however, Pharoah never stops smiling.

Pharaoh has another good moment. He is asked to recite a poem at his school's year-end assembly. He carries the paper with poem written on it around with him for weeks and quickly has it memorized. When LaJoe sees her son on stage, she can't help but think to herself that he's the one who will give back to her all she has lost. He is the most likely of all her children to succeed. At first, Pharoah begins to stutter, but gets himself under control and finishes the poem to applause in his ears. He also receives two certificates: one for placing second in the spelling bee, and one for special effort in math and reading. His little brother Timothy, one of the triplets, receives three certificates, and Tammie and Tiffanie each receive one. Along with the certificates come ribbons, and LaJoe pins all eight of them to her shirt and walks around the neighborhood all day to show them off. She looks like a decorated war hero. Pharoah is also chosen for Project Upward Bound, a summer school designed to assist minority students in bringing up their math and reading scores. He will attend classes on the campus of the University of Illinois during the summer.

Pharoah gets caught up in the warmth and beauty of those first few days of summer. He comes home with tales of the campus that just delight LaJoe, but it isn't long before she is reminded of summer's true character at Horner. She and Rochelle are walking down Washington Boulevard to the corner store when she sees two young Vice Lords across the street being tailed by two children no bigger than Pharoah and a young man. LaJoe yells to the two she knows that they're being followed and then watches in horror as the young man hands one of the children a gun. She hears him tell the boy to go kill one of the Vice Lords. The little boy opens fire on the two teens who luckily escape. The incident frightens her so much that later that day she rips away Lafeyette's gang cap and earring and tells him no more gang insignia. It could have been him who was the target of those little boys.

Notes

LaJoe has much to be proud of and much she still fears for her children. She pleases Pharaoh and makes his day when she gives him a birthday party. Her children all do well at the last-day assembly. However, there is still the reality that little children are being killed and being taught to kill everyday in the projects.