CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Summary

At first, this summer seems radiant to LaJoe, a respite from the war-zone summer of the previous year. Craig Davis, a likeable eighteen-year-old, has set up a musical gathering for the people of Horner, something he will do several times before the summer is over. He is an ambitious kid who wants to be a DJ at a radio station, and in the process of improving himself, he makes many friends, including Lafeyette. He is known for his creative writing, but he lives for his music. He is different from all the older boys Lafeyette knows, because he not only pays attention to Lafeyette, he also takes him seriously. Lafeyette likes as well how Craig talks about many good things. He is a very positive influence on the younger boy. James and Rickey also like him, and as a result, Lafeyette comes to accept Rickey more. He figures that if Pharoah trusts Rickey, he can, too. Eventually, Craig gets Lafeyette out in the middle of the crowd of dancers and gets him dancing, too. For the few minutes that Lafeyette gives in to Craig's exhortations, he is at peace with himself. He idolizes the teenager. The younger boys would remember this night as the most spontaneous and spirited fun they had ever had at Horner.

Audrey Natcone is the public defender assigned to Terence's case. She is struck by how young he seems and how going to prison will quickly change him. She is one of the over-burdened lawyers who handle such cases, but had chosen this area of law believing she could do some good. She is impressed with Terence's family ties and believes the evidence doesn't point unwaveringly towards him. For months, she has been trying to obtain the photographs of the line-up in which Ann Mitchell picked out Terence. The police continue to keep the pictures from her so that the judge has to threaten a contempt order. Still, she hasn't received them and that raises her suspicions about Terence's involvement. Johnny Adams can testify that Terence wasn't with him, but he has not been arrested for the crime, and the law of the streets means watching your own back. However, even without Johnny's testimony, Audrey believes she can win this case.

One Friday afternoon in late June, LaJoe has prepared tons of food for a party. She says later it was one of the happiest days of her life. Terence looks like he will win his case, her benefits have been restored, Craig Davis has brought many happy moments to Lafeyette and LaJoe, and most important of all, Dawn Anderson, Porkchop's older sister and LaJoe's niece, is graduating from high school. She is only the second family member to do so. Her accomplishment is even more notable, because she has, at the age of eighteen, four children. Lafeyette and Pharoah revere her. She also has graduated from one of the worst high schools in Chicago, a school children avoid by living with relatives elsewhere. It is violent, lacks security, and is dramatically overcrowded. Nonetheless, Dawn had graduated from the honors program, while being a great mother and partner to Demetrius, her boyfriend. They are later a prominent part of a newspaper article in The Chicago Sun-Times, which emphasizes children who have made it in spite of the odds.

Notes

This chapter emphasizes some of the moments of hope for the Rivers family: Craig Davis and his positive influence in the neighborhood, Terence's lawyer's belief that he can win his case, the return of the welfare benefits the family so sorely needs, and Dawn's graduation from high school.