Jeffery

Jeffery loved making faces in the mirror. He’s sit there for hours sometimes laughing at all the strange contortions he could conjure. He also liked talking to himself. He said he was preparing for being famous, when it matters how you show your face and how you say things. Someday he wanted to be an actor, or an author, or maybe a musician like his brother. James could play Saxophone and guitar, but Jeffery firmly believed he could do anything. 1

“Jeffery just spends too much time alone,” his mother sighed, her forehead wrinkled beyond her thirty-five years.2

“I dunno, he doesn’t seem to care” replied James, a tall kid about sixteen. “Sometimes I think he lives on his own planet. Planet J”. 3

“He worships you, you know.” his mother replied.4

“I know, mama”. 5

Jeffery enjoyed climbing trees almost as much as making faces. He would walk down to the park after school and worm his way up some tree and watch the sunset, sometimes reading, sometimes just looking. He was halfway through the Lord of the Rings at the time, a book his teacher had recommended for his third grade advanced reading. Jeffery was very proud of being an advanced reader; for him it was proof that he was going to do great things someday. As he sat in the tree and read about hobbits and wizards, he closed his eyes and imagined that he was in a tree in Middle Earth, looking out at the endless expanse of land, promising everything. 6

On Fridays, they went to the park and played basketball. This particular day was potent with the crisp fall air. A light breeze knocked some stray leaves around the court. The park was alive with the sounds of chattering people and birds leaving for the winter.7

“So J,” James began as he tried a free throw (it missed). “Mama’s worried about you again. Some trash about how the teacher says you’re sad, and you never talk to the other kids”. 8

Jeffery took the rebound and tried a shot. It circled the rim and fell out. “I don’t like them,” he said, his eyes locked on the ball. That’s why I don’t talk to them”. 9

James ran to grab the ball and took another shot (another miss). “What do they do that makes you not like them, bro?”10

Jeffery stopped for a few seconds before he took his shot. He started at his shoes. “They just don’t understand”.11

“Yeah, man I know” James responded. “You always say that. What’s it about though?”12

Jeffery kept his hands clutched on the ball like it was the last thing he owned. He halted a bit as he spoke. “Well they all like hip hop, and I don’t, you know? Because I like the music you like, because I think it’s better, namean? And they just think I’m weird I guess. Like they asked what we wanted to be and all these kids said they wanted to be like rappers or ballplayer and crap but I said I wanted to be an elf, like in Lord of the Rings, because an elf can live forever, and this kid Darrel said ‘Elves aren’t real, stupid’ and he told me even if they were, I couldn’t be one, because there’s no black elves”. He suddenly threw the basketball at the backboard with a tremendous force. It slammed down into the net, ringing that rusty chain like it had a bus to catch.13

“Shit, brother” James said, eyes widened with surprise. “That’s rough”. 14

“They call me Urkel… I’m not like him at all”. Jeffery sighed.15

James dribbled aimlessly for a minute. “But you know that, right?”16

“Yeah…” Jeffery looked off through the cage at the girls playing jump rope, chanting their age old rhymes.17

“Then don’t let that whack talk wreck you”. 18

“Yeah…”19

“Check this out though: where are those little fuckers gonna be in ten years? I’ll tell you: right back in the ghetto where they are now. Because they can’t see things beyond where they are and who they are, but you, J, you can. If you want a black elf, you make a black elf. And no punkass little nigga can stop you”. 20

Jeffery turned to face his brother and gave him a faint smile.21

They played a quick game of one on one. James, like always, won, not that it ever really mattered. 22

“Hey,” Jeffery said as they left the court, walking side by side. “We’ll always do this, right?”23

“You mean Friday hoops?” James replied.24

“Yeah”.25

“Of course, J. Friday hoops is like church to me. It clears your mind, you know? I mean, the world can get crazy but the hoop and the ball never change”.26

“Yeah”.27

They gave each other their secret Porter brothers handshake and walked home in time for dinner. 28