minds grinding that up—man-to-man, settle it that way.
Slowly, bats and clubs came down.
Eyes shifted to Keet.
Inside, I grinned: Keet was scared. Looking at Rico, I would be too.
Rico tossed his bat away. “Now we talking. Come at me, you haole pig.” He circled out, motioning Keet closer with his fingers.
Keet’s face flushed and the veins on his neck popped out like worms. His eyes searched for a way out. Rico could look insane when he got mad. Like now.
“Come on,” Rico said. “I waiting, piggy. Let’s go.”
Keet swung. He had no choice. It was fight or be shamed.
Rico jerked his head back and Keet missed by a mile.
But Rico didn’t.
Bok!
Keet staggered back into the guy behind him.
The guy stood him up and pushed him back toward Rico.
Rico cracked him again.
Flesh slapping on flesh, an ugly sound.
I almost felt bad for Keet.
Keet stumbled up, blood drooling from his nose. He looked at me, not Rico, with hate. He swiped the back of his hand over his lips, coming away with blood.
Dwight grabbed Keet’s arm. “Finish this later.” He pulled Keet back. Keet made a feeble show of trying to shake Dwight off, but he let Dwight pull him away.
“He’s not worth it, Wilson,” Dwight said. “You could hurt the little spit, and you don’t want to get his mommy all upset, now, do you?”
Rico lunged at Dwight, but Keet tripped him and Rico went sprawling in the dirt. He scrambled back up.
Mose grabbed him from behind. “Let it go, cousin.”
Keet and his punks backed away, then turned and headed for the street. I wondered if some of them even knew why they’d come down to the canal.
Dwight stopped and called back. “Don’t think this is over. Don’t think you’re getting out of this, because you’re not. Understand, monkeys? Huh?”
He smiled, as if he were nice enough to be somebody’s friend. “Bye now.”
I knew for a fact that today would be the first time ever in his seventy-four years that Grampa Joji had gotten into a car like the Davises’, maybe even into
any
car. Trucks, maybe, but never a shiny car that Jake kept purring like a cat.
Kimi, Mama, Billy, me, Jake, and Charlie all stood around talking low in Billy’s yard when Mr. Davis drove up the long driveway, slow and importantly, giving Grampa Joji the royal treatment. Kimi jumped up and down with her hands flying in delight, ready to race up the second he got out. Mama held her back.
Mr. Davis parked and went around to help Grampa out.
Grampa creaked up, all five feet three inches of him, and stood straight and tall as he could, like some king. No smile, and no acknowledgment of us standing there holding our breath.
“Unnh,” he grunted, then bowed to Mr. Davis.
Mr. Davis bowed back and opened an arm toward us. “They’ve been waiting for you.”
Grampa lifted his chin higher, checking us over. He gave Charlie a thumbs-up, which made Charlie grin. And he nodded politely to Mama. When he saw Kimi, he actually gave her something you could think of as a smile. He held out a hand.
Mama let Kimi go and she ran over and wrapped herself around Ojii-chan’s legs. He took her hand. “We go look those eggs,” he said, slowly shuffling off with her, heading through the trees to his chicken coops as if he’d never been gone.
I punched Billy’s arm. “I told you so.”
We cracked up.
“Kimi,” I called. “Warn him about the goat.” She wouldn’t have thought of that, because Little Bruiser left her alone. It was only guys that beast attacked. All we needed was for Little Bruiser to chase Grampa Joji and scare him into another dizzy spell.
Kimi nodded.
“Thank you, Mr. Davis-sama, thank you,” Mama said, bowing again and again. Then she hugged him, something she’d never, ever done before to any haole. “Thank you,” she said again, backing away and lowering her eyes, her face flushed.
I stood stunned. But in these times anything could happen.
“You’re welcome,” Mr. Davis said. “And call me
Slowly, bats and clubs came down.
Eyes shifted to Keet.
Inside, I grinned: Keet was scared. Looking at Rico, I would be too.
Rico tossed his bat away. “Now we talking. Come at me, you haole pig.” He circled out, motioning Keet closer with his fingers.
Keet’s face flushed and the veins on his neck popped out like worms. His eyes searched for a way out. Rico could look insane when he got mad. Like now.
“Come on,” Rico said. “I waiting, piggy. Let’s go.”
Keet swung. He had no choice. It was fight or be shamed.
Rico jerked his head back and Keet missed by a mile.
But Rico didn’t.
Bok!
Keet staggered back into the guy behind him.
The guy stood him up and pushed him back toward Rico.
Rico cracked him again.
Flesh slapping on flesh, an ugly sound.
I almost felt bad for Keet.
Keet stumbled up, blood drooling from his nose. He looked at me, not Rico, with hate. He swiped the back of his hand over his lips, coming away with blood.
Dwight grabbed Keet’s arm. “Finish this later.” He pulled Keet back. Keet made a feeble show of trying to shake Dwight off, but he let Dwight pull him away.
“He’s not worth it, Wilson,” Dwight said. “You could hurt the little spit, and you don’t want to get his mommy all upset, now, do you?”
Rico lunged at Dwight, but Keet tripped him and Rico went sprawling in the dirt. He scrambled back up.
Mose grabbed him from behind. “Let it go, cousin.”
Keet and his punks backed away, then turned and headed for the street. I wondered if some of them even knew why they’d come down to the canal.
Dwight stopped and called back. “Don’t think this is over. Don’t think you’re getting out of this, because you’re not. Understand, monkeys? Huh?”
He smiled, as if he were nice enough to be somebody’s friend. “Bye now.”
I knew for a fact that today would be the first time ever in his seventy-four years that Grampa Joji had gotten into a car like the Davises’, maybe even into
any
car. Trucks, maybe, but never a shiny car that Jake kept purring like a cat.
Kimi, Mama, Billy, me, Jake, and Charlie all stood around talking low in Billy’s yard when Mr. Davis drove up the long driveway, slow and importantly, giving Grampa Joji the royal treatment. Kimi jumped up and down with her hands flying in delight, ready to race up the second he got out. Mama held her back.
Mr. Davis parked and went around to help Grampa out.
Grampa creaked up, all five feet three inches of him, and stood straight and tall as he could, like some king. No smile, and no acknowledgment of us standing there holding our breath.
“Unnh,” he grunted, then bowed to Mr. Davis.
Mr. Davis bowed back and opened an arm toward us. “They’ve been waiting for you.”
Grampa lifted his chin higher, checking us over. He gave Charlie a thumbs-up, which made Charlie grin. And he nodded politely to Mama. When he saw Kimi, he actually gave her something you could think of as a smile. He held out a hand.
Mama let Kimi go and she ran over and wrapped herself around Ojii-chan’s legs. He took her hand. “We go look those eggs,” he said, slowly shuffling off with her, heading through the trees to his chicken coops as if he’d never been gone.
I punched Billy’s arm. “I told you so.”
We cracked up.
“Kimi,” I called. “Warn him about the goat.” She wouldn’t have thought of that, because Little Bruiser left her alone. It was only guys that beast attacked. All we needed was for Little Bruiser to chase Grampa Joji and scare him into another dizzy spell.
Kimi nodded.
“Thank you, Mr. Davis-sama, thank you,” Mama said, bowing again and again. Then she hugged him, something she’d never, ever done before to any haole. “Thank you,” she said again, backing away and lowering her eyes, her face flushed.
I stood stunned. But in these times anything could happen.
“You’re welcome,” Mr. Davis said. “And call me
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