\u201cBoy!\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s Mr. Watkins calling me out my name. Calling me out on the floor, out to the loading dock, out to the Dumpsters. Always calling me out, period.<\/p>\n
\u201cGo meet those trucks coming in out back.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr. Watkins is always saying opposite things too. Coming in out<\/em> back. Go on<\/em> off<\/em> home.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, sir, Mr. Watkins,\u201d I say.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy do you let him talk to you like that?\u201d My coworker, Darnell, asks me. He\u2019s my best friend at work.<\/p>\n I shrug, thinking, He must like how hard I work<\/em>. I just say, \u201cIt don\u2019t matter so long as he pays me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s exactly right,\u201d Louis says. He’s my other coworker and another good guy. Working with him is like having a dad help me at work, and I like that.<\/p>\n After I meet the trucks, have the drivers sign the forms, unload the shipments, and sweep up the mess, Mr. Watkins says, \u201cBoy, go on off home now. You get your beauty sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, sir, Mr. Watkins,\u201d I say.<\/p>\n As I\u2019m walking by the office door, Ms. Delany calls out, \u201cLil Man, could you step in here for a minute please?\u201d<\/p>\n I don\u2019t mind Ms. Delany calling me Lil Man<\/em>. It ain\u2019t at all the way Mr. Watkins says Boy<\/em>.<\/p>\n \u201cHere\u2019s the pay for this week,\u201d she says. \u201cGo on home now and get some rest.\u201d<\/p>\n I say, \u201cYes, Ma\u2019am,\u201d but inside I want to cry.<\/p>\n I go home, make cheese sandwiches and baked beans for dinner, do my reading, and go to bed. It’s around two in the morning.<\/p>\n \u25ac \u25ac \u25ac \u25ac \u201cIsaiah.\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s Ms. Mosby. She\u2019s always calling on me in class. To answer a question, to demonstrate something, to give the first presentation. Always calling on me, period.<\/p>\n \u201cCould you please read the first three stanzas of `The Raven\u2019 aloud for us today?\u201d<\/p>\n Ms. Mosby is always saying polite things like that too. Please <\/em>read aloud. Thanks <\/em>for your participation.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, ma\u2019am, Ms. Mosby,\u201d I say.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy is she calling on you all the time?\u201d Oscar asks me. He\u2019s my best friend at school.<\/p>\n I shrug, thinking, She must like what I have to say<\/em>. I just say, \u201cIt don\u2019t matter so long as she gives me an A.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know that\u2019s right,\u201d says Caleb. He’s my other friend at shcool. Studying with him is like having a dad help with homework, and I like that.<\/p>\n After I find the page, get up from my desk, clear my throat, and read the poem, Ms. Mosby says, \u201cIsaiah, thank you for a lovely reading. You enjoy your next class now.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, ma\u2019am, Ms. Mosby,\u201d I say.<\/p>\n As I\u2019m walking by the counselor\u2019s office, Ms. Witosky calls out, \u201cWise Guy, could you step in here for a minute please?\u201d<\/p>\n I don\u2019t mind when Ms. Witosky calls me Wise Guy. It\u2019s a lot like the way Ms. Mosby says Please<\/em>.<\/p>\n \u201cHere is that college application for you,\u201d she says. \u201cGo home now and get your dad to sign it.\u201d<\/p>\n I say, \u201cYes, Ma\u2019am,\u201d but inside I want to cry.<\/p>\n I go home, study my reflection in the mirror, and tell myself, \u201cLie to me and I\u2019ll try to believe.\u201d<\/p>\n I practice signing my dad\u2019s name and then sign the form, go to where he\u2019s passed out on the couch, press his limp fingers in different spots on the paper, and go to bed. It\u2019s around two in the morning.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I think sarcastically, He must like how hard I work. I say impassively, \u201cIt don\u2019t matter so long as he pays me.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[160,148,163,20,19,162,159,164,161,158],"class_list":["post-302","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-scattered-smothered-covered","tag-boy","tag-character","tag-dad","tag-dismissive","tag-heartless","tag-isaiah","tag-lil-man","tag-passed-out","tag-the-raven","tag-wise-guy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.writtenGESStures.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/302","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.writtenGESStures.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.writtenGESStures.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.writtenGESStures.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.writtenGESStures.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=302"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.writtenGESStures.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/302\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":569,"href":"http:\/\/www.writtenGESStures.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/302\/revisions\/569"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.writtenGESStures.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=302"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.writtenGESStures.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=302"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.writtenGESStures.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=302"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n