Free Good to Me by LaTonya Mason

she was bearing down on her teeth, “we ain’t the ones with the problem.”
    “Well, why did you want Cherry to give me a job?”
    “’Cause you needed one.”
    “That’s what I’m talking about. Y’all always talking about what I need. Since when did everybody become an expert on Iesha?
     According to y’all a job ain’t all I need.” She held out her hand to count on her fingers all the things she had been told
     she needed. “I need to quit clubbing, I need to quit depending on welfare, I need to go to church, I need Jesus… I need
     for y’all to let me be myself. I ain’t hell-bound, but if I do go, it ain’t like we on no family plan. I’ll be going by myself.”
    Mama Lorraine shook her head at Iesha. “Everybody hold hands. We need to pray.”
    She paused so everyone could follow her lead. They bowed their heads, closed their eyes, and joined hands.
    “Lord,” she raised her voice. “Oooooh, Lord,” she sang like a preacher in the climax of a sermon. “Let it be known, hah, by
     You and all Your heavenly angels, hah, that my daughter Iesha Nicole Brown, hah, bless her heart, hah…”
    “Bless her Lord,” Charity chimed in, realizing that her mother was having fun.
    “She ain’t hell-bound, hah, but if she do go, Lord, hah…”
    “Have mercy, Lord, have mercy,” Charity mocked.
    “We just wanna thank You, hah…”
    “Thank You, Jesus.”
    “That we ain’t on her family plan. Hallelujah!”
    “Hallelujah!”
    “Let the church say, amen.” Mama Lorraine could not keep her composure any longer. She laughed like she was watching her
Madea’s Family Reunion
video.
    “Amen,” everyone, including Mr. Brown, agreed as they laughed along with her.
    Even Iesha laughed. That’s one good thing about the Brown family, it was hard for them to stay mad at one another. Their sense
     of humor sustained them through some very tough trials. “Y’all the ones going to hell,” Iesha said. “Making fun of the church.
     Y’all better check y’all policies, it might be better to get on that family plan.”

Chapter 6
    JOSEPH KNEW IT WAS CHEAP LABOR, but it was keeping him from being idle. “Idle hands are the devil’s work tools,” he remembers his mother telling him. He was
     a quality control manager for a furniture production company that outsourced its work to the prison. He supervised up to fifty
     workers and inspected the office and dormitory furniture they made. Most of the men had never worked before, or they had very
     few skills, which contributed to the many inefficiencies he would find in their finished products. His job was stressful.
     Oftentimes he walked the fine line between being a buddy and a boss to the workers. He liked to keep them encouraged because
     of the oppressive situation they were in, but they often mistook his kindness for a reason to be slack. The workers made furnishings
     by hand, therefore, their products were more expensive. He had to make sure their work was perfect and timely, because of
     the high demand for their furniture.
    “Good morning, Brother Lee. You gone make someone a proud executive with the muscle you putting into that desk.”
    “Thank you, sir. It’s turning out good, ain’t it?”
    “Oh yeah. You’ve become the furniture maestro around here. Keep up the good work.”
    “I will. Making furniture takes my mind off things,” he said, sanding the wood. “I won’t complain, though. Most of my needs
     are met here. I got a place to stay, a job, no debt, plenty to eat, and medical attention when I need it. But being here by
     myself is lonely. Making furniture fills that void for me. Every piece I make is important.”
    Joseph patted him on the back. “And it shows. You should meet some of the brothers in the fellowship. We have intercessory
     prayer every night at seven thirty in the Clayford building and we do Bible study on Wednesday nights at that time. You should
     come to Bible study tonight in the chapel. The meetings are