Free The Secrets of Silk by Allison Hobbs Page B

have a friend like you.”
    â€œThe feeling is mutual; now introduce me to your niece and nephews.”
    â€œThe boys seem to be doing fine, jumping around and roughhousing all over the place. But my niece, Dallas, she’s been keeping to herself and not talking much. It’s hard to know what’s going on inside her head.”
    Silk glanced at the well-groomed little girl who was sitting on the shiny tile floor, playing jacks by herself. Gathered around the TV set, two scrawny boys with bright eyes were wiggling around, emitting squeals of excitement as they watched The Lone Ranger.
    Getting an opportunity to watch a TV program was a rarity for Silk and she wanted to join the boys on the sofa and watch the action-packed show.
    â€œDallas, Myron, and Bruce,” Clara said, calling the children to attention. “I want you to meet a good friend of mine from down South. Her name is Miss Silk and your daddy said it’s all right if she stays here at the house with us for a while.”
    The boys, Bruce and Myron, gazed at Silk briefly, and then returned their attention to the TV. Accustomed to being admired by the male species in general—coloreds, whites, and even scrawnylittle boys—Silk didn’t appreciate the quick and dismissive manner in which the boys had evaluated her. She took an immediate disliking toward them, but didn’t let it show.
    Reflected in the girl’s eyes, Silk saw the admiration that the boys hadn’t shown. In a soft voice, Dallas said, “Hi,” and then returned to her solo game of jacks.
    The little girl was obviously grieving for her dead mother; Silk could see the sorrow in the child’s eyes. She joined Dallas on the floor. “You’re pretty good at jacks.”
    â€œI’m in my foursies,” Dallas said in a somber tone as she shook the metal objects in her hand and then tossed them onto the floor.
    â€œCan I play with you?”
    â€œLadies don’t play jacks,” Dallas said, gazing at Silk quizzically.
    â€œI do. It’s always been one of my favorite games. But down South we don’t get to play with shiny jacks like these.”
    â€œWhat do you play with?” Dallas inquired.
    â€œBottle caps, pebbles, and stones,” Silk admitted, accidentally letting it slip out that she was from humble beginnings. She caught herself and said, “I mean, the poor little kids I taught when I was a student teacher had to play with stones. They’d love to have a store-bought set like you have.”
    â€œThey play jacks with stones?” Dallas wrinkled her nose.
    â€œSome children aren’t as privileged as you are,” Clara piped in.
    â€œIf you let me play, you won’t have to start over. You can stay in your foursies, and I’ll try to catch up with you.”
    â€œOkay,” Dallas said, returning her attention to the game. She threw the ball up and scooped four jacks into her palm, and then caught the ball in the same hand. When she tried to scoop up the next set of four jacks that weren’t spaced close together, she dropped the ball.
    â€œIt’s my turn,” Silk said gleefully. She picked up all ten jacks, rattling them around in her hand. Giving the jacks a wide toss, she began tossing the ball upward and picking up the jacks one at a time. She quickly caught up to Dallas, but instead of surpassing her, Silk deliberately dropped the ball, giving Dallas another chance.
    â€œYou’re down; it’s my turn again,” Dallas said, excitement shining on her face as she scooped the jacks off the floor.
    Seeing that Silk was coaxing Dallas out of her shell, Clara gave Silk a wink and made her way back to the dining room, rejoining the church folks.
    Silk clapped her hands gleefully as Dallas progressed in the game. “You’re a lot better than I thought you’d be. I’m going to have to get some practice in if I expect to beat you.”
    Silk’s