Free Tears of a Tiger by Sharon M. Draper
Authors: Sharon M. Draper
promise to call me if you need meâany time of the day or night, okay?
âYeah, okay.
âPeace, man.
âLater.
Night and Dreams
Andy and Monty
Just before Bedtime
JANUARY 14
âHey, Andyâwould you turn my light back on?
âWhy? You scared of the dark, Monty?
âNo, I just want to be able to see stuff while Iâm fallinâ asleep.
âHow you gonna see stuff? Your eyes be closed.
âYeah, but if I hafta open âem real quickâlike if it was a fire or a robber or a monster or somethingâI could see what I needed to see.
âOkay, okay, Iâll leave the light on. You get to sleep now.
âAndy?
âWhat?
âWhen you dream, do you dream in color or in black and white?
âI donât know. I never thought about it. Where do you get these questions?
âHey, Iâm six years old. I got a lot to learn.
âYou got that right.
âSo, tell me. Are dreams in color, like on TV, or black and white, like those old movies that Daddy likes to watch?
âI guess dreams are in color. That makes sense, donât it?
âMaybe black people dream in color, and white people dream in black and white. That makes sense to me.
âSeems to me that stuff that makes sense to you donât make much sense to nobody else in the world. Who knows? You may be right. Now go to sleep.
âAndy?
âWhat?
âDo you ever have bad dreams?
âYeah, man. Sometimes. I guess everybody does at one time or another.
âAbout monsters and robbers and stuff?
âNaw, man. Thatâs kiddie nightmares. I have grownup nightmares about chemistry tests and dragon-breathinâ teachers and beinâ caught in a rich white neighborhood after midnight.
âThat ainât scary.
âItâs scary if youâre seventeen. Letâs get some sleep now. You ask too many questions.
âAre you gonna go to sleep now too?
âYeah, in a little bit. Iâm gonna call Keisha and then Iâll turn in.
âWhenâll Mama and Daddy be home?
âI donât know. They went out to dinnerâfirst time in a long time. They need to get out every once in a while.
âYeah, I guess. Iâm not scared, though, âcause I got my light on, and I got you in the next room.
âOh, wow! You got Andy the Might Protector!
âYeah, and if that donât work, I got my Teenage Warrior Space Soldier.
âYou sleep with that thing?
âYeah, why not?
âYou too big to be sleepinâ with stuff like that.
âI am not. If you slept with a warrior space soldier, maybe you wouldnât have nightmares either.
âIâll keep that in mind. Good night, little dude.
âGood night, Andy.
Â
âHello, may I speak to Keisha?â¦Hi, Keisha. Watcha doinâ?
âNothing much. Finishing up my homework and thinking about you.
âOh yeah? Good stuff?
âYeah, mostly.
âLike what?
âLike how much fun you can be sometimes. Like how patient you are with Monty. Like how things brighten up when youâre smiling.
âYou ever think bad stuff about me?
âSometimes. I mean, sometimes I worry about you.
âYeah, I know. Sometimes I worry about myself.
âHow come?
âLike for instance, I look at Monty and his future looks so bright. Heâs cute and heâs smart. Heâll be a doctor or a lawyer some day. I can tell. But me, I donât see me beinâ nothinâ in the future.
âYou mean you see yourself as one of those street people with no place to go?
âNo. I mean I donât see myself at all. When I think about the future, all I see is a blankâand darkness.
âThatâs depressing. What do you see for me in the future?
âYou? You gonna be the first black woman somethinâ-or-other. If there ainât one yet, you gonna be it.
âYouâre crazy. And donât you see yourself with me as the husband (or maybe the secret
âYeah, okay.
âPeace, man.
âLater.
Night and Dreams
Andy and Monty
Just before Bedtime
JANUARY 14
âHey, Andyâwould you turn my light back on?
âWhy? You scared of the dark, Monty?
âNo, I just want to be able to see stuff while Iâm fallinâ asleep.
âHow you gonna see stuff? Your eyes be closed.
âYeah, but if I hafta open âem real quickâlike if it was a fire or a robber or a monster or somethingâI could see what I needed to see.
âOkay, okay, Iâll leave the light on. You get to sleep now.
âAndy?
âWhat?
âWhen you dream, do you dream in color or in black and white?
âI donât know. I never thought about it. Where do you get these questions?
âHey, Iâm six years old. I got a lot to learn.
âYou got that right.
âSo, tell me. Are dreams in color, like on TV, or black and white, like those old movies that Daddy likes to watch?
âI guess dreams are in color. That makes sense, donât it?
âMaybe black people dream in color, and white people dream in black and white. That makes sense to me.
âSeems to me that stuff that makes sense to you donât make much sense to nobody else in the world. Who knows? You may be right. Now go to sleep.
âAndy?
âWhat?
âDo you ever have bad dreams?
âYeah, man. Sometimes. I guess everybody does at one time or another.
âAbout monsters and robbers and stuff?
âNaw, man. Thatâs kiddie nightmares. I have grownup nightmares about chemistry tests and dragon-breathinâ teachers and beinâ caught in a rich white neighborhood after midnight.
âThat ainât scary.
âItâs scary if youâre seventeen. Letâs get some sleep now. You ask too many questions.
âAre you gonna go to sleep now too?
âYeah, in a little bit. Iâm gonna call Keisha and then Iâll turn in.
âWhenâll Mama and Daddy be home?
âI donât know. They went out to dinnerâfirst time in a long time. They need to get out every once in a while.
âYeah, I guess. Iâm not scared, though, âcause I got my light on, and I got you in the next room.
âOh, wow! You got Andy the Might Protector!
âYeah, and if that donât work, I got my Teenage Warrior Space Soldier.
âYou sleep with that thing?
âYeah, why not?
âYou too big to be sleepinâ with stuff like that.
âI am not. If you slept with a warrior space soldier, maybe you wouldnât have nightmares either.
âIâll keep that in mind. Good night, little dude.
âGood night, Andy.
Â
âHello, may I speak to Keisha?â¦Hi, Keisha. Watcha doinâ?
âNothing much. Finishing up my homework and thinking about you.
âOh yeah? Good stuff?
âYeah, mostly.
âLike what?
âLike how much fun you can be sometimes. Like how patient you are with Monty. Like how things brighten up when youâre smiling.
âYou ever think bad stuff about me?
âSometimes. I mean, sometimes I worry about you.
âYeah, I know. Sometimes I worry about myself.
âHow come?
âLike for instance, I look at Monty and his future looks so bright. Heâs cute and heâs smart. Heâll be a doctor or a lawyer some day. I can tell. But me, I donât see me beinâ nothinâ in the future.
âYou mean you see yourself as one of those street people with no place to go?
âNo. I mean I donât see myself at all. When I think about the future, all I see is a blankâand darkness.
âThatâs depressing. What do you see for me in the future?
âYou? You gonna be the first black woman somethinâ-or-other. If there ainât one yet, you gonna be it.
âYouâre crazy. And donât you see yourself with me as the husband (or maybe the secret