Long Division - The showdown

Added January 22, 2025 at 4:41pm by Aissetou Gory
Title: Words, Word, Work video

DMU Timestamp: January 21, 2025 22:02

Added January 22, 2025 at 5:29pm by Aissetou Gory
Title: [1 of 5] Long Division, Book One, pages 1-49 by Kiese Laymon (2013) - SLA at Beeber 24-25 English 3D

Laymon, Kiese. “Book One, Words, Word, Work Pages 32-37,” Long Division, Scribner Book Company, 2013, 2021

I sat on the left side of the stage, third seat from the aisle, and LaVander Peeler sat in the same seat on the other side of the stage. At the end of my row was the one Mexican girl. At the end of LaVan-der Peeler’s was the one Mexican boy. I looked at their name tags for the first time. Jesse Cruz and Stephanie Cruz. And the words “Jesse” and “Stephanie” were in quotations.

179I thought to myself that if ever there was a time to bring my Serena Williams sentence game to the nation, this was it. With all that still water in his eyes, LaVander Peeler was in no shape to win, or even compete. I figured he’d miss his first sentence, or maybe he wouldn’t even try, and then he’d have to sit on that stage for two long hours, with drowning red eyeballs, watching me give those fools that work.

180“We’d like to welcome you to the Fifth Annual Can You Use That Word in a Sentence National Competition,” the voice behind the light said. “We’re so proud to be coming to you from historic Jack-son, Mississippi. The state of Mississippi has loomed large in the history of civil rights and the English language. Maybe our next John Grisham, Richard Wright, Alice Walker, William Faulkner, or Oprah Winfrey is in this contest. The rules of the contest are simple. I will give the contestant a word and he or she will have two minutes to use that word in a dynamic sentence. All three judges must agree upon the correct usage, appropriateness, and dynamism of the sentence. We guarantee you that this year’s contest will be must-see TV.

181“Before we begin, we’d like our prayers to go out to the family of Baize Shephard. As you all know, Baize is a young honor-roll student who disappeared a few weeks ago in the woods of Melahatchie, Mississippi. We will be flashing pictures of Baize periodically throughout the night for those of you watching live in your homes. If you have any information that might help in the investigation, please alert vour local authorities. Let us take a moment of silence for Baize Shephard.

182“LaVander Peeler,” the announcer resumed, “is our first contestant. I’m sure most of you know that LaVander tied for first place in the state of Mississippi competition with our second contestant, Citoven Coldson.” Seemed weird that we were going to be first and second. “LaVander Peeler, your first word is ‘lascivious.””

183LaVander Peeler stood up with his balled fists at his sides. He stepped toward the microphone and looked down at his feet.

184“If lascivious photographs of Amber Rose were found on Mr. White’s office computer,” LaVander began, “then the odds are higher than the poverty rate in the Mississippi Delta that Mr. Jay White would still keep his job at the college his great-great-grandfather founded.”

185LaVander Peeler walked right back to his seat, fists still clenched. No etymology. No pronunciation. The crowd and the contestants started clapping in spurts, not understanding what had just happened. I was clapping the skin off my hands when they called my name. I stepped to the microphone, pumping my fist and looking at LaVander Peeler, who still had his head tucked in his chest.

186“Citoyen, we’d like to welcome you, too.”

187“Thanks. My name is City.”

2188“Your first word, Citoyen, is… ‘niggardly.' ”

189Before uttering a syllable, I ran back to our dressing room and got my brush.

190“I just think better with this in my hand,” I told the voice when I got back.

191“No problem. ‘Niggardly,’ Citoyen.”

2192“For real? It’s no problem?” | looked out into the white lights, hoping somebody would demand they give me another word- not because I didn’t know how to use it, but because it just didn’t seem right that any kid like me should have to use a word like that, not in front of all those white folks. 2

193“Etymology, please?” I asked him.

194“From Old Norse nigla.”

195“Nigla? That’s funny. Am I pronouncing the word right? ‘Nigga’dly.’ Pronunciation, please.”

196“Nig-gard-ly,” he said. “Citoyen, you have thirty more seconds.”

197I kept squinting, trying to see out beyond the lights, beyond the stage. “Okay. Y’all have time limits at nationals, huh? I know the word, but it’s just that my insides hurt when you say that word,” I whispered into the mic.

198“Is that your sentence, Citoyen?” the voice asked.

199I sucked my teeth and sped up my brushing. “You know that ain’t my sentence.”

200“Citoyen. You have ten seconds.”

201I slowed my brushing down and angled myself toward LaVander Peeler. “Um, okay, I hate LaBander Veeler” I said.

202“Is this your sentence, Citoyen?”

203“No. Um, I truly hate LaBander Veeler sometimes more than some of y’all hate President Obama and I wonder if LaBander Veeler should behave like the exceptional African-American boy he was groomed to be in public by his UPS-working father, or the, um, weird, brilliant, niggardly joker he really is when we’re the only ones watching.”

204I brought the brush to my waist.

205The judges looked at me for about ten seconds without moving before they turned toward each other. The head judge covered the microphone and started whispering to the other judges.

206“Noooo, Citoyen,” he finally said. “We are so, so sorry. That is not the correct, appropriate, or dynamic usage of ‘niggardly’ in a sentence. An example of correct, dynamic usage would be Perspiration covered the children who stared incessantly at the woman in the head wrap since she insisted on being so niggardly with the succulent plums and melons. Please have a seat.”

207I started brushing the skin on my forearm, then pointed my brush toward the light.

208That’s all I could see.

209I walked toward my seat, then turned around and headed back to the microphone. “I mean, even if I used the word right, I still would’ve lost. Plums and melons? You see that, don’t you?” The buzzer went off again. I threw my brush toward the light and the buzzer kept going off. “That’s messed up, man,” I told them. “What was I supposed to do?” I saw Cindy offstage to the right, motioning for me to sit down.

210“Forget you, Cindy! Look at LaVander Peeler over there crying. I hate that dude. Naw, I mean really hate. I be sitting at home sometimes praying that someone will sew his butt hole tight so he could almost die from being so backed up. I’m serious, but look at that nigga over there with tears in his eyes, looking crazy as hell on TV. It don’t make no sense.

211“Now look at them Mexicans.” The buzzer went off again. I turned around and looked at the Mexican girl on my row. “You think it’s hard for y’all in Arizona? Look at us. Look at us. They do us like this in our own state. Ain’t nothing these white folks can do to make you feel like me and LaVander Peeler feel right now. They scared of y’all taking their jobs and cutting them in they sleep. They scared of us becoming Obama or O-Dawg. I mean, do y’all even call yourself Mexican? Ain’t this a competition for Americans? Peep how they made slots for Mexicans but you don’t see no slots for no Africans or no Indians. When I say Indian, I mean Native American. Where the Native Indian and African players at? Shid.”

212Stephanie stood up, stretched her back, walked right up to my face, kicked me in my kneecap, and said, “Please sit your fat ass down.” She whispered in my ear, “I’m trying to help you out. Seriously. You have no clue how you’re playing yourself right now.”

213The buzzer went off again.

214I put one hand on top of my belly blubber and started going over the top of my head with the palm of my other hand.

215Short, fluid strokes.

216“I ain’t playing myself. Shoot. What was I supposed to do?” I said to everyone one more time. “Bet you know my name next time. And I bet you won’t do this to another little nigga from Mississippi. Shout out to my Jackson confidants: Toni, Jannay, Octavia, Jimmy, and all my country niggas: Shay, Kincaid, and even MyMy down in Melahatchie just trying to stay above water. I got y’all. Death to all our opposition. President Obama, you see how they do us down here while you up there calling us thugs? You see?”

217With that, I walked off, right past my chair, past the Mexican girl who’d kicked me, directly into the backstage area. Then I turned around and walked to the middle of that stage.

218“And fuck white folks!” I yelled at the light and, for the first time all night, thought about whether my grandma was watching. “My name is City. And if you don’t know, now you know, nigga

DMU Timestamp: January 21, 2025 22:02