Magic Street Page 0,70

always hated her name, especially because she was very light-skinned. "I mean why did my parents choose each other if it wasn't to make sure they had kids that could pass the damn paper bag test. And then they go and name me Ebony? Why did Ivo get to be Ivory? They name the boy the white name and the girl the black black black name?"

"I hate to break it to you, Ebby," said Mack, "but both those names are definitely black names."

"I guess you right, I ain't never going to see no blond boy named Ivory, am I?"

Mack and Ebony got along okay, like brother and sister, not that Mack didn't notice how she filled out lately. But she was still in ninth grade and she was so short he could have fit her under his arm. And there was no sign she was interested anyway. So they did dishes together.

He was telling her about teachers he'd had and they were teasing each other about how Ivo always said Mack liked exactly the teachers that he hated most, which Mack insisted on taking as a compliment. That's when the voices in the living room got loud enough to intrude.

"You think it doesn't hurt property values to have that motorcycle roaring up and down the street at all hours?"

Maybe it was the word motorcycle that caught Mack's attention.

"It isn't roaring up and down the street, she's just going home."

"She does not just go home. She rides all the way to the top of Cloverdale and then races down and skids into her driveway. I've seen her do it twice, so it's a habit."

"Woman looks that fine on a bike, it isn't going to hurt property values one bit."

"Now that is just absurd."

"I value my front yard a lot more now there's a chance she might ride by."

"That is the most disgusting - "

"He just a man, what do you expect?"

"It's like mobile pornography, that's what it is, that girl on her motorcycle!"

"I never liked Dr. Phelps's second wife one bit, but now that we've seen this new girl, I wish we had Mrs. Phelps back again."

"She is not like pornography, she's got all her clothes on right up to her neck."

"Motorcycle-riding h - whatever."

"The way those clothes fit her she might as well be naked."

"So let's get together a petition that points that out to her. I mean, if she's that close to naked, why not - "

"That's enough out of you, Moses Jones."

"Isn't there a noise ordinance?"

Mack and Ebby grinned at each other, and without even discussing it they went to the passage between the dining room and the living room and saw that while they were doing dishes, somebody convened a meeting of the neighborhood busybodies.

Ebby's mama looked at her pointedly. "This is an adult discussion, Ebby."

Ebby just laughed.

"I don't like your tone, young lady," said Ebby's mama.

"We were just wondering," said Mack, "who you talking about on the motorcycle?"

"The person who just moved into Dr. Phelps's old house just below the hairpin on Cloverdale."

"Whom I asked to keep the noise down late at night, to which she rudely replied that her bike was her only ride so how was she supposed to get home when she finished work at three A.M."

"She's one of those inhibitionists who can't stand it when people aren't noticing her."

"Exhibitionists."

Ebby poked Mack to try to make him laugh, and it nearly worked. To cover his stifled snort, Mack said, "Um, so she got no name at all? Just 'Motorcycle Ho'?"

"Mack Street, I'm telling Ura Lee you use language like that."

"But Mrs. Jones called her - "

"I called her a motorcycle-riding hoochie mama!"

"Her name is Yolanda White," said Moses Jones. "You want her phone number?"

Joyce Jones smacked a sofa pillow into his face. "You better not have her phone number. I got scissors and you sleep naked."

"That's more than we wanted to know, Joyce," said Eva Sweet Fillmore.

"I'm getting Moses some pajamas this Christmas," said her husband, Hershey. Their standard joke: When Eva Sweet found out that Hershey Fillmore was the one leaving those chocolates in her desk in fourth grade, it's like they had no choice but to get married as soon as they got old enough.

"Yo Yo," said Mack.

"What?" asked Ebby.

"If she likes you, she lets you call her Yo Yo."

"Who does?"

"Yolanda White. The motorcycle-riding hoochie mama."

"If you children are just going to make fun!" said Ebby's mama sharply.

"We're back to the dishes!" cried Ebby and she dragged Mack back into the