Thank You, Ma鈥檓 by Langston Hughes
She was a large woman with a large purse that had everything
in it but a hammer and nails. It had a long strap, and she carried it
slung across her shoulder.
It was about eleven o鈥檆lock at night, dark, and she was
walking alone, when a boy ran up behind her and triedto snatch her
purse. The strap broke with the sudden single tug the boy gave it from
behind. But the boy鈥檚 weight and the weight of the purse comb
ined
caused him to lose his balance. Instead of taking off full blast as he
had hoped, the boy fell on his back on the sidewalk and his legs flew
up.
The large woman simply turned around and kicked him right
square in his blue-jeaned sitter. Then she reached down, picked the
boy up by his shirt front, and shook him until his teeth rattled.
After that the woman said, 鈥淧ick up my pocketbook, boy, and
give it here.鈥?/p>
She still held him tightly. But she bent down enough to permit
him to stoop and pick up her pu
rse. Then she said, 鈥淣ow ain鈥檛 you
ashamed of yourself?鈥?/p>
Firmly gripped by his shirt front, the boy said, 鈥淵es鈥檓.鈥?nbsp;The
woman said, 鈥淲hat did you want to do it for?鈥?/p>
The boy said, 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 aim to.鈥?/p>
By that time two or three people passed, stopped, turned to
look, and some stood watching.
鈥淚f I turn you loose, will you run?鈥?nbsp;asked the woman.
鈥淵es鈥檓,鈥?nbsp;said the boy.
鈥淭hen I won鈥檛 turn you loose,鈥?nbsp;said the woman. She did not
release him.
鈥淟ady, I鈥檓 sorry,鈥?nbsp;whispered the boy.
鈥淯m
-hum! Your face is dirty. I got a great mind to wash your
face for you. Ain鈥檛 you got nobody home to tell youto wash your
face?鈥?/p>
鈥淣o鈥檓,鈥?nbsp;said the boy.
鈥淭hen it will get washed this evening,鈥?nbsp;said the large
woman,starting up the street, dragging the frightened boy behind her.
He looked as if he were fourteen or fifteen, frail and willow-wild
in tennis shoes and blue jeans.
The woman said, 鈥淵ou ought to be my son. I would teach you
right from wrong. Least I can do right now is towash your face. Are you
hungry?鈥?/p>
鈥淣o鈥檓,鈥?nbsp;said the being
-dragged
boy. 鈥淚 just want you to turn
me loose.鈥?/p>
鈥淲as I bothering you when I turned that corner?鈥?nbsp;asked the
woman.
鈥淣o鈥檓.鈥?/p>
鈥淏ut you put yourself in contact with me,鈥?nbsp;said the woman. 鈥淚f
you think that contact is not going to last awhile, you got another
thought coming. When I get through with you, sir, you are going to
remember Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones.鈥?/p>
Sweat popped out on the boy鈥檚 face and he began to
struggle. Mrs. Jones stopped, jerked him around in front of her, put a
half-nelson about his neck,and continued to drag him up thestreet.
When she got to her door, she dragged the boy inside, down a
hall, and into a large kitchen enette-furnish hed room at the rear of
the house. She switched on the light and left the door open. The boy
could hear other roomers laughing and talking in the large house.
Some of their doors were open, too, so he knew he and the woman
were not alone. The woman still had him by the neck in the middle of
her room.
She said, 鈥淲hat is your name?鈥?/p>
鈥淩oger,鈥?nbsp;answered the boy.
鈥淭hen,
Roger, you go to that sinkand wash your face,鈥?nbsp;said the
woman, where upon she turned him loose
鈥?/p>
at last. Roger looked at
the door
鈥?/p>
looked at the woman
鈥?/p>
looked at the door
鈥?/p>
and went to
the sink.
鈥淟et the water run until it gets
warm,鈥?nbsp;she said. 鈥淗ere鈥檚
a clean
towel.鈥?/p>
鈥淵ou gonna take me to jail?鈥?nbsp;asked
the boy, bending over the
sink.