Patrice painted the dining room a dull color June called a bank. Patrice said a bank was fine. Banks were boring. Boring was safe. Derrick taped the trim. Taping was a grammar. He was good at it. Vanessa came to see the color and sat down in the room before she spoke. Sitting first was her new entrance. She said the color was ugly. Patrice said good. They laughed. The laugh did not betray the old chair. The old chair was in the basement under a cloth. Cloth was enough. They did not bring it up for the painting. Up was for people. The people were in the room. The room was ugly and true.
Derrick missed a first of the month by four days because of a bank hold. He told Patrice the same hour. She said call Lorraine before she has to wonder. He called. Lorraine said four days is not a tragedy and don’t do it again. He said I won’t. Imani, told, said the tire can wait. The tire waited. The money went. Showing held. Patrice did not make the four days a Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving was a quota she had filled. She let a tire be a tire.
The nephew who had asked about feet asked Imani, on the weekend, if she was a cousin. Imani said something like that. The nephew said cool. Cool was a chair not stood behind. Patrice heard and let it stand. Something like that was accurate. Accurate was the campaign. They ate rice. The rice was ordinary. Ordinary stacked. June took Imani back to the spare room. Spare was correct. Not a daughter’s room. A guest. Guest was honest. Imani said the bed was fine. Fine was a blessing. They all slept. The game was off. Off was a night.
Vanessa told a friend, once, that she had stood behind a chair and said a name. The friend said that is a movie. Vanessa said it was a Thursday that felt like a movie and a Friday that was dishes. The friend said dishes are better. Vanessa said yes. She did not tell the story again. Once was the quota. Patrice, if she had heard, would have agreed. Quotas were how the house stayed a house. The ledger sat. The carbons sat. The calendar had a first. The first was enough paper. The rest was plates.