“You look very pretty, Flora.”
The little girl preened and twirled under Darrell’s admiration.
“She looks like a fart cloud.”
Flora stopped twirling and her face fell.
Darrell turned around to see Faun with his arms crossed, looking menacingly at his twin sister. “Faun, that’s not a nice thing to say to your sister.”
Faun shrugged and made to leave.
“Faun,” Darrell put the same bass in his voice that his mother put in hers when he was that age. “Get back here.”
The little boy’s steps faltered. For a moment Darrell wondered what he would do if Faun didn’t heed his words. He knew that if he’d spoken to an elder back in his community in the manner this kid just had, he’d get his butt whooped all the way down the street. Then he’d get whooped again when he got home. This kid wasn’t his,
