Thankyou Ma’am
By LangstonHughes, edited version
1. She was a large womanwith a large purse that hadeverything in it but hammer and nails. It was about eleven o’clock at night,and she was walking alone, when a boy ran up behind her and tried to snatch her purse. The strap brokewith the single tug the boy gave itfrom behind. But the boy’s weight and the weight of the purse combined causedhim to lose his balance so, instead of takingoff full blast as he had hoped,the boy fell on his back on the sidewalk, and his legs flew up.
2. The large woman simplyturned around and kicked him right square in his blue-jeaned sitter. Then she reached down, picked the boy up by hisshirt front, and shook him until his teeth rattled. After that the woman said,"Pick up my pocketbook, boy,and give it here." She still held him, while he picked up her purse. Thenshe said, "Now ain’t you ashamed of yourself?"Firmly gripped by his shirt front, the boy said, "Yes’m." The woman said, "What did you want todo it for?" The boy said, "l didn’t aim to." She said,"You lie!" She did not releasehim. "l’m very sorry, lady, l’m sorry," whispered the boy.
3. "Um-hum! And yourface is dirty. I got a great mind to wash your face for you. Ain’t you gotnobody home to tell you to wash your face?" "No’m," said the boy."Then it will get washed this evening," said the large woman startingup the street, dragging thefrightened boy behind her.
4. He looked as if hewere fourteen or fifteen, frail, intennis shoes and blue jeans. "Was I botheringyouwhen I turned that corner?" asked the woman."No’m." "When I getthrough with you, sir, you are going to remember Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones." Sweat popped out on the boy’s face and he beganto struggle. Mrs. Jones continued to drag him up the street. When she got toher door, she dragged the boy inside, down a hall, and into a large kitchenette-furnished room at the rearof the house. She switched on thelight and left the door open.
5. The woman still hadhim by the neck in the middle of her room. She said, "What is yourname?" "Roger," answered the boy. "Then, Roger, you go tothat sink and wash your face,"said the woman, whereupon she turnedhim loose--at last. Roger looked at the door—looked at the woman—looked at thedoor—and went to the sink.
6. Letthe water run until it getswarm," she said. "Here’s a clean towel." "You gonna take meto jail?" asked the boy, bending over the sink. "Not with that face, I would not take you nowhere,"said the woman. "Here I am trying to get home to cook me a bite to eat andyou snatch my pocketbook! Maybe, you ain’t been to your supper either, late asit be. Have you?" "There’s nobody home at my house," said theboy. "Then we’ll eat," said the woman.
7. “I wanted a pair ofblue suede shoes," said theboy. "Well, you didn’t have to snatchmy pocketbook to get some suede shoes," said Mrs. Luella Bates WashingtonJones. "You could of asked me." "M’am?" The water drippingfrom his face, the boy looked at her. There was a long pause. A very longpause. The door was open. The boy could make a dash for it down the hall. He could run, run, run, run,run!
8. "I were youngonce and I wanted things I could not get." She said. There was anotherlong pause. Silence. "l have done things, too, which l would not tell you,son. So you sit down while I fix us something to eat. You might run that combthrough your hair so you will look presentable."
9. "Do you needsomebody to go to the store," asked the boy, "maybe to get some milkor something?" "Don’t believe l do," said the woman,"unless you just want sweet milk yourself. L was going to make cocoa outof this canned milk I got here." "That will be fine," said theboy.
10. She heated some lima beans and ham, made the cocoa,and set the table. The woman did not ask the boy anything about where he lived,or his folks, or anything else that would embarrass him. Instead, as they ate, she told him about her job in a hotel beauty-shop that stayed open late, whatthe work was like, and how all kinds of women came in and out, blondes, red-heads, and Spanish. Then she cuthim a half of her ten-cent cake. "Eat some more, son," she said.
11. When they werefinished eating she got up and said, "Now, here, take this ten dollars andbuy yourself some blue suede shoes. And next time, do not make the mistake of latching onto mypocketbooknor nobody else's— I got to get my rest now. But I wish you wouldbehave yourself, son, from now on."
12. She led him down thehall to the front door and opened it. "Goodnight!" Behave yourself,boy!" she said, looking out into the street. The boy wanted to saysomething else other than "Thank you, ma’am" to Mrs. Luella Bates WashingtonJones, but he couldn’t. In fact, he barely managed to say "Thank you"before she shut the door. And he never saw her again.
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2020/5/2 五一学起来