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weight, sweetheart. Pearl went to a lot of trouble to fix this meal. Try to eat some of it.”
    “I didn’t put any fat in the greens,” Pearl said. “I haven’t cooked with fat in years. The greens just have a little olive oil and chicken bouillon cubes in them.”
    “The greens are delicious,” Patrick said. “Try some.”
    Juliette frowned. “I’ve had greens before,” she said, pouting as she shoved her food around on her plate.
    “Well, have them again,” Patrick said firmly.
    Juliette put a tiny forkful of greens into her mouth.
    “Aren’t they good?” Patrick said.
    Juliette rolled her eyes to the ceiling.
    “You don’t have to eat all of your food,” Patrick said. “Try to eat at least half.”
    Pearl picked up her glass and tapped her foot. Patrick should insist that Juliette eat every morsel of food on her plate. Look at the child. She was no bigger than a bean pole. Shoot, he needed to make her eat seconds. So what if she had to buy her designer jeans in a junior size 5 instead of a 3.
    Pearl turned her attention to Lee. “And what’s the rush with you?”
    Lee paused, put her fork on her plate, and licked her fingers. “Phillip is coming over. We’re going to check out a movie.”
    “It’s Wednesday night,” Patrick said. “Don’t you have homework?”
    “I already finished it.”
    “Well, who is this Phillip?” Patrick asked.
    “A dude in my class. A friend.”
    “As in
boy
friend?” Juliette stared at Lee from across the table with obvious surprise. “Don’t tell me
you
have a boyfriend.”
    “I won’t tell you,” Lee said curtly. “ ’Cause it ain’t none of your damn business, no how.”
    “Watch that mouth, Lee,” Patrick said.
    “He’s probably her pimp from the hood,” Juliette said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
    Lee jumped up out of her seat and jabbed her finger at Juliette. “Why don’t you just shut your fat mouth, bitch? ’Fore I shut it up for you.”
    Juliette cut her eyes at Lee. “Maybe if you kept
your
mouth shut, people wouldn’t know how dumb you are.”
    “Girls,” Patrick said, holding up a hand.
    “At least I don’t sound like some lame-ass white bitch,” Lee retorted, interrupting her father.
    Pearl blinked. She couldn’t believe these two girls. Patrick was a dear man, but he didn’t have a clue when it came to raising his daughters. He was much too lenient with both of them as far as Pearl was concerned. Maybe it was out of guilt for leaving Juliette’s mom and for not being around during Lee’s early years.
    Whatever the reason, Pearl wished he would crack the whip more often. If her son had talked like this around her when he was a teenager, she would have served him his head on a plate and he knew it. She wanted to step in and give both of them a firm talking-to, but she didn’t feel it was her place with Patrick sitting right there at the table.
    “Whoa,” Patrick said, holding up his arms. “That’s enough, both of you. We don’t curse like that in this house, Lee. You know that.”
    “She started it,” Lee protested, folding her arms defiantly. “People always messin’ with me.”
    “What do you expect,” Juliette said. “Look at you. Look at your hair. Cornrows are so ghetto.”
    “My hair looks better than that rag sitting on top your head.”
    Juliette tossed her hair off her shoulders. “I wear my hair long like this, ’cause my mother says we have European ancestors not that far back. Isn’t that right, Daddy?”
    Lee fake-coughed. “Please, girl. You got that rag at the salon, and a cheap one at that.”
    “At least I don’t walk around wearing funky sneakers and those baggy jeans. I have taste and . . .”
    Lee lunged at Juliette from across the table and knocked her glass of water over. Patrick jumped up and held Lee back. “Sit down,” he said firmly as he picked up Lee’s glass. “You’re acting like this is the Jerry Springer show.”
    Lee sat down and stubbornly turned to face away