Boy21

The bedroom door in the Allens’ house opens to a shirtless “Kobe Bryant” with messy braids—unlike the tight, neat braids of his teammates (37). Russ asks if Finley is an Earthling, then says he is “’programmed to treat all Earthlings with kindness”’ (37), introducing himself as Boy21 and informing Finley that he will be leaving Earth soon.

Finley does not respond, and Boy21 goes back to arranging constellations on the blacked-out walls of his room. Boy21 talks to Finley about outer space, asking him what his favorite constellation is. Finley is too surprised to respond, at which point Boy21 asks if he is parsimonious with his words. Finley wonders if this whole situation is a joke, but then realizes it is not.

Boy21 is very polite towards Finley, explaining that he is a prototype sent to Earth to gather information on human emotions. Soon, Boy21 explains, his creators will come get him and he will be “disassembled and ultimately freed” (39). Finley is mostly silent throughout this interaction, which Boy21 takes as a sign that they should go to dinner, donning a shirt that reads: Nubians Are Superior Astronauts (NASA). Boy21 notices Finley looking at his shirt, and says that black men and the cosmos go well together.