Leaving Atlanta

Octavia Fuller mentions that her mother, Yvonne, lies all the time, but is selective about what lies she tells her daughter. For instance, she told Octavia that there was no Easter Bunny but that Octavia’s father, Ray, had sent her an Easter basket when, in fact, Yvonne had bought it. Yvonne also insisted on not telling Octavia that there was a Santa Claus. Why should she believe that an old white man was giving her presents when Yvonne was the one working double-shifts to ensure gifts for Christmas?

Then, there was the time when Octavia was six or seven, walking to the bus stop with her mother. Yvonne reprimanded Octavia when she tried to touch a hypodermic needle nestled in the grass, saying that it belonged to a doctor who must’ve dropped it. 

One day, Octavia’s grandmother calls from her home in Macon, Georgia. Yvonne lies to her mother, saying that the Atlanta Child Murders aren’t happening near the Fuller home. To change the subject, Yvonne tells her mother that Octavia’s report card had all A’s again. This, too, was a lie. Octavia had earned A’s, B’s, and C’s. 

When Yvonne gets off the phone, she asks her daughter why she looks so morose, wondering if Octavia is in trouble.