Money Hungry

At school, Raspberry learns that Ja’nae told Mai and Zora about her almost taking the money. Ja’nae insists that she told them only to illustrate that Raspberry is a good friend, not to make Raspberry look bad, but Raspberry is angry anyway. Now that Zora knows how much Raspberry and Ja’nae earned cleaning, she says she wants to get involved so she can earn money for new sneakers.

Momma picks up Raspberry from school and offers Zora a ride as well. On the way to Zora’s house, Momma stops in front of another house and reveals that she hopes to rent it through Section 8. The house is in definite need of improvement, but it’s much nicer than their current place; Raspberry wonders how they will afford to fix up the place. Raspberry surmises that the proximity of this house to Zora’s means that Momma is trying to move closer to Dr. Mitchell. When they arrive at Dr. Mitchell’s house, the girls are surprised to learn that Raspberry and Momma are staying for dinner.

In Zora’s room, Raspberry and Zora have a heart-to-heart about their parents’ relationship. Zora tries to hurt Raspberry by suggesting that her mother wants to move to Pecan Landing only to become closer to her father and that at least her father isn’t “some dope addict living in a crack house someplace” (80). Zora’s hurtful statements mask her insecurities about her parents’ relationship: She is still hopeful that her parents might get back together, even though she knows they don’t love each other anymore.

Raspberry observes Momma during dinner. At first, she is frustrated with Momma’s “proper” speech, but then she sees the way that Dr. Mitchell treats her with affection and looks at her “like she’s special. Beautiful” (82). She thinks of her burgeoning crush on Sato and decides to remain quiet.

Before Raspberry and Ja’nae return to Ms. Neeta’s for their second shift, Ms. Neeta calls Raspberry to let her know that she overpaid the girls the previous week and now can’t afford her electric or gas bills. When Ms. Neeta offers to let the girls keep $10 each, Raspberry tells her she’ll talk it over with Ja’nae. Ja’nae agrees with her grandmother that the girls should clean Ms. Neeta’s house out of the goodness of their hearts, a suggestion that Raspberry balks at. The girls agree to give Ms. Neeta back $15, and Ja’nae’s grandmother says she will get the girls another cleaning job with someone who can afford to pay them.

Zora is acting strange towards Raspberry, and Raspberry assumes it’s because of the relationship between Momma and Dr. Mitchell. Instead of going to Zora’s house after school, she goes to visit Mai’s family’s food truck. The Kims’ food truck fare is a fusion of Afro-soul and Korean food to represent Mrs. and Mr. Kim’s cultural backgrounds. Both Ming and Mai are there, and while Ming is comfortable helping his parents serve food, easily speaking both English and Korean, Raspberry notices that Mai becomes increasingly sullen around her parents. She refuses to speak Korean and often yells at her parents and Ming to “speak English!”

The food truck is parked near the school, so classmates begin showing up to the truck. Raspberry observes multiple racist acts from her classmates directed at Mr. Kim. One peer accuses him of trying to “get one over” on him (85), and Kevin, the same peer who previously insulted Mai, insinuates that the Kims have kidnapped his dog to use it for meat in their food. At this, Ming jumps out of the truck and hits Kevin, then is intercepted by Mr. Kim. Mortified, Mai runs home and ignores Raspberry, who calls after her. Raspberry finally catches up to Mai at her house, and it’s clear that Mai has been crying.

Once inside, Mai expresses her deep frustration with the way people treat her father, talk about her mother’s weight, and make fun of her. She says she wishes they had never gotten married. Raspberry takes in the Kim home, which is decorated in a mix of African and Korean decor, and comments that Mai looks like her father, only darker, to which Mai says that she doesn’t look like anyone, only herself.