November Blues

After a sleepless night, Jericho lays on his bed, waiting for his alarm clock to go off at 6 a.m. His father walks into the room, and they begin to talk. Mr. Prescott mentions that his wife, Geneva, feel like she has seen more of Jericho “in the past four months than in the past few years” (92) and that maybe Jericho shouldn’t spend so much time at home. Jericho admits that there is more going on than his father is aware of, and then asks how his father would react if his son got a girl pregnant. Jericho is surprised when his father tells him that he would just make sure Jericho takes care of the baby. His answer makes Jericho think that boys “get off easier” (93) when it comes to unplanned pregnancies. Mr. Prescott tells him he should ask those men who are paying child support and who did not think about “eighteen years of taking care of something they produced one night in a motel room or the backseat of a car” (93).

Although Jericho acknowledges this financial obligation, he also realizes that it is girls who have to raise those children. Jericho’s father agrees with him, saying “it is harder on pregnant girls than the boys who get them pregnant” (94) because girls are often criticized for getting pregnant and sometimes have to leave school to take care of the child.