The Twelve Tribes of Hattie

After 28 years with August, Hattie leaves him for her lover, Lawrence Bernard. She tells August her latest baby is not his, then walks out. She calls Lawrence with the news that she has left home, and they meet at a restaurant.

Born in Baltimore, Lawrence set out on his own at 16 and now, at 40, “he had a car and nice suits” (14). When he met Hattie, she impressed him with her refined manners, which belied her “multitude of children” (74) and impoverished circumstances. Lawrence considers himself a responsible man, and the prospect of rescuing Hattie from squalor pleases him. He and Hattie now have a baby, Ruthie, and he decides “he might become a family man” (74).

As he sits with Hattie and Ruthie in the restaurant, Lawrence formulates a future for them in Baltimore, suggesting they will buy a house big enough for Hattie’s many children. This alarms Hattie, who is agitated and wary of being duped again. Her greatest mistake, so far, was trusting August to make a success of himself. She asks Lawrence about his gambling habit, and he lies, claiming he only gambles infrequently now.

With trepidation, Hattie agrees to go to Baltimore.