After Tupac and D Foster

One day in September, the narrator and Neeka are outside listening to a bootleg copy of Tupac’s new record while Neeka’s mother is preparing a welcome-home party for Tash, who is getting out of jail that day. They are enjoying the music when the narrator catches a glimpse of D walking toward them.

D is with a white woman, and the girls are shocked when she introduces her as her mother. The narrator looks at D’s mother closely, and she can tell from her skin and teeth that her life has been hard, but she has D’s green eyes. D tells her mother that she wants to talk to Neeka and the narrator alone for a bit. Her mother agrees but tells her that they need to get her things before their train leaves, calling D “Desiree.”

Neeka and the narrator are again shocked to learn that D’s real name is Desiree. She tells them that her real last name is Johnson too; she’d just been going by D Foster because she was in foster care. Neeka is especially taken aback that they hadn’t known this basic information about their friend, but D is casual about it.