Concrete Rose

Two weeks have passed since Mav’s confession, and Lisa still has his number blocked. Iesha hasn’t come back for Li’l Man, and caring for him is getting so expensive that Ma has had to ask for an extension on the electricity bill. The night before Mav’s first day of school and work, Li’l Man wakes up crying. He’s teething and can’t be consoled. Exhausted, Mav walks outside and bursts into tears because he “doesn’t want to be needed no more” (74). Eventually, Li’l Man falls asleep and Mav can prepare for school. He tells Ma that he’s been thinking about his son’s new name. He likes Seven, because the number represents perfection. As Seven Maverick Carter, Li’l Man would be “the best version of [Mav]” (77). After dropping Li’l Man off with Mrs. Wyatt, Mav swings by Dre’s. He tells Dre about walking away from Li’l Man the night before when he cried, but Dre reminds him that he came back, which is all that matters.

Mav’s school is officially named Jefferson Davis High School, but since Davis was a slave owner, the predominantly-Black student body prefers to call it Garden High. Mav’s only goal at school is to get passing grades and graduate. As he walks through the hall, Ant, a member of the rival gang Garden Disciples (GDs), shouts at Mav that Dre had better watch his back. Dre has allegedly been racing his car in GD territory. Ant approaches Mav but backs off when Junie and Rico arrive. Rico points out that Mav’s new Jordan sneakers are fake. Mav is angry, and decides to confront Red, a hustler who traded the fake shoes for several of Mav’s video games. At the bell, the trio head to class, where there is still no sign of Iesha. Halfway through World Lit, King pages Mav. He’s outside, waiting to pick Mav up and continue their tradition of skipping the first day of school together.

Even though he no longer attends the school, King is something of a celebrity at Garden High. Once a star football player, he was expelled and sent to juvenile detention for beating up his racist coach. Now, the “streets keep [him] busy” (91). King asks about Mav’s new job. Mav says the job is lame, but he needs to provide for his son. At the mention of Li’l Man, the feeling in the car becomes awkward, but King shrugs it off. His pager vibrates. Someone at St. Mary’s, Lisa’s private high school, wants to buy drugs. When they arrive at St. Mary’s, Lisa is outside getting cozy with a white boy named Connor. Mav confronts them, begging Lisa for a chance to fix things, but Lisa doesn’t want to hear it. She shouts at him to leave. In her eyes, there is no fixing what he’s done. Mav backs off, feeling like he’s giving up on their relationship.

Driving down Magnolia Ave, Mav spots Red. Jumping out of the car, Mav demands his video games back, but Red refuses. In response, Mav and King flip Red’s merchandise tables over. Mav goes to King’s place and takes a long nap that causes him to run late for his first day of work. He starts to make up an excuse, but Mr. Wyatt saw him with King and reiterates his intolerance for gang activity. Mav now has one strike on his record. Mr. Wyatt puts Mav to work planting rose bushes. The bushes look like bunches of dead twigs that are unlikely to ever bloom. When Mav asks why so much of the garden is devoted to roses, Mr. Wyatt replies that he likes roses because they remind him “that beauty can come from much of nothing” (102).

It’s a month into Mav’s work for Mr. Wyatt. The pay is low, but even a little extra money helps with bills and Seven’s care. Since Iesha is nowhere to be found, Mav has officially decided to name their son Seven. Two weeks ago, he called Ms. Robinson, who told him Iesha had moved out to live with friends. Mav hopes she shows up soon, because he’s not sure how much longer he can balance Seven’s care with work and school. It’s a Friday night, and instead of doing homework, he’s sorting Seven’s laundry. King calls to ask if he wants to come out to Magnolia Ave, a notorious party spot. Mav declines, which annoys King. After Mav puts Seven to bed, the doorbell rings. Answering the door to an empty front porch, Mav thinks no one is there until Dre ambushes him with a water gun, starting a water war in the yard.

When they are both soaked, Mav and Dre declare a truce. Dre has brought pizza and the new Lawless CD with him. Mav grabs Seven’s baby monitor and he and Dre get into Dre’s Beamer to listen and eat. Mav complains that he doesn’t feel like himself without Lisa and the gang. Dre is appalled that Mav thinks these things define him, but before Mav can explain, they’re approached by a local named Bus Stop Tony, who is homeless and addicted to crack. Dre gives Tony the rest of his pizza. Seven starts crying, needing a diaper change. Dre tells Mav to go ahead while he calls Keisha from the car. Mav heads to his bedroom and changes Seven’s diaper. He’s just putting Seven back into his crib when he’s startled by two close-sounding gunshots and the screech of tires. Running outside, he finds Dre slumped over the wheel of the Beamer, dead from a gunshot wound to the head.

It’s the day of Dre’s funeral. For a week, Mav hasn’t been able to function. He wants to cry, but “men ain’t supposed to cry” (120), and he feels like he can’t be upset because he has to be there for his female family members. Dre was robbed before his murder, and his wallet, watch, and drugs are all gone. Mav suspects Ant, the GD who shouted a threat against Dre in the hallway.

The entire King Lords gang attends Dre’s funeral. Mav disassociates throughout the service, remembering only snippets. At the repast, Ma’s good friend Moe comes up to Mav to check in on him and extend her support. She suggests that he step out for a while, and Mav gratefully obliges. Shawn and the other big homies are hanging out outside the church. Shawn assures Mav that whoever killed Dre is as good as dead. He already suspects the GDs, and when Mav brings up Ant, Shawn promises to take care of it. Mav wants to get Rid of Ant himself, but Shawn forbids this. Mav demands to know if Shawn doesn’t think he’s up to the task. In response, Shawn raises his sunglasses, revealing two teardrop tattoos under his eye, representing two people he has killed. He asks if Mav has ever shot someone, or if he even owns a gun. The answer to both questions is no. P-Nut coughs “weak” under his breath. Humiliated, Mav storms back toward the church, almost bumping into Lisa, who has showed up to support him in spite of their fight. Lisa takes Mav’s hand and together they walk away from the church.

Mav and Lisa sit on Lisa’s couch, sharing fond memories of Dre, who Lisa loved like he was her own family. They fall into a friendly rapport, and Lisa points out the unkempt state of Mav’s hair. He hasn’t been taking care of it since Lisa last did his cornrows. She orders him into the bathroom, where he kneels by the shower as she washes, shampoos, and conditions his hair. They discuss Mav’s new job, and he tells Lisa that he has stopped dealing because he “[wants] to be there for his son” (135). Lisa informs him that she’s not dating Connor, which makes him smile.

On Lisa’s bed, Lisa combs and styles Mav’s hair. They start to argue playfully and tickle each other. In the middle of their roughhousing, Mav kisses her, and she kisses him right back. They begin undressing before Mav realizes he doesn’t have a condom with him. Lisa tells him that she isn’t on birth control, but they decide to have sex anyway, promising each other that they will be careful.