"A Friendly Game" by Rion Amilcar Scott

A Friendly Game by Rion Amilcar Scott is the third story in his book titled 'Insurrections.' Insurrections is an anthology of short stories written about a community in the fictional Cross River, Maryland. The stories that Scott writes tackle many problems that we may face in everyday life, with exaggeration.

A Friendly Game, as the title implies, focuses on the idea of a 'game.' The story follows four male teens, Casey, Wayne, Kwayku and Richard, as they tackle the idea of hyper-masculinity as it interferes with their friendship. Throughout the story, Scott interweaves a story about a woman named Joan Santi and her unfortunate downfall to becoming lonely, who is targeted by the boys as a result of their rage. The game that the boys play throughout the story is the idea about who is more masculine than the others. This is shown continuously through the story in their language with each other.

The conversation moved along to girls in general, then it turned specific, the boys tossing off names of girls they'd sleep with if ever given the chance, or in Kwayku's case, boasting of girls he slept with or came damn close. Casey, through everything, stayed fixed on the woman, studying her as she passed. The boys swatted at gnats and dabbed sweat from their foreheads while they discussed female body parts, particular body parts they were all familiar with and had glimpsed through clothing at one time or another: a left breast, a thigh, a few particularly thick butt cheeks, some puffy cleavage that recurred day after day. Marcy's breasts. More to the point, her ass. It was an outsize thing. An impressive thing. A jutting-outward-and-still-rounded thing. A disproportionate thing when compared to the rest of her. A special and jean-warping thing. Twin planets divided by a crack of slender outer space. And much to the pleasure of boys everywhere it was unable to be hidden beneath a sweater tied round her waist or any other type of thick clothing no matter how she tried.

"Man," Kwayku said. "If I could be the wallet in them back pockets."

Times like this, Casey wanted to punch Kwayku right in his wolf smile. Then he remembered that it was all jealousy. Marcy belonged to him, ass and all.

"A white girl with ass," Kwayku said. "It's fucking unheard of."

This is the main idea that Scott accentuates throughout the story, however, he also highlights the scenes when Casey starts to assault the lonely woman who hangs around the park. This is still part of the game that the boys are playing with each other, as it seems as if Casey would be considered more masculine if he hurt 'Lady MacBeard' as the boys called her.

Casey looked up and felt his thoughts darken. He threw a rock. It slapped the ground behind the woman with a thud, splashing into the muddy earth. She walked on as if it never happened. Casey dug another from the dirt and lobbed it. It whizzed by her. Then he threw another and another and another until one slammed into her back and fell to the earth. She stumbled forward and then stood still, her face frozen in confusion and horror. Then she ran.

"Yeah, run bitch," Kwayku said as he curled back his arm and hurled a stone at Lady MacBeard. It fell far short as if he never meant to hit her at all.

It's the idea of a game to be more violent, more masculine, than the others in Scott's story here. Yet, having four high school boys playing a game on who is more masculine seems childish almost. Scott also includes scenes of the boys and Marcy watching pornography in one of their basements. What's the point of that? What's the point of having high school boys trying to become more masculine? Because becoming more masculine does not mean to physically assault someone by throwing rocks, watching porn with your friends and talking vulgar.

However, Scott interweaves the background of Lady MacBeard's downfall throughout the story. Her original name? Joan Santi. The story starts out by talking about how she smells like lavender, and how she bathes her son in lavender. But as the story progresses, we find out how Joan is connected to Casey. She worked at the local library and would hand out books to kids around Christmastime.

Three out of the four Christmases Joan was employed by the Cross River Downtown Library, she played Joan Santi Claus, handing out slim paperback picture books to smiling children who had spaces where their baby teeth once were. Casey, even as a teenager, still had his book. It was about an Italian witch with a magical cauldron that produced endless pasta. That's how everyone regarded Joan, as magical. Unruly hellions became docile and sweet in her presence. Even when she began to miss work and generally faded into her own world, children, librarians and parents all regarded her as the good witch. They couldn't help it; she inspired smiles and conversation. The good witch from over there on the Southside of Cross River.

This also shows the irony of how Joan turns out as Lady MacBeard, all dirty with hair on her face and pus-filled sac above her lip, as she was considered to be like a good witch. Yet, it is later in the story when Casey and Wayne finally interact with her and seem to understand her.

Lady MacBeard sidled up to the boys, swaying back and forth, her face old and drooping. Casey rose without a rock. He scowled at her, watching the yellowish bump on her lip and the long wavy hairs that curled into her mouth.

The woman's head was still bandaged and there was a red spot where she had bled through the gauze. She emitted a scent like rotting cheese.

"Y'all know where Sycamore Lane is?" she asked. "I'm trying to find Sycamore Lane."

"No ma'am," Wayne said. "I'm sorry. Sycamore Lane ain't around here."

"Fillafil...."

"This bitch want a falafel?" Casey said to Wayne.

"Shut up," Wayne replied.

"There's no need to be rude. I'm looking for my boy Philly Phil. Have you seen Philly Phil? Philly Phil. Fillafil Fillafil Fillafil Fillafil..."

"Can't say that I've seen him ma'am," Wayne said.

"Bless your hearts," she said walking off. "Y'all look just like my Philly Phil."

It is the careful way that Scott interweaves two stories together that makes this story much more impactful to read. The moment that the reader finds out the Lady MacBeard is Joan Santi, the library woman who smelled like lavender, is a surprising moment. But the idea that Scott wants to leave the reader is, don't judge a book by its cover because you'll be surprised what their story is about.

While I liked reading this story, I didn't like the vulgar language used and the violence. It was all too much for me. I'm not the kind of person who likes violence or being violent, I'm way different from the characters in the story. But the violence and vulgar language helped shape the story into what it became and made it more impactful than one would think. 

So, would I recommend this story to you? Yes, I would. The way Scott writes and describes teenage boys is almost too accurate, and it really leaves the reader with surprising twists and turns. But don't be too focused on the title, because this game just got a little unfriendly.