 No knock or Thanksgiving in St. Louis 2014 by Calamity West Late Thanksgiving it likes late Thanksgiving night. He needs sits in her bedroom reading. She's wearing pajamas After a moment Amanda enters she is wearing pajamas and it's slightly intoxicated. I'm trying to sleep. Please leave You're not sleeping. You're reading Amanda struggles to stand for a moment decides to take a seat on the floor Are you drunk? It's Thanksgiving. Everyone's drunk. I'm not drunk. Yeah, that's because you're boring He need goes back to reading Amanda takes he needs book and casually tosses it across the room Why did you do that? He need rises and snatches a book because I'm bored and you're never here Come on. Let's talk talk to me. Fine What do you want to talk about? What do you think about a white person adopting a black baby? Are you the white person adopting the black baby? Does that change your opinion what yes, of course you'd be a terrible mother That's a shitty thing to say. Yes, my opinion. I was asking about interracial adoption. I can't believe you know what interracial means You're so elitist. Thank you He need goes back to reading Amanda paces the room I'm thinking about adopting a black baby from Ferguson. You're just saying that to piss me off No, I'm not I need it. I want to feel like I'm making a difference. I want to do something Then why aren't you out protesting? It's literally 15 minutes from here. It's more than 15 minutes Everything is 15 minutes away from each other in st. Louis. I am not talking about st. Louis I am talking about Ferguson. It's the same thing. No, they're not they absolutely are you haven't lived here in 10 years So you have no idea what you're talking about. Well as far as I can recall in the 20 years that I did live here They were always the same thing until this happened Is that what you're telling everybody back in Chicago? Yes Everyone we're all very close. I'm actually gonna go tweet about it right now Just to make sure everyone heard me say it at last week's meeting Fuck you. You're so fucking obnoxious. You should take that aggression to the streets to the streets. What are you black now? No, I'm just reasonable. Are you saying that black people aren't reasonable? That is not what I said, and you know it Why did you tell mom that we're not allowed to talk about black people around your new boyfriend because you're racists and it's embarrassing? I am not a racist. I teach at a public school. I Didn't I Didn't know the two things were mutually exclusive You sound like a liberal robot, you know that and you sound like a racist I am telling mom and dad that you think we're racist fine. See if I care fine fine Amanda begins to exit. Okay, wait Don't do that. I'm sorry that I called you a racist Don't be it's what you think No, it's not. Yes, it is Please don't tell them I said that Are you scared that if they knew you called them racists, they wouldn't give you money anymore? They don't give me money then why can't I tell them you said that? Because I don't want to hurt their feelings You think they actually care what you think? You wouldn't have used that threat to begin with if you didn't think they cared about what I thought Do you think a prodigal daughter can be prodigal if she never left home to begin with? Are you talking about you? Yes, well don't say things like that Makes me sad Even if you are drunk You're so dramatic So fucking dramatic Just like those protesters just like that kid. He had a name. Yeah, I know his name and I'm not gonna say I'm not talking about this with you. He was being dramatic That's what got him killed if he had just minded his own fucking business. Oh You think you're so radical now, don't you? Because you don't live here because you live in a big city because you're a writer who listens to rap music You think I'm sad No, no, no, no, no you are the one who's adding you know it. I am I'm deeply deeply sad I always knew how racist this place was even before I knew there was a word for it Growing up I could see the oppression literally wearing on Like you were around black people when you were a kid. I could see the segregation. I could see the hatred And then this happened But it's not just the incident that's shaken me It's the naming of the incident. I Never imagined a place could exist that was so racist so strategic So political that it could convince the entire world that what happened there didn't happen there at all But in this far away place called Ferguson But that divorce of county lines had to happen didn't it? Because if it didn't Everyone in st. Louis would be forced to see exactly what they are Even you and then you'd have to change and That would not only be the most dramatic thing that could happen But the most dynamic this whole thing is embarrassing It breaks my fucking heart you think you're quite the poet don't you? No, I Wish I was smart enough to be a poet Maybe I'd say all this lot better if I were I'm telling mom and dad what you said I Wish you'd never come home for Thanksgiving Enjoy your book Amanda exits he knit is left alone