If You Come Softly

Before basketball practice, Jeremiah tells Ellie that he wants her to come to Brooklyn. After practice, they head to the train and eventually end up in Fort Greene. Jeremiah finally reveals whom his parents are, and Ellie is taken aback. She wishes that he was “just Miah,” and she wishes that she wore something different to meet these incredibly successful people. Ellie’s most upset because she feels like he lied to her by omitting this information, and she just wishes she had known. Jeremiah tells her that he just wanted Ellie to see the real him.

On the way to his mother’s, Jeremiah and Ellie run into Carlton. Carlton makes Ellie laugh easily, and Jeremiah is glad that she likes his friend. When they arrive at his mother’s house, Ellie finally meets Nelia. Jeremiah hasn’t revealed that Ellie is white, so Nelia momentarily raises an eyebrow before taking Ellie’s hand and saying “It’s good to have you here” (160). Ellie and Jeremiah take a tour of his home, and Jeremiah tells Ellie he wants to kiss her in every room.