All the Right Stuff by Walter Dean Myers Read Free Book Online Page A

around doing what they want to do.”
    â€œGood morning, Mr. DuPree,” Elijah said. “I see that young mind of yours has been working overtime. It’s got you so riled up, you can skip right past ‘good morning.’”
    â€œGood morning, sir,” I said. “But I mean what I said. About the ham sandwich. I think if somebody takes my sandwich, I should feel free to take theirs.”
    â€œThe soup of the day is oxtail,” Elijah said. “It’s been on since five this morning and it’s smelling pretty good. Did you know there was a time you could buy oxtails for twenty cents a pound? They were the same as bones or spare ribs. Now they cost you as much as prime beef.”
    â€œWell, I guess maybe there’s a shortage of oxen,” I said. “The less there is of something, the more it costs.”
    â€œOxtails don’t have anything to do with oxen,” Elijah said. “They have to do with cows and bulls. It just doesn’t sound so good saying ‘bull tail,’ now does it?”
    â€œNo, sir, it doesn’t.”
    â€œNow getting back to what you were saying about the social contract.” Elijah slowly stirred the soup and waved his hand over the large pot to get some of the smell. He looked at me and smiled, and I knew he thought he had made some good soup. “I agree with you one hundred percent. If anybody walks away from the social contract, then we should all walk away. I think that Thursdays and Fridays are the best days. What do you think?”
    â€œThe best days for what?”
    â€œFor robbing and killing people and taking their ham sandwiches or their money or their televisions,” Elijah said. “Because that’s what we’re talking about, aren’t we? Killing people and taking their stuff?”
    â€œI didn’t say that, Elijah, and you know it,” I said. “What I mean is that if somebody is going to think it’s okay to take my stuff, then, you know…”
    â€œWhat do I know?” Elijah asked. “I know a lot of people believe they should be able to follow wherever the wind pushes them. Look at all the fellows and gals in prisons and jails today. Ninety-nine point nine percent of them are stone guilty, and they know it. They have wiped their feet on the social contract. You look at them close, and all their lips are greasy from somebody else’s ham sandwich. And now you’re telling me that because they’re doing it, then you got to do it, too.”
    â€œYou hear me say that?” I asked. “Because I didn’t hear me say that. What I said was if you’re going to take my stuff, then I think that I have the right to take yours.”
    â€œI’m agreeing with you. I’m on your side. Now let’s me and you look around and see who is not doing their part on the social contract we’re talking about,” Elijah said. “We got all these people running around stealing and shooting people. How about them?”
    â€œThey’re not following the social contract,” I said.
    â€œHow about the people doing the kidnapping and the hijacking?” Elijah asked. “What we going to do about them?”
    â€œThey’re not following the contract,” I said.
    â€œHow about the woman who fakes a fall in the department store so she can sue and get some money?” Elijah asked.
    â€œWhat you mean, how about her?” I asked.
    â€œWell, she’s stealing from the insurance company, which is going to raise your rates, so that’s a good thing or a bad thing?” Elijah asked.
    â€œThat’s a bad thing,” I said.
    â€œThat enough for you to throw away your copy of the contract?”
    â€œNot by itself, but if everybody is doing it … that’s different,” I said. “The Bible says, ‘Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.’”
    â€œI’m glad you’re reading the