Zami: A New Spelling of My Name

A friend named Gerridrives Audre and Muriel to parties sometimes. Audre describes the various attire and hairstyles seen as well as the food eaten at these parties. At one of the parties, Audre meets Kitty, whose full name is Afrekete. Kitty asks her about her name, and Audre reciprocates, then Kitty says she likes her hair and asks if Audre is a singer. Nervous, Audre suggests they dance. Audre admires Kitty’s dancing and her appearance. Audre prefers the slow fish—or the bump and grind—to actual dancing. Two years later, sans Muriel, while Audre is avoiding hanging out with couples, Kitty sees Audre in a bar. Kitty asks about Muriel, and Audre says they’ve broken up, then Kitty asks her to dance: “Dancing with her this time, I felt who I was and where my body was going, and that feeling was more important to me than any lead or follow” (245). They do a slow dance together, moving their matching belts to the side to get close. They loosen as they dance only with each other, and Kitty asks Audre back to her house for a drink. As they drive in Kitty’s car back to her house, Audre tries not to think, and the two don’t speak.