Predominantly. I like that word. Predominantly!

Egghead stood up and pointed at me. “Teacher, that boy said you was stupid.” He smiled, hissed and sat down. “Thank you, Eugene,” Mrs Bryant said. “You see, children, it’s just like I said. People are predominantly good but you don’t know how stupid somebody is until they open up their mouth and tell you, like that boy done.” She pointed at me.

EGGHEAD BY MANUEL IGREJAS 34THPARALLEL MAGAZINE ISSUE 45

His name was Eugene Payne but everybody called him Egghead. We were in Mr Blonsky’s 7th and 8th grade class at Lafayette Street School in Newark, New Jersey, but we didn’t talk to each other until one day in the playground I was throwing my Spaldeen high-bouncer against the wall and it got away from me. Egghead was walking by, handed it to me, and presto—Best Friends.

Egghead’s hair was buzzed short and his head was round like a melon but Melon Head Payne was just too much trouble to think of and say and Egghead just seemed to go with Eugene. He had brown skin, the color an old football, sad…