Chicken George!

So when I said that I had learned everything I ever wanted to know about cock fighting, apparently my voice did not carry back in time to Alex Haley while he was writing Roots.  Because for another 77 pages, that's continued to be the focus of this novel.  Geez.  Enough already.


What else happened?  George, now known as Chicken George, (And suddenly the lightbulb of my youth went off: 'Chicken George!  Chicken George!  I know what he looks like!' Even though I didn't get to see the series back in the day, I do remember the commercials and picture Ben Vereen in the role.  Gotta love Ben Vereen, whatever the role!) gets married to the only girl who won't sleep with him otherwise, the quite likable Matilda.  Her religious strength bolsters all the others on 'slave row' too, although George's philandering and carousing more than upset everybody as well. 

As expected, George eventually replaces Old Mingo as the big chicken cheese, but his attempts to groom his eldest son Virgil (all of six years old) as his apprentice fail miserably.  George also manages to build a creepily personal relationship with his massa-father.  No good can come of this, I suspect.

In the end, George fathers six sons and two daughters and makes a killing at second-tier, informal cock fights, sponsored by his dad, the massa.  Unfortunately, he spends it all and has only $100 of the $3-4000 he made, and that only because it was saved by his very patient wife.

That's about all for now, but here's hoping the whole cock fighting thing is finally behind us.

MFB,
L