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Chapter 15
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Concrete Rose, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Masculinity and Fatherhood
Identity and Individuality
Loyalty, Gang Affiliation, and Family
Poverty
Summary
Analysis
Maverick sinks to the floor. He can’t believe it; he was careful when he and Lisa had sex. He asks if the baby is his, and Lisa looks murderous. She starts to hit and kick him and says she hasn’t been with anyone else. Suddenly, she’s crying that she was supposed to be done with Maverick. Maverick pulls her into a hug. Lisa sniffs that she hasn’t taken a test yet, but she’s late and has been throwing up. Maverick says they have to get a test, but Lisa says that Ms. Montgomery will kill her if she finds out Lisa bought one. Maverick says he’ll do it; no matter what happens, they’ll figure this out together.
Asking if the baby is his might seem like a valid question to Maverick after the debacle over Seven’s paternity—but to Lisa, it’s offensive, since Maverick is assuming that she may have had other sexual partners. Lisa realizes that being pregnant is going to upend her life—and it’s going to tie her to Maverick forever. This means that her dreams of college and of getting out of Garden Heights might be more difficult to achieve given the financial and emotional strain of having a baby.
Themes
It’d be best to go to Wal-Mart, but Maverick only has $2 and would have to steal a test. He’ll have to go to Mr. Wyatt’s. Maverick wonders what he’ll say to Mr. Wyatt and knows that Mr. Wyatt and Ma will be disappointed. Maverick nods to Jamal outside the store and then goes inside. Mr. Lewis is there, and he quips that Maverick shouldn’t expect free stuff. Maverick wanders the aisles and finally finds the pregnancy tests near the tampons. He grabs two tests and then approaches the register, setting the tests right in front of Mr. Wyatt.
Maverick shows how mature he’s becoming when he recognizes that it’s better to go to Mr. Wyatt and own up to his mistakes than it would be to go to Wal-Mart and steal a test. Maverick shows that he’s learning the value of honesty—and that he feels he can trust Mr. Wyatt with the news that Lisa is pregnant. This shows that Mr. Wyatt has, at this point, stepped into the role of a trusted mentor (and perhaps even a father figure) to Maverick.
Themes
Mr. Lewis says that Maverick needs a vasectomy and walks out. Maverick tells Mr. Wyatt that the tests are for a friend, but he can’t say this to Mr. Wyatt’s face. Mr. Wyatt asks how he plans to support two babies, but Maverick can only stare at his shoes. Mr. Wyatt grabs the back of Maverick’s neck and asks who the girl is. Maverick says it’s Lisa, and he admits that he doesn’t have the money for the tests. Mr. Wyatt tells him not to keep her waiting and says he’ll take the money out of Maverick’s paycheck.
Mr. Wyatt realizes that Maverick needs help, understanding, and compassion, not insults and anger. By treating Maverick like this, Mr. Wyatt ensures that Maverick will feel able to come to him with other sensitive things in the future. But he also acknowledges that Maverick isn’t in a great financial situation to have two kids—this is going to be a struggle for Maverick.
Themes
Back at home, Maverick finds Lisa with three empty soda cans. She explains that she’ll need a lot of pee for the tests. She takes the tests into the bathroom, insisting that they’ll be negative. Maverick stands on the other side of the door until she flushes. Lisa opens the door and says it’ll be five minutes, so Maverick sets a timer on his watch and sits with her, reiterating that they’re in this together. They discuss Maverick’s hair, and that Ms. Montgomery wants Lisa to get fitted for her prom dress now. It might not matter. The timer goes off, and Lisa stands up. She screams “no”—both of the tests have two lines on them. She’s pregnant.
After just a few months of parenting Seven, Maverick understands how difficult it can be to do this alone—which is why he reiterates to Lisa that they’ll deal with this together. In this way, he’s able to make sure Lisa feels supported and knows that he’s not going to leave her on her own with a baby if she is indeed pregnant. This suggests that Maverick has learned from seeing Iesha struggling so much after Seven’s birth—he knows it takes more than one person to parent a baby.
Themes
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For the next hour, Maverick sits on the couch with Lisa as she cries. They discuss their options of abortion or adoption, and Maverick says that he’s fine with whatever Lisa decides. He’s certain she’ll get an abortion, since it’s the only option that makes sense. They hear Ma’s car in the drive and then hear her come in. She stops short when she sees Lisa on the couch. Lisa apologizes and then runs for the bathroom to throw up. Ma follows Lisa, rubs her back, and asks what’s going on. Maverick tells her that Lisa is pregnant. Ma doesn’t react but sends Maverick to get Lisa a ginger ale.
Maverick knows that Lisa plans to attend college and pursue a medical degree, so in his mind, it makes sense that Lisa wouldn’t want to raise a baby. But Lisa getting an abortion would also be the easiest option for Maverick, since he’s already struggling to support Seven—and in this way, he may be prioritizing what he wants over what Lisa wants. Ma’s lack of a reaction may be off-putting for Maverick, but she also throws herself into helping Lisa alleviate her nausea. She may be conflicted, but she’s also unflinchingly supportive.
Themes
When Maverick gets back, Lisa is done vomiting. She sips the ginger ale while Ma reminds Maverick that they’ve talked about this. Maverick says it was an accident, but Ma says it wasn’t. Seven starts to cry in the other room, so Ma goes to check on him as Maverick helps Lisa to the couch. He goes to his room to get a blanket for her and finds Ma staring into the crib, crying. She asks if she failed him, because it feels like she has—he’ll have two babies before he turns 18, and he’s in a gang. Ma says she’s not enough. Maverick says he’ll do better, but Ma asks what his plan is. Maverick doesn’t have one, and Ma knows it. She says it’s time to go see Pops.
Now, Maverick has to contend with the consequences of his actions on his own parents. Ma feels like she’s failed Maverick because, in her mind, she’s failed to teach him how to have safe sex and prevent unwanted pregnancies in the first place. In this way, she gives Maverick a window into what he might one day deal with as he parents his own children—and she shows him that parents never stop worrying about their kids, no matter how old they get.
Themes
