When I Was the Greatest

Needles spends the summer knitting on the stoop even though his jerking means he must frequently redo his work. He seems content, but Ali and Noodles are worried that knitting with purple yarn will be even more embarrassing, so they set out to buy black yarn. Unsure where to find yarn, they start at Brother’s, a nearby barbershop/pet shop. After some joking and laughter from guys in the shop, which Noodles quickly shuts down, they are directed to a knitting store.

While waiting for a bus, Noodles tells Ali they should steal the yarn, but Ali refuses, fearing his mother’s wrath. Ali knows Noodles doesn’t have money for the yarn, but he also knows Noodles will never admit it. Noodles spends the bus ride in pensive silence, biting his nails and staring out the window.

When they arrive in the right neighborhood, the boys are awed by this “whole other world” (33). With a little help, they find the store, which is called Knit Wit. A friendly clerk greets them, but Noodles tersely tells her they will browse on their own. Noodles takes a while choosing the right yarn for Needles, but Ali, knowing Noodles intends to steal, keep his distance. He overhears a group of ladies in a knitting circle gossiping and chatting with each other. It strikes him that they are talking just like he does with his friends. Ali is surprised when a very large, bearded man joins their circle. He is curious whether a man like that will be “knitting like a girl” (37) but is distracted by Noodles, who returns with a ball of yarn conspicuously stashed in his pants. As Noodles nervously hurries toward the exit, he draws the clerk’s attention, and she tries to call him back. He runs out, and the clerk is unable to catch him. Ali puts $5 on the counter and leaves.

The story of Noodles’s theft reaches Doris, who questions Ali about it. He tells her the truth, and she doesn’t get upset like he expected. She knows he was looking out for his friend, and although she wishes he wouldn’t hang out with Noodles because “he’s trouble,” she understands Ali’s loyalty. Doris warns Ali that his father John started off stealing small things too. He stole and sold items to support them while Doris studied for her degree, but he was often caught, and the money had to be used to pay his bail. He eventually escalated to armed robbery of corner stores and, in one incident, seriously injured a cashier after a shootout. This landed him in jail for three years. Doris and John’s relationship ended because of his criminal behavior. Ali remembers his father checking in on them often and leaving a little money for his mother. He figures that John is the reason Doris is so strict with him and Jazz.

Days later, Ali visits Malloy, a man who has a gym in his house and teaches the neighborhood boys to box. Ali describes Malloy’s frustration about being drafted to serve in the Vietnam War, but Malloy largely avoids the details of fighting because the war traumatized him. He makes an exception to frequently describe the experience of losing both legs. Ali adds that Malloy always has alcohol breath and dried tears around his eyes. Doris introduced him to the veteran when he was about six, intending for Malloy to be a father figure to Ali; she trusts him because he and her father were very close friends.

In their first meeting, Malloy shook his hand firmly then curled it into a fist while asking where Ali’s father was. Ali lied because Doris instructed him to not to disclose that John was in jail. Malloy asked if Ali was mad at his father and told him to pretend the punching bag was John. Ali hugged the bag, and Malloy decided to teach him how to box, knowing he would not abuse the skills. Ten years later, Ali continues to train, but Malloy chastises him for not hitting hard enough in a sparring session with another boy. Ali holds back because he is scared and doesn’t want to fight anyone.