Roots: The Saga of an American Family Chapters 86-90 Summary

Uncle Pompey, Sister Sarah, and Miss Malizy all help out with George, which greatly moves Kizzy. She still has to work in the fields every day.
She never sees Uncle Mingo, however. He stays in a cabin beside the chicken coop, which is located a ways away from their quarters.
Kizzy gets so close to Miss Malizy that she tells her about Noah and how she ended up getting sold to Tom Lea.
A few weeks later, Sister Sarah tells Kizzy's fortune. It's pretty horrifying, as fortunes go: she tells her that she will never see her mother, father, or Noah ever again.

George is three years old and is energetic as all get-out. Kizzy's already teaching him everything that Kunta taught her, from their family history to the few Mandinka words she knows.

George is now six, which means that he's started working in the field. He's a handful, but Kizzy's proud of how independent he is already.
Adorably, George becomes known for his impressions. He does a killer Massa Lea, and even imitates a local preacher that drops by the farm one day.
Massa Lea gets such a kick out of this that he starts keeping George around during social occasions to entertain his visitors. Kizzy naturally has mixed feelings about this.
Kizzy continues to tell George about Kunta, and George eats it up. He promises to pass the story down to his children one day.
One day, George is wandering around the plantation and helps Uncle Mingo catch a loose chicken. Uncle Mingo promises to ask Massa if George can help him out with the gamecocks.

Massa Lea agrees to give George a "tryout" as Uncle Mingo's assistant, which totally pleases the old man. It's hard work, but George takes to it immediately.
After a while of this, Massa Lea tells Uncle Mingo that he wants George to live down there with him. Uncle Mingo is confused but accepting, but Kizzy is furious.
So furious in fact, that she accidentally reveals that Massa Lea is George's "'pappy'" (89.21). George doesn't know how to react.
George and Mingo spend the next few days building his new shack. The pair grows close, in a way, but never discuss anything besides gamecocks.
By the time George's fourteen, he's allowed to take Sundays off to visit his family. By the end of the day, however, he's always eager to get back to work.
Uncle Mingo and Massa Lea go to NFL training-levels when preparing their gamecocks for the fighting season. This includes a highly regulated diet and constant exercise.
The season starts at the beginning of the new year. To George's shock and joy, they decide to take him along.
George is overwhelmed by the sights and sounds of his first fight. He's practically knocked out of his socks when he sees the "cockpit" where the duels take place (89.70).
He helps patch up the birds during Massa Lea's fights, and they end up victorious. Although he's still in a daze, George "had never been so excited" (89.80).

George continues to visit his family on Sundays, but his passion remains with cockfighting. His relationship with Mingo is getting tighter as well.
One day, Mingo reveals that he knows that George has been sneaking out at night to visit the ladies. He tells him to be careful, but doesn't tell him to stop.