Forever This Summer

by Leslie C. Youngblood

  Our hug surrounded me with his favorite Drakkar scent. “Thanks for coming, Daddy. Is Millicent here, too?”

  “She’s at the diner. They’re closing up and will be here in a bit.”

  “I’m excited to see her,” I said as I searched the crowd again.

  Peaches sparked up. “What about me? Can I do my poem now?”

  “Sure you’re up for it?” I said.

  “Yep! I saw a girl on YouTube do it and she was just a baby.”

  As Flip and his family posed for pictures, the accordion, or as Aunt Essie calls it, “the squeeze box,” and drums of the zydeco music entertained the crowd.

  Mama saw us approach the stage and got her phone ready and so did Frank and Tangie.

  “Thank you, Flip the Fantastic and his lovely assistant, Latasha… please give them some more applauds”—ugh… you should have said another round of applause—“Thanks to everyone who has donated so far. Are you having a good time?” I pointed the microphone toward the crowd like I’d seen singers do. “Everyone, I’m so pleased to introduce our next act. She is one of the people I love most in the world. Here is Patrice Ranee Matthews, aka my baby sister, Peaches. She’s reading a poem by Useni Eugene Perkins, ‘Hey Black Child.’”

  I couldn’t believe the confidence Peaches had when she let go of Daddy’s hand and grabbed hold of the microphone. The best I can describe it was like the time we watched her zoom along the sidewalk after her training wheels were off.

  With both hands on the microphone and her shoulders back, she said, “My grandma said that this was Aunt Vie’s favorite poem and she’d want me to know it by heart.” Then she closed her eyes.

  “Hey Black child, do you know who you are…”

  Even when the microphone squealed, Peaches didn’t lose her nerve. The band had come in with a rhythm in sync with her words and I was glad Daddy was videotaping because Mama was mouthing words with her and forgot about pictures.

  As soon as Peaches finished, I hugged her and said, “You were wonderful,” then she took another bow and instead of leaving the stage, I held her hand and that gave me even more confidence. Tangie was in a quick huddle with Nikki and Jada as soon as they finished. Nikki pumped her right arm, which meant “let’s do it.”

  “Hello again, let’s keep things rolling. Next up is my best friend, Nikki, and one of my newest friends, Jada. They represent the Atlanta Bogalusa Connection. Let’s hear it for the ABC Dancers.”

  “Go, Nikki, go!” Peaches shouted. Nikki and Jada were a cross between dancers and gymnasts, so much so that we decided to combine Jada’s contortionist skills into their routine. Nikki and Jada had combined bounce and trap music, and you couldn’t tell they hadn’t been dancing together for years. All throughout their performance, I was prouder than I’d ever been of my best friend. Once they finished, sweat sparkled on their faces as they grabbed hands and took a bow.

  The crowd was so fired up by the dancing and music that I let the deejay play a few more mixes before we changed the tempo. So many people were congratulating Nikki and Jada that I couldn’t even get to them. I finally felt it was time to take the stage again. Now I was nervous for a different reason: it was time for me to announce Markie.

  “Can you believe that those two didn’t know each other a week ago? That’s what can happen when you work together.” I wanted to say something else, but ended it there. “To keep the show moving on…” You used that already. “Next up is a person who taught me more about confidence, honesty, and appreciating who I am and what I have. Here is Markie, singing ‘I Believe.’” For this song, I wanted to sit out in the audience, so I took Markie’s seat, which was next to Mama and Aunt Vie, and waited.

  Markie stepped forth as the deejay started the music. Two bars into the song. The screeching of her voice made the audience giggle as if it was a gag. No one booed.

  “Ahem. Can you start the music over, please? I’m a lot nervous, not a little.… Oh… wait… I just need to say that this is dedicated to Aunt Vie. And I also want to say to Ms. Katrina and everyone that Georgie thought of this fundraiser on her own. I shouldn’t have tried to take credit for it. Please give her another round of applause.” The band added a little extra zing to her words.

  Mama reached across and squeezed my hand. Aunt Vie seemed focused on something beyond the stage, and I had to remember that as long as she was comfortable with staying in this crowd, that was all we could truly hope for. Now, Markie gave the deejay a thumbs-up. Aunt Vie’s bracelet glistened like fireflies circling her wrist.

  I squeezed my eyes tight, like I was summoning every singing fairy godmother in the universe. It wasn’t about her voice anymore but rather if she’d have courage enough to sing. Nikki sidled up next to me, kneeling on the ground. Jada was close by.

  “C’mon, Markie, you got it. You got this!” I shouted as Nikki and Jada shouted out encouragement as well.

  When the music started this time, Markie sang into the microphone, but the static of the speaker crackled. Markie dropped the microphone to her side and belted out a note that was maybe only a little less shrill than the one she sang to us that first time. Then she eased the microphone back in front of her, belting out a song from her heart because that’s what she had to give. Maybe some giggled or snickered but the majority of us heard the love there.

  “I believe in you and me” flowed out of Markie’s lips. The tone was flat, the key was off, but the way she stood there and owned every note made the notes take flight. Her voice evened out and the crowd cheered. The way Aunt Vie perked up and focused on the stage it was as if it was the most beautiful sound she’d ever heard.

  31

  WE’RE HER MEMORIES

  As we listened to Markie sing, the crowd was as quiet as they’d been all night. The notes were clearer and more melodic than we’d heard in practice but the crowd was still with her even when her voice cracked. But as the song went on, Markie’s voice grew stronger.

  “Sing, girl!” someone shouted. Two older women waved white handkerchiefs in the air. “Now that’s love,” one of them said. If anyone expected her to sound like Whitney, she didn’t. But now I realized what she was telling me all along, she sounded like Markie and there was beauty and courage in each note.

  Aunt Vie was next to me. Her knees shaking. Then I felt the pressure of her hand against my knee as she attempted to stand. Mama supported one side and I had the other.

  Markie saw her standing and left the stage and eased toward us. Markie took the microphone from in front of her and held it out to Aunt Vie. First, there was mumbling. And Markie’s voice returned to the microphone. Aunt Vie was still standing. We were just there to steady her. And she reached toward Markie, who put the microphone back in front of her.

  “When all the chips are down I will always be around.” Aunt Vie’s voice chugged along with Markie’s. Everyone was on their feet adding their own off-key rendition. Phones popped up around us like umbrellas. The only one who wasn’t crying was Aunt Vie. She sang another verse, then she reached out and touched Markie’s face. I held my breath. “Thank you, Markie.… Thank you, Georgie… on my mind.”

  “Mama, did you hear her? Did you?” Mama nodded, though I didn’t know if she did or not. Aunt Vie squeezed my hand tighter.

  Hoping that we’d have more time with her, I pleaded, “Keep singing, Markie. Keep singing, please, please.” Markie didn’t lose her flow but walked back on the stage. Now her voice was soaring. Aunt Vie wasn’t even looking at the stage anymore. Mama’s hand was on my back. It wasn’t until that moment that I knew that those few seconds were all that we’d been waiting for forever this summer. And I didn’t know, no one did, if it would ever happen again.

  Most of our performances went off without a hitch. Although, we did have to cut the microphone off for a comedian who had been advised against profanity. Once the variety portion of our show was winding down, the Reverend Douglass stood onstage to say a few words.

  “A few of us here were b
arely teens when we marched with the late A.Z. Young from Bogalusa to Baton Rouge demanding rights. Bob Hicks and Charles Sims and all of the Deacons for Defense risked their lives for young people because they knew then what we know now, young people move this country forward. Who’s championing climate change, natural resource depletion? Young people. And who’s marching through every city in this country, reminding the world that Black Lives Matter? Students. Young people. And right here, right now, a disease that robs us of what we hold dear—our memories, our independence—needs us to be proactive against it, fight back. God bless our youth. Enough from me. Georgie Matthews, please come back up and say a few words.”

  The microphone was something I welcomed in my hands now. Everyone quieted. “I just want to thank everyone again for coming out. I didn’t really understand Alzheimer’s before Aunt Vie. Maybe people think that Alzheimer’s is an “old people’s” disease, but it robs younger people of so much, too. It takes the stories and history that we need from our… our… elders. Thank you, Bogalusa, for all your help this evening in battling this disease. Thanks for all the money we’ve raised. And please keep supporting Sweetings.”

  “Bogalusa Got Talent. Bogalusa Got Talent,” I heard repeated and there was Nettie and her parrot in the crowd. I waved.

  As I wrapped up, there was Aunt Essie signaling that she wanted to speak. “Everyone, my great-aunt Essie,” I said. Uncle Dean stood close to the stage, clapping.

  “My sister, Elvie, is Sweetings.” She glanced out to Grandma Sugar. “Elvie’s the reason it’s a landmark. We don’t just serve food, we serve memories, comfort, peace of mind. A community is made up of people and their memories. Every meal we had together made this community stronger. Hurricane Katrina stole memories from Bogalusa and lives from Louisiana as a whole. And pray as we might, we can’t get them back.” She sniffled and cleared her throat. “Now Alzheimer’s comes for us one by one and takes from us. But I’m renewed by these young people here this evening, with my great-niece Georgie leading the way, reminding us that we can fight back against anything that comes for us and those we love.” The crowd applauded and cheered. “Before I go. I have a young lady who wants to come up and ask a favor.”

  The crowd was milling and watching the stage. I had no idea what was happening. And then Nikki popped up.

  “I know it’s getting late but could everyone give a bunch of applause for my best friend, our organizer, and our emcee, Georgie.… And, Georgie, could you do this just for me?” That’s all she needed to say, and Tangie took the microphone as Nikki turned to the side and folded her arms. The momentum I felt grew with Beyoncé’s “Run the World (Girls)” blaring through the speakers. I couldn’t believe that after everything, we’d still have our moment together. I would have never thought to do it. To make it even more special, Mama, Millicent, Frank, and Daddy were all gathered around Aunt Vie.

  Nikki and I didn’t dance the best we ever had, but even she didn’t care. I wasn’t nervous and it was the most fun ever, especially when Peaches, Latasha, Jada, Tangie, and anyone who wanted to surround the stage joined us. As the music played and we danced on beat and off, there was no doubt we’d all remember that moment forever.

  The next morning, Daddy and Millicent said goodbye before the big breakfast that Grandma Sugar, Aunt Essie, and Mama prepared so that they could head back to Atlanta. I didn’t get to spend much time with Millicent, but I promised to make it up when I was back home.

  Markie got permission to stay at Aunt Vie’s that night, so we were all at the diner together, except for Tangie, who wanted to sleep in. After such a late night, Aunt Vie wasn’t in the mood to come to the diner that early either.

  Markie, Nikki, and I were sitting at the table and I looked over at Mama and Frank and thought about Nikki telling me that I was good at planning things. That gave me the courage to plan something else, something that I couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought of until that moment.

  I excused myself from the table and marched over to them. They glanced up from their coffee cups, then Mama removed her purse from a chair so I could sit down.

  “Our advisor at the Alzheimer Association is going to be so pleased.”

  “Is it really more than five thousand?” I asked.

  “Closer to six,” Mama said. “After I do the final tally, it’s just a matter of putting the money in my account and wiring it.”

  I was so happy about the money we raised and the good it would do. All the joy of last night rushed back to me in a second. But there was still something missing. I took a deep breath, then said, “When are we leaving.…”

  Mama raked her hair. “We were just talking about that. Now that Uncle Dean is back and Ms. Hannah will be more involved, and Aunt Essie has decided to bring on a full-time manager, I think we can go home in a couple days. I might come visit next month after you and Peaches get settled in school, but just to tie up a few things.”

  “Think Aunt Vie will go live out at Spirit Farms?” I said.

  “From what I gathered last night, Ms. Hannah invited us all out there for dinner and Mama and Aunt Essie agreed.”

  “Wow… that’s a big step,” I said. Then I took a deep breath. “And what about Markie?” As soon as I mentioned her name, what was in my heart shot out my lips. “I don’t want to leave her, Mama. I want her to come with us. If she doesn’t have Aunt Vie to take care of her, she needs us. She won’t say it. But she does.”

  Mama didn’t speak. She dropped her head and sipped her coffee. When I saw her start to wring her hands, my heart dropped. “I don’t think I can make this right.”

  Frank lifted Mama’s chin. “It’s about now, Katrina. Doing the best you can for her now.” Then Frank turned to me. “You and your mama think a lot alike,” Frank said and put his hands over Mama’s to calm her.

  “What does that mean?” I said.

  “I thought about it long before we got here this summer, Georgie. But you and your courage and Markie in her determination help me know it was what Aunt Vie would have wanted, too.”

  Then Frank said, “I need to put my handyman skills to use and work on converting half of that den downstairs into another bedroom with its own bath?”

  My hands clenched the edges of the chair. “For Markie?”

  “Good guess. But, in fact, for Tangie,” Frank said.

  “We’d talked to her about giving Markie her room. And she’d have an even bigger room with her own bathroom downstairs.” Frank chuckled. “That cinched it.”

  Mama sighed and looked up. “But this is us considering the possibilities. It’s not that easy and it’s not only our decision.”

  “It’s Markie’s, too.” I said her name louder than I meant to. She and Peaches came over and Nikki was right behind them.

  Mama nodded. “Yes, it’s Markie’s, too.”

  Markie kept a little distance and said, “What’s going on? Did I do something?”

  “Markie, come closer, please,” Mama said.

  At that moment I saw the sadness in Markie’s eyes.

  “I knew it was coming sooner or later. Y’all are leaving.”

  “We are planning to leave soon,” Mama said.

  Everything was happening so fast, but I wanted it to happen even faster. “That’s not it,” I said.

  After taking a sip of her coffee, Mama said, “I’m so sorry I haven’t paid attention to how much missing Aunt Vie was affecting you. I can’t promise you we’ll ever find Irene or that when we do, she’ll want to be found. Same for your dad.”

  Mama didn’t wring her hands, but she did clasp them in front of her like it gave her strength.

  Then Mama looked at Markie. “I know this would be a major change for you, but Markie, would you consider coming home with us?”

  Markie eyed Mama for a few seconds but didn’t respond.

  “Did you hear her, Markie? You can come with us. Wouldn’t you like that?” I said.

  Peaches, who had stopped sipping her orange juice, said, “
You told me that you’ll be sad when we leave. You just said it. Now you don’t have to be sad.”

  “That means I could see both of you when I visit. That’ll be cool,” Nikki added.

  Markie shoved her hand in her pocket. Then she took deep breaths. Her left foot tapped on the floor like it was pressing a brake. She pursed her lips for a few seconds.

  Markie’s glance shifted to me, then back to Mama. “To Atlanta?” Markie mumbled.

  “Yes. Home with us in Atlanta,” Mama said.

  “But what if you change your mind? What if I make you mad…? What if you make me mad? Where would I go?”

  “This lady won’t change her mind. And if you do something you’re not supposed to, you’ll be on punishment like these two,” Frank said. “I’m sure you will get mad at us, but there’s plenty of space in the house for you to find some time to yourself until we can talk about it. And a huge backyard.”

  Peaches moved in closer like her words would be the clincher. “With a pool!” She said it with so much excitement we all chuckled, except for Markie.

  “It’s only a few weeks left of summer. I guess Jada or Flip could fill in for me here. They both are going to talk to Ms. Essie about working. But Rosella… she won’t be too happy about it, at least not right now. She needs me to babysit a lot in the summer.”

  “Markie, we’re talking about forever. We’ll have to obtain guardianship first, but I’ve been looking into it. If you’re open to it, we’d want to make it permanent.”

  I thought back to our conversation in the library. “A forever home, Markie, just like Simone Biles.” I was ready to jump higher than the birds, but Markie didn’t say anything. She just stared at us.

  She nodded. “Oh… that’s not what I thought was up. Not even close. Do I have to answer right now?”

  “Of course not,” Mama said.

  Markie patted her pocket. “My phone. I think my phone is in the kitchen. I was supposed to check in with Rosella this morning.”

  “Sure, go ahead,” Mama said.