Bell Bottom High: Book 1: Freshman Fears

by B. J. Williams

  Grandma had the door wide open, sitting in a rocker beside the bed, watching one of her favorite afternoon soap operas, Dark Shadows. I couldn’t figure out why in the world Grandma enjoyed watching that scary program. Just thinking about those blood-sucking vampires made me shaky.

  “Hi, there, baby… how was school today?” Grandma asked, glancing up at me. She was wearing a pink duster and fuzzy pink slippers, rocking back and forth.

  “It was all right,” I replied, remembering my strange encounters with Lena Turnipseed earlier in the day. “I’ll be right back with your medicine and a snack.”

  I left the room wondering again about Lena’s desperate-sounding situation. I wondered what the big deal was that she wanted to talk to me about anyway. Since she couldn’t be pregnant, she had to be failing something. Considering how both her parents were educators, I guess it would be a big deal if she was flunking a class or two. That would truly be embarrassing to her family.

  I entered the kitchen and headed straight to the refrigerator. I pulled out the Insulin vial and measured the proper amount of medicine into a needle. Grandma was a diabetic suffering with cataracts, and she couldn’t see well enough to measure her own medicine. After surviving three eye surgeries, Grandma had to give up the comforts of her country home and come live with us last year. Even though my brothers and I had our own rooms, we still had an extra bedroom for her. The house wasn’t anything fancy, just a comfortable place for all of us to live under one roof.

  I opened the pantry door, pulled out a paper plate, a box of crackers, and a jar of peanut butter. I fixed a healthy treat for Grandma Gladys and placed it on a plastic red tray. That was my daily routine. I didn’t exactly love it, but I didn’t exactly hate it, either. Grandma was a joy to have around most of the time, especially since she spent most of the day in her room watching television and, “staying out of everyone’s way,”

  as she put it.

  I returned to Grandma’s room and placed the tray on the nightstand. “All right, Grandma, I have your medicine and your snack. Is there anything else you need me to do before I start doing my homework?”

  “Please bring me a glass of water so I can rinse this snuff out of my mouth before I eat, baby.”

  While I made a squeamish face, I rushed back to the kitchen and returned two minutes later with a full glass of tap water. “Here’s your water, Grandma,” I said, placing the glass on the tray, too.

  I turned my head to the side. I just couldn’t stand the sight of Grandma’s spit jar resting beside the bed. I had tried for years to convince Grandma to stop dipping snuff, but she wasn’t ready to give it up for anyone or for any reason. Grandma Gladys had given up the taste of sweets, salt, and soda pop, but I guessed the Rooster dipping snuff was there to stay.

  I hurried out of the room, stepped over to my bedroom, and closed the door. I needed solitude to study. I couldn’t concentrate with the radio or the television on like some of my classmates.

  I had just closed up my notebook when I heard a faint tapping at the back door. I glanced at the clock on the wall which showed a quarter to five. I figured it was Lena. I’d been so absorbed in my studies that I’d almost forgotten about Lena coming over.

  After popping my head in at Grandma Gladys, I quietly closed her bedroom door. Good, she’s sound asleep.

  I could count on Grandma taking a nap every day after eating her snack and getting an Insulin shot. Lena and I would have at least an hour to talk before she woke up.

  Since I was anxious to find out what was on Lena’s mind, I sped to the back door. “Come on in,” I said, opening the door and stepping to the side.

  “Thanks, Reecy, I’m sorry for coming to the back door, but I didn’t want anyone to see me coming in,” she said, entering the cramped utility room.

  “No problem,” I replied, leading the way through the kitchen into the dining room. “Let’s sit in here and talk. My grandma is sleeping in the back, and I wouldn’t want to wake her.”

  “I know that’s right. I really don’t want her to hear what I’m about to tell you, either,” Lena stated, taking a chair across from me.

  We sat there staring at each other for several seconds before either one of us spoke. Lena lowered her eyes like she was at a loss for words. Finally, I just had to break the silence. “Okay, Lena, I’m waiting. I thought you wanted to talk to me.”

  “I—I do,” she stammered, raising her eyes. “It’s just not that simple. I know you’re not a gossipy person, but you have to promise me that you’re not going to tell anyone else what I’m about to tell you.”

  “I’ve never been a tattletale, Lena, and you know that. So whatever you tell me will stay between the two of us. I promise,” I said, raising my right hand like I was in a courtroom on the witness stand. “Now spit it out,” I demanded. Lena was truly starting to get on my last nerve. I just wanted to get this over with and send Lena back to her crib. Lena sighed. It seemed she was finally prepared to share her darkest secret with me although I was someone who really didn’t want to know. We’d lived in the same neighborhood and attended the same schools all of our lives, yet she and I were virtually strangers. But I guess sometimes it’s easier to share your life with a stranger than it is with your closest friends. And this must have been one of those times.

  “Okay, I’m just going to tell you everything that happened. I just need you to listen to my story and then tell me whether or not you’re willing to help me with the situation. All right?” she asked, searching my eyes for confirmation.

  “All right, I’m listening. I promise not to interrupt,” I murmured, leaning forward across the table. Filled with anticipation, I was all ears.

  “It all started this summer. It was the last week in July. Anyway, my parents were at work, and Henry was supposed to be home with me all day. But you know how crazy he is about those martial arts movies, and Jim Kelly had a new movie coming out. So Henry went to an afternoon matinee with his friends, and left me home alone, which I didn’t mind. I like being alone during the summer, because I can have the TV all to myself.

  “Well, I was kicked back watching The Price is Right when Henry’s friend, Rodney Payne, came knocking on the door. Do you know Rodney?”

  I nodded my head and rolled my eyes up to the ceiling. Of course, I knew him. Rodney was the six-foot star of the basketball team, and the most popular boy in the eleventh grade at Bell High School. Who didn’t know him? With light skin, wavy hair, and a cleft chin, almost every girl at the school had had a crush on him at some point in their lives and considered themselves one of the “lucky ones” if he even glanced in their direction.

  “Rodney smiled at me, and he looked really fly. I was thinking I was going to faint at the sight of him. I couldn’t believe he was at my door, staring down at me with those hazel eyes of his,” Lena continued with her voice picking up speed. She began fanning her face with her hands. She noticed the crooked way I was looking at her, and added, “I knew he had a bad reputation with the girls, but when that pretty boy smiled at me, none of that mattered.”

  I straightened my face and urged Lena to continue by making a twirling hand motion.

  “Anyway, he asked for Henry, and when I told him that my brother wasn’t home, he asked if he could come in for a minute to use the telephone. So since we have a telephone right there in the foyer, I told him that he could come in. Well, after he used it, he asked if he could use the restroom, too, and I told him yes.

  “By the time Rodney returned from the bathroom, I was feeling all giddy, because he’s absolutely the cutest boy at school, and I’ve always had a crush on him.”

  I couldn’t help but to roll my eyes again as I motioned with another turn of my hand for Lena to continue telling the story, for goodness’ sakes.

  “So when he came out, I was sitting in the living room on the sofa watching television, and he comes around and sits down right beside me. Then, we started rapping and joking around with one another, having a good time. T
he next thing I know, I’m laughing, and he’s kissing me in the mouth.”

  That’s when Lena stopped, covered her eyes with her fingertips, and began crying like a baby needing a diaper change. She seemed too ashamed to tell me what happened next.

  I shifted in my hard seat. I didn’t like the way this story was going. I’d never kissed a boy on the lips. The closest I’d ever come to kissing a boy was kissing my brothers on the cheek.

  After waiting for several seconds, I watched the tears continue flowing from between Lena’s fingers. I didn’t know what to do, so I got up, walked over to the kitchen, grabbed some paper towels, and returned to the dining room table. “Here,” I said, handing the paper towels to Lena. This time, I sat down in the chair beside Lena, wondering what was so bad about kissing a boy in the mouth. From what I’d heard, it could be a pleasant experience.

  “Thank you,” Lena responded, taking the towels from me. She rubbed her eyes and blew her nose. “I’m so sorry for crying like this, but I just feel so ashamed. If my parents knew that I’d had sex, they’d be so disappointed.”

  “Sex! You mean to tell me that you did it with Rodney Payne in your house!” I shouted, jumping up. I almost knocked the chair over backwards from standing up so fast. Sex was a taboo subject in our crib. I knew of a few girls who’d gotten pregnant in high school, but they had to drop out or attend the alternative school across town.

  “How did you go from kissing a boy on the mouth to doing it?”

  “We were kissing and before I knew it, we were both naked on the floor. It was feeling good until we started doing it, and I started to make him stop because it was hurting so bad, but I didn’t. Then after a while, it started to feel good again, and I didn’t want to stop. And two minutes later, it was all over just like that,” she said, popping her fingers in the air.

  I tried to recover from the shock and reclaimed my seat. “Okay, so you did it with him. Did he use a rubber?” I asked, remembering what I had learned from the unit on Sex Education in Health class.

  Lena hung her head and replied, “Nope. He asked me if I was a virgin, and when I said yes, he told me not to worry because I couldn’t get pregnant the first time.”

  “And you really believed him?” I asked, looking bewildered. I’d never figured Lena for a fool, but I couldn’t understand how anyone with an ounce of common sense would fall for that ridiculous line.

  “Well, yeah, he’s older, and I figured he knew what he was talking about. Now, I can’t believe I was so stupid,” Lena responded, starting to cry again.

  I tried to soothe Lena the best way I could by patting her heaving back. “Please stop crying, Lena, and tell me how I can help. I mean, that is the reason you’re here, right?’

  Lena began drying her eyes with the paper towel clutched in her hand. She raised her head, looked into my eyes, and said, “I’m pregnant. I need you to help me figure out a place to go where I can have the baby without my family knowing.”

  My heart skipped a beat. I was thinking fast. “Ah, how do you even know for sure you’re pregnant?”

  “I’ve missed two periods, and my belly is starting to grow,” Lena said, glancing down at her stomach. “I just know, okay. Anyway, I heard some older girls at school talking. They said there’s a place, some type of home in Shreveport for unwed teenage mothers. I was kinda hoping that you could help me get some information about it. I know you spend a lot of time in the library. Is there any way you can do some research for me?”

  My mind was in a whirlwind. It was spinning so fast, I thought I was going to pass out. “I—I guess I could look into that. I’ve heard about places like that before.”

  “Really? So then, what they said could be true?” Lena’s eyes bulged out at me like a kindergartener on the first day of school.

  “Yeah, but how do you plan on getting there if we find out that this place exists?”

  “I was thinking. I have a little money saved up from my allowances and last birthday. I may have enough to buy me a one-way bus ticket there. Shreveport is less than two hours away. No one will think of looking for me in another state.”

  “Wait a minute. Wait a minute,” I repeated, waving my hands. My heart was sputtering now like a car about to run out of gas. “Aren’t you planning on telling your parents about this? And why would you even consider going to this unknown shelter anyway?”

  “I can’t tell my parents, because they would be so disappointed. You know, I have a nineteen-year-old sister in college who’s doing well. They’ll be so disappointed with me being pregnant at fourteen. I don’t see what other choice I have. I don’t want to humiliate my family.”

  “You don’t know how your parents will react until you tell them. You don’t think they’ll put you out of the house, do you?” I asked, afraid of the answer. I knew of another girl named Vera Louis who’d gotten pregnant last year in the eleventh grade, and her parents had actually thrown her out on the street. And then Vera moved to another town where she had relatives until after the baby was born. Eventually, her parents took her back in, and Vera was about to graduate with honors. I didn’t think that my parents would ever put me out for getting pregnant, but I believed they would be mighty upset. Surely, there had to be some other answer.

  “No, I don’t think they’ll do that, but I feel so ashamed. You know, both of them are high school teachers. How can I show my face around school every day with everybody talking about me in front of them? I can’t put my parents through that type of embarrassment. They’ve been too good to me for that.”

  I thought about my own family for a second. My heart melted for Lena. “At least give them a chance to help you. Tell them what—”

  “No, no,” Lena interrupted, vigorously shaking her head. “Even if my parents don’t put me out of the house, I don’t want to go to the alternative school across town, either. You know, once I start showing, that’s where I’ll have to go, and there’s nothing there but pregnant girls that everybody in town talks about. Then, I know that I’ll get put out of the church as soon as the pastor’s wife finds out about my condition.”

  “What are you talking about? You mean they put pregnant girls out at your church?”

  “Yeah, if the pastor’s wife finds out that I’m pregnant, they’ll put me out of the church until after my baby is born. And then if I want to get back into the church, I’ll have to go before the congregation and apologize to them. But I’ll kill myself before I do that.”

  “Girl, stop playing, you know you wouldn’t kill yourself… Wait a minute. Why would you have to apologize to the congregation for having a baby? Is that in the Bible?”

  “I don’t know if it’s in the Bible or not, but that’s the way they do at New Zealand Missionary Baptist Church. I’ve seen it happen with at least two other girls in the congregation. And I’ll die before I stand up in front of them old biddies and apologize to them for anything. I’m not proud of my condition, but that should be between the Lord and me.”

  “I agree with you on that, but your parents seem to be really nice people. I’m sure that if you talk with them, y’all can work this out.”

  “I’m too scared. It’ll be best for me to just disappear somewhere I can have my baby, and then come back to finish up high school.”

  “Well, what are you going to do with the baby once it’s born? Everyone will know where you’ve been when you come back with a baby.”

  “I’m not planning on coming back with the baby,” Lena whispered. Her voice broke, and she swallowed so hard I was afraid that she was going to start choking. “I’ve thought about it, and I’m giving the child up for adoption as soon as it’s born. I’m just too young to be a mother. I want to do something with my life.”

  I didn’t know what else to say. So, I sighed and looked downward. I wished I had something to do with my hands.

  It was apparent to me that Lena had made up her mind. Now I had to make a decision whether or not to help her become a runaway. I just couldn’t imagin
e being in Lena’s shoes, but I would certainly want someone to help me out if I ever was. And that’s the only reason I was even giving a second thought to trying to help her with the situation. It was hard to turn my back on someone who had come to me begging for help like I was the only person in the world who could possibly help her.

  “Lena, are you sure you want to do this? Your parents are going to be devastated. What are you going to tell them when you get back?”

  “I ain’t sure. I haven’t thought that far ahead. I just know I can’t stay here and have this baby. I’ll think of something while I’m away. But Reecy, I need you to promise me that you’re not going to tell anyone. Please give me your word.”

  My heart was pounding against my chest. It was impossible to hide the fear lurking behind my popped pupils. I looked into Lena’s watery, red eyes and as scared as I felt, she appeared to be ten times more scared. I licked my dry lips, and replied, “Look, Lena, I’m not going to tell anyone. I’ll see what I can find out about this home for unwed mothers when I go to the library tomorrow, but then you’re on your own. I mean it.”

  “Thanks, Reecy. Once you give me the contact information, I’ll take it from there. I promise not to bother you no more.”

  I just hoped to God that she would keep that darn promise.

  CHAPTER THREE

  “Reecy Jones! Girl, you better turn that light out, and go to bed now! It’s after ten o’clock, and you have school tomorrow,” Mama screamed through the bedroom door.

  “Yes, ma’am,” I responded loudly, jerking at the sound of Mama’s stern voice. “Dang it,” I mumbled to myself. I didn’t want to take a chance on Mama hearing me through that wafer thin wall. She only called me by my full name when she was real upset, and the last thing I needed tonight was to make Mama mad. Taking one last glance at the Jackson Five poster on my bedroom wall, I grinned at Michael’s smiling face as my heart skipped a beat.