Love Like Sky

by Leslie C. Youngblood

  “What are you doing?” I asked as soon as she answered.

  “Watching Everybody Hates Chris.” She snapped her gum in my ear.

  “Stop that,” I told her. She popped a bubble and snapped again. “Fine, I’m hanging up.”

  “Okay, okay,” she said. “I know your good news. I’m happy, too.”

  “How did you find out?”

  “Spying…hellooo. Your real daddy told my daddy. My daddy told my mama. My mama told my brother. My brother told me. I wanted to call you so you wouldn’t be so sad anymore, but Mama said not to spoil the surprise.”

  “Thank you for not spoiling it, but you could have told me Kevin had asked about me and was coming over here.”

  “Oooh, he really came over there?”

  “Yeah. And Frank was home.”

  “Gimme all the details.”

  “Maybe later.”

  I hadn’t decided if I was gonna tell her about my kiss or not.

  “You’ll spill it sooner or later. You can’t hold water.”

  “That’s what you think.”

  “And that’s supposed to mean what?”

  “Never mind. I just called to tell you about Peaches. I’m glad she’s home.”

  “I know. I missed her. She’s like my little sister, too,” Nikki said in an honest way that reminded me why she was my best friend. Now I felt a little guilty for getting mad.

  “How is she?”

  “Mama said that she’d need a little more time before she’s like before.”

  “It’ll happen. Jevon said that when I was little I stayed in the hospital two weeks with the flu. I was even sicker than Peaches.” She popped her gum again.

  “The flu wouldn’t make you sicker than Peaches. Anyway, why don’t I remember that if it really happened?”

  “’Cause, duh, it was when I was a little, little girl, before you even knew me.”

  “Still, I don’t ever remember you saying anything about it.”

  “Whatever, anyway, when I came home, my family was so happy they threw me a surprise party.”

  “What a coincidence. Me and my big sister are planning a party for Peaches,” I fibbed.

  “Geez, Louise! You’re only saying that ’cause I said I had one.”

  “You’ll see. And guess what?”

  “What?”

  “Peaches is home, and Tangie is still being nice.”

  “We’ll see how long that lasts.”

  “I gotta go. She’s calling me to come help with the guest list.”

  “I better be invited,” she added.

  “Maybe, maybe not. We’ll see. I’ll talk to you later.”

  I hung up the phone and sat on the bed wondering what I’d gotten myself into.

  If I didn’t have a party, Nikki wouldn’t ever let me forget it. If I had a party and it was lame like Tammy’s tenth birthday party, with only four girls, six cupcakes, and milk instead of ice cream, everybody would talk about how horrible it was. My only option was to have the biggest, best welcome-home party for Peaches that the world has ever seen. Well, maybe not the world, but all the kids we knew.

  I went to my room, sat on my bed, and watched Peaches sleep. She wasn’t snoring, but sometimes she’d make a sound like baby bird wings flapping. I kissed Peaches as softly as I could, then left the bedroom. Maybe the party would make her so excited that it would help her get well even quicker. My mind was running like a racehorse. For the first time, I wasn’t even scared to knock on Tangie’s door.

  Two knocks and she opened it wide. She yanked out her earbuds. “Peaches still sleeping?”

  I nodded, then blurted out, “I want to give Peaches a welcome-home party.”

  “Shh. Let me close this door. We don’t want to wake her.”

  “Oh, yeah. Sorry.”

  “Okay. Good idea,” Tangie said. “Soon as she’s up to it, we’ll get a cake, ice cream, and balloons. I’m sure your mom wouldn’t mind if you called her friends.”

  I shook my head. “That’s not the kind of party I’m thinking about.”

  “More kids?”

  I spread my arms out real wide. “More of everything! On That’s So Raven, they had this party with a big glass ball on the ceiling and a quick flashing light that made everyone look like they were starting and stopping. Afros, too. A lot of people had Afros. Like Mama’s pictures of the Jackson Five.”

  “You are cracking me up, G-baby.”

  “All the pants were wide, and the shirts had strings hanging from them.”

  “Bell-bottoms and fringe. And that light you’re talking about is a strobe light. Girl, you want to have a throwback party. A seventies party.”

  “That’s it!” I cried.

  “Those always look like fun,” she said.

  “Think my mom and your dad will think so?”

  “Probably. Have you seen all the old records in my dad’s den? It’s like he’s George Clinton.”

  “Who?”

  “Leader of Parliament-Funkadelic. They play him all the time on V-103. Trust me, you’ll know who they are before the party’s over. Dad has a record player down there, too. He could use his dad cave for us older kids, and we could set up the den for the younger ones and the living room for the adults.

  “So you think we could do it?”

  “Oh, it’s doable!”

  “Do you think my dad and Millicent would come, too? I mean, they’ve never been over here together before.”

  “Maybe, because it’s for Peaches.”

  I kept thinking of how Mama was mad because I snuck out and they didn’t notice. I had to do something to help things get back to the way they were.

  And as if Mama heard us talking, there was a knock on the door. Tangie opened it, and sure enough, there stood Mama. “G-baby, I thought I asked you to come downstairs when you were off the phone,” she said.

  “Sorry, Mama. I forgot.”

  “Don’t worry about it. Just come down now. You too, Tangie.”

  “Okay,” we said at the same time as Mama went back downstairs.

  Since Tangie left the door cracked, I lowered my voice. “I bet since it’s mostly a kids’ party, your dad will let Marshall come.”

  “If only. Trust me, my dad won’t let Marshall take me to a church carnival. Marshall says he’ll talk to him. By the end of the summer, who knows? I might not have to sneak around. But you’re right about one thing: there’s something going on.”

  We peeked in on Peaches, then hurried downstairs.

  Frank and Mama sat so close on the couch, they looked joined together. One of the throw pillows was on Mama’s lap, and her elbows rested on it. She didn’t look happy the way people on TV look when they about to share good news. So that was out.

  Since Tangie didn’t sit down, neither did I. We both stood right behind the coffee table that separated the four of us like a small fence.

  “You’ve got our undivided. What’s up?” Tangie asked.

  “What’s up?” I echoed.

  “At ease,” Frank said. “What’s the rush?”

  “Best to get it out,” Mama said, and looked at Tangie and me. “Remember I told you that Sugar got a call from one of her sisters today?”

  “Is she okay?” Tangie asked, which was what I was thinking, but she was quicker.

  Mama nodded. “She’s fine. But she received some news about one of her sisters, my aunt Elvie. She’s the oldest.”

  “Something bad happen to Aunt Elvie?” I asked.

  I only met my great-aunt Elvie once at the family reunion. She had her own restaurant that made the best sweet potato pie I’d ever tasted, and she looked so much like Grandma Sugar that a few times I’d accidentally called her “Sugar.”

  “Well, baby, she has a condition called Alzheimer’s that causes her not to remember things like she used to. It’s been happening for a while, but it’s to the point now where Sugar needs to go help her.”

  “Will she know us?” I asked.

  “I’m pr
aying she will,” Mama said. “You remember her diner and hotel, G-baby?”

  “Uh-huh,” I said. “In Louisiana? It was a long time ago. Peaches wasn’t even walking.”

  “That’s about right. When we visited, it was popular, but not like it used to be. You wouldn’t believe the stars who’ve come through that place,” Mama said.

  “Aunt Elvie said Tracee Ellis Ross had eaten there,” I said.

  “From Black-ish?” Tangie’s voice shot up a notch.

  Mama chuckled. “Think you might be confusing her with Diana Ross, sweetie. That’s Tracee’s mama. I used to work there when I was a little girl. The diner hosted everyone—James Brown, the Supremes, and even the Jacksons.”

  “The Jackson Five?” Tangie asked.

  Mama lifted her chin a bit. “She’s served Michael himself. But now she needs help remembering day-to-day things.”

  Frank put his hand on Mama’s knee. “That’s what we wanted to talk to you two about.”

  Mama took over again. “Sugar wanted me to go with her to Louisiana a few months ago, but with moving and you girls adjusting, it wasn’t the right time. That was even before we realized Aunt Elvie’s condition was worsening. There’s so many decisions we need to make about the hotel and diner. Since they’re connected, it’s not feasible to keep one without the other. Gotta get down there and sort things out.”

  “You’re leaving Peaches and me, Mama?”

  “No, baby. I’m taking you and Peaches with me as soon as we get the doctor’s okay.” Mama paused for a few seconds. “And Tangie, too, if she wants to come.”

  I held my breath.

  Tangie frowned. “To Louisiana?”

  Frank made a drumroll with his fingers. “I’ll be there to visit a week or two after you leave.”

  “One of the girls on my old gymnastics team is from New Orleans. That’s in Louisiana. She says it’s the best city in the country,” Tangie said, and put her iPod on the coffee table.

  “Some of the most delicious food in the world,” Frank added.

  “And Peaches will love it. That’s where Tiana from the Princess Frog lives.” I couldn’t remember much, but I wanted Tangie to like it.

  Mama raised and lowered her hands the way she does when she wants us to slow down. “Just a second. Our hometown isn’t exactly New Orleans. About sixty miles north. It’s a small town called Bogalusa.”

  Tangie reared her head back like she caught a whiff of the paper mill.

  “Boga—what?” she said.

  “Bogalusa,” Mama said.

  I jumped in. “Not forever, huh, Mama?”

  “No, just the rest of the summer,” Mama reassured us.

  “But it’s only June, Dad,” Tangie said. “That’s like forever. I don’t want to be stuck in some small town all summer. Snellville is bad enough, but Atlanta isn’t sixty miles away.”

  “Think about this, Tee,” Frank said. “You’ll be paid for helping out at the diner, so it’ll be a chance to earn money and save for a car.”

  “Wow, your own car,” I said.

  “I’d make you a deal. Whatever you earn working at the restaurant, I’ll match it,” Frank said.

  “Tips are good,” Mama added.

  “Hmm,” said Tangie. “Nice try, but no thanks. I’m good. I’m staying here with you, Dad.”

  Frank sighed. “Tangie, you know the hours I work.”

  “Well, Mama…I can stay with her,” Tangie offered.

  “Already discussed that,” Frank said. “She agrees that you should go to Louisiana.”

  “Wait! You two aren’t asking me if I want to go. Are you?”

  “Just for the summer, Tangie. To help our family,” Mama said. “I’m sorry, baby.”

  Mama never called Tangie “baby.” This is bad.

  “Your family, not mine,” Tangie shouted. Then she snatched her iPod off the coffee table. Two magazines hit the floor as she stormed out of the living room.

  The room turned upside down. Everything, all the work for us to be sisters, was going down the drain.

  “Get yourself back here!” Frank shot up from the couch and stomped his foot.

  “Frank, let’s not wake Peaches,” Mama said.

  I bent down and picked up Mama’s O and Essence magazines.

  Every stomp Tangie made up the stairs beat hard in my chest. I looked at my fingernails and wondered if I’d ever get that close to her again. After all, it was my mama’s fault that her daddy was trying to get her to go someplace whose name sounded like something in your nose.

  “Give her some time, Frank,” Mama said, then turned to me.

  “This diner and hotel is going to require that we all work hard and be on our feet a lot. Think you can han-dle that?”

  “I guess.” Tangie’s reaction poked a huge pin in my balloon. I really wanted to help Aunt Elvie, but I wanted Tangie there, too. Then I thought about Peaches. She wasn’t even all the way well and Tangie was gonna be back to growling at us. But what if we could all have so much fun together at our party that Tangie wouldn’t mind going away with us? What if Peaches had such a good time with her friends that it made her stronger sooner than anyone could have ever imagined? And what if Mama and Frank would be there and Daddy and Millicent? Maybe Mama and Daddy wouldn’t have to go back to pretending they liked each other again, and Mama wouldn’t be upset with Millicent anymore. Maybe it wouldn’t work, but I had to try. The more I thought about Peaches playing with her friends, who knew that she’d been sick, the more I thought about kids who wouldn’t know.

  “Mama, will there be lots of other kids where we’re going?”

  “More than you can fit in one room, I bet,” she said. “Why? What’s on your mind?”

  I flicked my tongue like I was moving words around.

  “Even though the doctor says that Peaches can travel and stuff what if the kids there aren’t nice, or play too rough with her?”

  “Baby, most of them will be your cousins. We’ll keep an eye out to make sure there’s no roughhousing.”

  Mama tried, but nothing she said made me think Peaches would be okay. Mama hadn’t been a kid in a long time. If we protected Peaches too much, kids could make fun of her. But if we didn’t she could get hurt.

  “Mama?”

  “Yes, Georgie.”

  “Before we go anywhere, do you think we can do something special for Peaches to welcome her home?”

  Mama smiled. “It’s wonderful that you’re thinking of your sister like that.”

  “It wasn’t just my idea. It was Tangie’s, too. We talked about it before we found out about Boga—Boga—”

  “Bo-ga-lu-sa,” Mama said.

  “Bogalusa,” I repeated, and it didn’t sound so bad.

  “You and Tangie talked about it?” Frank asked. He seemed more interested than Mama.

  “Uh-huh. We want to have a big party for Peaches.” I spread my arms as wide as I could, the way the kids did in the Sunshine Children’s Choir when they sang “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands.” “Not just any party. A special one. A throwback party. That’s what Tangie called it. A throwback seventies party. It’ll be for the adults and kids. Everyone who loves Peaches. Daddy and Millicent could come. Grandma Sugar. And we all get to dress up.”

  “Don’t one of your uncles still think it’s the seventies, Frank?” Mama laughed.

  “You got that right. More than one of ’em.” Frank flopped back on the couch. “What do you say, honey?” Frank asked.

  When Mama grabbed the back of her neck like Daddy, I knew I was in trouble.

  “We’ve never had a party since we’ve been living here, Mama,” I said. “Not ever. We used to have them at our old house. Remember?” I dug my fingernails into the seat cushions.

  “What you think, baby?” Mama said to Frank.

  “A chance for me to strut around in some bell-bottoms and slap on an Afro wig. You think I can resist that?” He winked at me like Daddy would do. “Why don’t you two ladies talk it
out? I’ll check on Tee. This can be a welcome-home and going-away party.”

  Mama removed the pillow from her lap and put it back on the couch and fluffed it. “You still want her to go with us?” she asked Frank.

  “As opposed to her being home alone with even more opportunity to plot like a mini Angela Davis with that college boy behind our backs, which I’m sure she’s doing anyway?” Frank replied.

  I tried not to move a muscle, so they couldn’t tell I knew a thing.

  “Is forcing her the best way?” Mama asked. “Teens can be awful stubborn.”

  “What choice do we have? She says she’s not ready to rejoin any of her old gymnastics, dance, or cheering teams. She’s already out on a limb about her curfew. And her mother’s not in a position for Tangie to visit for the rest of the summer. We both know what happened when she didn’t want to live here, remember?”

  “Yeah, I do,” Mama said.

  Frank headed upstairs. “Her at home by herself won’t work. That’s a fact.”

  As soon as he turned the corner, Mama said, “So where did this idea come from, G-baby?” I bit my lip. I had that feeling I get when Mama is asking me a question, but she already knows the answer. “I’m waiting.”

  “I want to make Peaches happy since she had to stay in the hospital?”

  Mama put her hand under my chin and lifted my head up. Her eyes weren’t glassy with tears like they’d been for so long. There were a few gray hairs sprouting from her eyebrows that she hadn’t plucked away.

  “That’s sweet of you. Is there any other reason?”

  If I told her that I didn’t want her and Daddy to be mad at each other anymore, she might think I was “in grown folks’ business.”

  “No, ma’am.”

  She rubbed the side of my face and kissed my cheek.

  “Not sure if I’m buying this hook, line, and sinker. But okay. A throwback party it is.”

  “Thank you, Mama! Thank you!” I squeezed her until my arms were weak.

  “You might not be so happy when you learn how much work goes into a big party,” Mama said.