Love Like Sky

by Leslie C. Youngblood

  “My mom would put these in Morgan’s and my hair sometimes,” Tangie said.

  “These are even better than Afros!” I exclaimed.

  For a while, I worked on Tangie’s hair, taking a water break when my arms got tired.

  “Did you ask your dad if Marshall could come?” I asked her.

  “I tried, but he won’t budge. Says college boys are different from high school boys. He says he’s the only one of us who’s been both.”

  “Do you like any other boys?”

  “No, just him. He understands things other boys don’t. Daddy thinks all Marshall thinks about is girls, but that’s not close to being true. He volunteers. Tutors. He’s even organizing—” Then she stopped.

  “Organizing what?” I asked, like I didn’t know.

  “Nothing you need to be concerned about.”

  “About the police?”

  “Figured you heard that, too.”

  Embarrassed, I said, “Not the whole thing,” which was true.

  She glanced back at her door. It was closed, but she still lowered her voice. “A boy at Marshall’s school got beat up pretty bad. Roderick Thomas. Busted lip. Black eye. Police stopped Roderick on his way home from a friend’s house over in Buckhead. Said he ‘fit a profile.’ But Rod did exactly what he was supposed to do, gave the police his name and driver’s license. That wasn’t good enough. Officers said when they told him that he needed to come with them to the station, Roderick resisted and was belligerent.”

  I felt a little guilty because I hadn’t thought about Roderick much since Marshall mentioned him.

  “Won’t his mama and daddy help?”

  “Thing is he’s on scholarship, and his parents think if he makes a big to-do out of it, he’ll lose it. But now, it’s not even just about Roderick.” Tangie’s eyes were fiery and her voice was so full of energy that my skin tingled. “It’s happened a couple times since then. Who knows? Probably the same cops.”

  I couldn’t help but think about the time Daddy picked Peaches and me up, and we were on our way to the Varsity to get something to eat. We’d been on the highway for a few minutes when we heard sirens and red-and-blue lights invaded our car.

  Daddy pulled over. “I want you girls to stay quiet. Don’t move. Don’t say a word. You understand?”

  “Yes, sir,” I’d answered for Peaches and me.

  When Daddy spoke to the officer, Daddy’s voice sounded less like a trombone and more like piano keys. And while the police wrote a ticket for a broken taillight, Daddy kept both of his hands on the steering wheel, even though he usually only drove with one hand.

  Tangie’s voice pulled me out of my memory. “Marshall always says to note badge numbers.”

  “Daddy says most police officers are fair, but it only takes a few unfair ones to make it hard for everybody.”

  “That’s true. Something’s gotta be done. The unfair cops can’t win. For every case that makes the news, hundreds like Roderick’s don’t. They need people in their corner, too.”

  Tangie was like the grown-ups on the news who would even go to jail for what they believed in. It made me proud to have a big sister that could get so pumped up to help somebody that she didn’t really even know. But I didn’t want to get all emotional and tell her. What if Roderick had little sisters, too? I bet they’d want everyone to help him. Then I thought about how Frank was a soldier and was always standing up for others.

  “Your dad doesn’t mind you protesting, right?”

  “He’s cool with it, but on his schedule. With him by my side. If he’s busy, I can’t go. That’s not how it works when you really care about something. Marshall says that’s what college is about. Taking a stand. Changing things. If my daddy wasn’t so stubborn, he’d sit down and talk to him.”

  “Maybe if he comes to the party.”

  “Not happening. My dad made that clear. That’s why he won’t let me stay here. Daddy thinks if I’m away for the summer, I’ll forget about Marshall. But that’s not happening, either.” When she shook her head, all those beads in her hair clinked like tiny bells.

  “He’ll be here when you get back. You can help change things with him then,” I said.

  “Doubt it. Boys don’t always wait for you like in movies. Dad would blow a gasket if he knew I was even thinking about going to one of those protests without him. But that’s what I’m into. And I should be able to do it without my dad watching over my shoulder.”

  “Even if you could get hurt?”

  “You sound like my dad. You can’t believe everything you see on TV. Most of the protests are peaceful. Plus, what’s the worst that could happen? Police arrest me? Sometimes I think I wouldn’t even mind that if it meant I was standing up for something on my own.”

  I thought about Kevin and was glad that he seemed only interested in riding his bike as far as he could.

  “You can stand up for something even when you’re not a teenager, right?”

  “Of course,” Tangie said.

  I sighed like a balloon releasing air. I wondered if I should say something. I knew that Nikki being bullied for her bike wasn’t as big as what happened to Roderick Thomas, but it was wrong and it hurt Nikki’s feelings.

  “A girl named Lucinda borrowed Nikki’s bike. But she didn’t really borrow it. She bullied her. Now she’s riding around on it like it’s hers and won’t give it back.”

  “That doesn’t sound like Nikki.”

  “I know. But you don’t know Lucinda. She’s got Nikki believing they’re friends. Lucinda says mean things to Tammy and me, and Nikki just stands there like a gum-snapping mannequin. But when we’re alone, I can tell how sad she is.”

  “Sad and scared?”

  “Oh, scared of Lucinda?”

  She turned my head around to face her. “Maybe, but scared of losing you.”

  “Me?”

  “Yeah, think about it. You’ve moved. Changing schools. And now you have a big sister, too. It’s a lot for her to take in. It could be her way of her saying she needs you without really saying it.”

  “I never thought of that,” I said. “Even when I was planning the party, I sorta left her out.”

  “Just think about it. Let me know if you need my help.” I nodded. Everything she said about Nikki’s feelings clashed in my head. “Right now, we better make sure all the decorations are up.”

  “You’re really excited about the party, even if Marshall can’t come?”

  “Yep. I wouldn’t miss it. Having this party was such a perfect idea.”

  “Thank you!” I said. “Oh, can I check my e-mail again?”

  “Go ahead.”

  I opened it, and Tangie asked, “Anything yet?”

  “Just Nikki telling me what she’s gonna wear.”

  “He’ll e-mail soon as he can.”

  “He’s probably gone to Rochester already.” My shoulders slumped as I started to my room.

  “Cheer up. The most important thing is that you two are staying in touch, right?”

  “Yeah, I guess you’re right,” I said. It wasn’t just the thought of staying in touch with Kevin that made me a little happier, but that Tangie was trying to make me feel better like I tried to do for Peaches.

  “G-baby!” Mama called me a few minutes later. I darted downstairs and helped her and Peaches put dishes away, fold napkins, and set out paper plates.

  “What else can we do to help, Mama?” I asked.

  “Go get Tangie. I need her to help with the appetizers.”

  When I got back upstairs, Tangie was in the bathroom.

  “Can I check my e-mail again?” I asked. Her door was open, but I wouldn’t make the mistake of being a snooper again. It was almost one o’clock. The party was supposed to start at six.

  “Go ahead,” she yelled over the running water.

  I stepped into her room, sat down, and looked at her screen. She’d forgotten to close out of an e-mail. I tried hard not to read it, but my eyes wouldn’t let me.
<
br />   I’ll be there. Just be sure you’re up for it. I’ve been out with my roommate recruiting folks to support us. Plan to go most of the night. We’re not backing down.

  Tangie’s shower hadn’t stopped. I scrolled down and read her original e-mail.

  Just be where we said at seven. There’ll be so much going on with this silly kids’ party, they won’t miss me for a while. This is what I want to do.

  My heart dropped into my stomach.

  I couldn’t catch my breath. I closed the e-mail, so she wouldn’t be sure if I’d read it or not, and dashed out of her room without checking my own e-mail. Saturday. That’s why Tangie had suggested Saturday.

  When I got back down to the kitchen, Mama asked, “Is Tangie coming down?”

  I tried to be calm. “Umm. She’s in the shower.”

  “Okay. Let’s light a fire under these appetizers,” Mama said, stirring a Crock-Pot full of meatballs.

  If I told Mama what I’d read, she’d tell Frank so fast it would blow the rollers off my head. All I knew was the time Tangie planned on leaving. My feelings were hurt that she didn’t really want to be at the party, but whatever she had planned could get her in even more trouble than she’d been in before. Or worst yet, hurt. I had to come up with a way to stop her from meeting Marshall. Then I thought about Nikki’s bike and trying to figure out a way to get it back, without Kevin’s help.

  All my thoughts twirled around like a cyclone, making it hard to stay focused.

  Within the next hour, our house turned into a party factory. Mama cut up biscuit dough, and Peaches and I wrapped them around tiny sausages to make pigs in a blanket. Frank brought armfuls of stuff down from the attic.

  “Look at this,” he said after one trip. He was holding up a funny-looking pot.

  “What is it?” Peaches asked.

  “It’s a fondue pot. It’s for melting chocolate or cheese, and you can dip bread or fruit in it. And wait till you see what I’m wearing. It’s going to be hip.” He strutted across the floor, his hands moving like he was pushing back water.

  “Hip!” Peaches repeated.

  I smiled, but inside, my stomach felt as heavy as a whale. Tangie was telling a big, fat lie, even bigger than the one Nikki had told us about her bike.

  Everything was moving so fast I couldn’t think of what to do. When three o’clock rolled around, Mama was ready to shoot to Goodwill. She told me and Peaches, “Take out the rollers, and each of you wear one of my scarves.” Mama handed me a purple one and Peaches got pink-and-white. She tied Peaches’s scarf around her hair and let me do my own.

  Tangie had come downstairs to join us in the living room. “Tangie, can you tie mine?” I asked.

  “No problem.”

  “Do it the new way. You know, a knot in the front like Alicia Keys.”

  “African women have been wearing it like that for centuries. That look is too old for you, anyways,” Tangie told me.

  Instead, she tied it with a bow on the side. It was like those newborn-baby headbands.

  “You coming shopping with us?” I asked.

  “Nah, Valerie waited to the last minute to get her outfit, too. We’re going to the mall.”

  I wondered if what she said about Valerie was real or fake.

  “Why don’t you want to go with us?” Peaches whined. She folded her arms and stomped her feet.

  Mama gently put her hand on Peaches’s chin and lifted it up. “Now, wait a minute, young lady. We’re not having any tantrums.” I would have given anything for Peaches to throw a real tantrum, complete with yelling at the top of her lungs, flopping around like Girl that one time Peaches took her out of the water ’cause she wanted to see if Girl had a nose. But Peaches didn’t seem to have that type of energy anymore.

  “I’m going shopping with you, Peaches,” I said, and reached for her hands, but she put them behind her back. I hugged her anyway and hoped she couldn’t feel me trembling.

  If I told, I’d have to rewind all the way back to the beginning of how Tangie used to treat me. If I thought “snoop tattler” was bad, the only thing worse could be “snoop tattler turbo.” But would that compare to the sticky mess I’d be in with Mama and Frank if I didn’t tell?

  We headed out to the store without Tangie, but I was already between what Grandma Sugar calls “a rock and a hard place.” A very hard place.

  We got home a little after four.

  Music rattled the living room windows.

  “What is that?” Peaches asked.

  I came back downstairs and rushed to the rear kitchen window. As soon as Peaches caught up, I flung back the curtains, and there stood Frank behind a record player as large as a suitcase. Twice as big as the one down in the basement.

  “You girls created a monster,” Mama said as she wiped her hands on a dishtowel. “You’ve heard of DJ Quik? Well, this is his twin—DJ Not-So-Quik.” Mama chuckled to herself and walked over to join us. I just hoped that when Daddy and Millicent came, she still felt like laughing.

  At about five o’clock Mama had Peaches and me in the living room helping her do some last-minute dusting when Frank came downstairs. He stepped in front of us and spun around.

  “Figures you’d be ready,” Mama said, and laughed. “Check you out.”

  He did another spin and flicked the wide collars of his two-piece suit.

  “What kinda suit is that?” Peaches asked.

  “This here is called a leisure suit. And you can’t wear one unless you got the right strut.” Frank did his funny walk to the kitchen, moving his arms back and forth like he was rowing a boat. Under the jacket, he wore a flowered shirt that was unbuttoned halfway to show off his thick gold chains. We followed him to the kitchen, where he said, “Meet the real 2 Chainz,” and lifted the necklaces and let them fall again.

  “2 Chainz, my foot. You mean somebody from Good Times,” Mama said, and chuckled again.

  “Dy-no-mite!” Frank snapped back and continued strutting. I’d never seen him so playful. Almost like Daddy.

  “I’m realizing who this party is really for,” Mama said.

  Frank lit two Black Love incense sticks and put them on the counter. “Can’t have a seventies party without incense.” It smelled like burning wood, but Frank inhaled it like he did Mama’s perfume.

  “Frank, you gonna make somebody choke,” Mama said.

  Just then, the doorbell rang. Mama went back to the living room and opened the front door. “Hey, Cora, c’mon in,” she said.

  “Ready for the get down?” Frank said as he joined her and did a quick two-step.

  “If you ain’t that sixth Temptation, nobody talks about,” Ms. Cora said. “I don’t even want to imagine what my husband is conjuring up to put on.”

  Ms. Cora and Nikki hugged Peaches, and then Nikki and I waved, but she stuck close to her mama’s side trying to act shy. I didn’t pay her any attention.

  “We’ve been praying for you, Peaches,” Ms. Cora said. Then Nikki pulled out a School Teacher Barbie and handed it to Peaches.

  “Thank you!” Peaches squealed, and held it to her chest.

  “I’m not staying now, Katrina,” Ms. Cora said. She pushed Nikki in my direction. “Don’t act funny, missy. You begged me to bring you over here to get dressed with Georgie, now go get started.”

  Nikki didn’t even take a step, probably embarrassed that her mama just said what she did. Nikki was holding a plastic bag over one shoulder, so I couldn’t see what outfit she’d decided on.

  “I’ll be back later, Trina, but you’ll swear it’s Foxy Brown,” Ms. Cora said to Mama, and they both laughed.

  Mama wiggled her hips. “Well, I’ll be Christie Love, Cora. You know what she used to say, ‘You under arrest, Sugar.’”

  “Foxy Brown? You’re going to be a rapper, Ms. Cora?” I asked. I only remembered Foxy Brown from Jevon’s room. He had one poster of her that Ms. Cora made him take off his bedroom wall, but Nikki said he just put it inside his closet.

  That
made them laugh harder. “Not that Foxy Brown,” she told me. “We’re talking about the original. You’ll see.”

  “Who is Christie Love?” Nikki asked.

  “Who knows?” I said, and mocked the way Mama wiggled her hips.

  Nikki forced a smile.

  “’Bout time for you two to get dressed. We’re going to show y’all a thing or two.” Mama winked at Ms. Cora, then eyed Peaches and me. “Time to take those scarves off. Peaches, I’ll take you to my room,” Mama said.

  Nikki and I dashed up the stairs. When we got to the landing, we saw that Tangie’s door was closed.

  “My hair is too soft to make an Afro. That’s why I got these Afro puffs,” Nikki said.

  “It’s just Afro ponytails. Big whoop,” I said. “I need your help with something and it’s serious.” I’d laid out my vest and jeans we bought at the Goodwill on the bed and plopped down next to them. Nikki stood in front of me.

  She got real quiet and looked down at her strappy sandals.

  “I got something to tell you first.” Her voice sounded like when you want to cry but try to fight it. I patted a place for her to sit next to me. She sat so close our arms touched, then she leaned into me until our shoulders connected. We held each other up like two rag dolls.

  When she started sniffling, I got teary-eyed, too, and took her hand in mine.

  “You can tell me anything.” She squeezed my hand tighter.

  “I called Lucinda to tell her I changed my mind about her keeping my bike until the tryouts.”

  “What she say?”

  She sniffled again before she spoke. “She said she’d bring it to me today. I told her…” She unlocked her hands from mine and wiped her eyes. Then she folded her hands in her lap. “I told her that I wouldn’t be home. That I’d be at your party.”

  “She invited herself, didn’t she?” I thought about what Tangie said about Nikki feeling blue about me leaving Sweet Apple and Mama moving us out here, and tried not to be upset right away.

  “She’s coming with her cousin. But she promised to bring the bike.”

  “And you believe her?”

  Nikki nodded, her Afro puffs slightly swaying. I couldn’t even get mad at her. Her hands were trembling. It was more like that time after she had to leave Sweet Apple in an ambulance when she had a severe asthma attack. All the kids kept asking her about it when she returned. She tried to pretend that riding in the ambulance had been cool, but later she told me it was the most afraid she’d ever been in her life.