“So what would be the wrong reasons to move in together, since neither of us is ready for marriage?”
“Economics, period. Economics doesn’t determine the quality of the relationship.”
“I didn’t mean to hit you with it like that. I just wanted to make moving in with me seem appealing to you.”
“You are appealing to me. Being with you is what’s important to me. Making such a major step is gonna take time.”
“Well, the semester is almost over, and I’m gonna need an answer soon so I can figure out what I need to do.”
“So, are you demanding an answer?” Malena asked, offended by his approach.
“No, I’m not. I thought you’d be happy that I want something more permanent for us, but I guess I was wrong,” he said, defending himself.
“I just don’t want to feel pressured. You’ve apparently been thinking about this for some time. I would like the same amount of time to do likewise.”
“There is no pressure. Look, just forget it. It was just a thought. Let’s scratch it. Let’s just pretend I never said anything.” Ray got out of bed and put on his pants.
“Oh, so you’re leaving now,” Malena said dryly.
“I got things I need to do.”
“So, the conversation is over just like that?” Malena argued. She was shocked that he would drop a bombshell and run off before a fair discussion.
“Yeah, it is. I tried to surprise you, hoping to make you happy, and you took it the wrong way. But I have other things to do. You can stay in bed if you want, but I’ll be in the kitchen studying.”
“Ray! Wait!” Malena shouted. “I am happy that you asked. I’m just shocked, and that doesn’t mean shocked in a bad way. I’m surprised. I just need time.”
“How long?”
“Give me two weeks. Is that cool?” she asked. Malena was a bit turned off. She always thought out major steps in her life, and she didn’t want anyone to cause her to move hastily.
“All right. You got two weeks, but I won’t take no for an answer,” he said, and walked out of the room.
Malena lay there, stunned. She would have never guessed Ray would want such a commitment. After all, they had only been seeing each other for a little more than four months. She wasn’t sure what she wanted to do, but she was sure she didn’t want to lose him.
THIRTY-ONE
“Spending all day with everybody today kind of reminds me of the good ol’ days when we were on line,” Chancey said.
“What do you mean, the good ol’ days?” Stephanie replied. “Those days weren’t good, and it was just last month that we crossed.” The girls had spent the entire Sunday together. They met early that morning at Chancey and Cajen’s dormitory and went to church. Afterward, they attended their first sorority chapter meeting. Now they were all at Stephanie’s apartment preparing dinner. They chipped in and stopped by the store on their way to Stephanie’s and picked up salad and dressing, spaghetti, sauce, ground beef, and garlic bread.
“So, who’s cooking, because y’all know I’m not the one,” Tiara joked.
“I will,” Malena said.
“I’ll help,” Cajen added.
“So, Miss Tiara, what’s going on with you and Ben?” Stephanie asked.
“We’re still taking it slow. But you know what’s so messed up? Now I understand why Chancey and Malena are always going around looking all googly-eyed. Love is some powerful shit.”
“So, you’re in love, Tiara?” Stephanie asked.
“Not yet, but I’m enjoying getting there.”
“She’s gone!” Malena joked, and everybody laughed. “Now, if you want to hear some news, check this out.” Everybody stopped and waited to hear what she had to say. “Ray asked me to move in with him.” She wasn’t going to mention it at first, but she knew her sands were always willing to give advice regardless of whether she wanted it or not, and she really needed it.
“What?” Stephanie yelled.
“When?” Cajen asked.
“So what did you say?” Tiara asked.
“I didn’t give him an answer,” said Malena.
“You mean you didn’t say yes?” Chancey asked.
“No, I didn’t. It’s a big step. How do I know he won’t want to keep us that way permanently? I do want to get married one day.”
“You’re right. So did you tell him that?” Tiara asked.
“Well, no, but only because I don’t want to get married for at least another two years. I want to wait until after I graduate and get my career established,” Malena said. “I didn’t want him to think I was hinting around about getting married anytime soon. Plus, the thought of getting engaged is scarier than moving in together—to me anyway.”
“Well, it sounds to me like you just answered your own question,” Stephanie said.
“What do you mean?”
“If you don’t like it, you can always move out. I’ll even open my apartment to you if you need it, provided, of course, you’ll look for a new place to stay immediately afterward.”
“Don’t pressure yourself, Malena,” Tiara added. “You two are a good team, and Ray is going to love you no matter what you decide. Just make sure you have peace with your decision.”
“You’re right, there shouldn’t be any pressure,” Malena said.
“I like Ray, so don’t go back and forth with him, it could cause some serious strain to you, and him. I say make a decision and stick by it,” Cajen suggested.
“So, what do you think, Chancey?” Malena asked. “Sitting over there all quiet. What’s on your mind.”
She laughed sneakily because it was hard to hold her own news in. “Do what’s best for you. And don’t allow us to influence your decision. After all, what do we really know?”
“You’re right about that,” Tiara said.
“I’m sure I won’t lose him if I say no, so I’m gonna say yes. As a matter of fact, I’m gonna call him now. Steph, can I use the phone in your room?”
“Of course. But then who’s gonna cook?”
“I’ll help,” Chancey said, and got up out of her chair and walked to the stove next to Cajen.
“So, have you heard from Jason since that night we saw him with that girl?” Stephanie asked Cajen.
“Who? Please, I have definitely moved on. Jason is old, old, old news.”
“That’s good to hear,” Stephanie said.
Chancey dropped the spaghetti into the water that Malena had put on. “Yeah, I’m so proud of her, we saw him the other day when she was going to class, and she told him a thing or two.”
Cajen was preparing the beef and the spaghetti sauce. “Yeah, I had to let him know that he was an ultimate loser and I didn’t have time for his game—the jerk.”
“That’s what I’m talking about. He’s definitely old news,” Tiara added.
“I don’t mind making spaghetti.” Cajen changed the subject and stirred the sauce into the browned beef. “It’s easy and it’s so inexpensive.” Then she said, as if talking to herself, “Eric likes spaghetti.”
“Oh, yeah, Eric,” Stephanie gushed. “So what’s going on with you two?”
“We’re just friends.”
“Yeah, right. ‘Eric likes spaghetti,’ ” she said in a dreamy voice, gently mocking Cajen.
“No, seriously. I mean, we do care a lot about each other, but we’re playing it slow, extremely slow.”
“Well, I have an announcement.” Stephanie interrupted the flow of the conversation. She stood up and posed. “I’m fine, sexy, single, and proud of it! Excuse the interruption, but I just wanted to make that point clear.” Everybody laughed.
Malena walked back into the kitchen. “He wasn’t in, so I left a message on his machine. Maybe he’s out getting some things for our new apartment.”
“Ooooooh!” They teased.
“Just think, y’all are going to be living together,” Tiara said. “That’s major.”
“Y’all are so silly. Don’t even start. So
what did I miss while I was on the phone?”
“Nothing really,” Chancey said. “We were just talking about men, as usual.”
“Why do we always talk about men every time we get together? There’s got to be something more important in life,” Malena said, and picked up a large bowl for the salad, then went through Stephanie’s cabinets to find bowls and plates.
“You’re definitely right,” Chancey said. “But before we change the subject, I have to say one thing that involves men. Well, my man in particular.”
“Of course, it wouldn’t be right if you didn’t,” Tiara joked, and everybody looked at Chancey, waiting to hear something mushy about how sweet Donald is or what nice thing he did for her.
“Well, last weekend, Cajen, remember when I told you Don was waiting at the Student Center for me because he wanted to talk?”
“Yeah, what did he say?” Cajen asked.
“Well, he blindfolded me and took me to the football stadium.”
“Why?” everybody asked, trying to figure out where Chancey was going with this story.
“I know. It didn’t make sense to me either, at first, but then . . .” She took her hand and held it out so that everybody could see her beautiful engagement ring. “He asked me to marry him!” she screamed.
Cajen, who was standing next to her, put her hands over her mouth and yelled, “Oh, my God!”
“Oh, my goodness!” Malena said, and she ran over to Chancey, grabbed her hand, and admired her ring along with everyone else. Then they hugged and congratulated her.
“Wait a minute,” Tiara said. “Why are you just now saying something?”
“Well . . .” Chancey said, shrugging her shoulders. “I’m telling you now.”
“So, did you two set a date?” Stephanie asked.
“Sometime next year. Probably midsummer, but we didn’t set a definite date.”
“Are you sure you’re ready for this?” Stephanie was concerned for her. Chancey seemed too young for marriage.
“Girl, you know I’m an old soul,” Chancey joked.
“You’re right about that,” Tiara added.
“And Don’s life is getting ready to take off. I want to be along for the ride. I always hoped he’d ask me to marry him before his life changed, so I’ve had time to think about my decision,” Chancey said. “We’ll be engaged for a year, so that gives me time to change my mind if the NFL turns him into a stranger. But I love him, and I think we’re meant to be.”
“That’s a mature answer,” Stephanie said, and smiled at her sister. “That means we have a year to plan the wedding.” Stephanie was sure she would be the coordinator. “That’s plenty of time. Have you chosen your colors yet?”
“Yes, Momma Stephanie,” Chancey said. “I’ve always dreamed of my colors being pale pink and summer white, and of course I’ll want all of you to be in the wedding. Plus, I’m gonna need help addressing and sending out all the invitations. You know Don knows everybody in the world. But it’ll be a long while before we’ll even get to that stage of the planning.”
“It’ll be here before you know it,” Malena said.
“You’re right. After we’re married, I’ll transfer and do my final year in whatever city he’ll be.”
“So that means that in a year or so you’ll be moving away?” Cajen asked in a disappointed tone. She looked at Chancey with sadness. She wasn’t ready to lose her new friend.
“Yes, you’re right, but that doesn’t mean we won’t keep in touch,” Chancey responded.
“But you can’t leave, not yet,” Cajen said. She was getting misty-eyed.
“I promise we’ll keep in touch.”
“You’d better. We made a pact, remember?” Malena asked.
“But that’s a full year from now. We’ll have plenty of good quality time together,” Chancey responded.
“Let’s not get started, because I’m not in the mood to cry, and if we don’t change the subject, I’m going to. Please, let’s postpone this drama for after the wedding,” Tiara said.
“Right, Tiara, let’s change the subject. We have so much to look forward to with the upcoming semester,” Stephanie said.
“Well, we can always talk about the stepshow and homecoming in the fall,” Malena said.
“And don’t forget the chapter meetings and all the fund-raisers we’ll be doing,” Chancey added.
“And we’re gonna have a million and one ‘men talks’ in the next year,” Tiara added.
“But you know what?” Cajen asked. “I can’t think of a better group of intelligent, sophisticated, strong, beautiful, and I can go on and on, women I’d want to share those experiences with!”
“Tell it, girl!” Malena joked.
“You left out classy,” Stephanie added.
“But seriously, Cajen’s right. I’m so glad we all met and that we all pledged together. I’m really gonna miss y’all when I move,” Chancey said.
“You ladies can sit here and start this mushy stuff if you want to, but I’m getting ready to chow down on this spaghetti,” Tiara said. She picked up a fork and plate from those that Malena set out, and piled her plate with spaghetti. Everyone followed her lead.
The young ladies spent the rest of the evening indulging in their spaghetti dinner and engaging in the same kinds of discussions good friends have when they come together to enjoy one another’s company.
During the 1920s and 1930s, around the time of the Harlem Renaissance, more than a quarter of a million African-Americans settled in Harlem, creating what was described at the time as “a cosmopolitan Negro capital which exert[ed] an influence over Negroes everywhere.”
Nowhere was this more evident than on West 138th and 139th Streets between what are now Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., and Frederick Douglass Boulevards, two blocks that came to be known as Strivers Row. These blocks attracted many of Harlem’s African-American doctors, lawyers, and entertainers, among them Eubie Blake, Noble Sissle, and W. C. Handy, who were themselves striving to achieve America’s middle-class dream.
With its mission of publishing quality African-American literature, Strivers Row emulates those “strivers,” capturing that same spirit of hope, creativity, and promise.
READING GROUP GUIDE
The following questions are intended to enhance your group’s discussion of Sorority Sisters.
1. Although sororities have social and charitable functions, they are fundamentally based on the power of sisterhood. How does Tajuana Butler illustrate this in Sorority Sisters? What role does the pledge period play in creating these bonds of sisterhood? What makes them so strong they last almost for life?
2. Each of the women enters the pledge period with different expectations, motivations, and circumstances. How do these change from the beginning of the pledge period to the end? What do the women learn about themselves and one another?
3. Both Stephanie and Cajen share secrets they feel will cause others to look down on them, yet both suffer more by harboring the secrets than revealing them. How do Stephanie and Cajen change after telling their secrets to their line sisters? Which is harder, keeping a secret or sharing it?
4. After the pledge period ends, Chauncey’s boyfriend, Don, proposes and she accepts. Although she is technically a sophomore, Chauncey is still the same age as most freshmen; is she right to agree to marry Don at such an early age? Will she miss anything by changing schools to be with him? Would you do the same?
5. The Big Sisters want to test their pledges’ commitment to joining the sorority. What do they hope to achieve by subjecting them to the arduous pledge process? Although the hazing the line sisters endure seems mild, what kind of hazing isn’t right?
6. When Stephanie’s best friend becomes pregnant by her ex-boyfriend, Stephanie doesn’t bother asking many questions and nearly ends their friendship. Did Sidney’s encounter with Scott sound consensual? Is Stephanie overlooking this when she becomes angry with her?
7. Cajen pays a price for her brief relationship
with Jason but emerges from the experience stronger and more mature. Why couldn’t she see Jason for what he really was? Are men like him common on campus? What happens to them?
8. Of the eight women chosen to be on line three eventually drop out. What is the difference between the women who drop out of the line and those who stay? What kind of woman is drawn to join a sorority?
9. Tiara comes from a disadvantaged background and seems more mature than her fellow line sisters. How does her background influence the choices she makes? In some ways Rhonda is more of a mother to Tiara than her own, where would Tiara be if she didn’t have Rhonda?
10. Malena faces the difficult task of disentangling herself from a relationship that isn’t too bad but not very good, either. After she meets Ray on campus, she is sure about leaving Anthony. What is the difference between the two men? Does she know what she really wants?
11. Stephanie grew up in a wealthy and loving family but feels deeply insecure about her past. Why does she have such a hard time accepting the fact that she is adopted? Should parents tell their children that they are adopted or not?
12. In some ways the unnamed college in Sorority Sisters is a typical college campus, with its mix of athletes, scholars, and students from all backgrounds. How do the line sisters reflect this? How is college life different from a young person’s life before and after the experience?
To print out copies of this or other Strivers Row
Reading Group Guides, visit us at www.atrandom.com/rgg
A CONVERSATION WITH TAJUANA “TJ” BUTLER
Did you pledge a sorority, and if so, how does the process in Sorority Sisters mirror your own?
Yes, I did. I joined my sorority in 1990. Sorority Sisters mirrors my pledge process in that I was fortunate enough to be brought into the sorority by young ladies who didn’t abuse the procedure. I will admit that some of what occurred during my pledge process was ridiculous and/or unnecessary; however, there were definite instances where I learned from my big sisters. Also, like the characters in Sorority Sisters, I bonded with my line sisters and established a true sisterhood with them that has grown with time.
Sorority Sisters Page 23