“Be straight up with me, Dr. Forrester. Is there any possible way we can get them back?”
“It will take some time, but sure, you’re going to get them back. Their situation is not as simple as yours. First of all, you were sixteen and that’s a legal age for a foster child to decide on their own where they want to live. Secondly, they’re in an entirely different state where the laws are slightly different. But, Stanley specializes in family law and he’s confident that it’s not a matter of if, but when.”
“Thank goodness! I can’t wait to have all of my family together in the same city; my dad, my siblings, you, Mom, everybody.”
“You will, Butterfly.”
“Thank God.”
“I have some more news.”
“Oh really? And what is that, good doctor?”
“They arrested Harry Warren yesterday on the charges of prostitution, extortion, rape, child abuse, and molestation, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and contributing to the death of a minor.”
“Thank you, Jesus!”
“They may not get him on everything, but they have enough to keep him behind bars for the rest of his miserable life.”
“All of that from Keisha’s diary?”
“No, his wife.”
I was leaving the next morning, so I took some private time to spend with Natalie and Alan. Natalie’s memory was very keen. She remembered things she and I did together that I did not even remember. I guess I was the same way after meeting my dad in prison. I never knew I missed my siblings so much until they were brought back into my life. I had to leave the next morning, but I stayed with my little sister and brother until they fell asleep.
Ma Powell, Sparkle and I talked in my bedroom for a little while before they went back to their hotel. I told them about my modeling opportunity and they were ecstatic! It was mostly because the modeling would be in Los Angeles and we could spend more time together. Knowing that I would see them in Los Angeles in a couple of days alleviated the sadness of saying good-bye.
Jeremy and I hung out in my bedroom, too, but we did more than talk. We kissed and fondled, and he tried once more to get me to be in a relationship with him. I was down with kissing, but the boy cheated on me and I cannot speak for all girls, but there is no coming back from that. I just wished my heart understood that philosophy.
After everyone had gone, Ms. Alicia, Auntie Pam and I decided to clean up the kitchen before we left for L.A. My dad boldly walked in to talk to my Auntie Pam.
“Can I speak to you privately, Pam?”
“About what?”
“Just...talk.”
If I had not been in the kitchen, I am sure Auntie Pam would not have taken the time to talk to my dad. And I would have understood, but she did not want to hurt his feelings in front of me.
“I’m about to leave anyway, so I guess you can walk me out to my car.”
“Okay.”
“But don’t try to steal it,” Auntie Pam joked.
“That’s cold.” Ms. Alicia tried not to laugh but did not do a good job at it. “I’m sorry, Stone, but that was funny.”
Dad stepped to the side to let Auntie Pam walk ahead of him. “That’s all right, Alicia. Pam got her little joke in, but he who laughs last, laughs best.”
“Hold on, what you plan on doing?” Auntie Pam looked back over her shoulder at Dad.
“Don’t worry about that.”
Dad and Auntie Pam left out of the kitchen. Ms. Alicia and I were so exhausted that we just relaxed for a minute and did not speak a word. I dozed off momentarily and when I woke up again, Ms. Alicia was asleep. She must have felt me watching her because she opened her eyes.
“What are you looking at?”
“I’m just thinking.”
“Thinking about what?”
“I did it, Mom.”
“You did what, sweetie? You’ve done so much.”
“I graduated. And I’m going to college.”
“Yes you are, sweetie.” Ms. Alicia stood up and stretched. “Let’s get some sleep.”
“I need some.”
On our way upstairs, Ms. Alicia noticed a car was still outside of our house. She cracked the door to see who it was.
“Who is it, Mom?”
“Your daddy and Pam are out there hugged up.”
“You lying!” I stood behind Ms. Alicia and we spied on them. “I can’t believe this.”
“Wow!” Ms. Alicia covered her mouth.
“My dad is putting his mack down!”
“Wow!”
“Okay, I’ve seen enough.”
“Well, I haven’t.”
“Come on, Mom, let’s go.”
“Give me a minute.”
“No, come on.” I pulled Ms. Alicia away from the door and we went to bed.
Chapter Sixteen
We had to get up early to catch our flight. Our plane departed at 7:45 in the morning which meant we had to be there at 5:30 a.m. Dr. Forrester drove Ms. Alicia, Auntie Cynthia, Bri and me to the MARTA Doraville station where we met Auntie Pam. We caught the train to the airport. We had fun on the way making fun of each other for having so many pieces of luggage for only a weekend trip.
When we got to the airport. there were not a lot of people there. We got our boarding tickets and then went through security. They made us take off our jackets, our shoes, and run it through this conveyor. We had to put all of our money, coins. and all other metallic objects in a tray with the rest of our items we were carrying on board and that went on the conveyor belt, too. They had security look through something that looks like an X-ray machine to see the inside of our suitcase. It was nothing to them, but it was my first time and I needed some instructions, shit.
We waited for like an hour-and-a-half to board the plane. I was nervous, but after waiting for so long, I just wanted to get it over with. We went through the tunnel, which led to the opening of the airplane’s doorway. There was a flight attendant to greet us at the door and direct us to the aisle. The first thing that caught my eye was, this thing was a lot smaller than it looked on television. I had a sudden realization that I was indeed claustrophobic.
Bri sat by the window, Ms. Alicia sat in the aisle seat, and I sat in the middle seat. Auntie Pam and Auntie Cynthia sat behind us in the middle and aisle seats. We sat on the plane for about thirty minutes before it moved away from the gate. It was like moving on a big bus. It was not bad at all. And then we turned onto the runway. The plane was still moving rather slowly and then it took off! We were going so fast, I thought we were already in the air. It was shaking and bouncing and then all of a sudden, we left the ground for real. Whoa!
The plane seemed to be going up at an angle, which made my body press backward into my seat. I stopped getting on the amusement rides at Six Flags because I was afraid and that takeoff was worse than any ride I had ever ridden in my life. I clutched Bri’s and Ms. Alicia’s wrists as tight as I could as we climbed higher and higher.
“You okay, Butterfly?” Bri asked.
“No, I am not. I want to get down. We’re up too high, Bri.”
“No! No! No! It’s fine. Once we get leveled off, the ride will be comfortable.”
“What is ‘leveled off’?”
“When the plane gets to the height where the pilot wants, it just flies straight ahead and you don’t get that nauseated feeling like you’re on a roller coaster.”
“I hope he hurry up and level off.”
“Okay, let’s talk about something else. I can’t wait to go to Disneyland, Universal Studios, Magic Mountain and take a picture at the Hollywood sign.” Bri tried to get my mind off of the flight.
It worked. We talked until I fell asleep. I woke up when I heard the pilot say that we were descending into Los Angeles.
“Wow! We’re here already.” I nudged Bri. “Wake up, girl.”
“What?” Bri said.
“We’re here.”
Bri sat up and raised the cover on the window. We were sti
ll above the clouds.
“I thought the pilot said we were descending. We’re still in the sky.”
“It’s still going to take another fifteen or twenty minutes before we land.”
“Cally-for-ni-a! Here we come!”
“California Love!” Bri broke into a serenade of Tupac and Dr. Dre’s “California Love” and I joined in. The track hits ya eardrum like a slug to ya chest. Pack a vest for your Jimmy in the city of sex.”
“Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! What the hell?” Ms. Alicia playfully covered my mouth. “I bet y’all better watch your mouth!”
“Oops! My bad, Mom.”
Ms. Alicia leaned around the back of her seat to Auntie Cynthia. “Can you hear these hussies up here?”
“No, what did the hussies say?”
“They’re talking about sex, and jimmies and slugs to your chest.”
“Who?”
“Bri and Butterfly.”
“Not my Bri?”
“Yeah, your Bri.”
“Stop it!” Auntie Pam laughed. “That’s Tupac and y’all used to dance to it when it came out, so stop acting like you’re disgusted.”
“Shut up! We’re moms now.” Auntie Cynthia laughed out loud.
We were still laughing when the plane touched down and then my nightmare was all over. It was only nine o’clock in the morning there. I asked Ms. Alicia how could we be in the air for four hours and only lose an hour-and-a-half of time? I forgot about California was in the Pacific Standard Time, which was three hours behind us. I had to adjust to the time difference.
Ms. Erin had a limousine pick us up from the airport and took us to our hotel. We shared adjoining rooms. The elders had the main suite, and Bri and I shared the smaller room. They laughed about stealing our large room, but the room we were in was more than big enough for us.
Auntie Cynthia and Bri went on a private tour of the hotel. Auntie Pam was in the bathroom, and Ms. Alicia and I were going over the itinerary that Ms. Erin had placed in the main suite. She arranged events, which covered almost every waking moment from the time we arrived to the time we were scheduled to leave. None of the activities on the list included Disneyland, Universal Studios or a trip to Magic Mountain. This was all about business! I thought it was going to be a one-day thing and then I could enjoy the rest of my weekend.
“I thought we were going to be able to have some fun.”
“Welcome to the world of modeling, dear,” Ms. Alicia said.
“Is it going to be like this all the time?”
“No, it’s going to get worse.”
“Worse? I may be in the wrong business then.”
“You may be. And before a lot of people invest a lot of time and money into you, you need to be sure that this is something you want to do, Butterfly.”
“I’m sure.”
“Hey, wait a minute, come here.” Ms. Alicia sat me down and then sat next to me. “I don’t want you to think you have to do this for me. I want you to do this for yourself, baby. This is a very strenuous, strenuous job. There is a lot of traveling with long, long days. You have to be disciplined in your diet, which sometimes lead to eating disorders.
“There is an underworld of drug addiction and sex slavery. Everybody wants something from you, and they will make you seem like you’re the greatest thing since the invention of the wheel. And by the time you’re twenty-five years old, those same people will turn their backs on you and your career will be over.
“But sweetheart, this business is also like any other thing in life. There’s good, there’s bad, and then there are the choices you make. If you stay focus on your career and not allow yourself to be caught up in the extracurricular activities surrounding it, it could be a rewarding lifetime experience, filled with excitement, adventure and international culture. Not to mention it pays out the gazoo!”
“And just how much is a gazoo?” I joked. “I don’t know what being a model entails, but I know that I’m prepared for whatever lies ahead. And it’s not about the glamour, or the fame. Like everything else in my life, it’s about the challenge. I’ve never been referred to as beautiful before and it’s difficult for me to accept. The challenge is not to prove to the world how beautiful I am, but to myself.”
“I want you to think about this and make up your mind quickly because if we go further, Butterfly, these people will be very upset if you quit on them.”
“Believe me, I won’t quit. I’m ready! I want this! And I want this for me!”
“Okay, baby.”
Auntie Pam walked out of the bathroom and Ms. Alicia quickly took her place. I took advantage of the opportunity of being alone with Auntie Pam and asked her about my dad.
“I know you may be upset for what my dad did, but he really is a good man who has made some unfortunate bad decisions.”
“I’m not upset with your dad, Butterfly.”
“It’s obvious you guys didn’t have a great relationship, but I would still like to know what it was like when you two were together.”
“I have moved on from that period in my life, Butterfly.”
“Please?”
“Okay,” Auntie Pam said, “At times, your dad and I had a very volatile relationship. But that was only when we were mad at each other. Most of the time we laughed, had fun; we were like best friends.”
“Did you love each other?”
“Yes, I think we did. I know that I loved him. We were young at the time and we really didn’t know how to deal with our issues, especially parenthood. I had a career objective, and your dad was just about living for the day. We didn’t know how to compromise and it got ugly.”
“So, are there any sparks flying, Auntie Pam?”
“I don’t think so, sweetheart. What your dad and I had was a long, long time ago.”
“He still cares about you.”
“And how do you know this?”
“Because I know my dad.”
“I think I need a little more evidence than that.”
“Well?”
“Well, what?”
“Well, my dad is single, and you’re single, soooooo...?”
“So, stop trying to be a matchmaker and we’ll see what happens.”
“That’s cool with me; for right now anyway.”
“You are your father’s child.”
“Auntie Pam?”
“Yes?”
“Do you remember the first day we met?”
“Sure do.”
“When my mom introduced us, we both said to each other that we looked familiar. Do you remember that?”
“Yes, and I guess now we know why.”
“Do you think that I could have remembered you from that early age?”
“Stranger things have happened.”
“I guess some things just can’t be explained.” I smiled and then went back to my room.
Chapter Seventeen
The limo was scheduled to pick us up and take us to the studio at noon, so we only had time to shower, get dressed, and grab a quick bite to eat. When we pulled onto the studio’s lot, we were greeted by a security officer in a booth. Ms. Alicia gave him our names and we were allowed on the grounds. He directed us to Studio B where they shot America the Beautiful. The studio property was much larger than it appeared from the street. I was in awe.
Ms. Erin met us in the studio’s lobby. She showed me how to sign in and from there, it was like enrolling in a new school all over again. There were like a hundred girls scrambling from room to room answering questions and filling out forms. I had two interviews about my modeling background. Ms. Erin answered most of the questions. After my third interview, we had another meeting where I was officially welcomed to America the Beautiful: Season Five.
They explained the premise of the show in full detail. There would be twenty girls living in one house together for six weeks. The show was going to record our modeling competition as well as our daily activities behind the scenes. The winner would get a modeling contract, $100,000
and a Cadillac Escalade. I really did not need the money or the Escalade, but I was not going to turn them down, either. We were scheduled to film for six weeks during the summer. Each week would be an elimination round until there were two remaining finalists. The final episode would air live with the announcement of the winner of America the Beautiful: Season Five.
I had to sign contracts about the confidentiality and integrity of the show. If we were eliminated, or even if we were among the two finalists, we were legally bound not to discuss any of the details of the show prior to the announcement of the winner.
Ms. Alicia was by my side through every meeting. I was proud that she was able to control her emotions and not directly get involved while the staff was talking to me. You can bet, though, she did not hesitate to advise me right there on the spot when she felt it was absolutely necessary. Auntie Pam, Auntie Cynthia and Bri watched and sat from afar.
By the time we were finished with my first day, it was after nine o’clock. Ms. Erin treated all of us to a late dinner, and she and Ms. Alicia had a great time telling their old college stories. She was an AKA like Ms. Alicia. I never knew that Auntie Pam was a Delta Sigma Theta, or that Auntie Cynthia was a Zeta Phi Beta until that night. Auntie Pam and Auntie Cynthia never talked being in a sorority, but Ms. Alicia constantly bragged about being an AKA. To be honest, I did not know the difference between a fraternity or a sorority until Ms. Alicia explained it to me my senior year.
The four of them lobbied for Bri and me to join their respective sororities when we went to college. I did not lean toward either one of them, but knowing me, I would not join any sorority at all. I loved my family and friends, but as far as the adolescent camaraderie of college unity, I could do without that.
We got back to our hotel room around eleven-thirty that night, which was two-thirty in the morning our time. Everybody took their clothes off and went straight to sleep. We had to get up at six in the morning to be ready for our limo at eight. Auntie Cynthia, Auntie Pam and Bri had had enough of the modeling life. They slept in, and planned a trip to Disneyland first, and then they were going to go to Hollywood to see the Walk of Fame and take their picture in front of the big Hollywood sign. That Hollywood sign thing was all Bri’s idea. They wanted to take a celebrity tour bus to see the celebrity homes, too, but there were only so many hours in a day. Our plane did not leave until ten Sunday night, so they scheduled a tour for the afternoon.
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