by Earl Sewell
“What 2010 film about stuttering won an Oscar?” asked Jane.
A Thornridge player hit the button first. “Black Swan,” the girl with red hair answered.
“No, that is incorrect,” said Jane.
Keysha hit the buzzer. “The King’s Speech.”
“Yes, that is correct,” said Jane.
“Math question. What is the greatest common factor of twenty and sixteen?” Jane asked.
Viviana hit the buzzer first. “Four,” answered Viviana.
“That is correct. What was founded in 1732 as the last of the original thirteen colonies?”
Viviana hit the buzzer. “Georgia.”
“That is correct. With over one million participants, what is the most popular sport played in U.S. high schools?”
Misalo hit the buzzer. “Football,” he answered.
“That is correct. What river in the Middle East has the lowest elevation in the world?” asked Jane, and again there was pure silence. No one hit the buzzer.
Finally the kid with the chapped lips took a shot. “The Nile?”
“No, that is incorrect. Thornwood, would you like to take a shot at it?”
Keysha decided to press the button. “I am going to guess my dad’s name, which is Jordan,” said Keysha.
“You’ve guessed correctly,” said Jane.
Keysha released a big sigh.
We gave Thornridge a serious beat down. Our entire team had answered questions correctly. We didn’t get any of them wrong. The next competition was won by Homewood High. We battled them and thought for sure we would win easily, but that wasn’t the case. The questions got harder, and we began to miss a lot of them. We had run out of time and had to go into a head-to-head round to determine the winner. Keysha wanted to represent us, but Mr. Morgan said that Viviana should do it. The round consisted of one player from each team. They had two minutes to answer a series of questions. Correct answers were worth ten points. However, if you got the answer wrong, ten points were deducted. Viviana was going against a guy who looked like a young Albert Einstein. They walked over to another podium that was carted onto the stage. Each player stood in front of each other with a buzzer in their hand. Jane stood between them with the questions.
“The equator is represented by what degree of latitude?”
Einstein buzzed first. “Zero,” he answered.
“Correct,” answered Jane. “What city is named the Crescent City and the Big Easy?”
Viviana buzzed first. “New Orleans,” she answered.
“Correct,” answered Jane.
I thought for sure the competition would be tight, but Viviana blew the guy completely out of the water and answered ten questions in a row correctly. To my utter surprise, we had won our first competition, and it felt great.
twenty-two
VIVIANA
Mr. Morgan rushed onto the stage and gave me a giant hug. He was more hyped up than Maya, Misalo, Keysha and I combined. I was happy to see that he was proud of what had been accomplished. The moment caused me to reflect on my father. I know that he would have been just as proud of me. He would have hugged me or given me a high five. My father was so smart and wonderful that I know he would have helped me learn the material. Since my father wasn’t around to celebrate my moment of achievement, the feeling of wanting to be acknowledged did not disappear. I wanted to commemorate the victory of winning with someone special. I wanted to celebrate with Misalo. I wanted him to notice that I was just as smart as, if not smarter, than Maya. Deep in my heart I wanted him to give me another chance. As hard as I had tried to let him go, I had not been able to.
At the end of the competition, we shook hands as an expression of sportsmanship with the players from the other schools. Once Misalo had finished shaking everyone’s hand, he approached me to give me a handshake.
“Great job, Viviana,” he said with his inviting smile that I had become very fond of. I quickly scanned around to see where Maya was. Her back was turned because she and Keysha were still shaking hands with the others. I took that moment to be bold and daring. Instead of giving Misalo a handshake, I gave him a hug and smacked his behind.
“You did pretty good, as well. Call me,” I whispered in his ear and kissed his earlobe. Before I could release him, Maya had come over and separated us.
“What the hell, Viviana! You need to back up off of him.” She jabbed her bony finger at me as if it were a knife. I laughed at her and walked away.
“At least now Misalo knows that I am not ready for him to be done with me,” I muttered to myself as I walked out and headed toward our school bus.
During the bus ride back home, Keysha, Misalo and Maya refused to sit near me. They all sat at the rear of the bus. I knew they were gossiping about me, but I didn’t care. I decided to pass the time by looking over some additional material that Mr. Morgan had given to me.
“You were amazing, Viviana,” said Mr. Morgan.
“It was nothing.” I downplayed the moment. I briefly thought about LaShaunda and how mad she had gotten when I had told her that I wasn’t going to the pawn shop with her today. I wasn’t in the mood for traveling all the way to the city. I wanted to go to the competition and find out for myself how well I could do.
“It takes a unique mind to be able to retain and recall all the knowledge you’ve learned,” he continued as the bus made a turn too sharply and rolled over a curb.
“I have always been a Jeopardy! junkie. Don’t ask me why I’m attracted to that show because I don’t even know.”
“It’s probably because you’re a genius and don’t realize it,” he said.
“What?” I laughed at him.
“I’m serious. I think you’re very smart, but you don’t like people to know it,” he said.
“Trust me, Mr. Morgan. I am not a genius. I am not a rocket scientist or an inventor.”
“Viviana, a genius is someone embodying exceptional intellectual ability, creativity or originality. I think your intellectual abilities are well developed for a person your age,” he said.
I laughed. “You have me confused with someone else.”
“I don’t think so. I feel that, with the right coaching and development of you and the rest of the team, we could make it to nationals and have a real shot at the championship.”
I looked into Mr. Morgan’s eyes and saw that he meant every word he had said.
“I am not that good,” I said, refusing to accept the notion that I was that excellent at anything.
“Viviana, you have to stop doubting yourself. Young lady, you can become a leader. You could lead this team if you would only step up and show a little leadership.” He beamed with pride and for some reason that I cannot explain, Mr. Morgan’s passionate words caused my heart to sink into the pit of my belly. I couldn’t tell if I was feeling fear or dread or a combination of both.
“I want you to seriously think about stepping up and leading the team,” he said.
“They don’t even like me, Mr. Morgan,” I whispered.
“They don’t have to like you, but they will have to learn to respect you. If you can get them to like and respect you, then you would have done something that most students in your situation would not have even attempted. I think that is the type of challenge you should take on.”
I looked back at the three of them huddled at the rear of the bus and sighed.
“Go on and enjoy the victory with them,” Mr. Morgan encouraged me. I was about to give it a shot when my cell phone buzzed. I had just received a text message from my younger cousin, Anna. She said that her parents had found a backpack filled with electronics and jewelry. They had been drilling Anna and her brother about it, and I should be ready for the inquisition because her mom was on a warpath.
“Damn,” I hissed.
* * *
When I got off the bus, Maya and Keysha got into Misalo’s car and drove off. They didn’t offer me a ride or even say goodbye. It wasn’t like I expected a ride, but I still felt the sting of being outside their clique. The sun had already set and it was dark. I decided to take my time walking home because I knew that I had hell waiting on me when I arrived at the door.
I walked on unsteady legs up the driveway. I had decided that the best thing to do was to deny any knowledge of the stolen items in the bag. I hoped that my aunt Raven would believe me and not accuse me the way she had when Anna had inadvertently overdosed on drugs. I will never forget how I was demonized for something I had not done. I don’t do drugs, sell drugs or even knowingly hang around people who do drugs.
Instead of walking in the front door, I decided to go around back and enter through the patio door. Once I stepped inside, I saw my backpack and an assortment of jewelry, cell phones and the iPad I had scored spread out on the mahogany kitchen table. My aunt Raven was sitting at the table. When she looked at me, all I saw was hell in her eyes.
“Have a seat!” Her hand thudded against the table loudly. I knew right then that she was beyond angry.
“That’s not my bag or my stuff,” I said, feeling more defensive than usual. I took a seat opposite her. A few moments later Uncle Herman walked in and sat next to my aunt Raven.
“Then who does it belong to?” asked my aunt Raven.
“Uhm.” I stalled as I searched my mind for a good lie. “LaShaunda.”
“Who the hell is LaShaunda?” Uncle Herman asked with a tone of voice that caused me to flinch with fear. His raised voice was not something I was accustomed to.
“A girl at school asked me to hold that bag for her. I never knew what was in it,” I continued to lie.
“Is that right?” My aunt Raven thumped her index finger against her temple. She glared at me as if she were a predator and I was her prey.
“Tell the truth, Viviana!” Uncle Herman growled at me.
“I am telling the truth,” I gruffly answered, hoping they would believe my lie. I didn’t understand why they were not taking my word for it. I decided to try making them feel guilty for accusing me, by playing the role of a victim. “You guys are blaming me for something I had nothing to do with. The same way you blamed me when Anna got sick. Why am I always getting nailed whenever something around here goes wrong?” I gave my uncle Herman a teary-eyed look. I had hoped that I could soften his heart and win his sympathy.
“Maya!” Aunt Raven screamed out her name.
“Yes. Here I come,” Maya answered as if even she were afraid of her mom. She walked into the kitchen. Maya looked at me briefly, and I noticed something in her eyes. She had said or done something to get me in trouble, but I didn’t know what, though. I glanced just past Maya and saw Anna wiping tears away from her eyes. That alarmed me.
“What’s going on?” I toughened my voice. I felt as if I had been backed into a corner.
“Show her the video clip,” said Aunt Raven.
“Video clip? Is this some type of joke?” I said, realizing the seriousness of the situation had gone to another level. Maya pressed a few buttons on her cell phone and then handed it to her mom. Aunt Raven pointed the screen at me and that’s when my mouth dropped open and my eyes grew wide with shock. It was a very clear video of me at Lollapalooza pickpocketing some guy’s iPhone. I had no idea how Maya got the video.
“I heard the phone beeping when I was out in the shed this afternoon. The owner turned on the locater and sent a text message that said ‘I’m going to find you,’” said my uncle Herman.
“Uhm.” I choked up.
“He was all set to call the goddamn police and come to the house with them to retrieve his stolen property and press charges!” my aunt Raven screamed at me. “Do you think for one minute that I want the goddamn police at my home! You’ve disrespected this house for the last time, Viviana! You’re a liar and a thief, and I’m not going to put up with you!”
“You’re lucky that I was able to text the man back and tell him that it wasn’t necessary to get the police involved,” Uncle Herman shouted. He was so angry that I could see the cords in his neck tightening up.
I did not want to cry, but I could not help it. Tears streamed down my cheeks.
“Why did you do it, Viviana?” Aunt Raven asked.
“That’s what I want to know as well, Viviana. We’ve shown you nothing but love, compassion and understanding. Why did you do this?” asked Uncle Herman.
I remained silent and focused on the ceiling. I didn’t have an answer, and I didn’t know what to say. The only thing on my mind at that moment was disappearing. I didn’t want to be here. I felt like an outsider and as if I were never truly welcomed. I wanted to be with my mother, but I couldn’t because she had abandoned me.
“Answer me, goddamn it!” Aunt Raven sprung to her feet and reached for me. My reflexes were too quick. I had immediately jumped out of my seat and onto my feet. Aunt Raven wanted to beat me. I could see the blinding-white rage in her eyes. Uncle Herman held her back.
“I should have let the police come and lock you up, just like they locked up your father!”
“Don’t you talk about my dad!” I pointed my finger at her. My father was off-limits and I would allow no one, not even my aunt Raven, to disrespect my memory of him.
“You’ve turned out to be just like him. You’re a waste of everyone’s time and effort. I refuse to live with a liar and a thief!” Aunt Raven’s words were as sharp as a surgeon’s scalpel and they cut deeply into my emotions.
“Viviana, go to your room. Get out of here. We don’t want to see your face right now!” Uncle Herman let go of my aunt. As I walked past her, I could tell that she truly wanted to beat me. I ran up the stairs past Anna and Paul to my bedroom, shut the door and cried.
* * *
I awoke at midnight to the sound of my cell phone buzzing. My weary eyes were tired from crying and had difficulty focusing. I finally realized that LaShaunda was calling me.
“Hello?” I groggily answered.
“Girl, he had it coming.” LaShaunda’s voice was distraught and angry.
“What?” I asked, not understanding what she was talking about.
“My foster dad. He had it coming,” LaShaunda repeated herself. It was then that I noticed that she was breathing hard. I tossed back the covers and walked into the bathroom because I didn’t want to wake Anna.
“What’s going on?” I asked cautiously.
“I stabbed him,” LaShaunda said.
“You did what?” I asked again to make sure that I heard her correctly.
“He tried to rape me so I stabbed him,” LaShaunda spoke more clearly.
“Oh, God. Are you okay?” I asked.
“I am fine. I put a knife right through the center of his hand. You should have heard the way he screamed in pain,” LaShaunda said.
“Where was your foster mom?” I asked.
“She was visiting her mother, who is ill. That’s why he tried to have his way with me,” LaShaunda said angrily.
“Oh, my God! What happened after that?” I asked.
“I quickly tossed what I could in a duffel bag and ran out of the house. I’m going back to Milwaukee to hang with my crew tonight. Are you coming or not?”
I was silent for a moment. “My family hates me,” I blurted out as I fought back tears.
“That’s nothing new. How long are you going to stay there and let them disrespect you? Huh? How much more of your cousin’s BS are you going to take? You’re a fool if you stay,” LaShaunda said.
“I know,” I agreed with her.
“So come with me. Once we hook up with my crew in Milwaukee, we won’t have anything to worry about. We look out for each other, and we don’t let
other people bother us. I’ve already connected with them, and they said that they have a place for me to stay. I’m sure there is enough room for you, too.”
“My uncle found all the stuff I scored, and I got busted,” I explained.
“To hell with them, girl. It’s time to get real! It’s time to make a move,” LaShaunda said more forcefully.
“You’re right. I’m ready to leave. It’s not like my mother is ever coming back for me,” I concluded.
“Come on then. Just grab what you need and let’s go. Meet me at the Oasis diner that sits above the expressway. We can hitchhike. I’ll work on getting one of the truckers sleeping over there to take us.”
“I don’t want to hitchhike,” I said.
“You got a better idea besides walking?” LaShaunda asked.
“I have a little money. I have enough to buy us both a bus ticket and pay for a cab ride downtown to the bus station,” I said.
“My girl. I’m glad you got it like that. Meet me at the corner of 147th and Chicago Road. I’ll be sitting on the bus bench. You can call for a cab once you get here.”
“Okay,” I said.
“Viviana, travel light. Don’t bring a suitcase full of stuff,” LaShaunda said.
“Okay,” I repeated and hung up the phone.
twenty-three
MAYA
I awoke early and showered. Then I got dressed, grabbed my books and rushed out of the house. Keysha and I were meeting up in the library because we both needed to do research for a paper we had to write. The bogus thing about writing the paper was that we could not cite any sources from the internet. We had to use physical books.
By the time I arrived at the school’s library, Keysha had already found a seat and waved me over to her.
“Hey. How much time do we have?” I yawned.
“About forty-five minutes,” Keysha said, unzipping her backpack and pulling out a folder.
“That’s not much time,” I said.
“Tell me about it. Studying for that quiz show is no joke. I stay up late going over dates and facts.” Keysha sighed.