“Pops, what happened? What did you and Coach talk about?”
“I had to lie to your coach, something I hated to do, but I couldn’t let him know that we were living in this truck. I still don’t fully trust the man.” He turned around and looked at Nyla. “You’re in trouble, young lady. Didn’t I tell you not to tell anybody where we were living? Didn’t I?” he yelled at her until Nyla burst out in tears.
I felt sorry for Nyla this time, so I tried to talk up for her. “Pops, it’s not her fault. She didn’t mean to bring trouble on us. She likes Coach and she thought since he bought us something to eat that it was all right to tell him.”
“Umph. You better learn how to keep your mouth shut. You hear me, young lady?” He looked at her again.
Nyla nodded but kept crying. “Wipe your face and be quiet before I give you something to cry about,” Pops told her and almost right away, Nyla stopped crying. Pops gave her a piece of tissue he had in the console to wipe her face.
He looked at me next. “Now, back to you. Tell me about this suspension. Why would you be up in the school fighting, son? You know how bad this could have turned out?”
“Yes, sir,” I answered.
“I could have lost you and your sister to the system if they had taken you downtown. Thank God, for your coach, and for the principal. She could have easily let your butt take that ride to Juvenile Hall. Do you know how serious this is?
“But, Pops, if you could have heard them laughing and talking about me. And Zach, who I thought was my friend, he was the main one. I just lost my temper and popped.”
“A man knows how to control himself, son. You have to learn how to be disciplined and exercise self-control. So what if they were laughing and talking; you should have walked off,” he said as he continued driving.
When he came to a red traffic light, he stopped and looked over at me. “Haven’t I told you countless times, son, that a man chooses his battles wisely?”
Uh, uh, here it comes. He’s getting ready to light into me. All that acting like he was cool must have been a front for Coach, but Pops wasn’t the kind of man to put on a front for the next man, or anybody for that matter, so I couldn’t tell what was going on. Yeah, he had told me that a man chooses his battles wisely, and as far as I was concerned today was a wise choice, at least I thought so. I had to stand up for myself or I could have spent the rest of the school year being bullied. I wasn’t going out like that. I nodded and kept on listening to Pops as he went on and on about how things could have turned out far worse and we could have been taken away from him, and blah, blah, blah.
I was glad when the light turned green and he started driving again. Pops still had a frown on his tan leathery face. Looking at him, he looked like he was turning into an old man, much older than his thirty something years.
Pops drove in silence, and this time he drove until he got to Airways and Democrat Road. I looked at the sign, Holiday Inn. Dang, not another night in this packed, cramped, freezing Yukon. I thought. He drove onto the hotel lot and like always, he parked where there were plenty of other cars. I knew the drill. If we parked where there were lots of other cars, we wouldn’t look so suspicious. We’d parked on hotel lots plenty of times before, but Pops made sure to choose which ones we parked at carefully. Me and Nyla especially liked the hotels that offered free breakfast because Pops would wake us up early, order us to get our toothbrushes and backpacks with a change of clothes and we would go inside the hotel like we were guests. We used the bathroom to clean ourselves up and then took off for the breakfast bar where we sometimes stayed until breakfast was over like we were regular hotel guests. I know it was probably wrong, but I almost always stuffed Danish and fruit in my backpack because there was no telling where our next meal would come from or when it would come. Pops knew what I was doing, and as much pride as he had, this was a time he didn’t fly off the handle about me taking what wasn’t mine. He knew the business and so did my sister because she did the same thing.
That night in the Yukon, I was freezing my butt off. It was the end of November, close to Thanksgiving. Me and Nyla huddled up together. She had her sleeping bag, so did I, along with the blankets that were supposed to keep us warm, they failed that test. Nyla disappeared inside her sleeping bag. She was little so she could do it like that, so what worked for her definitely didn’t work for me.
Pops asked if we were okay, and Nyla answered that she was all right. I told him I was too, when really I was miserable, cold, and just tired of everything that was happening to me and my family.
Before Pops stretched out, I watched him in the front seat as he took a swallow from a bottle of liquor he pulled out of another small brown paper bag. Before long, I heard him snoring. I don’t remember falling asleep, but I do remember I dreamed that we were living back in our house. Momz was there and she was cooking a huge Thanksgiving dinner, turkey, dressing, cranberry sauce, potato salad, cakes, pies, all my favorite kinds of food. Whatever she cooked, it was always delicious. She could make a cold cut sandwich taste like something from a restaurant.
In my dream, Momz was laughing and talking while Nyla licked from a bowl of cake batter like she used to do when Momz was alive. Pops walked into the kitchen and wrapped his arms around Momz’ waist, and kissed her on the jaw. She turned red. We sat down at the table; I picked up my fork after somebody in the dream gave thanks. I got a forkful of turkey and dressing on my plate, brought it up to my mouth and just like that…I woke up.
I looked around and it was real quiet, except for the sound of Pops crying. I didn’t move; I just listened. Don’t you remember, Pops? Men don’t cry. I turned over and closed my eyes, hoping to shut out the sound of Pops’ pain.
Chapter 14
For the next week, while on school suspension, I spent my days alone in the Yukon while Pops went to work and Nyla went to school. Sitting in a cold ride all day was a real bummer. Pops parked on a busy grocery store lot close by his job and walked from there, leaving me to make the best of the six hours he was going to be gone. I laid low to keep from looking suspicious. I didn’t want the cops to have any reason to come up to our Yukon, ask me a bunch of questions about why I wasn’t in school, where my parents were, and next they’ll ride me down to juvenile hall, just because.
I didn’t know what arrangements he had made, if any, for Nyla since I wasn’t going to be there to pick her up after school. All I know is that after he got off work, he picked her up at the library every evening so I guess he had to trust her to walk to the library and wait until we got there.
Thursday came and not soon enough for me. Pops told me he was going to take me to the Board of Education to get my suspension cleared. I was glad that the days were passing by and the weekend was coming up because that meant I would be back at school on Monday and wouldn’t have to sit in a freezing car all day. I could deal with Zach, Sierra, and anybody else who wanted to check me. Anything was better than being all alone to think about how miserable life was.
I wondered what Principal Myers and Coach were doing, if anything, now that they knew my situation. I think I heard Pops talking to Coach a couple of times, but I’m not one hundred percent positive it was Coach. But it sounded like something was going on; maybe something would give. I had been out of school for four days; and now we were at the Board.
After we sat in the office at the Board for an hour or so. Pops and I were finally called back to the office of one of the counselors. I told him everything that had happened. When he asked Pops where we lived, Pops gave him our old address. He didn’t say anything about us being homeless. I guess Principal Myers changed her mind about reporting that we were homeless. Maybe she listened to Coach Byrd after all; who knows. I was just glad this mess was about to be over with and I could get back in school.
Anyway, after the counselor lectured me about the seriousness of what I’d done, he gave Pops the papers I needed to get back into school. I was glad that was over.
“Now that that’s
over with, I’m letting ya know, I ain’t coming back down here for no crap like this ever again.” You get your azz in trouble again if you want to, you on your own.”
Okay, does he think I planned this to happen? He talking like I did this on purpose.
“And you think I forgot about that twenty you stole? Don’t you? You think that I forgot about your lying?”
Lying? Me? I know he wasn’t calling me a liar when he’s the one who’s been lying all along. Lying about why we lost the house. Lying about getting a place for us to live. Lying about things getting better. Well, things weren’t getting better. Pops kept on and on. The more he cussed and fussed the more I tuned him out until his voice drifted farther and farther away.
“Okay, you wanna be grown. You think you’re a man, then you gone find out how much of a man you are if you keep on making dumb choices.”
Yea, yea, he may be right but I didn’t wanna hear all that. I was just glad I could go back to school.
“You hear me?”
“Yes, sir. I hear you.” I heard him loud and clear. One thing about Pops, as soon as he says what he has to say, he’s done. It’s like you take it or leave it. I did both, and when we got inside the Yukon, Pops started the truck, turned on the radio, and we drove off.
∞
Monday came and I went back to school. I saw Zach in homeroom. He walked over to me just as I was taking my seat.
“Hey, look, bruh, I’m sorry. I was wrong. Whaddaya say we squash this?”
‘Humph,” I grumbled. “Bruh, you need to step off. I ain’t got nothing to say to you.”
“Come on, Nyl, man. I told you. I really am sorry. The way I acted; it wasn’t cool. I’m really sorry, man.”
My arms were folded across my chest. I stepped back and looked at this fool. He really expected me to forgive him and act like everything was cool. No way. I didn’t want him nowhere near me. I felt like punching him again.
“I said, get the hell away from me, bruh.” I bit on my bottom lip, closed my eyes and started counting to myself. I opened my eyes when I heard my teacher Ms. Madison telling us to take out seats and be quiet. Zach was gone. Good for him. Even better for me.
When I went to my History class, I saw Sierra for the first time since she blabbed her stupid, big mouth to everybody. I couldn’t stand her. I don’t know why I liked her in the first place. I know, maybe it sounds weird, but she didn’t look as pretty as she used to look to me. She looked almost evil, like she was an undercover witch or vampire. I laughed at myself for having that crazy thought. She smiled at me and I looked away and took my seat.
“Nyl,” Sierra called me after class was over. I was on my way to my next class. I kept walking, totally ignoring her. If I had stopped to listen to whatever she had to say I knew I would go off the same way, even worse than I did on Zach.
“Hey, Sierra calling you, bruh,” said Calvin, one of my teammates.
I waved my hand, dismissing her and kept on walking. “Mane, forget her. She’s the reason I got thrown out of school in the first place. That female is nothing but trouble─”
“Nyl, please. Hold up,” Sierra called my name again and I looked around to see her running towards me. “Nyl…”
This time I decided to stop and see what she wanted. If she started talking stupid I was going to walk off and leave her looking like the idiot she was.
“What do you want?” I asked her, and I wasn’t nice about it either. I know I probably looked like I could slap that gum she was chewing out of her mouth, ‘cause that’s how I felt, but I just stood there.
“Nyl, I...I just want to tell you that I’m sorry for what I did. My parents were really upset with me when they found out about it. My mother told me that what I did was not the Christian thing to do.”
Is she seriously calling herself Christian? I burst out laughing in her face. Her mother had to tell her that? I almost fell over laughing at this girl. She had to depend on someone else to tell her that what she did was foul?
“It’s not funny, Nyl. I was grounded and everything. This is my first day off punishment.” She sounded like she was about to cry.
“Punishment? Grounded?” This must be a joke. “You think ‘cause your parents made you stay in your warm, cozy room that’s probably got a big flat screen on the wall, and books on bookshelves to read, and a computer…you call that being on punishment? Being grounded?” I burst out laughing again and started walking off.
“No, what I mean is that I know what I did was wrong, and I don’t know why I did it. But I want you to know that I went on FaceGroup and posted that I was wrong for doing what I did. I told everybody that you were really a great guy and that I made everything up about you being homeless.”
“Look, it’s too late for that. And, really, Sierra, I don’t care what you did. But I hope you feel better about it, because I sure don’t. You were always talking about how much you liked me and then you turned around and did what you did? You’re yesterday to me, girl.”
A couple of her friends walked up. They looked shocked when I told Sierra, “Never say another word to me.” I saw the tears gathering in her eyes and then trickle down her pretty red cheeks, but I didn’t care.
I started walking again and Juvaun and Calvin came up. “Hey, bruh, what’d you say to Sierra? She crying, bruh,” Juvaun said.
I gave him a look that basically said, so what?
I watched as a couple of her friends started laughing. Only this time I wasn’t the focus of their laughter, Sierra was.
I heard one of them. “I guess he told you.”
Another one said, he told you like Taylor Swift said in that song, ‘we are never ever, ever, getting back together,” and then they all broke out laughing, even Calvin broke out laughing.
Sierra ran off crying like a baby, and part of me felt sad for her, but the bigger part of me was glad I had given her a taste of her own medicine. Now she knew how it felt to be talked about and made fun of. Served her right.
When I got to the gym, after school, Coach called me to his office. “How are things going?”
“Cool.”
“Y’all got a place to stay yet?”
“Yep, but it’s not a permanent spot.”
Coach nodded. “Look, when your father gets here, let me know. Tell him I need to talk to him for a minute.”
“Yes, Coach. Is that it?” I wanted to get on the court and start hooping. Whenever I couldn’t shoot ball, it was like a huge part of me was missing.
“Yeah, that’s it, but hey, I expect you to be on your A-game Wednesday night. Now, get out on the floor and show me what you got,” he said.
“Yes, sir.” I jetted out to the court, joined my team, and began to exercise my mad skills on the court. I was in my element. Maybe one day I would make it to the NBA and I would never have to worry about being homeless again.
Chapter 15
Coach and Pops talked after school. After they got through, this time instead of leaving and going to park at the hotel, Pops waited outside on the school parking lot for close to half an hour. As usual, he didn’t bother telling me what we were waiting for, but then I saw Coach come walking toward us. He waved at Pops, got in his car and to my surprise Pops started the car and we started trailing Coach.
In silence, Pops drove down Winchester, past the airport, still following Coach. He turned down a street called Victoria. Coach made several more turns before he pulled into the driveway of a house that had a For Rent sign in the front yard. My eyes got big when I saw a basketball goal on the side of the house with another driveway that looked like it went all the way around to the back of the brick house.
“Stay here,” Pops ordered me and Nyla as he opened the door and got out the Yukon.
“I wanna go,” Nyla started whining. Pops turned and gave her that don’t-mess-with-me-look and she eased back against the seat and did not say another word.
“I’ll be back,” he said.
I watched as he and Coach talked an
d then walked around the house. I got outside and leaned against the dirty Yukon. Nyla tried to get out but I warned her to stay in or else Pops was going to get her. She fell back on the front seat and poked out her lips, and folded her arms across her chest.
Seemed like it took a minute but I saw the front door of the house open and Pops and Coach stood in the door. They had been inside the house. Pops looked over at me. He didn’t say anything. Him and Coach talked on the front porch for a few more minutes.
“Man, you don’t know how much this means to me. How can I thank you,” I heard Pops telling Coach while I was getting back inside the truck.
“Man, I’m just glad everything worked out.”
I watched as Pops and Coach Byrd shook hands and then both of them walked off the front porch. Pops came back to the Yukon, and Coach Byrd walked over to his car, got in, and pulled off, waving at me as he passed.
Pops got back in the Yukon, looked at me, then looked over his shoulder at Nyla, then back at me again. “Looks like we have a place to stay,” he said with a big grin covering his face. “At least for the next few months.”
“What? We’re going to stay here?” Had I heard him right? Did we really have a place that we could honestly call home again? Even if it was for just a few months.
“Here’re the keys,” he said and raised them up in the air for me and Nyla to see.
I couldn’t believe it. We had a place to stay? Dang, as excited as I was, I still had some questions.
“But how? I mean, how can we live here, Pops?” I didn’t want to get too nosy but I was fourteen, a young man, not a kid like Nyla. I deserved to know what was going on.
“Coach is a godsend, son. You know they say things happen for a reason? Well, that fight you got into, well, it was bad, but it was the door that led us to Coach Byrd finding out about our situation which in turn led to us getting this house.”
I couldn’t help it. I started jumping up and down, running around the front yard and laughing like I hadn’t done in months. I was acting like I was Nyla’s age, but I couldn’t help it. This was too good to be true.
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