Indigo Summer

by Monica McKayhan

  “Marcus, you seem to have it all worked out.” Sasha seemed like she was impressed, and her eyes softened as she stared at me with amazement.

  “If you don’t have a plan, you might as well just wander around like a traveler without a road map,” I said. “What’s your plan?”

  “I’m going to a Georgia-based school, maybe Georgia State or the University of Georgia in Athens, so that I can get the Hope scholarship.”

  “Are your grades good?”

  “I’ve been an honor roll student since the second grade.”

  “I could make the honor roll, too, if I could just get through math,” Justin said. “It’s my worst subject.”

  “It won’t be for long, little man,” I assured him. “You’re going to be an expert in math when I get done with you.”

  “I’m done with my problem, Marcus,” he said, and stuck the piece of paper in my face. “Here, look at it.”

  I grabbed it and worked through the problem in my head. His answer was correct, although he had arrived at the answer in a different way. I was pleased about that because that meant he was getting it. If he could work through it on his own, using his own way of getting to the answer, then that meant it was making sense.

  “Yes!” I said and gave Justin a high five. “You are exactly right.”

  “Now can I go outside?” he asked.

  “You have to ask Miss Sasha over there. She’s the one who’s responsible for you, dude.”

  “Can I, Sasha?”

  “Okay, but I’ll have to come outside and watch you.”

  Justin didn’t hesitate to run to his room, wheel his dirt bike out the front door and down the few steps leading from the front porch. In just minutes, he’d hopped on it and was doing wheelies in the middle of the street.

  Sasha and I sat on the rocker on the porch in the cool shade. Silent for a moment. I was feeling her. Not only was she cute and had a nice body, but she was smart, too. How often do you find that all wrapped up in a sixteen-year-old girl? Most girls have either one or the other going for them. They’re either very cute and maybe have a nice body, but dumb as a doorknob. Then there are the girls who are smarter than me, but look like the bottom of my shoe. You rarely find the best of both worlds in one girl.

  Indigo had a little of both. She was pretty and had a decent body, and her grades were decent. She had other stuff, too. She could dance. I’d seen her play basketball once in the middle of the street and she was actually pretty good at that, too. She had a sense of humor, and a way of making you feel small even when you thought you were all that. I liked Indigo, and for some reason, I couldn’t get her out of my head. From the moment I saw her, I knew I wanted her. But she was taken. Taken by Quincy Rawlins, the biggest dog in school. I had to at least give it one more shot before I moved on.

  Sasha was nice, too. She was beautiful, and had a nice body. She wasn’t ghetto like Charmaine or some of the other girls I knew. She went to a different school, so I wouldn’t have to worry about spending every hour of the day with her. She was smart, and easy to talk to. I hadn’t dated anyone since Kim Porter, who broke up with me before I moved to the south side of town.

  “You got a boyfriend?” I asked Sasha.

  “Nope,” she said. “I talk to people, but nothing serious.”

  “You wanna go to a movie or the football game sometime?” I asked.

  “That’s cool,” she said, and gave me a smile with those beautiful dimples. “I’ll have to ask my daddy, though.”

  “Let me know.”

  Justin flew past the house, his arms stretched out wide.

  “Look y’all, no hands!” he screamed, and then started laughing.

  “I’ll race you, Justin!” Kevin, the little brown boy from across the street yelled, as Justin grabbed onto the handlebars again.

  The two of them took off down the block at full speed, the nose of Justin’s bike just inches in front of his friend’s. Within minutes they were racing back up the block. They did this a couple of times and before I knew it, I heard a loud thump and Justin’s bike fell over and his head hit the pavement. He was crouched into a fetal-like position, holding onto his legs and moaning as if he was in excruciating pain.

  Before I could think twice, I had jumped from the porch and sprinted toward him.

  “What happened?” Sasha asked, running toward us. “I just turned my head for a second.”

  “What happened, little man?” I was standing over Justin, demanding an answer.

  “It hurts so bad, Marcus. The pain is so bad,” he said. “It’s worse than before.”

  “Did you hurt your leg or something?” I asked.

  “It’s my joints.” He moaned. “You have to call my mama. And I have to go to the hospital.”

  “Are you having a crisis, Marcus?” Sasha was standing next to me.

  “Yes.”

  “A crisis?” I asked, still confused about the entire incident. “What’s a crisis?”

  “Justin has sickle cell, Marcus. We either need to drive him to the hospital or call for an ambulance.”

  I wanted to ask more about this sickle cell that had Justin on the ground moaning as if he was in great pain. Instinctively, I picked him up from the ground, and rushed him over to my Jeep. I gently placed him on the backseat. There was no time for calling an ambulance. They wouldn’t get there quick enough.

  “You comfortable, little man?” I asked as he lay crouched on my backseat.

  He nodded a yes, but didn’t look like it. His face was frowned and he was on the verge of tears. The only reason he hadn’t started crying was because he was trying to be tough in front of me.

  “It’s okay to cry man, if you’re hurting,” I said and then hopped in the driver’s seat. Sasha was already in the passenger’s seat with her seat belt fastened, keeping an eye on Justin as I pulled out of the driveway.

  My heart pounded as I flew through the streets of College Park. Sasha directed me to the hospital, as I was new to this part of town and unfamiliar.

  “He goes to Egleston Children’s Hospital, Marcus,” she said and began trying to reach Beverly on her cell phone. “I have to call his mother and let her know what’s going on.”

  “You have to tell me where Egleston is,” I said. “I don’t know where I’m going.”

  “Make a right here, Marcus,” she said, and then left a message for Beverly on her cell phone. “She’s not answering.”

  “You okay back there, little man?” I peered at Justin in the rearview mirror. Tears flooded his eyes and I wanted to cry myself.

  At the circular drive just outside the emergency room, I put my Jeep in park. Rushed to the backseat, grabbed Justin and rushed him inside. Sasha was right behind me, and both of us called for help.

  “Hey there, Justin.” The nurse in rose-colored scrubs, with a name tag which read Jennifer Smith, rushed over toward us. “You here again, little buddy?”

  Justin nodded a yes to the nurse who knew him by name, and who had obviously treated him before. Just as quickly, an IV was placed in Justin’s arm and he was whisked off and wheeled down a long hallway.

  “Hi, I’m Jennifer Smith.” The nurse held her hand out toward Sasha. “And you are?”

  “I’m Sasha Jones, Justin’s babysitter,” she said.

  “And I’m his tutor. Marcus Carter,” I said and held my hand out to her as well. She grabbed it and I gave her a strong handshake.

  “Nice to meet you both,” she said, and then turned toward Sasha. “Where’s Beverly, his mom?”

  “I tried reaching her on the way over, but couldn’t. I left her a message on her voice mail that we were here.” Sasha was still shaken up. “I’ll keep trying, though.”

  “Yep, you keep trying,” Jennifer Smith said. “In the meantime, we’re gonna get him started on some oxygen and help to ease his pain a little with some meds.”

  “What is this sickle cell that he has?” I had to ask. Everything had happened so fast, I was still in a whirlwind of
emotions.

  “Sickle cell anemia is a blood disorder that affects hemoglobin, which is a protein found in the red blood cells. Hemoglobin helps carry oxygen throughout the body.”

  “Yeah, I learned about that in my biology class,” I told her.

  “Well, sickle cell anemia occurs when an abnormal form of hemoglobin is produced, and causes the red blood cells to become odd-shaped or sickle-shaped and makes it harder for them to move freely throughout the body. You understand?”

  “A little,” Sasha said.

  I just nodded.

  “And instead of moving through the bloodstream easily, these sickle-shaped cells can clog the blood vessels and deprive the body’s tissues of oxygen, making people who have sickle cell more tired and weak.”

  “Can you catch sickle cell from somebody?” Sasha asked, and I wanted to know the answer to that, too. After all, I had been spending quite a bit of time with Justin, and I was the one who had picked him up and put him in the backseat of my Jeep. I wondered if I would end up with sickle cell anemia before it was all over.

  “No, honey. It’s not contagious.” Jennifer smiled. “You can’t catch it from someone or pass it on to another person like a cold or something. People who have sickle cell anemia have inherited from their parents.”

  “So Justin’s mom has it?” I asked.

  “Beverly has the trait, and so does Justin’s dad.”

  “He kept saying something about his joints aching. What’s that about?”

  “He’s having what we call a crisis, where he is experiencing excruciating pain in his joints. What was he doing when he went into this crisis?”

  “He was riding his bike,” I said.

  “Was he riding fast?”

  “He was racing with the little boy across the street,” Sasha said.

  “He probably overexerted himself,” Jennifer said.

  “Will he be okay?” I asked.

  “He’s gonna be fine,” Jennifer said and smiled. “Why don’t you have a seat in the waiting room, guys. Grab a couple of hot chocolates, and continue to try and reach his mom. I’m gonna go check on Justin.”

  “Hey, tell him not to be scared. We’re gonna wait right here until his mother comes,” I told her.

  “I’ll be sure and tell him.” She smiled and then disappeared.

  After she walked away, I exhaled. This was way too much excitement for one day.

  Chapter 16

  Marcus

  Beverly rushed through the automatic doors in the emergency room; her Waffle House uniform held a million grease stains. Her eyes were bloodshot from the exhaustion of working two jobs as she searched the waiting room for familiar faces. She spotted us, as we sat there, sipping Styrofoam cups filled with hot chocolate and watching Seinfeld reruns on the television that hung in the corner of the room.

  “Sasha!” she called and rushed toward us.

  Sasha stood and her anxiety kicked in again.

  “Miss Beverly. I don’t know what happened. One minute Justin was riding his bike, and the next minute he was on the ground in pain.” Sasha was almost in tears. “I was so scared. I didn’t know what to do. I’m just glad that Marcus was there to drive him to the hospital, and…”

  “Hey Marcus.” Beverly turned to me, gave me a warm smile. “You drove him here?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “I appreciate that. Thank you.” She touched my face with the palm of her hand. She was so calm, it was unbelievable. Sasha and I had been so scared and raised such a fuss, but Beverly kept her composure.

  “I’m just glad I was there to help.”

  “I’m glad, too.” She smiled. I could tell that she’d been through this before. She was unshaken. “I’m gonna go check on Justin. This usually takes most of the night and I know you both have school tomorrow. Have you called your parents?”

  “I called my dad and told him where I was,” Sasha said.

  “I checked in with my pop, too,” I said. I had called my father once the madness had settled down, and my heart had stopped pounding so fast.

  “Good,” Beverly said, and readjusted her worn purse on her shoulder. “Marcus, can you drive Sasha home?”

  “Yes, ma’am, I can do that,” I said.

  “You sure you don’t need us to stay?” Sasha asked.

  “Yes, I’m sure.” She smiled. “I’ve been through this with Justin a million times. Once the meds kick in and they get him comfortable, he’ll be just fine. I’ll call you both and let you know when he’s out of the woods.”

  “Okay, cool. Because I need to know that he’s alright,” I said.

  “I promise I’ll call you.”

  “Good.” I pulled my keys out of my pants pocket and turned to Sasha. “You ready?”

  “Yeah,” she said, and then hugged Beverly. “I hope Justin’s okay.”

  “He’ll be fine, honey,” she said and then hugged me too. “Thanks again to both of you for getting him here.”

  “No thanks needed.”

  Before we could say our goodbyes, she had made a mad rush toward the nurse’s station to find out which room they had Justin in. She looked over her shoulder at us and waved. That was our cue to go. We waved back and then exited through the automatic doors.

  We were both quiet for most of the drive to Sasha’s house. My thoughts were on Justin, and at one point I had even said a little prayer for him. He had really grown on me over the past few weeks, and I enjoyed tutoring him in math. He had become my little buddy. I often went home with a heavy heart, wishing Beverly had more money and could make ends meet a little better. I knew she was struggling just to keep food on the table for her and Justin. My plan was to drop by Kroger one day this week and buy her some groceries with my next paycheck. I had even scoped out Justin a pair of sneakers at the mall after I noticed the rundown ones he wore every time I saw him.

  Beverly was a nice lady, always offering me something to eat whenever I tutored Justin. She even tried to pay me for my services once, but I refused to take it. Watching Justin’s eyes brighten when he understood how to work through a problem, was payment enough. One night after tutoring Justin, Beverly handed me a brown paper bag. Said they were brownies loaded down with walnuts. She didn’t know I had a soft spot for chocolate brownies. Inside the brown paper bag was a Ziploc baggie with three chocolate brownies inside. At the bottom of the bag, underneath the brownies, was a crumpled up twenty-dollar bill. I just smiled, and vowed that I would do something nice for Beverly and Justin. They both deserved it.

  As I pulled up in front of Sasha’s house, I glanced over at her. She’d fallen asleep and her head kept bouncing against the passenger’s seat in my Jeep. I just watched her for a moment, and then gently grabbed her hand. She sat straight up, observed her surroundings, checked her mouth for drool and then looked at me.

  “I fell asleep.”

  She wasn’t telling me anything I didn’t already know.

  “You should wipe that slobber off your mouth.”

  She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “What slobber?” she asked.

  “Right there,” I said and ran my fingertips across her lips. I leaned in and soon my lips found hers. Her kiss was sweet and tender as we both closed our eyes and savored the moment. Her kiss tasted like the Now and Later that she’d popped into her mouth right after we left the hospital—sweet and strawberry-flavored.

  “I hated what happened to Justin today, but I enjoyed being around you,” she said.

  “Same here.” I had to admit, it felt good being with her. “I want to see you again. Can we go out on Friday night?”

  “I can ask.”

  “Your daddy strict?”

  Just then, the porch light popped on, and a middle-aged gentleman stepped outside wearing an old bathrobe that barely covered his middle-aged paunch. I knew about the paunch, because my pop had one. Sasha’s father wore reading glasses and pushed them down on the tip of his nose, and peeked over the top of them to get a better look a
t the car parked in front of his house.

  “I better go,” Sasha said.

  “Can I call you tonight?” I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket, ready to key her phone number in.

  “It’s best to e-mail me. Sashagirl at aol.com. I can’t talk on the phone after ten on a school night,” she said, and then opened the door. “I’ll see you in cyberspace.”

  She hopped out of the car and rushed onto her front porch. Her father was saying something as they both went inside. The porch light went out, and then someone peeked through the blinds to see if I’d pulled off. I wondered if it was Sasha, catching one last glance at yours truly, or if it was her father, making sure I found my way off of his property. Either way, I pulled slowly from the curb and found my way home.

  I crept into the kitchen, put the food away. Step-Mommy-Dearest had baked some chicken, cooked green beans with no real taste to them and had some other concoction I didn’t recognize, sitting there on the stove untouched. I stuffed it all into the fridge and wiped down the counters. After loading the dishwasher and starting it, I peeked in on Pop who had fallen asleep in front of the television in the family room. I started to wake him, but knew he had an early morning. Instead, I pulled a blanket over him and then bounced up to my room. Opened the window and threw a Skittle at Indigo’s window. It took me four throws before she drew her blinds and raised her window.

  “It’s about time you got home,” she said.

  “Were you waiting up?”

  “No,” she lied.

  “Had a crisis tonight,” I told her. “The little boy, Justin, that I’ve been tutoring got sick. He has sickle cell anemia and had an attack.”

  “An attack?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Was it serious?”

  “Serious enough to rush him to the emergency room.”

  “For real? Is he okay?”