1 Night Stand

by Amaleka McCall

Harmony turned her attention back to her baby sister. She lowered her chin onto Lyric’s head and continued her silent comforting. Harmony felt like she had been wrung dry of every emotion she had inside of her. Since arriving at Ava’s house, Harmony had felt anger, sorrow, hurt, regret, and now a deep, cutting guilt that threatened to reverse all of the mental wellness work she’d done over the past three years. As Harmony clutched Lyric in her arms, like she had back then, she couldn’t help but think about what happened to Lyric at Ava’s hands. At all of their hands, for that matter. All in the name of fame.

  Harmony closed her eyes and recalled how she had watched, day-by-day, as the sparkle of innocence slowly burned out in Lyric’s usually big, bright doe eyes.

  After their first audition for Andrew Harvey at his office, Ava had announced that they’d landed a deal. Their excitement had been short lived, when Andrew Harvey had requested a private meeting with Lyric. Harmony remembered how her insides had felt like they were being run through a meat grinder as she paced outside of his office door, worried about Lyric being alone with him.

  Ava and Melody had both tried to pretend not to notice the stifling tension that had seemingly choked them all, but Harmony had certainly felt it. When Andrew Harvey’s office door had finally opened that day, Harmony had stopped cold. Lyric’s eyes seemed dead, lifeless. She moved like a robot, like her legs weren’t her own. Gone was the usual little-girl gleam in her eyes and bounce in her step.

  “Lyric?” Harmony had rushed over to her. “What was that about?” she whispered.

  Lyric hadn’t answered; instead, she looked, wide-eyed, over her shoulder at Andrew Harvey. When Lyric looked at him, the expression of terror on her face reminded Harmony of a look she’d seen on the face of a horror movie actress being chased by a deranged killer.

  Harmony remembered how Andrew Harvey had winked at Lyric. His wink had made Harmony feel like she’d been kicked in the chest. He had clearly been hurling a threat with his eyes. Lyric had whipped her head back around, her eyes stretched to their capacity, her nostrils wide and pulsing.

  “Lyric, are you okay?” Harmony had pressed.

  “She’s fine. I’m her mother, not you.” Ava had wedged herself between Lyric and Harmony. “Let’s go celebrate now. We must not forget you girls just landed your first deal. Today, you can all have a sweet treat.” Of course Ava would allow them to have sweets to overshadow the reality.

  That night, at home, Harmony had crept down to Lyric’s tiny bedroom and found her balled up, knees to chest, sobbing on the floor.

  “Lyric?” Harmony had whispered gruffly, trying to make sure Ava didn’t hear them.

  “Lyric, what’s the matter?” Harmony got down on the floor and tried to pull Lyric’s arms from her face. “Why are you crying? What did he do to you?” Harmony asked, her own tears burning the backs of her eye sockets. Lyric never answered that night as Harmony scooped her into her arms. She didn’t have to. Both girls had sobbed into the night, and there would be many more of those to follow.

  * * *

  “Lyric, honey,” Harmony said softly. “Let’s go downstairs and face this together. I’m going to be right here.”

  Lyric stirred like Harmony had roused her from a deep sleep. She pulled herself out of Harmony’s grasp and sat up. Harmony finally got to take a good, close-up look at her baby sister. Harmony felt an explosion of pain in the center of her chest. She knew it was her heart breaking at the sight. Gone was Lyric’s blemish-free, smooth caramel skin. She had tiny scabbed-over sores on her cheeks now, and silver piercings with little sliver balls at the ends protruding from each eyebrow, her bottom lip, and a round one ringing her septum. Her half-shaved head and purple hair made her look older, harder. Lyric’s eyes were swollen and ringed by dark circles. Her nails were bitten down to the quick, and the tops of her hands had veins protruding like the hands of a ninety-year-old woman.

  “I’m going to hold your hand through this entire thing. I promise, Lyric. I’ll never abandon you again,” Harmony comforted, scanning her sister carefully.

  When Harmony’s eyes landed on Lyric’s arms, her eyebrows shot up into arches. Lyric noticed the flash of shock that filtered across Harmony’s face. Lyric folded her arms across her body so that her track marks were partially hidden.

  “Are you okay? I mean, living okay?” Harmony asked, concern lacing her words.

  Lyric scrambled up from the floor in a huff, brushing herself off. “I’m surviving,” Lyric answered evasively as she moved around her room, gathering her things she wanted to take.

  Harmony stood up too. “I know that you’ve been caught up in the life, Lyric, but I want you to know that you don’t have to be. I can get you some help,” Harmony offered, again lowering her eyes to Lyric’s arms. If Harmony had been able to do it for Ron, she could do it for her little sister too.

  Lyric let out a contradictory chuckle. “First of all, I don’t need help. Second of all, let’s take things slowly, Harmony. You don’t rush in and start judging me and I keep speaking to you, although I really don’t want to,” Lyric retorted.

  Harmony put her hands up in surrender. She didn’t want to undo the tender moment they had shared. “Fair enough. I just want you to know your options. I just want you to be okay.”

  “I’ve been doing okay this far.”

  Harmony walked over to Lyric’s old dresser and grabbed a picture that was stuck in the top left hand corner. She brought it close her face.

  “I remember this like it happened yesterday.” Harmony shook her head, one side of her mouth twisted upward. “Wow. Every corner of this place has a memory. Couldn’t escape it even if I tried.” Harmony exhaled.

  Lyric stopped moving and crossed the room. She stood next to Harmony and they both stared down at the picture. “I remember this too. Those outfits were a mess,” Lyric remarked, trying to skirt around the real memory that was swirling around the picture.

  “Yeah, a mess,” Harmony said in a low tone as they were both thrown back in time. Together.

  Harlem, New York

  October, 2003

  “The Apollo Theater!” Melody announced. “So many big stars started off performing here. We have to kill this performance tonight.”

  Harmony rolled her eyes. “My legs are so sore from practicing. I am dreading those heels. And this weave has my head pounding. I feel like a poodle with all of this hair on my head.”

  “Yeah. I have blisters on my feet,” Lyric chimed in, lifting her foot for emphasis.

  “Shut up complaining!” Ava boomed from the doorway behind them.

  Harmony jumped and Lyric fell backward onto the tiny, threadbare couch inside the old backstage area.

  “Do you ungrateful bitches know how many strings I had to pull to get you all this gig?” Ava gritted, pointing an accusing finger in Harmony’s face. “All you can do is find it in your little selfish devil hearts to complain all the damn time. As for you and your weave, I paid a lot of money to have you look like something other than an ugly, gorilla-face spook,” Ava spat cruelly.

  Harmony lowered her head in shame. Melody and Lyric both looked away.

  “I have feelings too, goddammit! I go through all kinds of hoops and ups and downs to try to make sure all of you get somewhere in life, and all you can do is find it in your black, ugly heart to complain?” Ava went on, her vituperative words aimed directly at Harmony.

  Harmony’s jaw rocked as she fought to keep her tears from falling.

  “You better learn how to be grateful because the way I see it, all your dark face is fit to do is clean somebody’s house. Now get ready for the show. There are six other groups in this talent show, and if you all don’t stand out, you’ll be tossed aside like next week’s garbage.” With that, Ava stormed out of the room.

  Lyric walked over to Harmony and wrapped her bony arm around Harmony’s shoulder. “You and me will never part. Ma-key dada,” Lyric sang. At first Harmony didn’t budge. “Here come that Mister; Celie, you better
clean this house,” Lyric mocked.

  Harmony lifted her head a little. “I’m poor, black, I might even be ugly, but I’m here. Dear God, I’m here.” Harmony followed up with her own line from the movie The Color Purple. Lyric was the first to laugh. Harmony followed. That trick had been working ever since the girls had snuck and watched the movie. They would pretend Ava was Mister, Harmony was Celie, and Lyric was Nettie. They never included Melody in their game.

  “Don’t worry with old Mister. She need a man,” Lyric joked. Harmony laughed harder this time.

  “Y’all better be quiet.” Melody broke up their fun. “We have a show to do, and I’m not trying to come in last with this talent showcase tonight. I don’t know about you two, but I’m going to be rich and famous one day,” Melody said, pouting her lips and kissing at herself in the dull, scratched-up backstage mirror.

  Lyric and Harmony looked at each other and sniggered. If they had ever included Melody in their game, she’d be the drunken version of Shug Avery.

  The Apollo crowd was a tough one to please. It was like they would rather boo and hiss than cheer and clap. As soon as Harmony, Melody, and Lyric filed onto the stage in their homemade matching pink army-fatigue patterned outfits, boos rose and fell over the audience. Harmony looked out into the audience of scowling faces and felt like running off the stage. She knew that would only draw more cruelty from her mother later. Harmony looked over at Lyric, who looked like she was about to pee on herself.

  Melody stepped out in front of the group and opened her mouth to belt out her first note. Melody’s voice cracked. The crowd was relentless. The booed and groaned and hissed and yelled, “Get them off!”

  Sweat dripped down the sides of Harmony’s face like a faucet had been turned on in her scalp. Harmony and Lyric danced their hearts out behind Melody, and they tried to harmonize their notes perfectly, hoping that would calm the ruthless audience. It didn’t work. Melody was completely off her game. She tried another top range and fell flat. Melody just couldn’t hold the crowd at bay.

  Harmony finally took things into her own hands. She stepped in front of Melody and picked up Melody’s lead lines. Harmony held her head back and belted out the high notes like her life depended on it. Harmony closed her eyes and let her raw talent rip from her body and someplace deep in her soul. She didn’t dance. She didn’t move. She didn’t worry about Melody’s hurt feelings. Harmony just sang. She sang and sang until her insides vibrated with the music. It was the first time the music had soothed a painful ache somewhere deep in her heart.

  A hush quickly fell over the crowd. They were enamored with the girl in front of them, each word of the song she sang mesmerizing them further.

  Harmony moved to the next stanza of the song, her voice holding court with the likes of Mariah Carey and even a young Whitney Houston. The crowd’s sound went from boos and jeers to cheers. Harmony was feeling the energy so much. She had connected with the audience in ways she had never been allowed. She carefully stepped down the stage stairs and into the audience aisle.

  “Oh, I love you!” Harmony bent at the waist and sang, pouring her heart into the performance.

  The crowd went wild. Slowly people began to get to their feet.

  “I said I love you!” Harmony carried the “you” as she climbed back on stage and stood in front of her sisters. Melody’s face was a dark shade of red, and her eyes were hooded. Melody could barely keep up with the dance moves. She was fuming.

  When their performance ended, they received a standing ovation and the loudest cheers of the night from the audience. Harmony beamed. The energy in the small theatre gave her chills. It was something she had never experienced before—acceptance.

  “Why did you do that?” Melody rounded on Harmony as soon as they were off stage. Harmony could see fire flashing in Melody’s eyes.

  “Do what?” Harmony snapped back. “Save our performance?”

  “No! Steal the lead from me and make me look like some stupid backup singer!” Melody shouted, getting in Harmony’s face.

  “I didn’t steal anything. I took over because you were failing and we were about to get booed out of here,” Harmony said through her teeth, standing almost nose to nose with Melody. “And if that had happened it wouldn’t be blamed on you. I would be the one called all kinds of names and punished for the failure. So, I stepped up and did what I needed to do to save myself,” Harmony said with feeling.

  “What is going on here?” Ava rushed and got between them.

  Harmony backed down. She knew that when it came to Ava, she had no wins against Melody.

  “She ... she made me look like a fool out there,” Melody whined, stomping her feet like a brat. Harmony knew better than to say anything. Ava looked at Melody sympathetically.

  “Tell me exactly what happened. What did they do?” Ava demanded, glaring at Harmony and Lyric.

  “I was singing my lead, and all of a sudden she”—Melody pointed an accusing finger at Harmony’s face—“just pushed me out of the way and started singing my part. She even left position and went down into the audience like . . . like she was really trying to make me look bad or something,” Melody relayed.

  “She’s lying!” Lyric tried to interject. Ava held up her hand. “But—” Lyric was saying.

  “Enough!” Ava walked over to Harmony, her eyes narrowed into dashes.

  “What did you do?” Ava asked stiffly.

  Harmony’s teeth chattered like someone had pumped ice water into her veins.

  “She ain’t do nothing,” Lyric answered. “She was just helping.”

  “I’m not going to tell you to be quiet again. I asked Harmony what she did,” Ava gritted, never taking her piercing gaze off of Harmony. “Look at me when I’m speaking to you!” Ava roared.

  Harmony’s head snapped up. Her cheeks twitched as she met Ava’s gaze.

  “I asked you a question.”

  Harmony glared back at Ava stubbornly. “I saved the show,” she answered crisply.

  Harmony suddenly felt her face light up with heat and her head snapped sideways. Her teeth clicked and her eyes squeezed shut on their own. She crumpled to the floor like a deflated balloon as more blows rained down on her.

  “Don’t hit her! She didn’t do anything! She saved the show!” Lyric screeched, grabbing Ava’s strong hand.

  Ava whirled around, and with the strength from her coursing adrenaline, she shoved Lyric so hard that Lyric fell backward at top speed. Caught off guard and unable to brace herself, Lyric’s body crashed to the floor at full force. The back of her head crashed into the uncovered concrete floors. A sickening crack resounded through the room.

  “Lyric!” Harmony squealed, forgetting her own safety and rushing to her sister’s side. “Lyric! Lyric! Wake up!” Harmony cried out, shaking Lyric’s shoulders. There was blood coming from Lyric’s nose. Her body was completely limp. Harmony looked up, terror etched on her face.

  “Call an ambulance! Now!”

  Within a few minutes the ambulance arrived. Lyric had regained consciousness but was dazed and confused. Ava had insisted she was okay, but the EMTs still loaded her onto the stretcher for transport to the hospital.

  Just as the EMTs got set to wheel Lyric out of the building, the talent show director came rushing toward Harmony, Melody, Lyric, and Ava.

  “Hey! Wait!” the director called after them. They all turned in her direction. “I just wanted to let you girls know that you won tonight,” the director huffed, out of breath from running. She turned and looked directly at Harmony.

  “Your performance was light years above the rest tonight, honey. I watched you pull off a save most people wouldn’t have been brave enough to even try. You didn’t let your sister’s failing deter you. I was in awe of how selflessly you stepped in and saved her from that crazy audience. It was something special to watch,” the lady said to Harmony. Harmony blushed.

  “You’ve got a special bunch of girls here. And that one,” the director said, tu
rning to Ava while pointing to Harmony, “she is fearless and fierce. That voice is something special, not to mention she’s a beauty,” the director complimented with a wide, toothy grin.

  Ava’s face turned a deep shade of pink. She couldn’t even look Harmony in the eyes. The lady handed Ava the tall trophy with a gold-plated winged lady at the top and the $500 first prize check.

  Harmony rolled her eyes at Ava and turned her attention back to Lyric.

  “We won?” Lyric croaked weakly reaching her hand out for Harmony.

  “Yes, baby sis. We won. And I’m here. I’m never going to leave your side. I’m here forever.”

  Chapter 8

  Melody

  “You ladies finally decided to break up your little Color Purple reunion?” Melody asked crisply, watching Lyric and Harmony enter the room together, arm in arm.

  Melody swallowed hard to stave off the tornado of hurt feelings swirling in her stomach. She hated that Harmony and Lyric had always shared a close, special bond. When they were kids, the two of them were inseparable. Melody remembered feeling left out of their little giggling secrets and their secret code language. She knew they excluded her, mostly because Ava treated her so differently, but that didn’t change the fact that Melody had grown up feeling a deep disconnect from her sisters and most of the time a cavernous loneliness that often made her secretly cry herself to sleep at nights. Everyone always mistook her for the strong one when deep inside, she felt she was the weakest of them all.

  “Yeah. I think we can finally get down to the business of planning now,” Harmony said.

  Melody eyed her sisters suspiciously. Lyric had a large duffle bag slung over her shoulder ,and Harmony clutched a stack of pictures. Melody felt a hot flash of jealous rage ignite in her chest.

  “So everyone just grabbing keepsakes without me?”

  “These are not keepsakes, and we’re not keeping you from taking anything that you want from the house, Melody,” Harmony replied flatly.

  “I don’t need anything from here anyway.” Melody waved her hand. “Anything that Ava had I can buy ten of,” she said defensively.