Sorority Sisters (3 page)

FOUR

Tiara Johnson worked on her letter of intent for two days. She was frustrated and knew she would need help to make it exceptional. But she couldn’t ask just anybody for help. Rhonda was her only logical solution. She looked around her dorm room. There were posters of her favorite entertainers hanging on the walls, including the love of her life, LL Cool J. She loved her room because she didn’t have a roommate for the first time in her entire life, and she was able to decorate it however she chose.

She got up from her desk, stretched across her bed, and called her Big Sister. Although it was late, she had to call. Tiara had been working on her letter of intent for all night, but couldn’t seem to get down on paper what she really wanted to say. Becoming frustrated, she figured her Big Sister, Rhonda, could help her out before she lost her mind. She would make it up to her another time. The phone rang four times before Rhonda answered.

“Hello!” said the groggy voice.

“Rhonda, you just gotta help me! I know it’s late but I ain’t gonna be able to get no sleep till I finish this letter.”

“It’s ‘I’m not going to be able to sleep,’ Tiara. And what do I
just have
to help you with?”

“You’re right, but I won’t be able to sleep until it’s done. I want it to be perfect, flawless. They won’t accept nothing that’s not above average. You know that.”

“Tiara . . . never mind.” Rhonda was going to correct Tiara’s grammar again, but she decided to let it slide this time. Although Tiara had made her Big Sister promise she would stop her every time she “butchered a sentence,” it was late at night, Rhonda was tired, and Tiara seemed too excited to care about using a double negative in her sentence structure. Instead of nit-picking, she decided to ask Tiara what she was so worked up about this late at night. “What? Who? Tiara, who are you writing to, and why is it so important that you wake me up at one in the morning to help you complete some letter? As a matter of fact, why don’t I call you from work tomorrow?”

“No! Rhonda, you don’t understand. I’m working on my letter of intent to become a pledge and eventually a member of your ‘distinguished’ sorority, but I cain’t . . . I mean, I can’t manage to find the words to make me sound distinguishable enough to be accepted or even considered. I know what I wanna say, but I don’t know how. Maybe I’m tryin’ too hard. Rhonda, please stay up and help me. I will be forever grateful. I’ll wash your dishes for you the next weekend that I’m home. I’ll take Freeman out for a walk to the park, and you know how much I hate walking Freeman in the park. He barks too much. And Rhonda, I’ll even—”

“Okay, Tiara, I get the picture. I’ll help you, because if I don’t I know you’ll keep me on this phone all night begging for my help. It will be a no-win situation either way.”

“Thank you, thank you, thank you! You’re the greatest Big Sister in the world. I’m so glad that I was matched with you.”

Tiara never knew quite how to thank Rhonda enough for everything she had done for her since they were matched up through the Big Brothers Big Sisters program back in Gary, Indiana. She was instrumental in shaping Tiara’s young adult life, and it was because of Rhonda’s intervention that she was in college, and in her dorm room, and writing a letter to become a member of what Tiara considered the greatest sorority in the world—the same sorority of which her Big Sister, Rhonda, was a member. She looked up to her Big Sister, and wanted to follow in her footsteps and someday “be somebody.” She also planned to one day be a Big Sister to a little girl and positively influence her life the way Rhonda continued to influence hers.

“I know I’m great, but I do expect you to keep your promise and visit me when you come home. I realize you are a big-time college sophomore now, and coming home to visit your Big Sister may cramp your image, but I’d better be the first person you visit,” Rhonda joked, her voice still groggy. “Now let me hear what you’ve written so far, and we’ll go from there.”

Tiara read her letter to Rhonda. It did not sound bad. There were a few grammatical errors, and Rhonda helped her rephrase and rewrite important points so the letter flowed smoothly, but the core came from Tiara. Rhonda was proud.

“I’m really impressed with your letter and your reasons for wanting to join the sorority. You’ve also nicely laid out your intentions to positively represent and help the sorority uplift the community. You have done a great job.”

“You really think so?”

“Of course I do. You’re really turning into a pretty great young lady, yourself,” Rhonda commented. It was true. Tiara Johnson had really matured from the sassy little girl she’d met during their first encounter. Tiara and her social worker met Rhonda at a restaurant so they could become acquainted for the first time on neutral ground, but their first meeting didn’t go so well. Tiara was a very bitter little girl and had expressed, without sugarcoating her feelings, that she was not a charity case and didn’t “need no Big Sister telling me what I need to do!”

But Rhonda was determined to make the union work, although she wasn’t sure what she had gotten herself into by bringing this loudmouthed, uneasy, attention-starved child into her life. But somehow over the years Rhonda helped to transform a scared caterpillar into a beautiful butterfly. She exposed Tiara to nice restaurants, plays, museums, and the importance of pampering and loving herself. They went to church together on Sundays and read and discussed the Bible and other inspirational books and tapes, like Susan Taylor’s
In the Spirit
and Deepak Chopra’s
The Higher Self.
From her relationship with Rhonda, Tiara learned how to see herself where she wanted to be and not where she was.

She learned how to dream, and with Rhonda’s help Tiara dreamed herself right out of the tiny three-bedroom apartment that housed her, her mother, and five brothers and sisters, and into the college of her dreams. Now Tiara was attempting to dream herself into Rhonda’s sorority, which was a big step for someone with her background.

Tiara grew up in one of the roughest projects in Gary, Indiana. Victims of depressed urban life, only some of her classmates managed to graduate and attain blue-collar jobs, and even fewer went to college. However, she knew of many girls in her high school graduating class who were stripping or selling their bodies to make a quick dollar, or were on crack. Several of her male classmates were coerced into selling drugs or illegal firearms. Others were either dead or in jail.

Her mother now dated a drug dealer, and her three youngest siblings all had different fathers. Unemployed, her mother barely kept a roof over their heads and seemed more interested in playing the numbers and chasing after men than she was in her own children. Tiara had overcome a lot, but despite her unfortunate childhood, she felt lucky and blessed to have the opportunity to experience a better side of life here at school.

“I hope your sorors feel the same,” Tiara said with hope in her voice.

“I’m sure they will. You have a great chance. Just think positively, say a prayer, and wear something nice to rush. By the way, what’s this year’s theme?”

“Exclusive Pink Plush Rush.”

“I guess my sorors are running out of creative ideas. But I’m sure that when you’re accepted, you’ll help jazz things up.”

“I gotta be accepted first.”

“You will. So, Miss Tiara Johnson, are you still giving the men in your life a run for their money? Or better yet, have you found somebody special yet?”

“You know that some things never change. I’m never gonna let a man have my mind, even if it means I gotta be single for the rest of my life. Some of the girls on this campus are so ‘gone’ over their boyfriends that their lives revolve around them. They cain’t even think without asking their men how. It’s like they live to serve.”

“You’re so harsh.”

“I have to be. Their men have been seen going to visit other women in dorms all over this campus. And when they finally decide they’re tired of being accused of cheating, they leave with no explanation. Then those dumb girls go cryin’ to their so-called friends and the next thing you know everybody on campus be talking about their asses until somebody else gets dumped and they have something new to gossip about.”

“Watch your mouth, Miss Thing. I thought you were working on cleaning that up.”

“My bad, sis. You just hit a subject that pisses me off and I can’t be held responsible for my words. I’m working on it. Anyway, I refuse to live like that, even if it means not having a man. So, what’s up with that?”

“You mean the relationship thing?”

“Yeah, why do women seem to be the only ones catching he . . . heck from the brothers? And why do the brothers act like they could care less?”

Rhonda and Tiara both knew what Tiara was really asking. She was still trying to figure out why her father left her mother, Tiara, and her two sisters. Tiara never forgot how good things were before her daddy left her mother for a white lady. Polly was her name. She was a thin, stringy-haired blond, poor white trash home wrecker, as far as Tiara was concerned. How dare she come and break up their family and take her daddy away from her? Before her daddy walked out on them, they actually lived in a house. It wasn’t in the best neighborhood, but it was a house.

Her father left unexpectedly. Their life was never the same after that because her mother had committed herself to being a housewife and had little education, no self-esteem, and felt that she was not skilled enough to enter the workforce. Without a high school diploma, and scared, she did what most uneducated, single mothers do. She signed up to be another victim of the welfare system and moved her family into the projects.

Without her father’s presence, her mother lost control of her life and turned into a stranger, whom Tiara had a hard time relating to. Her mother had men coming in and out of the apartment, and before she knew it, Tiara had not two, but five siblings to help take care of. Tamika, who was two years younger than Tiara, was now a senior in high school. Janeece, nicknamed Niece, was a year and a half younger than Tamika. Her three brothers, Lamont, Donnell, and Cayman, were a lot younger. Lamont, nicknamed “Brother,” was nine, Donnell was eight, and Cayman, whom they called Man-Man, was six.

Each sibling was named after whatever stuck in their mother’s mind during her pregnancy. Tiara got her name after her mother watched a beauty pageant during her ninth month of pregnancy. The winner received a tiara among her many prizes. Her mother wanted her first girl to always be reminded she was as beautiful as that crown looked on the pageant winner’s head. Tamika was named after their mother’s then-best friend. Janeece and Donnell were each named after guest characters on her favorite sitcom. Lamont was named after the fine man from the auto dealership where she bought her used Chevette. When she was in the doctor’s waiting room with her last child, a documentary on Jamaica and the Cayman Islands was on the TV; so she got the name for her last baby boy.

Tiara loved her siblings but hated the ghetto life and hated her father for causing her to experience it. And she figured if her own father was no good, no other man could be any better.

“That’s life,” Rhonda explained. “There are some jerks out there, true. But all men are not like that. Tiara, you are a smart girl, and you have a life outside of men. You will probably never find yourself in the kind of situation where a man tries to use you up, because you’re different. You have a mind of your own, and you will be your own person in a relationship, and I promise you won’t end up like them.”

“Of course I won’t, because I won’t allow myself to get wrapped up in anybody. I don’t need a man in my life. I got myself and that’s all I need. Praise the Lord!”

“You’re a trip.” Rhonda laughed. “You always manage to crack me up. But Tiara, trust me when I say this. The right man will come your way, it’s inevitable. Just don’t be so caught up in putting every man off that you miss the right one when he comes along.”

“Okay, sis. I hear you, but I ain’t gonna be out there looking for him. He’ll probably have to run smack-dead into me before I even notice him, so he’d better have a good aim or else he’ll miss me.”

“He will have a good aim, and he’ll knock you head over heels in love.”

“This we shall see,” Tiara replied.

“Oh, we will, and I’m going to have my popcorn and soda ready to enjoy the entertainment of watching you fall in love. Well, Tiara, I’m gonna let you go, and I’ll try to sleep away what is left of this night. I’ll be praying for you, and I love you.”

“Thanks again for everything, sis. And I love you too. Bye.”

Tiara reread her letter of intent. Satisfied with the results, she decided that she should try to sleep too.

FIVE

Chancey didn’t want to go back to campus, but it was Monday morning and her first class was at ten. She loved staying at Donald’s apartment. It was so cozy and comfortable—a refreshing change from the bare brick walls in her dorm room. Although the school wouldn’t admit it, all of the senior football players had exquisitely furnished apartments compliments of the college’s alumni football fanatics. Both Don and his roommate were senior starters on the team and were given king-sized water beds and all the trimmings for their bedrooms. They also had a black leather couch and love seat, a twenty-seven-inch television, VCR, a five-disc CD changer in their living room, and an elegant glass dining room table with four black arch-backed chairs. They even had a few paintings to jazz up their walls.

Chancey Wright and Don were in love already, even though they had only been seeing each other for six months. They had met on Chancey’s first day on campus. Although Don often swore he had known he was going to make her his wife when they first met, she had a hard time believing him, because when he first laid eyes on her, she was not exactly looking her best. She never forgot how she woke up late that morning and had a three-hour drive to get to the campus. Worried that she would miss her dormitory check-in, she quickly brushed her teeth, washed her face, dressed, finished loading her car, and took off for campus. She didn’t even have time to put in her contacts, so she wore her glasses. Although her mother promised she would be up the following weekend to help get anything else she needed for her room, Chancey hated that her parents had to be out of town on business the weekend she was going away to college. She was not ready to take on the responsibility of moving herself into her new home.

She had parked her car by her new dormitory. After checking in, she began unloading her garment bags of clothes, when a six-foot-four, 260-pound, paper-sack-brown gentleman with the most perfect smile she had ever seen walked up to her, introduced himself, and offered to help carry her things to her room. Chancey was embarrassed that this handsome, overly friendly stranger was offering his assistance to her, a freshman who looked a mess. She was wearing long blue jean shorts and an oversized T-shirt that read wright family reunion. Her shoulder-length brown hair was pulled back into a thick, bushy ponytail, and because it was past time for a relaxer, it looked pretty shabby. She also had on the same glasses that she’d been wearing since she was a freshman in high school. Her tennis shoes were run-over, and, to top things off, her knees and elbows were ashy. However, Chancey was a natural beauty and required little maintenance to look good with her light-brown complexion, striking features, and full lips. Her eyelashes were long, so she didn’t need mascara, and her eyebrows were thick and well-shaped.

Although not dressed with the intention of meeting her future husband, she knew that if she unloaded her car by herself, she would never be unpacked in time to get a quick tour of the campus before it got too dark, so she took him up on the offer. While unpacking Chancey’s car, she and Don talked as if they had known each other all of their lives. When they finished, he gave her a tour of the campus, treated her to ice cream, kissed her on the forehead, and made her promise that she would not consider seeing any other guy on campus until she gave herself a chance to get to know him better. She promised. And from that day forward they either spent time together or talked on the phone every day.

In fact, they had just spent the weekend together, and she had the opportunity to see his parents again. Emitt and Glenda Robinson had come for the weekend, and Chancey went to Don’s football banquet with them. Don won two awards: the Coaches’ Award and MVP. Afterward the four of them celebrated by going to a nice bar and grill for appetizers and drinks. Don and Emitt spent most of the time talking about Don’s football career, while Chancey and Glenda talked about current events and made plans to go on a shopping spree during Chancey’s next visit to Louisiana with Don. His parents were always pleasant, and they really seemed to like Chancey. It was also obvious they cared about their son’s future and well-being.

Sunday morning, Chancey and Don met his parents at their hotel. They had a pleasant breakfast in the hotel’s restaurant, during which they confirmed plans for her to come with Don to Louisiana for a long weekend, right after spring semester finals. Don’s father promised to have an itinerary to ensure an enjoyable stay. His wife looked at him and laughed. “We’ll believe that when we see it.”

“Chancey, don’t pay her no mind,” Emitt said. “I’m gonna type an itinerary on the computer, and we’ll be ready to have a ball when you get there.”

“Emitt and his computer . . . Since he bought that thing he spends hours at a time on it. I have no clue how it works, but he tracks our expenses on it, and that Internet—”

“There’s a lot of good information on the Internet, honey. I made our plane reservations to come here over the Internet, remember?” he interrupted. He then turned to Chancey. “I’ll have the itinerary all typed up, and I’ll use the Internet to see what events will be going on during the weekend you’ll be visiting.”

“Okay!” Chancey said. She enjoyed spending time with Don’s parents because it gave her the opportunity to get to know more about Don’s background. During this visit it became apparent that Don’s father had control over the family’s affairs—his mother had no knowledge of their finances and allowed her husband to make the major decisions concerning her and her son.

“Just make sure you give Chancey and me enough time to get some shopping in,” Glenda said.

“Good! That’ll give me and my son some bonding time together,” Emitt said.

“Yeah, that’s right!” Don replied. “The ladies will go shopping and we’ll watch a good ol’ baseball game! It doesn’t get any better than that!” They all laughed while Chancey contemplated the similarities between Don and his father.

After breakfast, they drove Mr. and Mrs. Robinson to the airport and chatted until it was time for them to board the plane. Then Chancey and Don went back to his apartment, got into bed, and stayed there all day, leaving only to cook dinner. After eating, they got right back into bed and watched a movie.

It was a perfect weekend, and now it was over. She gave Don, who was still sleeping, a kiss on his muscular bicep, rolled out of bed, and headed for the shower. By the time she was dressed he had opened his eyes and was looking at her. “Good morning, my diamond.” Don always told Chancey she was like a diamond in the rough—a little rough around the edges but with a little time and care, she would be fit for a solitaire. She was never sure whether or not to take that statement as a compliment. She flashed him a loving smile anyway, and began to put on her shoes. “Wake up sleepyhead,” she said. “You’ve got to go to classes too, you know.”

“I’m up.” Donald yawned. He got a good look at his girlfriend. He was never thrilled with her attire. “Chancey, why are you wearing that extra-large shirt with those baggy jeans? As a matter of fact, why do you still own baggy jeans? God blessed you with a nice figure, and you should not be ashamed to show it off. Everybody knows that you’re my girl, so I’m not worried about the other brothers on campus looking at you, no matter how much of your shape you show off. They all know that they can look, but I bet they’ll think twice about touching.”

“What’s wrong with what I’m wearing? Oh, I see, you want me to dress like all those groupies who hang out at the games and at practice! That’s not my style, and you know that!” she said, standing her ground.

“No, I’m not saying that you should have tits and ass exposed to the campus, but baby, you could stand to wear clothes that fit.”

“Forget you, big head,” she joked. “I’m just going to class. I like to be comfortable when I’m taking notes and listening to boring lectures. Nothing is more annoying than being uncomfortably dressed while taking notes from a professor speaking in a monotone voice.”

Chancey had a 4.0 GPA entering college, and really didn’t have to take notes in her courses. However, she did so because everybody else did. She was extremely smart and blessed with a near photographic memory. She often amazed Donald by giving him a play-by-play repeat of every move he made in each game, sometimes weeks afterward. Before she began her first year at college, she had already completed twenty-four college credit hours and tested completely out of her foreign language requirement. Most of her friends didn’t know that she was actually a sophomore.

“Diamond, you can be comfortable and still look like a lady. I’m not saying that you don’t look nice, but you look like a little girl, and I know that my baby is a woman. I’ll tell you what, I got some extra money from Jackson and—”

“Jackson, the alumnus?”

“Yeah. Remember he took us out to eat after the first game of the season?”

“Oh, I remember him. All he talked about was football that night. He’s a fanatic, but why is he giving you money?”

“Well, you know how the alums are. They just want to make sure the players worry about one thing and one thing only, and that’s playing and winning football games.”

“As if an education is not as important,” Chancey expressed sarcastically.

Don ignored her snide remark and continued. “Jackson says I did a good job of staying focused; I helped produce two winning seasons, and I will be graduating on time. He said the alums agree that I was a major part of our team’s winning a Bowl this year, and they just want to congratulate me.”

“And what if the team had a losing season? Then what?” she pushed. She loved to tease him that way. They both knew what the alumni were doing was illegal. And although the treatment was nice, she wanted Don to be cautious when dealing with them.

He went on. “As I was saying, Jackson is going to give me some extra spending change, and I want to take you out Friday after class to get you a bomb-ass dress for rush. I’ll get you some shoes to match and whatever else you’ll need to be the classiest lady there. We’ll also get your hair done. I want you to walk through those doors knowing that my diamond is outshining everybody, including your future sorors. Speaking of which, have you written your letter of intent?”

“Yes, I have written my letter, and just how much spending change is this Jackson supposed to be giving you? Baby, you know what he’s doing is illegal. Anyway, I thought you liked me for me and not for my appearance.”

“Chancey, slow down. The season’s over. I’m about to graduate. Who’s gonna care about him giving me money anyway? And about your outfit for rush—baby, you know I love you, and I do mean that. You’re fine to me in whatever you wear. I just want those ladies in pink to know that their sorority will not be complete unless they have you as an addition. That is what you want, right?”

Chancey gave Don a dreamy look and a big hug. He didn’t always show the greatest tact in the world, but he meant well. “You know I am dying to pledge. And you’re right, when I’m accepted they won’t know how they ever managed to make such a difference in the world and on campus without me.” They both laughed.

“Thank you, Don. You’re so good to me. I knew I fell in love with you for a reason.” Chancey kissed Don on the forehead, grabbed her book bag, purse, and keys, and headed for her car.

“Baby, don’t forget to make your hair appointment!”

“I won’t. I love you.”

“I love your fine ass too, Diamond. Now go to class and make your daddy proud,” he joked.

“I will,” she replied. “You’d better get over to campus soon yourself. I’ll see you for lunch at the cafeteria.”

“Okay, baby love,” he said, as she closed the door.