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Vance

The
drive from Grambling to Jackson seemed to take forever as Jaylen and I sat cramped in the backseat of Jessie's Kia Sportage. Mississippi's heat was muggy—worse than Atlanta's heat in July. And it didn't help that Jessie's air-conditioning didn't work. Lexi drove the entire way, the two of them in the front seat running their mouths the whole time. I was glad when she finally pulled the car into the driveway of a huge two-story house. The house was white with black shutters on all of the windows and sat on a huge piece of land. I was willing to bet that it was more than an acre.

The four of us stepped out of the car and followed Lexi up to the house. A huge barbecue pit was fired up next to the porch and some older dude was flipping burgers, ribs and chicken on it. A group of people were playing horseshoes and laughter filled the air. Another group of young men tossed a football back and forth to each other, and there was a card table set up on the opposite side of the yard where four people played Bid Whiz and cussed each other out.

A full-figured woman with a face that was identical to Lexi's stepped out the front door and onto the porch as we approached.

“Hi, baby.” She grabbed Lexi and hugged her tightly. “I was expecting you last night.”

“We decided to drive down after practice this morning,” Lexi explained and then changed the subject. “Mama, these are my friends…this is Jessie. She plays on the team with me. And these are my friends Vance and Jaylen.”

“So nice to meet you all,” Lexi's mom said. “I'm Katherine Bishop. You can call me Kat. Everybody does. I know y'all are hungry. Come on in here and get yourselves something to eat.”

We followed Kat through the immaculate living room with plastic still on the antique-looking furniture. The hardwood floors were shining so bright you could almost see your reflection in them. In the kitchen, there was so much food that you could barely see the countertops. Several large pans of food were covered in aluminum foil.

“Grab yourselves a paper plate and dig in,” Kat said. “Lexi, you know where everything is. Make sure you take good care of your guests.”

Kat disappeared and the four of us grabbed plates and began to load food onto them. I wasn't wasting any time. I was hungry and Lexi's mother had instantly made me feel at home with her Southern hospitality. I sat next to Lexi at the island in the kitchen and stuffed my face with barbecue ribs. I didn't care that there was sauce all over my face, and I didn't even mind when Lexi took the corner of her napkin and wiped it off.

After dinner, Jaylen and I played horseshoes with Lexi's father, Don Bishop, and her three uncles. It was my first time playing the game, but it wasn't rocket science and I caught on pretty quickly. That didn't make it any easier to compete against men who were experts at the sport. They whipped our pants off and then sent us into the house to play a game
that they claimed was more our speed—Bid Whiz—with Lexi's aunts.

“Come on in here, babies, and sit down,” Lexi's aunt Florence said as we looked on.

“We'll teach you how to play,” her aunt Doris said.

“She'll teach you how to cheat,” Aunt Florence corrected her. “Because that's all Doris ever does is cheat.”

“I don't cheat. I'm just an expert at the game.”

Jaylen and I sat across from each other at the card table, pretending we knew what we were doing. Aunt Florence and Aunt Doris taught us everything they knew, and for a brief moment we were actually giving them a run for their money—their quarters anyway. We were playing for quarters and by the end of the night I had lost every one that I had in my pocket. I was sure that Jaylen was broke, too. We knew it was time to get up.

After a few games of Bid Whiz, Jaylen and I joined Lexi and Jessie in the family room where they were watching
All About The Benjamins,
a movie that I'd seen at least ten times. But I sat down to watch it again for the eleventh time. I plopped down onto the leather sofa next to Lexi, where she snuggled close to me—so close that I could smell the oils that she'd just bathed in. Jaylen sat in a chair in the corner of the room and Jessie sat with her legs crossed on the floor. Lexi and Jessie had both showered and changed into pajamas.

We watched
All About The Benjamins
and then Lexi popped in
Friday After Next,
and we laughed about everything that Day-Day had to say. Just the look on his face was enough to make us laugh. I couldn't remember the number of times that Jaylen and I had watched all the
Friday
movies. We knew each line word for word, and no matter how many times we'd watched it was always just as funny as the first time. After the credits from the movie rolled up the screen, I started to feel tired.

“You think I can grab a shower?” I asked Lexi.

“Of course. Let me show you where you and Jaylen will be sleeping tonight. There's a bathroom attached to your room.”

I followed Lexi down the long hallway; my sneakers made a squishing noise in the plush carpet as I tried to tiptoe, careful not to wake her parents. After ushering everyone out of the house, they had said their good-nights and then retired to their bedroom. But not before her father gave us all strict instructions about our sleeping arrangements and warned us that there would be no funny business.

He looked me square in the eyes when he said, “If everyone obeys the rules, then I won't have to break nobody's legs.”

His shoulders were broad like a bodybuilder's. His head was bald and his beard was graying. He didn't seem like anyone that I wanted to be in a confrontation with. I had every intention of obeying his rules and keeping my legs intact. After all, it was his house and I was too far away from home to be playing with my life.

Lexi stopped in front of a room with blue walls and two twin beds against each wall, with a nightstand in between them. The blue-and-red plaid comforters made the room feel manly and I was glad there weren't a bunch of flowers everywhere. It seemed warm and comfortable.

“Here we are.” She smiled. “You and Jaylen can sleep in here. Let me grab you a towel and a washcloth so you can take a shower.”

“Cool,” I said. I took a seat on one of the beds and watched as Lexi disappeared down the hallway.

“Who are you?” A young boy wearing a Celtics jersey popped his head into the room.

“I'm Vance. Who are you?”

“Zach,” he said. “Are you my cousin or something?”

“Nah, I'm Lexi's friend,” I said.

“Do my parents know that you're here?” he asked right before Lexi pushed him out of the way.

“Get out of the way, big head,” Lexi said and pushed Zach inside the door before I could respond to his question. She explained, “This is my little brother, Zachery. He's a ten-year-old nosy busybody. And don't pay attention to anything he says.”

“We met,” I told her.

“Shouldn't you be in bed?” Lexi asked Zach.

“Shouldn't you be in bed?” Zach asked her, a grin on his face. “Does Mama and Daddy know that you have a boy in the house?”

“Yes, they know.” Lexi sighed. “Now can you please go away?”

“I'm gonna go ask 'em,” Zach threatened.

“Go ask!” Lexi said. “And take your big head to bed while you're at it.”

Zachery left the room, but not before popping Lexi on her behind—hard.

“Ooh, I can't stand little brothers! You don't have one, do you?” she asked.

“No, but I got a little sister. And she's just as annoying. Maybe even a little worse.” I smiled.

“Nah, nobody's worse than him,” Lexi said. “Here's your towel and washcloth. The bathroom is right through there.” She pointed toward a doorway that was attached to the room.

“Cool, thanks.” I grabbed them and headed for the bathroom.

“Hey, Vance,” she said before leaving, “my room is right down the hall.” She smiled a sly little smile. “Jessie's sleeping in the guest room upstairs and I'll be all…alone. Maybe you can come visit me later.”

“But your daddy said…”

“Forget about him. He's all bark and no bite,” she said. “My
room will be the one with the SpongeBob SquarePants purse hanging on the door handle. I'll leave it there just for you.”

It was no secret that Lexi loved SpongeBob SquarePants. She was wearing the character's pajamas and slippers. And one time on campus, I caught her wearing a SpongeBob T-shirt.

“Okay, I'll think about it,” I told her, but I wasn't sure if I was going to chance it. I grabbed a pair of underwear from my overnight bag, headed for the bathroom and turned on the shower.

When I stepped back into the bedroom after my shower, Jaylen was already reclined on the twin bed across from mine, his arms resting behind his head and his legs crossed.

“Man, this crib is dope.” He smiled. “I could get used to this.”

“Yeah, it is pretty nice,” I said, standing there with a towel wrapped around my waist. “I think I'm gonna go check on Lexi. See if she's asleep yet. Maybe tuck her in; read her a bedtime story.”

“Yeah, right.” Jaylen smiled. “You creeping into her room, ain't you?”

“I'm just going to check on her.” I smiled back. “But don't wait up.”

We both laughed as I gently pulled the door open and stepped out into the hallway. I walked softly down the carpeted hallway in search of Lexi's purse that she said would be hanging on her door. I spotted it and crept up to the door, turned the knob and quietly pushed the door open. It was dark inside and I wondered why she hadn't left the light on for me, especially since she was expecting me. After all, she had invited me. For what, I wasn't sure. We hadn't been intimate yet. The most we'd done was kiss, although the chemistry was definitely there. I guess curiosity had brought me down this long hallway, just to see what Lexi had in mind.

“Lexi,” I whispered. It seemed that she was already in bed; I could see the lump underneath the covers. “Lexi, you sleep?”

Suddenly the light from the bedside lamp nearly blinded me.

“Young man, why are you in our bedroom calling for Lexi?” Kat sat straight up in bed.

“Why are you looking for Lexi in the first place?” Mr. Bishop asked, a crease in the center of his forehead. “And wearing nothing but a bath towel?”

“Um…” I didn't really have an answer. I was shocked and embarrassed and knew that my life was possibly in danger. My heart was beating at a rapid pace.

“Didn't you hear me tell you earlier that I would break both of your legs, son?” he said. “I wasn't playing with you.”

“Be nice, sweetie.” Kat patted her husband's hairy chest, which was more than I wanted to see.

“Go put some clothes on, son, and meet me in the kitchen,” he said. “I want to have a word with you.”

My heart pounding out of control, I turned to walk away. Strolled slowly through the Bishops' bedroom door and back down the hallway. What was Lexi thinking? Was she trying to set me up or what? Didn't she know that her father was scary? It was then that I spotted her little brother standing in the dark shadows of the hallway, his arms folded across his chest, a wicked smirk on his face.

“Looking for someone?” He giggled.

“You little…” I lunged toward him and he took off running.

I wasn't about to chase after him in a house I knew nothing about. I let him go but promised myself that I would get him later. He wasn't about to get away with setting me up, I thought as I stepped quietly into the guest room.

“That was fast,” Jaylen said. “She obviously wasn't giving up the booty.”

“Man, I busted in on Lexi's parents. It wasn't even her room.”

“Word?” Jaylen laughed. “How did that happen?”

“Her little brother playing games. He switched the purse on the door handle…” I tried to explain everything to Jaylen but from the look on his face, I could tell that he had no idea what I was talking about. “Anyway, Mr. Bishop wants to talk to me…in the kitchen.”

“Now?”

“Right now.”

“Ooh, for real?” Jaylen asked and placed his fist over his mouth. “Dog…you in trouble. I'll start packing our things while you're gone. That way we can go ahead and get an early start on our walk back to campus. Maybe we could even hitchhike….”

“Jaylen, shut up.” I slipped on a pair of jeans and pulled a wifebeater over my head, then reluctantly walked down the hall toward the kitchen. It seemed to be the longest walk of my life as I made my way to the kitchen. Mr. Bishop sat at the kitchen table waiting patiently for me to arrive. At that point, I knew that my days were limited.

Tameka

A game
of Monopoly was always a good way of finding out about somebody's business sense. It was a game where you got to feel grown-up and make decisions about paying bills and buying property. Sometimes you ended up broke and disgusted while the person across the board from you was rolling in the dough and laughing every time you landed on a piece of their property. That person tonight was Sean. He owned every piece of high-dollar property there was on the board—Boardwalk and Park Place, Pacific, North Carolina and Pennsylvania Avenues. Alyssa and I were afraid to even approach his side of the board for fear that the next time around we might actually be homeless.

“Feel free to give up at anytime,” Sean said boastfully. “I own just about everything on the board so I'm just gonna continue to take all of your money.”

“Not a chance!” Alyssa said as she rolled the die.

She was a competitor by nature. She was an athlete and loved a challenge, even when she was losing. She never gave up, no matter what. When we were little and played board games or even a simple game of hopscotch, it always turned into a serious competition for her. Even when she lost, she
wanted a rematch. Sometimes when I refused to give her a chance at beating me, she would pout and stop speaking to me for a couple of hours.

For me, it wasn't that serious. As I landed on Boardwalk one last time, several little red hotels posted up along the board, I knew that it was over for me. I handed over my last few dollars to Sean.

“I guess I'm out of the game,” I announced. “I'm officially broke.”

“I didn't mean to take your money like that.” Sean smiled and then looked over at Alyssa, who wasn't smiling at all. “You give up, too? I'm kind of tired of whipping y'all.”

“No, boo. I still have money left.” She counted her last few green and pink dollars. “Plus I'm about to get two hundred dollars for passing Go.”

“That's if you make it there.” He started rubbing the hairs on his chin.

“Just give up now, girl,” I told her. “There's no way you're making it past Boardwalk.”

She rolled the die and then advanced nine spaces. As she landed on Park Place, she rolled her eyes at Sean. “I want a rematch,” she said.

“Nah, I don't feel like playing another game. It's too long,” he said and stood. “I think I'm gonna head outside and check out some of the fireworks. You coming, Tameka?”

“Cool. Yeah,” I said and tried to lift myself up from the living room floor. When Sean saw me struggling, he offered a hand. He pulled me up and I lost my balance and fell into his arms.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Yeah, thanks,” I said and then followed him toward the front door. “You coming, Lyssa?” I asked.

“Nah, I'm gonna go help Aunt Mel put the food away and clean up in the kitchen,” she said. “You kids have fun.”

I rolled my eyes at her and then followed Sean out the door and into our driveway where my little cousins were popping firecrackers. Sean and I found a couple of lawn chairs in the garage and placed them in the driveway next to each other. It was a beautiful night as I looked up into the sky and checked out the moon and stars. I wondered if Vance was looking at the same moon and stars, and wondered if he was thinking of me at that moment. It was a romantic scene, I thought, as I took a seat next to Sean.

“The moon is pretty cool, huh?” he asked. “It's like God placed it there just to smile down on us.”

“You think so?”

“Aw yeah. Look at it…how beautiful it is,” he said. “It's almost as beautiful as your smile. I meant to tell you that earlier…that I like your smile.”

“Thank you.” I couldn't help blushing. It wasn't often that guys paid me compliments. Teenage boys were usually focused on other things like…themselves. And when they paid compliments, it was usually about your body parts—your butt, your breasts, your legs. Never your smile.

“So…is your boyfriend helping you out…you know, with the pregnancy and stuff?”

“Well, since he's away at school, his parents send me money to help out with buying the things that I'll need for the baby…like clothes and a car seat. His mom gave me a crib that used to belong to Vance. He slept in it when he was a baby. I thought that was sweet,” I said and realized that I was rambling. I couldn't remember if I'd answered Sean's question, so I simply said, “I'm hoping that she's born during Thanksgiving while Vance is home on break.”

“That would be cool,” Sean said. “So you already know it's a girl?”

“Yeah, I had a sonogram done a few months ago and
found out that it was girl. But I didn't tell Vance yet. I wanted it to be a surprise.”

“Do you love him?”

“Of course. We're gonna get married after we both finish college.”

“I hope he's not like the dude that got my mother pregnant. He didn't stick around that long at all—didn't even step up to his responsibilities. And for that, I lost respect for him. I thought he was a pretty cool dude until then. Now I just wanna hit him in his jaw.”

“Yeah, that was pretty lame,” I said, remembering the story that Fawn told the group on the first night we met. “Vance denied our baby at first…telling me that it wasn't his. I think guys are probably scared at first, until the reality of it sinks in. And then they come around. Maybe Fawn's ex will come around, too.”

“Maybe. But it's too late in my opinion. He put her through too much hurt. I've listened to her cry too many nights over this. He can't ever step up on my doorstep. I'm the man of that house and I won't allow it. I've been with her through thick and thin…going to her doctor's appointments and her exercise classes.”

“I know what you mean,” I said. “I would be so mad at him.”

“So your boyfriend finally came around…started claiming the baby?”

“Yeah, he came around and decided to step up to the plate. He was scared at first, because he thought his future was down the drain. But he finally saw that he could still go to college and everything and still handle his responsibilities, too.”

“That's good,” he said. “My cousin goes to Grambling State. He's down there taking some summer classes. I thought of going there myself but changed my mind. I wouldn't be
able to focus down there…lots of partying going on. So many frat parties and girls…lots of girls. I saw pictures of the girls that are down there. They are hot! I would be kicked out before my second semester.”

His comment about frat parties and girls caused my heart to pound. I wondered if Vance was down there partying and having fun with other girls at my expense. His phone calls
had
become less frequent and when I was able to catch him on the phone, he was always in a hurry to end the conversation. He claimed that he was busy with basketball practice and summer classes. And the reason he didn't call so much was because he had to be careful about using his phone. His parents had warned him about roaming fees since he was out of state. He said that college was way different than high school and that it required more time and focus. The last thing I wanted to do was place unnecessary pressure on him while he was down there trying to make a better future for me and our baby. So I let it go. I knew that he loved me and that was all that mattered at the moment. But listening to Sean talk about what he'd heard about Grambling raised concerns that I hadn't had before.

“So, they party a lot down there?”

“Yeah. Every weekend there's a frat party or something going on,” he said. “I'll probably go down there for a weekend visit soon. My cousin wants me to come and check out the campus, even though I already know I'm not going there. I've already been accepted to Georgia State.”

“You don't seem excited about it,” I said.

“It's cool. Whatever makes my moms happy, you know? She deserves more than I can really give her right now, but it's just the little things that count. She was all excited about me getting accepted into college. She didn't even care which one, just as long as I was going. Nobody in our family ever went to college before.”

“Same here. That's why I have to go, for everybody who didn't,” I told Sean.

“Your moms is cool,” he said. “She seems so young and hot. Was she mad when you got pregnant?”

“She wasn't really mad, just disappointed because she wanted better things for me. Now she just drives me crazy about things like what I eat and how I dress. She's so over-protective. And I know it's only gonna get worse after the baby's here.”

“She's just looking out…like good moms do.” He smiled and stood. “You wanna take a walk?”

“Okay,” I said and stood, too.

We headed out of my driveway and down the block. Where? I wasn't sure, but I was enjoying the conversation we were having; I didn't want it to end. Sean was easy to talk to and very easy on the eyes. The sound of fireworks going off echoed throughout the city. There was a cloud of smoke in the sky left behind from the bottle rockets, firecrackers and M-80s that people were lighting up every two seconds. Even though fireworks were illegal in the state of Georgia, people managed to still find them and shoot them regardless. Daddy always made the short drive to Chattanooga just to buy the illegal goods and smuggle them across the Georgia state line. Everybody did it, and nobody ever got arrested for shooting the fireworks. I often wondered why they made rules that they didn't bother to enforce.

Sean grabbed my hand as we strolled down the block. I didn't even mind. In fact, it seemed natural as I compared my hand to his. His were so much bigger, and nearly swallowed mine. They were softer than most boys' hands. We turned the corner and spied on some boys shooting hoops on the next block. Someone else was barbecuing right there in their driveway. A few houses down, an older couple sat
on their porch and probably gossiped about everyone who walked past. And finally, the nerdy guy who lived on the corner polished his red sports car and stared as we walked past. The Fourth of July seemed to bring everyone out of the house for one reason or another.

“What does it mean when your boyfriend is away at college, and you barely hear from him…he hardly ever calls, and when you call him…he's always in a hurry to get off the phone?” I asked Sean.

He shrugged. “I don't know. It could mean a lot of things. It could mean that he's busy. It could mean that he's partying and having a good time….”

“Could it mean that he's messing around with somebody else?”

He shrugged again. “Put it like this…if you're really into somebody, you would make time for them no matter what. Especially somebody who's carrying your baby. I know if I had a girl like you at home while I was away at college, I would be calling her every day just to check on her…make sure she was okay.”

“You're sweet.” I smiled.

“And you're beautiful,” Sean said.

“Thank you for hanging out with me today,” I told him.

“No problem. Anytime,” he said. “Let's head back to the house. I don't want your mother thinking that I kidnapped you.” As we walked back toward my house, I felt happier than I had in days. Worrying about what Vance was doing while away at college was a full-time job…and an exhausting one. And I was too young to be worried or exhausted.