Work What You Got (11 page)

Authors: Stephanie Perry Moore

BOOK: Work What You Got

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“Well they're out partying all over campus. Did you really think they were going to do any public service in the first place?” Chandra said to me.

“They're grown women. There's nothing I can do,” I said to the both of them.

Creed put down his trash bag. “That's not true. You're the Chapter President. They voted you to keep them straight. Get on their butts if you need to.”

Chandra said, “If nothing else, at least remind them of why y'all supposedly signed up to be in a sorority in the first place. Because I got a couple of them in my class and they keep coming in late and are obviously hung over. I'll be surprised if most of them even pass their finals.”

“But I'm leaving to go home for Christmas break tomorrow. I can't get us all together in time.”

“Well obviously you can't get them together if they think it's to do some work,” Creed said.

“What, you want me to lie to them?”

“Nah, but you need to make it sound urgent. You know how to get them. Please, do your thing. Work what you got,” he said, looking at me. “All of my brothers are talking about them. I'm just saying you don't want your girls to have a bad reputation.”

Five hours later we were in our sorority room on campus. My urgent call for a meeting worked. Everyone including Sharon was there.

“What's going on, girl? What's so important?” Trisha asked.

“Yeah, there's a fraternity party tonight and we need to be up in the place,” Audria said, completely shocking me. She had been the good girl on the line. What had happened to her? If she had turned crazy, there was no hope for any of us. Was I so into my own world that I never noticed how Audria, a preacher girl, dismissed her religion so quickly? I had to do something. I had to let them know their actions weren't faring well for BGP.

“Guys, there's been a lot of folks coming to me and telling me that my line sisters are all wild. And I know we're supposed to have fun and enjoy this newfound world of Greekdom we're in, but we're not supposed to go crazy. I love each of you guys, I do. But we vowed to uphold the values and ideals of this sorority. We're here to help the community. Today we were supposed to pick up trash and y'all were picking up men. I believe our founders would turn over in their graves if they could see how you guys were acting. These letters are not about us. They are about bettering the world. You guys need to check yourselves, and I'm doing the same thing, because obviously as a leader I'm failing if you think all we're here for is to party. In order for us to do Alpha chapter proud, we gotta get our priorities straight. We gotta fix this because right now this Beta Gamma Pi chapter is broken.”

GUILTY

T
risha stood up and said to everyone, “Self-centered, Greek-letter wearing heffas is what we have been. Hayden, you're right.”

After I had given my big spiel about how disappointed I was in all of them for not showing up for the public service project, I felt bad that I had been so harsh. Everyone deserved to have a little fun. But hearing Trisha accept everything I had to say with the right spirit really made me feel good. However, no one else was saying anything. Then my cell phone rang. I had forgotten to turn it off before the meeting had begun. I quickly answered it. “Yeah, what's up?”

“Hey, it's me, Creed. I'm just touching base with you. I know you were meeting up with your girls. Is everything straight?”

“You're interrupting. I'm in the middle of that meeting right now!”

“I'm sorry, don't bite my head off. I was just checking,” he replied.

“I'm sorry. I have to call you back. I should have turned off my phone.”

“Alright, call me back ...”

I hung up before he could even finish. I was bummed with how I was treating my line sisters and ashamed at how I was treating my man. All this pressure to sit here and do the right thing was obviously weighing me down. Christmas break couldn't come soon enough.

Audria came over to me and placed her hand on my shoulder and said, “And that's why we wanted you to lead us, so you could keep us on track, and reel us in like wild fish trying to get away from the bait. Thanks for personally calling me out. I'm going to straighten up, and put God first.”

“Yeah, I'm going to straighten up too,” Dena said.

“And I told them we should be picking up trash, but they blew me off,” Sharon blurted out.

We all laughed and a couple of people balled up paper and threw it at her. Obviously, she was having fun like everyone else. I was proud of the support. Maybe we could turn it all around.

So I said, “Alright, we can't go back. We've had a little fun and now it's time to get a little perspective and really do this thing like we said we would when we signed up to be members of Beta Gamma Pi.”

Trisha, our elected treasurer, raised her hand and said, “Well, I think we should have a Beta Gamma Pi end-of-the-school-year bash, like they did last year. We're low on funds and we need to put some money in the pot.”

“Yeah, let's do it,” Bea agreed.

I was starting to think about what she was saying and I wasn't opposed to it. But I just told them that we had been doing too much of that. I wasn't sure a party was the right move. Plus, with all our pledging funds it didn't make sense for the account to be low.

“I don't understand how the account can be low.” I questioned Trisha.

“I don't know, maybe all of the checks haven't cleared from the ones that we submitted to pledge,” Trisha replied.

“But we didn't submit checks,” Dena said.

“Yeah,” I reminded Trisha, “we used money orders. The account shouldn't be low. Let me see the bank statement.”

“Uhh, I don't ... I don'tâ” Trisha couldn't give me a straight answer. “You know what, I don't have it on me. I didn't know we were going to go through all of this business.”

I said, “That's cool! I just don't think a party is the way we need to go about raising money.”

Trisha appealed to my heart and said, “Well, we need to come back next semester with some funds so that we can really make an impact on the community. I'm not one for parties, but we need a quick fix. Let's take a vote.”

I was quickly outvoted. That night, at five dollars a head, we filled the clubhouse at Trisha's apartment complex. It got a little uncomfortable when five of the suspended Betas: Penelope, Edythe, Keisha and two other sorors, came to the door. Protocol didn't allow us to charge them, suspended or not. It was the first time any of us had been in contact with Keisha, and we all froze when we saw her.

“Y'all go on in,” Trisha said.

Penelope grabbed my arm and led me over to a corner. “What's going on with all of these parties y'all are attending and now hosting? The event we do at the end of the semester is supposed to be public service based.”

Keeping it real, I said, “We were just trying to get some more money in the account.”

“There was forty-five hundred dollars in the account when we turned everything over to the Regional Coordinator. How much money do y'all need?” she said, shocking me.

“This party is weak anyway,” Keisha came over and saidâand just as quickly as she and her crew came in they were gone.

Trisha smiled at me and shrugged her shoulders, not having heard what Penelope had said about the account. I knew I couldn't believe everything I was told, but as much as I loved my girl Trisha, something wasn't right.

“Mom, I'm home,” I said as I arrived home for the Christmas break.

I didn't realize how much I had missed being home. The smell of the apple cider, seeing the pretty Christmas tree in the living room and the sound of the Nat King Cole Christmas CD my mom played every year, reminded me I was glad I was home. I couldn't wait to be in her arms, but she was nowhere to be found.

At that point, I couldn't wait to see my sister Hailey either. She usually got on my nerves when I was home. However, being away from the brat made me miss her tail. She wasn't around either. Where was everyone? I had seen my mom's car in the driveway, so surely they were home.

“Mom, it's me, come out. I'm home,” I uttered, a little disappointed.

“Yeah, but what you didn't know is that I was coming home,” my father called from behind me.

As much as I had missed my mom and my sister, I hadn't seen my dad in two and a half years. Hearing his voice and being in his presence was the best Christmas gift ever. I turned around and almost took his neck off from choking him so tight.

“Aww princess. You don't miss your old man that much. You've been off to college and I can't even get a letter from you. I even tried the texting thing a month back and I got no response. Left you messages on your cell phone, and that didn't even make you get back to me. Your mom says this sorority stuff has your mind completely off track so I had to come home and make sure I still had a daughter at Western Smith College.”

“Oh Daddy, I'm sorry,” I said, ashamed 'cause I knew he was right.

I had stopped writing. I hadn't even really been there for my younger sister, either. With all the drama at school, I hadn't stopped to think that I still had a family that needed me. Beta Gamma Pi couldn't take up all of my energy.

“Your mom is in my rental. She and your sister are picking up some groceries. They wanted to make everything perfect for you. I think you are an hour or two earlier than she expected. You know she's planning this big dinner. With us both back home, she is going all out.”

And then I just cried. I had totally gotten off track. But now I was so happy just to be with my dad.

“I'm sorry, Daddy. I know I have been a horrible daughter. You've been over there fighting and you don't even know what I'm doing. I've thought about you all of the time and I am going to do better, I promise.”

“Well, don't worry about that. While I'm back I'll be able to check it out for myself.”

The night was so special. We played games and had the best home cooked meal. Even Hailey, my usually bratty sister, was on her best behavior. Having a home away from home with my roommates was great, but it was nothing like actually being with your family.

The next afternoon, my dad took me shopping to catch up. My mom was helping my sister get ready for her piano recital that we'd all be attending shortly. It had been ages since my father and I hung out. He kept looking over at me. Yep, his baby had grown up. He looked like he wanted to discuss something deep. I wished he'd just come out with it, so I could get him to go deep in his pockets and hook me up with some new outfits.

Breaking the ice, I said, “Daddy, are you back for good?”

“Sure am, baby girl.”

“Does Mom know?”

“No, not yet. That's my Christmas present to her. She thinks I'm here just for a week. I know it's been hard for you, baby, not having your old man around, but your mom has been keeping me posted.”

Now I knew he was about to get to talking.
What has Mom been telling him?
I wondered. Whatever it was, I knew I could always talk to my dad. When I got my first kiss after junior prom in high school, he was the first person I told and he actually didn't trip.

He touched my face and continued, “She told me that I need to get back here because you have your eyes on some young man. I don't believe you've been sleeping over at any guy's house. But I know you may be tempted. It ain't been that long since I was in college, and I remember how it wasâthere are certainly some things I did that I am not proud of. But dating is different for men, our reputation can bounce back. I certainly remember telling you before I left here, men don't like buying the cow when they can get the milk for free.”

I said, “Exactly.”

“So, what's up? You're not doing anything with that boy I wouldn't approve of?”

“Dad.”

“See, you look guilty.”

“No, Dad. I'm serious. I've been good.”

“Well, where is the young man? Am I going to meet him any time soon?”

“I think he's probably mad at me.”

“Why?”

“Same reason you are.”

“You haven't been calling your guy either? What's going on with this sorority stuff? I never pledged, but I know it's taken a lot out of your mom. I just don't get it. What do you all do that makes you forget the rest of the world?”

I just looked at him. There was no excuse for not communicating with the people who were important to you. It was what it was though. During the next hour, I filled my dad in on what happened during the semester and gave him some of the highlights of my pledge experience.

“You've got to do better, Hayden. You've got to work with what you've got. It's okay to be the leader of any organization, but you have to know how to spread yourself around and balance everything you have going on in your life. Being an officer in the Navy, I cannot stay focused on just one aspect of my job. I have to multitask.”

“Don't you feel overwhelmed? A lot of my days, Dad, I do. But I love my sorority. There's just something about it. It's brought out a side of me that I didn't know existed. I care so much for these girls, so much that I want them to honor their commitments to the sorority.”

“Great, you are concerned with causes bigger than yourselves, but you can't lose your family and your friends while you're working on new relationships, you know? You're so bright and intelligent. I know you're going to figure all of this out.”

“I just feel bad.”

“No need to feel bad. Fix it.”

“Yes sir,” I said, smiling and happy to be in my daddy's arms again.

Oh, what a blessing to have a dad that cares so much. I so needed his reality check. BGP was important to me, it wasn't all I had. I had to find a balance.

“I'm so sorry we didn't get together over the holidays,” I said to Creed over the phone.

“I'm just saying, Hayden, I know you have other stuff, but if you want a relationship, it takes both of us. Over the Christmas holidays, I don't hear from my girl at all, and now we're back at school and you're trying to call me. I don't know.”

“My dad was in town and he's been gone for two and a half years, so I was spending all of my time with him. I didn't know he was coming. I'm sorry.”

“I would have liked to meet your pops. What, you didn't want to bring me around him or even return my calls?”

I really had no answer for Creed. I did feel bad, horrible really. But if I had to do it all over again, I wasn't sure that I would have chosen spending time with him over my family. It had been so long since the four of us could just be thatâa family. It was special, but I couldn't even explain it before my other line started ringing. From the caller ID I could see it was Dena.

“It's one of ...” I said, but Creed cut me off.

“Your line sisters.”

“Yeah, being chapter president is crazy.”

“Take care of it.” Then he hung up.

“Hey girl!” I said, trying not to put my frustrations on Dena.

“Oh my gosh, Hayden, this is horrible.”

“What?”