Ch. 2, What About Your Friends?

I was lounging around in my room. It was truly a great day because I didn't have to work my part-time job, football season was over so I had no band or dance line practice to attend, and because it was the weekend, there was no school. What was even more amazing was that none of my teachers assigned any homework! So, yes indeed, it was a great day for a teenager to relax.

I was in my room, lying across the bed, writing in my class memory book. The months were beginning to roll by and I had yet to decide what I was going to do with my life or what college I would attend.

Of course, Cayman wanted me to go to his college, but I didn't think it would be a good idea, especially since we seemed to be more productive when we weren't spending all of our time together. Besides, the last thing I wanted to do was flunk out of college. Therefore, I thought strategically about what I was going to do with my life and what avenue I would take.

Although I made decent grades in high school, a 3.5 GPA (out of 4.0) was not enough for an academic scholarship. However, I was fortunate enough to win a partial scholarship through a Junior Miss pageant. The scholarship was to a college in Montgomery, so I thought of becoming a Medical Technologist, like Cayman's mother. I made very high scores in biology and in most of my other science-related classes, so becoming a Med Tech was definitely possible.

On the other hand, my heart yearned to do something more creative. I loved my writing classes and I adored art, so I grabbed a sketchpad and a set of colored pencils then began to doodle like never before.

While working on my little masterpiece, I began to think about the interior designer that visited our Home Economics class a few weeks back. She absolutely fascinated me! Because I loved drawing and painting, I knew that interior design was right up my alley. Not to mention the fact that I had already received an acceptance letter from the University of Montevallo where I knew they offered an interior design program. I knew this because the interior designer that visited our high school had graduated there.

But, the problem was that I didn't have a scholarship to the University of Montevallo. So that meant that I would not be able to afford to live on campus, which also meant commuting every day while still living under Joe's roof, and that was completely absurd because Joe had already begun dropping hints that he wanted me out of his house.

Therefore, I was back to square one. I had absolutely no idea what I was going to do.

Nevertheless, when I finished drawing, I held the sketchpad in front of me and observed my work. One thing I did know was that I absolutely loved to draw, and the artwork that I held in my hands proved it. The only thing missing from my little prize winner was my John Hancock.

"Nakita Deon," I said aloud as I signed the bottom of my design, using Cayman's last name instead of my own. "Hmm... that actually has a nice ring to it."

Suddenly, the telephone rang. It was Cayman, and I was happy he called. Firstly, because he was thinking of me just as I was thinking of him. Secondly, Cayman always had a way of taking my mind off my problems, which I definitely needed at the moment.

"What up, Babe?" he said.

"Nothing much. Just hanging around the house today."

"You're not working at Mickey D's today?" he asked.

"Nope. Unfortunately, minimum wage is not calling me today." I laughed. "They actually gave me a Saturday off! Can you believe it?"

"That's actually a good thing," Cayman replied. Then, although my door was slightly opened, there was a faint knock. My mother poked her head inside.

"Got a minute?" she asked.

"Yes, Ma'am, I answered. Then I put the telephone back to my ear again. "Cayman, I'll call you back," I whispered before hanging up.

My mother walked into my room and handed me an envelope. I opened it, and found that it was another acceptance letter from the college in Montgomery. It was the second letter they had sent, so I already knew I was accepted there. Of course, I had been praying for a miracle so that I would be able to attend the University of Montevallo instead, which is why I had yet to tell my mother about the first acceptance letter. Nevertheless, I knew that my mother was curious about the letter, so I opened it and let her see for herself.

"Congratulations!" she said. "I guess now we know where you'll be going to college."

"Yeah... but I've been meaning to talk to you about that," I began. "I want to go to the University of Montevallo. They've got this interior design program, and Momma, a designer came to our school a few months ago and..."

"Mmm-hmmm," my mother said before I could finish. "That's nice and all, Kita, but how many black interior designers do you know of?"

I paused for a moment and thought about it. I could not think of a single African-American interior designer.

"Kita, I know you want to become a designer, and I know that you're ambitious enough to graduate as one, but as a young black woman, you'll probably have a hard time finding a job in that field. Now, you've got an acceptance letter and a scholarship to this college in Montgomery. Maybe you should consider that college instead. It's just a thought."

"Yes, Ma'am," I said.

My heart sank. I really wanted to become an interior designer, but without a scholarship, financially my mother and I just could not afford it. Besides, Joe had no intention of helping me pay for college.

In fact, Joe Kendrick was more of a hindrance than anything else because he made too much money for me to receive a college grant. And, as long as I was under the age of 21 and living in Joe's house, I could not apply as an independent adult student.

On the other hand, I guess my stepfather was not necessarily obligated to help me with college anyway. That was supposed to be my biological father's responsibility, but still, I knew very little about him.

What did I know about my father? I knew that his name was Robert Levis, and he was in the US military, and he met my mother during her sophomore year in college in Florida, he was separated from his wife and going through a divorce. From what I heard, Robert Levis could sing like a bell, which probably explained the reason that music had played such a major role in my own life.

A prime example of one song that made a major impact on my life was released only a few months later. However, that song did not make a huge difference to me until much later in my life, when I finally understood the true meaning of its lyrics.

March 1 of 1993, my 18th birthday, I woke up to the sound of TLC's song What About Your Friends blasting on my alarm clock. It reminded me of what was in store for us that day—our high school talent show. Ironically,  What About Your Friends was the song that my friends and I were going to perform that day.

I yawned, then slowly sat up on the side of my bed. I could not believe it! I was finally 18 years old! As I glanced over to the foot of my bed, I noticed a small wrapped gift. I knew that it was from my mother, so I tore open the beautifully-wrapped box, and when the box was completely open, I realize that the gift was... a checkbook.

"A checkbook?" I said aloud with a confused look on my face.

"Yes, a checking account for college." my mother said. Of course, I did not realize that she was standing in the doorway, "Happy birthday, Kita!" she then said.

"Thanks, Momma," I replied.

"There is a little over four thousand dollars in that checking account. You're only allowed to spend $100 of it as your birthday present. The rest is for college." she stressed, "I'm serious, Kita. This is not your opportunity to go on a shopping spree."

Of course, I had no intention of disappointing my mother. Year after year, she had been saving for my and Tia's college education through US savings bonds. And for years, she worked a low paying job at a local factory to save that money. She worked there until the day the plant eventually shut down. And then, after Mama Rosa had gotten sick, she chose to take care of our grandmother instead of going back to work.

Since our mom was unable to complete her own college degree, I knew that our education meant the world to her. College was going to be expensive, and four grand was not very much money when it came to college expenses. But my mother had done her best, which was pretty good, considering the fact that she was no longer working and that she had saved all that money on 'the solo'.

"Okay, Momma, I promise to save it for college." I said. "I promise."

"Okay, Kita. I believe you."

After my mother left my room, I grabbed my robe, jumped into the shower, and brushed my teeth. Then I headed back to my room to grab the attire I would be wearing for our high school talent show.

Every year, our school had a talent show to raise money for the Junior and Senior prom. So, of course, the winners never got anything other than bragging rights, but that was more than enough to look forward to when you were a teenager.

For weeks, my friends and I practiced for hours and hours. We had the right music, the perfect dance steps, as well as the hippest costume. I was unsure how things would turn out for the talent show that day. I wondered what the students would say when they see our version of TLC. I also wondered how the faculty would react when they see that condom taped over one lens of Rhonda's sunglasses (as Lisa Lopes from TLC always wore her sunglasses). Of course, the thought made me laugh.

But nevertheless, I arrived at school early that day. I opened my locker to find that Jasmine and Rhonda had decorated it with birthday decor and a stuffed animal, which was something that we did every year for each other's birthday.

"You like your locker?" Jasmine asked, standing directly behind me and dressed as T-Boz for the talent show.

"Thank you, girl. You know I like my locker." I said. "Tell Rhonda I said thanks."

"You can tell her yourself." Jasmine said while pointing in the opposite direction.

 I turned around to see Rhonda waltzing down the hallway. She, too, was dressed in her TLC attire, looking just like Left-eye (Lisa Lopes).

"What's up, Nakita?" Happy Birthday!" Rhonda shouted, banging on the locker in front of me.

"Thank you, girl." I replied.

Then out of nowhere Alex suddenly ran up to Rhonda and picked her up from behind. Rhonda screamed with laughter. While I put my books into my locker, Jasmine and I continued with our conversation, while Rhonda and Alex proceeded with their Karate-like horseplay.

Suddenly, two girls walked passed us. The girls smiled at Alex, and  he smiled back. After the brief eye contact, he immediately went back to his horseplay with Rhonda.

Now, of course, that sort of thing was the norm for Alex. Girls flirted with him like that all the time. And, although he was like a brother to the three of us, other girls found him irresistible. They would literally swoon over him, and the reason was obvious—he was very good looking.

Alex was half African-American and half Oriental. He was a football player, so he was physically fit. But the best thing of all about having Alex as a friend was that although girls drool over him, he was never stuck on himself nor conceited. I guess you could say that Alex was a real down-to-earth kind of guy, which was probably why we got along so well.

"What's up, birthday girl?" Alex said to me.

"What's up, Lexi?" I joked while closing my locker.

"There you go with the jokes again," Alex said. "How about I just saw your momma pulling into the parking lot?"

"Yeah, right," I said with sarcasm.

"I did!" he said, "She's probably heading for the auditorium right now."

"Are you serious? My mom's here already?" I exclaimed.

"Oh I'd never lie about seeing your mother," he joked.

Nevertheless, dismissing Alex's momma jokes, the four of us walk side-by-side down the hallway and toward the auditorium. When we got there, just as Alex had said, my mother and Rhonda's were making their way to the school auditorium, along with the rest of the parents who were visiting for the school talent show.

As my mother walked, she tucked a few of the curls from her long, naturally curly hair behind one ear. When she saw us, she smiled and waved at me and my friends. She then held up her camcorder to show us that she had brought it along to capture another one of our senior moments, which made me feel great!

"Man! Look at Mrs Mari' Kendrick!" Alex joked. "She's so fine!"

"Get off my mom, Lexi!" I said, playfully smacking Alex on the arm.

"I will, as soon as you stop calling me Lexi," he said as a comeback.

Now, Alex made jokes about my mom like that all the time, and it always made me laugh. He was right, though my mom looked great to be 39 years old!

Nevertheless, seeing the gang together and dressed in costume soon reminded me of the talent show again. Once again, I felt nervous about being in front of the whole school.

"I don't know, guys. I'm a little nervous about the talent show today. You think we'll win?" I asked.

"Hope so," Jasmine answered.

"Come on, y'all!" Rhonda said. "We've practiced our butts off! Besides, look at us! We've got as good of a chance of winning as anyone else, even if we do say so ourselves."

Rhonda did have a point. We stood in the hallway, wearing baggy jeans and colorful T-shirts as if we were actually the group TLC: Jasmine had short blond hair styled like T-Boz, I had long dark hair that hung over my shoulders and I wore a red bandana tied over my head as if I were Chilli, and because Rhonda was the more radical one in the group, we knew that she would have no problem performing as Left-eye.

"They look just like TLC!" one student said to another student.

"Sure do!" another student said. "There're definitely going to win!"

"See? Everyone believes you'll win!" Alex said, sounding more sincere. "And, so do I."

It was a change of pace. Alex's words were somewhat touching and heartfelt. Of course, we didn't expect that at all, so the three of us stopped walking and looked at Alex.

"Listen at him." Rhonda suddenly blurted. "He sounds like an after-school special or something."

Jasmine and I tried not to laugh, but we just couldn't help it. Immediately, we burst into laughter.

"See," Alex said, "you just can't encourage some people."

"Whatever, Alex," Rhonda said while sliding on her sunglasses with the condom taped over one lens. "During 'the show', when we pull you from the audience and invite you on stage to dance with us, you make sure you don't feel on my booty."

We laughed and laughed, pretty much joking with each other until it was time for the talent show to begin. The most amusing part of the show was that everyone thought we'd win. Unfortunately, in the end, the majority of the audience voted for some guy who sang one of Garth Brooks' songs instead!

Yes, indeed, we lost this one. However, the defeat wasn't as bad as it seemed because the four of us had a ball just being with each other in another great senior moment. In fact, it was the last great senior moment we had until our high school graduation.

That summer after graduation, Jasmine and Rhonda were off to the Navy while Alex and I prepared to leave and attend separate colleges. We seemed to scatter in different directions, and although college was a priority for me that year, my biggest goal of all was finding my father.

—-—➿➰➿——

In August 1993, I moved into my college dormitory. My mother and I had no idea that moving a bunch of clothes, a television, and a miniature refrigerator would be so difficult! However, she and I did our best to make the move ourselves.

The toughest part of the move was that there were no working elevators in my dormitory. What was worse was that my room was on the third floor. We huffed and puffed as we carried my 4 foot miniature refrigerator up the three flights of stairs. When we finally made it to my room, my mother collapsed on my roommates neatly made-up bed.

"I hope your roommate doesn't mind this," my mother said, almost out of breath. " But, I'm... exhausted!"

"Are you all right, Momma?" I asked.

"Just give me a few minutes," she said.

I was worried about my mother. She should not have been lifting something so heavy in the first place. If I had known the elevators were not working, I would have asked Cayman to help me move instead. However, I never ask Cayman because I knew he would want to know why Joe wasn't helping me, which was the last thing I wanted to explain to him right now.

Of course, Joe's absence did cross my mind, but I did not want my mother to feel as though she had to cover for him again. Therefore, I didn't put any more thought into the matter. Immediately, I began putting away my things.

About an hour later, my side of the room was as neat and tidy as my new roommates'. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. I opened it to find a tall, slender girl with short dark hair styles just like Halle Berry's standing in the doorway.

"Hi, I'm Teresa," she said. "I live down the hall."

"Hi, Teresa, I'm Nakita."

"Hello," my mom said, sitting up on the bed and sounding more high-spirited.

"It's nice to meet you," Teresa said, waving her hand to say hello to my mother.

"This Alabama humidity has really flattened in my hair," Teresa said, brushing her fingers through her hair. "I was looking for your roommate. I hoped to borrow a hairdryer."

Now, I know it sounds a little strange, but although Teresa and I had just met, it felt like I had known her for years. I didn't know why I did, but I trusted her. So, I allowed her to borrow my hooded hairdryer.

"Oh, thank you!"

"No problem." I said, handing Teresa the dryer.

"I promise, I'll return it soon." she said. Then she carried the hairdryer down the hallway to her room.

Now, since my side of the room was finally in order, my mother offered to buy a few groceries for my refrigerator. Before driving to the store, she told me to stay in the dorm and relax because she planned on relaxing on the way back home while I chauffeured. I agreed, and then after she had left, I flopped down on my bed and close my eyes.

A few minutes later, there was another knock at the door. It was Teresa again, returning my hairdryer.

"Girl!—you are a lifesaver!" she said.

"Of course, I am." I joked.

"Are you originally from Alabama, Nakita?"

"Born, but not necessarily bred." I laughed. "I take it that you're from another state."

"What gave me away?"

"All the talk about Alabama's humidity," I replied.

"I did say that, didn't I?" Teresa laughed. "Actually, I'm from Chicago."

"The Windy City!" I said. "That's a big city. I'm a small-town girl myself."

"Really? Is your home near Birmingham?" She asked. "I have a sister who lives there."

"No, not exactly," I replied. "My mom's house is about a forty-five minute drive from Birmingham."

"Well, that's not too far," she said. "I visit my sister every other weekend, so I guess you and I could hang out in Birmingham sometime. We could go to 'the show' or something, or even go to Atlanta!" She gleaned. "My roommate is from Georgia, so I've been there a few times with her. My roommate's pretty cool."

"Really? I wonder what's  my roomate like."

"Oh, you'll like her," Teresa replied. "She's probably over at the football stadium right now.  And thanks to your hairdryer, I can go to the stadium as well."

"What's so good about the football stadium?" I asked.

"The football team!" she gleaned. "My boyfriends there. He's a football player, so you know he's got some cute friends, if you'd like to meet them."

I smiled. "Actually, I have a boyfriend. But I would love to hang with you sometime, I can't go today, though, because when my mother gets back, we're driving home."

"Aw, that's too bad."

"Yeah, but...I'll be back next week. We could hang out then."

"That's cool," Teresa said, making her way to the door. "Tell your mother I said have a safe trip home."  She smiled "Stop by my room as soon as you return. I'm in room number 317. See you then."

"Okay. See you then."

Moments later, after my mother returned, and after my refrigerator was stocked, we headed back home, where Tia, Mama Rose, and Aunt Faith awaited our return.

—-—➿➰➿——

The next morning was Sunday, which was going to be the last time that I would sing in the church choir. It would also be the last time I would attend my mother's church for a while. Well, the church wasn't my mothers. It was actually Joe's church, the church that he belong to since he was a child.

Now, as usual, at the end of service the pastor allowed members of the church to stand and share remarks with the congregation. As soon as the pastor opened the floor for remarks, my stepfather immediately stood up.

"You know, God is a wonderful God, and I've truly enjoyed the message today," Joe began. "Now, I'm asking the church to pray for Nakita as she makes her move to Montgomery this week to begin college."

The congregation seemed to be happy for me. They began to talk amongst each other, which made me happy. But then, all of a sudden, Joe's remark completely turned, and the whole thing instantly turned into humiliation.

"Yes," Joe said with a smile, "this weekend, Mari' helped Nakita move her things into her dormitory. Can you believe that tiny, little move wiped her out?" The congregation laughed.

"I mean, how could a woman be so lazy?" Joe laughed.

Everyone burst into laughter, jeering hysterically. Of course, I did not appreciate it one bit. It was a rude remark, and Joe's humiliation had hurt my mother deeply. But, she held her peace and did not say a word.

However, it was a different story for me. As I sat there in that little church's choir stand, the more they laughed, the more ticked off I became. I was becoming angrier by the second!—I was so mad that I felt like taking off my high heels and throwing them at Joe!

He was thoughtless and mean, and I did not understand him at all. How could a man that knew the Bible backwards and forwards, and could quote scriptures like no one else, treat my mother this way? I was disgusted with Joe for doing what he did, and I was appalled at that church for allowing it. Therefore, before the laughter could cease, I disappeared from the choir stand. I slipped out the back door of the church, and before those church folk could realize it, Nakita Lark had left the building.

When I got home, I was as mad as a hornet. I was so mad that I did not see Mama Rose when I walked inside and slammed the door.

"Girl, what is wrong with you?" Mama Rose exclaimed.

 "Joe Kendrick makes me sick!" I yelled. "No wonder Tia would rather stay at home on Sundays instead of going to that church.

It was then that Tia overheard the commotion and came out of her room to see what was going on. However, instead of coming into the den, she stood in the hallway and listened with her back turned to the wall.

"What are you talking about, Kita?" Mama Rose asked.

"He did it again, Mama Rose! Joe stood in the middle of church and humiliated Momma. Why did she have to go and marry a man seventeen years older than she is anyway? And why does she let him treat her like a child? She needs to go 'off' on his mean butt! That's what she needs to do!"

Mama Rose sighed a little and then said, "It's sad, Kita, but sometimes women of God put up with some of the most uncomfortable things as married women. I don't know why, but we do. Not to say that what Joe does to your mother is right, because it's not. Wrong is still wrong, but, we have to respect your mother's decision. I've heard Mari' say many times that Joe was the best thing to happen to her.

As I sat there, I began to think about my mother's past relationships. My biological father abandoned her. And Tia's father? Don't get me started on Shorty, because Shorty cheated on our mother every chance he got.

"She just says that because of the way that Shorty treated her," I said.

As soon as I said that, Tia sadly shook her head. And because she could no longer bear to listen, she eased away and went back to her room.

"I don't think Momma realizes that she deserves better. Joe calls himself a Christian! What kind of Christian treats his wife like that?" I protested. "Mama Rose, if that's the best husband, I sure would hate to see the worst!"

"Well, Kita, that is something I pray you will never ever see in your own husband!"