CHAPTER SEVEN CHAPTER SEVENSometimes to get things perfect you’ve got to deal with the tough stuff. But the reason situations are tough is because most people don’t want to deal with it. That’s when people need to be encouraged and empowered to stand up and take appropriate action. Well, that’s what the school was doing. SGA and PTSA partnered with administration to put on a rally to address bullying. In the last few days alone, not only were people getting beat up physically, but the gang was stealing and also threatening to shoot up the school. Many were terrified.
Logan and I were asked to share our story. The gym was full. You would have thought it was somebody’s graduation day with the way the place was packed as parents and community folks showed up in support. I was so nervous. After all, I wasn’t as great a speaker as my sisters. However, I tried to shake it off because I did have something to say on the subject. Once Reese, the PTSA student leader, introduced me, I got the nerve to head to the podium and speak up.
“No one should be afraid to come to school. It’s a place where you’re supposed to come to get a great education, not worry about being the victim of violence. I got involved in an incident, and didn’t feel like I could sit there and not say something. I know now that you can’t always speak up alone. I guess that’s why we’re having this forum. A lot is going on, and it’s not even completely comfortable for me to get up now, but if we don’t stand up and fight those who are trying to destroy us, then they’re taking away what matters most, and that’s our future. Without a future we have no life. So if you know something about someone getting bullied, if you’ve been bullied yourself, if you’re bulling somebody, just take time to think about what you’re doing to make this place better. That’s all I have to say.” I let out a sigh and turned to head back to my seat.
Reese was mouthing something to me. I couldn’t make out what he was saying. I squinted. He repeated himself much louder, and I got it.
“Oh, I’m supposed to introduce my friend Logan. Give her a hand,” I said.
Nobody clapped. They just sort of looked at me like I was silly. But as long as they heard what we had to say, the applause didn’t matter.
Logan came up to the podium, and I tried to go sit down. She grabbed my hand, and she started crying. Not boo-hoo crying, but steady tears streamed down her face. It didn’t matter if you were close to or far away from her, you could tell there was some serious emotion being let out. It’s like the whole gym just changed. Before she even spoke a word, her tears united us.
Finally, she got herself together, and she said, “If it wasn’t for this girl here, I probably would be dead. She stood up for me when no one would. She’s given me hope when I had none, and she’s helped me learn that I am somebody special. Yeah, my parents have been telling me that for years in their own crazy way—my dad is a little rough around the edges. However, I didn’t understand it as much as I did when she said it. Because as y’all can tell, I’m a big, big girl. I eat too many sweets, and I have for far too long. I’m also a diabetic. Because of my choices, my life is in danger. I was living with all of that. I was dealing with all of that, but there were some cruel people who wouldn’t leave me alone. They beat me up mentally, and if they weren’t going to take my life, I wanted to take my own. I don’t know if there is anybody else out there feeling like you have no reason to go on, but I just want to say to you, you do have a reason. You’ve got to keep yourself together, get the right spirit, and tie yourself up with strength, so when you’re attacked, you won’t be destroyed. So thank you, Yuri, for helping me understand that. I guess I talked today because hopefully I can help somebody else out there understand it too.”
People stood up and started clapping, even our principal, Dr. Garner, who came over, stood beside us, and took the mic. “That’s right Marks High School, we’re going to be victims no more. If you have evidence of anyone doing anything wrong—you all know what I’m talking about—get it to us, and it will be dealt with immediately. We’re mavericks. We take the bull by the horns.”
The band played as people were exiting. Logan and I couldn’t get out of the place because different people were coming up to us sharing stories of feeling not only bullied, but also inferior. That made it all worth it for me to stand up and talk. More importantly, I was really happy for Logan winning her self-confidence. The best part was that texts, emails, pictures, and all kinds of testimonies and stuff about members of Onyx flooded into the office. Since we stood up, twenty-four students were permanently removed from our campus. The holidays were upon us, and that news made all of us at the school very merry.
Why my father insisted that I gracefully resign in person to Ms. Pinky was beyond me, and it seemed pretty excessive. I told him the lady was trifling, but yet he wanted me to thank her for the few times we worked together. Slade dropped me off, and I wanted her to wait, but she said Dad said he was coming to get me. I so hoped he was on his way as I stepped foot into Ms. Pinky’s store.
As soon as I entered, Rhonda looked at me and shook her head. I knew that meant Ms. Pinky was in a mood. When was she not in one? Since I met her, something always seemed up her butt. Today I was going to pull it right out by telling her I was out and that she wasn’t getting anymore free labor out of me.
Seeing me, Ms. Pinky yelled, “Chop chop, Yuri. The apron is not going to put itself on you.”
Trying to be nice, I said, “I just need a second to talk to you, Ms. Pinky.”
“I don’t want to talk. I want to give you the orders of what I need done, and I want you to do them. We’re not friends here. I’m supposed to be showing you the way. If you’re not working, I can’t tell you what you’re doing wrong and I can’t help you. I’m so mad it’s Christmas season. Everyone expects a deal. Everyone comes in here all jolly. I got bills to pay, and giving them all these sales, my margins are smaller. I’m not happy, nor am I in a mood for discussion.”
To her dismay, I just stood there. She was going to have to talk to me. When she wouldn’t, I just looked at her. Eventually, she’d get the point and ask me what was my problem so I could tell her.
“Why are you not moving?” she screamed a few moments later.
I wanted to yell back at her, but I took a deep breath, gulped down my saliva and counted to two. Calmly, I said, “I didn’t come here to work. I just came here to thank you for the opportunity for allowing me to work with you. However, I won’t be doing it anymore.”
“What? Your little daddy has changed his mind? Some other bakery has stepped up?”
“No, that’s not it,” I said to her.
Ms. Pinky scoffed, “Well what’s the problem? Rhonda, tell her … I’m the best around. No one can teach her more than me. So what I don’t baby you? You’ll thank me for that.”
I knew my dad was supposed to pick me up, but I was going nowhere with this lady. He was going to have to wait for me down the street at the bookstore.
“Oh, you’re going to turn your back on me and walk out? Great. Get out! Don’t ever come back.”
As soon as I opened the door, my dad walked in with a bunch of people. I was overjoyed to see him. Now he could deal with the witch.
“Dad!” I said with excitement.
Ms. Pinky was so angry she couldn’t be politically correct. She snarled at my father and said, “You and your ungrateful child. You might be our next mayor, but you are going to need the support of the people. Making alliances with business folks and then changing your mind is tacky, and I won’t stand for it. I told a lot of people that we would be working together, and then you just pull your daughter before I even get to groom her!”
“Ma’am, that’s the least of your worries,” said an older, distinguished, white gentleman with feathered gray hair and glasses.
“What are you talking about? No riddles, I’m busy,” she angrily voiced with both hands on her hips.
When I looked at my dad, wondering what was going on, he winked my way. The same gentleman said, “I am Mr. Cobb, the health inspector for the state …”
And before he could finish, Ms. Pinky cut him off, looked at me and said, “What she say? What she lie on me and say?”
“Maybe you can tell us,” Mr. Cobb told her.
“What could you have said, you little nit whit? When they come around here to check me out I switch out some dated products? No big deal. Okay, and I might not always sell brand new baked goods, but no one has ever gotten sick. Is that what she told you I did? Is that what she said?” Ms. Pinky questioned, truly unaware of what she admitted to doing.
I was about to say that I talked to my father, but she had told on herself. When some other people by the doorway moved out of the way, two policemen asked if she could come with them. They went on to explain that there had been several complaints. She yelled out for Rhonda to help, but Rhonda corroborated all the accusations. Everything she told them about was illegal.
Hearing no backup, Ms. Pinky screamed and yelled and hollered and stomped, but she still was carried out of her beautiful place with her mean spirit. It had already started feeling more like Christmas. I hugged my father, and the health inspector thanked me. He actually commended Rhonda too for stepping up and telling the truth.
“Yeah, but I’m out a job,” Rhonda said, looking somber.
My father looked at her and said, “Don’t worry about that. My daughter has told me what a great lady you are. We’ll find something for you at the city. Good people like you need to be working.”
“But I don’t have a college degree or a bunch of credentials.”
“We can still find something and get you trained so you have more skills to achieve your dreams,” my father told her.
“Wow, I did vote for the right person,” Rhonda said while my dad humbly smiled.
The health inspector peered my way and said, “I’m glad that you want to get in this business. It’s a tough place to catch criminals because lots of people want to cut corners, keep their costs down so that their profits can be wider. The culinary industry has a big job to do. Their foremost job is making sure they take care of the health of their customers. I don’t want what you witnessed here to deteriorate your dreams because this place is just so beautiful, I’d hate to see it go away.”
“Yeah,” my dad said, quickly giving Mr. Cobb an eye to say no more. “But don’t you worry about any of that. I’m proud of you.”
I uttered, “I’m just glad she can’t hurt anybody anymore. Her stuff looked good, but if people knew how she made it … it was bad.”
“Well, now we got the bad apple out the bunch. And we’re working with your mother to get more out the way. Somebody’s intentionally selling these bad goods. We’re close. We’re going to work with your father to clean up Charlotte. But with young people like you on the horizon, our future looks bright. Thanks again,” Mr. Cobb said before exiting.
My dad looked at the yummy cupcakes. “Oh, but I want one so bad.”
Rhonda and I looked at each other and shook our heads, no. He chuckled, but he nodded understanding. We threw all the inventory away.
A few days later, I was smiling from ear to ear, preparing for my sweet sixteen birthday party. It was supposed to be a surprise for Sloan and me, but both of us knew. Her birthday was two days before. While the craziness over the last two weeks had finally calmed down, I was a little melancholy as I put on my sassy, above the knee, flared out, semi-formal, hot pink dress because I hadn’t heard from Paris. I’m sure he had heard the news of his aunt’s arrest because it had been all over the news. But the last time we talked, we were pretty rough on each other, so I knew that was over. I had to move on.
“Oh, you look so cute!” Sloan came in and said.
She had on a tight, sparkling silver, semi-formal that was off one shoulder. It was also above the knee. Though we were two days short and two parents short of being twins, we felt like we were inseparable. Not really joined at the hip, but joined at the heart for sure. We’d been through a lot, accusing each other in certain situations, not being there for each other sometimes when we should have known better. However, the ups and downs we’d gone through over the past two months made our love for one another stronger. Maybe a part of why our relationship had gotten off track was because we never argued. Well that was sure behind us. We made up for that part and then some.
“Let’s go have a great night tonight. Oh, we got to act surprised because our parents are saying they are just taking us to dinner,” Sloan said.
“They better go all out.”
There was a knock on my door, and it was Shelby standing there with Ansli.
“Slade’s downstairs. Mom and Dad are already at the restaurant. We’re going to be late.”
When we pulled up at the hotel, it was familiar. It was the same place my dad held a surprise wedding anniversary party for my mom last month.
As soon as we pulled up, Shelby said, “We’re just stopping here for a second.”
“Okay, if we’re stopping here …” Sloan said, winking at me. “… we’ll wait.”
“No, no, no, I need you guys to come,” Shelby said.
“Well, why do you need us to come out if we’re stopping here for a second?” Sloan said as I jolted her in the arm.
“Girl, get out the car,” Slade said, shoving us.
We walked back to the same room my dad had the party in. I was giddy inside. I looked at my phone because it was vibrating.
It was a text from Sloan, who was right beside me, that said, “Yup, Dad must have got a two for one deal. We gonna have a nice party because you know how he set it out for Mom.”
I texted back with a smiley face.
As soon as Sloan opened the door, people yelled surprise. It was so exciting to see the same beautiful room, this time decked out in hot pink and silver. Not a coincidence that my mom bought us adorable dresses that matched the color scheme she was going for with our party. It was the sassy Sharp sisters standing in the spotlight. Though my sweet sixteen was along with Sloan’s, all five of us stood proud with our heads held high amongst our peers. The room was packed. There must have been three hundred kids there. There weren’t the same round, sit-down tables my dad had for my mom. There was a dance space, silver and diamond and hot pink and black balloons were on the ceiling. “Happy Sweet Sixteen Sloan and Yuri” were plastered everywhere with our pictures. I didn’t even realize Ansli captured us in glam poses, but somehow she did, and we both looked like models.
My dad was on the mic and he said, “Hello young, Charlottians. Thank you all for coming to the sweet sixteen party for my daughters. This is a special time of year for the Sharp family. Not only in a month will I be inaugurated as your next mayor, but my two babies are having milestone birthdays. I no longer have little girls anymore. Officially they are sweet sixteen, and I am truly proud of the gorgeous ladies they have become.”
Sloan and I hugged each other. After all was said and done, our dad was proud of us. That meant so much to us both.
We listened on as he continued, “But also Christmas is tomorrow, a special time for cheer. You guys are young, and I want to say that I hope you remember you’re special. You can be anything you want to be, but take your education seriously, and go after your dreams. Don’t just wait to make them come true. Make them come true now. I’m proud of my girls. So I want to introduce to you the three hosts for tonight. Ms. Shelby Sharp …”
Shelby had a hand held mic and said, “Hey y’all! Thanks for coming to the party for my sisters.”
“How many of you guys in here have tried her clothes?” my dad said.
“Dadddd!” Shelby uttered embarrassed, but the room erupted.
“That’s wassup,” he said.
“Oh, you are not that cool,” she told him as she gave him a kiss.
“Tonight Shelby is being escorted by her friend, Spencer.” She gave her boo a kiss, and my dad said, “Alright, I approve all of that.”
The two of them walked down the center aisle toward the head table.
“Then I’ve got my daughter, Ansli Sharp! All these beautiful pictures around here, she took them. Even tonight, she’s serving her sisters. She wants to get candid shots with you guys, so make sure you go on over to the left to the beautiful display and get some pictures in about thirty minutes. Um, come on up here, Mr. Hugo. Escort my beautiful daughter.”
“Thank you, Daddy,” Ansli said in a shy tone.
My father coughed and said, “Not too close! Hold her hand, not her waist.”
“Daaaddyyy,” Ansli said.
“And then there’s Ms. Slade Sharp. She’ll be singing happy birthday to the girls soon. And I think somebody special who’s got a hot new single out nowadays is going to perform.”
When the sexy singer stepped out to escort Slade to the head table, girls screamed.
“And then there’re my birthday girls.”
Now I was starting to feel some type of way because before my dad could introduce Reese, Sloan’s boyfriend, he walked up and stood right beside her. He said all these great things about Sloan and the two of them, and they went off to the table. Then it was just me, and I didn’t have anybody to step up for me.
My dad took my mind off of that when he looked me in my eye and said, “Ya know all my girls are doing their thing. Sloan’s going to be working on this magazine with me, and I know you have a passion for pastries. Well, the shop we were in the other day, you know the one I’m talking about that you think is so pretty? Your mom and I bought that, and we want to work with you on making some healthy treats. You made your dad one, and I think it’s a big market to get us to indulge but to also be health conscious. What do you say? Can we go into business?”
I just hugged his neck, knowing he was going to escort me to the front. But then he said, “And I think somebody, yup, there he is, wants to escort you.”
I turned, and there was Paris. We were locked arm and arm. He smiled my way, and I smiled back at him. With that gesture, the “I’m sorry” we both wanted to say melted away. Life is never going to be perfect. But Paris and I walked past our peers toward the front of the head table on my sweet sixteen birthday; my dad just told me I was going to get to make the world better with the start of my own business; my parents are fine; my dad was going to be mayor; my sisters were fine; my grades were good; my dad was going to be taking care of himself; and I just realized the icing was on the cake, and at that moment my life was perfect.
Walking with a big smile plastered on my face, I looked over and saw Logan. She winked at me and waved, and I realized this last month had helped me develop a better backbone. I was okay without Paris, but there he was, whispering his apologies. Now I didn’t just look good on the outside, but I really felt good on the inside. I’d given this self-esteem gift to myself, and that made for a special birthday and a Merry Yuletide.