Next Monday morning, the Spains were at the breakfast table.
“Oh look!” Pop exclaimed as he finished Monday’s breakfast. He’d just finished popping a little sausage in his mouth. “I believe I see the airhead coming down the street on her bicycle. I sense a streak of bad luck comin’ on. Aha, she’s turnin’ into our driveway, little girl. Here’s Athena at the door . . .”
“Athena Edson has the nerve to come here?” Chelsea screeched loudly. Jaris almost dropped his spoon into his cornflakes. “What’s goin’ on?” The last time he heard, Chelsea and Athena were fast friends.
“Jaris, that dirty rat stole Heston Crawford from me at the opossum refuge,” Chelsea explained. “He went to her house to work on the computer ’cause his family can’t afford one. But he always came here and worked on my computer until that Athena stole him. She’s so two-faced. She wore these really skinny jeans to the refuge. Heston like musta gone crazy. She made me look ugly in my old T-shirt and crummy big jeans. Ms. Colbert said we shouldn’t wear anything nice, but Athena doublecrossed me and dressed good, the rat. Now I’ve lost my best friend and my boyfriend.”
“Man!” Jaris commented. “You go away for a few hours, and the whole world turns upside down while you’re gone.” He plunged another heaping spoonful of cornflakes into his mouth.
Athena was pounding on the door. “Chelsea! Let me in! I see you in there!” she yelled.
“Hey, the whole neighborhood is wonderin’ what’s goin’ on, little girl,” Pop remarked. “We gotta let the airhead in. If we don’t, old Mrs. Watley across the street is gonna imagine we got an emergency here. She might call the cops. Next thing you know, we got the ghetto birds overhead. So let’s open the door. If you don’t like what she has to say, you can pull her hair or somethin’.”
Pop got up and went to the door. “Hey Athena, how’s it going? You made any more trouble lately?” he asked.
Athena rushed past Pop and started babbling to Chelsea. “Chelsea, you can’t imagine what that fool Heston did! He comes to my house at a really bad time. My parents were yelling and screaming at each other about who knows what—like I even care? He wants to use my computer. I go. ‘You always use Chelsea’s computer, so go there.’ And he goes, ‘I can’t, ’cause she thinks I’m a wimp ’cause I wouldn’t hold the opossum. Now I can’t face her.’ Girl, you gotta get that nerd off my back!”
“How you like that?” Pop asked, with a forkful of scrambled eggs loaded with catsup in his hand. He spoke to his daughter. “Here you thought the dodo went for the skinny jeans.” The eggs and catsup disappeared into Pop’s mouth.
“What, Mr. Spain?” Athena asked.
“Nothin’, nothin’ at all,” Pop replied. “I gotta get to the garage and help Boston fix those beaters. I can’t stand the excitement around here.”
Mom came from the kitchen with her buttered toast. “What is all the screaming in here about? . . . Oh, hello Athena, why are you screaming?” Mom asked.
“It’s like real complicated, Monie,” Pop explained. “Just eat your toast, and drink your coffee, and ignore all what’s goin’ on around here. We got romantic triangles and skinny jeans and airheads and dodos who are afraid of holding opossums. I must say, I would not be too keen on holding opossums myself since they seem to have big teeth.”
Through all the commotion, Chelsea’s gaze was riveted on Athena.
“You mean,” Chelsea said slowly, “you and Heston aren’t hanging out? I thought he went to your house to use the computer because he . . . you . . . I mean, you clicked or something.”
“He came to my house ’cause he was ashamed he didn’t hold that opossum,” Athena told her. “You did, and he was scared. Now he’s ashamed. You gotta talk to him. I don’t want him at my house. He’s weird. My parents are gonna be fighting a lot, too, ’cause Mom’s big department store bills are coming in. I don’t want visitors.”
“Oh, Athena,” Chelsea cried, hugging her friend. “You’re my best friend in the whole world. I was so scared we weren’t friends anymore!”
“Oh, this is beautiful!” Pop crowed. “Look at this. Our little girl is hugging the airhead. Is this beautiful, Jaris . . . Monie? You want to keep wonderful moments like this in your mind to think about when things are not goin’ so good.”
“Mr. Spain,” Athena asked, “did you just call me an airhead?”
“Oh, that’s like a pet name, Athena,” Pop explained. “I use it for the really pretty girls. All that air you got in your head, makes you sparkle, Athena.”
Athena’s face was a little scrunched up, but the explanation seemed to be okay with her. Pop finished his last bite of eggs and toast and took a final swallow of coffee. Then he said, “Well, off to the beater factory.”
He walked over to Mom and kissed her soundly on the lips. “Be good, baby,” he directed. “Don’t be lookin’ at other guys, y’hear what I’m sayin’? I mean, a babe as beautiful as you, you’re gonna have them lookin’ at you. But don’t you look back. After all, you’re my beautiful airhead.”
Pop winked at everybody and went out the door.
Mom was smiling despite herself. She announced, “The man is insane, of course, but the trouble is I’m in love with him. I’m in love with a madman.”
Athena grabbed Chelsea’s hand and said, “I’ve got tons of stuff to tell you. Come on.” She dragged Chelsea into Chelsea’s bedroom, and they closed the door behind them.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, Chelsea asked, “Wassup, Athena?”
“Ms. Colbert has a daughter who’s gonna be a freshman at Tubman too,” Athena related. “Her name is Falisha. I met her at the Ice House, and she’s really furious at her mom ’cause her mom has a boyfriend. I mean, not like a real boyfriend, but a guy she likes to hang with. Ms. Colbert’s been divorced like forever. So it’s been her and Falisha, and now Falisha doesn’t want a stepfather. She’s like ballistic about it.”
“Wow!” Chelsea exclaimed. “Kinda like my brother’s friend, Sereeta. It really bothered her when she was in middle school and her mom started going with this guy.”
“No,” Athena corrected her friend. “It’s not just that Falisha doesn’t want a stepfather. She hates this particular guy that her mom likes. The funny thing is, maybe Ms. Colbert isn’t even gonna marry him or anything. But one time Falisha was looking out the window when he brought her mom home from some school thing, and they were kissing!”
Athena went on breathlessly, “Falisha said she was sick. She was so sick she almost upchucked. That’s what she said.”
“Is the guy a teacher at Tubman too?” Chelsea asked.
“He’s kinda like a tutor and a maintenance man when they need something done,” Athena said. “Girl, you are not gonna believe who the dude is. You are absolutely, totally not gonna believe it.”
Chelsea grabbed Athena. “Tell me!” she cried.
“This is so wild, Chelsea! Ms. Colbert’s friend is Shadrach!” Athena announced.
“No way!” Chelsea almost screamed. “It can’t be true! Are you sure, Athena?”
“Falisha told me. She was all mad and everything,” Athena affirmed. “She told me she hates Shadrach like totally. Y’hear what I’m sayin’, girl? She hates the sight of him. She feels like Inessa does about how he looks. She says he’s some kind of a monster.”
“Athena,” Chelsea almost whispered, “that’s awesome news!”
Athena rattle on. “But Falisha’s mom is so lonely, I guess. And her first husband, Falisha’s father, was super mean to her. Then he just walked off, and she hasn’t heard from him in years. She’s only thirtyfour years old, and she’s probably so lonely. I bet she’s like amazed at what a nice, gentle man Shadrach is. She’d probably given up believing there were guys in the world like him.”
“Wow!” Chelsea gasped.
“And you know what else, Chelsea?” Athena added. “Falisha said her father used to hit her mom. He slapped Ms. Colbert around. Falisha was real little, but it scared her so much she hid in the closet. But all this is hush-hush, Chelsea. I’m only telling you ’cause you’re my best friend and I know I can trust you. So it’s just between us, ’kay?”
“You bet,” Chelsea assured her friend.
“Oh, and one more thing, Chelsea,” Athena went on. “Shadrach told Ms. Colbert and Falisha one day about how he got hurt. He hardly ever talks about it, but he wanted Ms. Colbert to know. Falisha just happened to hear it too.”
“The war, huh?” Chelsea asked, leaning forward eagerly.
“Yeah,” Athena replied. “It was one of those IEDs. I’m not sure what they are.”
“I did a report on the Iraq war last year, Athena,” Chelsea said. “‘IED’ stands for improvised explosive device. It’s the way most of our soldiers got hurt. The guys they’re fighting, they like put together all these different kinds of explosives with stuff they found. Then they put them on roads and stuff.”
“We can’t bring that up to Shadrach,” Athena told her. “Falisha said he doesn’t want to talk about it. His whole outfit got killed except for him, and he’s got the guilts about it. I guess soldiers are like that sometimes when their buddies all die, and they make it. I guess they kinda feel bad that they made it and the others didn’t.”
Athena paused. “Falisha’s nice,” she remarked. “She can be a good friend for us. She fits right in with you and me and Keisha, and sorta with Inessa. She’s not as much of a sorehead as Inessa. I mean, Ms. Colbert and Falisha just moved here a few months ago. Falisha doesn’t know anybody, and she was so happy to meet me at the Ice House. I told her all about you guys, and I said she can hang with us. Oh Chel, you’ll like her. She’s into the kind of music we like too, sorta soft rock and alt.”
“Wow, we already got a little gang going at Tubman,” Chelsea squealed with delight. “It’s like with my brother and this bunch he calls ‘Alonee’s posse.’”
“Yeah!” Athena affirmed. “When that creepy Kanika and Hana hassle us, we don’t have to care. Chel, get Jaris to take you over to the Ice House today on his way to work. Falisha’s mom is dropping her there. Heston and Maurice gonna be there too. We can go home with Maurice’s mom. She’s got a van. You think Jaris’ll bring you?”
“And please tell Heston,” Athena begged, “that it’s okay he didn’t want to hold Magic. He got really freaked out that he looked like a coward in front of you. So maybe we’ll see you about three, okay?”
“Yeah,” Chelsea agreed. “Is it okay with Falisha if Keisha and Inessa know about Shadrach’s army story?”
“Yeah, I told her we were all real close. The main thing there is we don’t talk about it in front of Shadrach,” Athena explained.
“Oh, Athena, I’m so excited about going to Tubman now,” Chelsea chirped. “My brother and his friends got a special place where they all gather under the eucalyptus trees at lunchtime. We can pick a spot too, maybe under the pepper trees. That could be our spot, Athena.”
Athena left and biked away. Chelsea nabbed Jaris before he left. “On your way to work, can you drop me off at the Ice House, Jaris? Somebody else is bringing me home,” Chelsea asked.
“Sure,” Jaris agreed. “I’m picking up Sereeta now, and we’re gonna hang out for a while. I’ll be home to get you around three, okay?”
“Super, Jare, you’re cool,” Chelsea told her brother.
Jaris picked up Sereeta at her grandmother’s house. He was almost afraid to ask how her mother was, but he had to. It was like the elephant in the room that nobody wanted to talk about but that everyone knew was there. “Your mom doing okay, Sereeta?” he asked as they drove.
“Yeah,” Sereeta answered. “She’s got twitter now. She tweeted all her old friends. She found some girls she hadn’t talked to in years on Facebook. She’s going golfing with Perry. Mom hates golf, but she’s trying to learn to like it for Perry’s sake. I hope all of that, you know, occupies her time.”
“It’s hot today, babe,” Jaris remarked. “Did you wear your swimsuit?”
Sereeta opened her button-down top, to reveal her pretty green swim suit.
“Great!” Jaris responded. “I feel like a little time at the beach, okay?”
“Yeah, sounds wonderful,” Sereeta agreed. They had about four hours before Jaris had to go to work.
Jaris parked on the shoulder of the road, and they made their way down a narrow path to the sand. It was a weekday, so they had the beach pretty much to themselves. It was perfect.
“Did you ever build sand castles, Jaris?” Sereeta asked. She and Jaris joined hands and started walking slowly down the beach.
“Yeah I did,” Jaris replied. “Nothing elaborate. One time I did manage to build a sand turtle. It looked pretty good. It’s easy to build a sand turtle.”
Sereeta laughed. “I built a really nice sand castle when I was about eleven,” she recalled. “It had turrets and everything. The sand was just the right consistency. I’d brought along some of my little figures—princesses and princes. I put them on the sides of the castle. I remember it being a really bright day. We went and bought ice cream at a stand. I remember Mom and Dad splashing each other and laughing.”
Sereeta turned suddenly and looked at Jaris. “You know, Jaris, you’re really lucky with those parents of yours. I know they fight sometimes, but that’s okay. They’re there for you and Chelsea and for each other. Parents sometimes bug their kids for being so strict, and you want to be free to do what you like. But it’s really good when your parents are strong and loving.”
“I hear what you’re saying, Sereeta,” Jaris agreed.
They decided not swim. Instead, they just lay on the beach. Sereeta’s dark green swimsuit made her look even more amazing than usual. She wore a green ribbon in her dark curly hair. She looked so beautiful, she took Jaris’s breath away. She almost seemed unreal with her honey brown skin and the mass of glossy curls framing her face.
They put a towel on the sand, and Sereeta lay down. Jaris joined her, but not before giving her a peck on the cheek. They wiggled around for a second, getting comfortable on the towel.
After a moment or two, Sereeta recollected, “You loved me long before I loved you, Jaris. We were just kids in middle school, and you loved me.”
“That’s true,” Jaris admitted. “All during those boring history classes with Mr. Finbar, I’d be looking at you and having fantasies.”
“I always thought you were cute and nice, Jaris,” Sereeta confided. “But I didn’t care for you in that way until we were juniors at Tubman. Do you remember when I first told you that I loved you?”
“Yeah, I sure do,” Jaris recalled right away. “It was after your birthday party. You’d gone for a ride with DeWayne who’d been drinking, and there was an accident. You were banged up pretty good. I had a birthday gift for you, and I gave it to you in the hospital. It was then you said you loved me.”
“Those gold earrings.” Sereeta remembered. “They’re so precious to me now because they were your first gift to me. I told you that I loved you, Jaris. I told you that night and I meant it. But I didn’t love you like I do now. It’s so much more now. I can’t imagine you not being in my life now. Whenever I’m sad or happy, or scared or excited, I think of you, and I feel your arms around me. Jaris, I was drowning so many times, and you rescued me.”
“I couldn’t make it without you, babe,” Jaris told her.
They lay there, listening to the waves surging on the sand. Jaris took Sereeta’s hand and kissed it. Then they took a last walk down the beach.
“That sand castle I built when I was eleven,” Sereeta said. “The big waves came in and made short work of it. I lost all my little figures. I remember crying. I thought they’d drowned. My father scolded me for being silly. He said I was a big girl now. He said he’d go to the store and get me some new figures that would be even nicer. It was nothing to cry about.”
Sereeta looked down as they walked in the sand. “But I wouldn’t stop crying because I didn’t want new figures. I’d had those figures since I was six or seven, and I loved them. I’ve thought about that silly event a lot, and I think that’s how my father feels about people too. If something happens to the people around you, you can always find new people. My father has a nice new family now. I guess he’s very happy even though he doesn’t come to visit me. Everything can be replaced.”
Sereeta stopped walking and faced Jaris. “But that’s not true,” she went on. “People can’t be replaced. I don’t know what would happen if you were ever out of my life, Jaris. I think I’d curl up and blow away like an old leaf when winter comes.”
“That’s never gonna happen,” Jaris assured her, tightening his grip on her soft hand. “Just think, we’re gonna be seniors soon, Sereeta. Mighty seniors, you and me.”
Sereeta turned to him and laughed. Jaris couldn’t remember ever feeling such happiness—such pure joy—as he felt now.