Coffee Will Make You Black (7 page)

“Y'all ain't missed, Stevie missed.” Carla groaned. “How come you messed us up like that, girl? We usually get all the way to I like coffee, I like tea, I like the white boys and they like me. What happened?”

“She missed, that's what happened. Here, hurry up and give us our turn before the bell rings.” Patrice handed Carla the rope.

My panties felt wet. Suddenly it hit me that I had started my period.

“I think I just started my period!” I felt happy and scared at the same time as I watched the smiles on the other girls' faces.

“Don't worry, you can't see nothing. But you better go straight to the nurse,” Carla warned.

I tied my sweater around my waist to be sure.

“She's lucky it ain't summertime and she wasn't wearing white pants, you remember Peaches and them white pants, don't you?” Tanya asked the others.

“Who could forget Peaches and them white pants?” Carla answered.

“Yeah, who could forget Peaches,” I heard Linda agree.

I headed for the nurse's office. I wondered how come I didn't remember Peaches and them white pants.

The nurse, Mrs. O'Malley, had taken care of everything. She'd given me a brand-new elastic belt and shown me how to tie the ends of a Kotex pad to it and which side to use. She'd told me I could expect to bleed three to five days every month. If I got cramps, I could come to the sick room and lie down with the hot-water bottle. The nurse was a cross between Mrs. Santa Claus and Hazel, the maid on TV.

I marched into Mrs. Cunningham's room with a pass and a little booklet that said I had become a woman and was part of the mystery of life and stuff like that. I didn't hide the booklet or shove it up in people's faces. I just held it so anybody could see it if they had a mind to. Mrs. Cunningham took the pass without smiling or frowning. I tried to walk normal with this bulky thing that seemed to have a mind of its own in between my legs. I looked for Carla, and she gave me her dimpled smile. I felt proud as I took my seat, no matter what Mama said.

“You don't need me to tell you anything, it sounds like the nurse told you everything.” Mama sounded like she was relieved.

We were in the kitchen and she was about to fry the pork chops. I was mashing the potatoes.

“Oh, that blue box in the bathroom cabinet is where the Kotex are. Let me know if we run low.”

I nodded. “Mama, are you gonna tell Daddy?”

“No, he doesn't need to know about this.”

“What about Grandma?”

“I might mention it to her, but it won't be the first thing that comes out of my mouth.”

“Oh.”

I wanted to hear about the juicy stuff. Mama had never really sat me down and told me the facts.

“Mama, what happens when your love comes down?”

Mama dropped a pork chop into the hot skillet and jumped away as it splattered.

“What are you talking about, Jean Eloise?”

“Somebody said that her love came down. What does that mean?”

I added a little more milk to the potatoes.

“Who said some mess like that? I bet it was that Carla Perkins, wasn't it?” Mama wrinkled her forehead.

“It wasn't Carla.”

“I bet she was there, I bet she had something to do with it!”

“Well, what does it mean, Mama?”

Mama turned a pork chop over with the long fork.

“It means that whoever said it has her mind in the gutter, that's what it means. The devil is everywhere these days. Well, I won't have you talking that trash in my house. Whoever said it, you need to stay away from her. You need to stay away from that whole Carla Perkins crowd.”

I would just have to find out stuff from other people. Mama wasn't getting up off of nothing, I thought. Besides, Carla's birthday was less than two weeks away and I didn't want to push Mama now. I knew I had to lay low for a while.

We were in the coatroom getting our sweaters and stuff for morning recess. I reached for the jump rope hanging from my hook.

“Forget it, Stevie, we ain't jumping today,” Carla said.

“How come? It's not raining, the ground's not even wet from last night.”

“Just be cool, Stevie, just be cool. We ain't jumping today, okay? Just follow me.”

I followed Carla into the auditorium, which didn't make sense to me, because we were supposed to be on the playground during recess.

“Carla, we're not supposed to be in here. What are we going to do in an empty auditorium? What if we get in trouble?”

“I told you to just be cool, you'll see.”

I followed Carla past the rows of empty seats to the back. I could hear giggling. I was surprised to find Tanya and Patrice all hunched over a book.

“Here, Stevie, you've got to read it. It's my sister's diary, girl, you gotta read it!” Tanya handed me the smooth blue book with a flap hanging from it. I flipped over to the cover. It said
ONE YEAR DIARY.
It had a place for a key.

“Tanya, won't your sister be mad? Isn't it sort of personal?”

“Who cares, with all the dirt she's done to me all my life? Besides, I'm gonna take it home at lunchtime; she'll never know I found it. It's her fault for forgetting to lock it.”

“Go 'head, Stevie, don't be no square. It ain't no harm in it. Her sister Annie Pearl's the one that did it, you just reading about it.” Carla elbowed me.

“Besides, how else we supposed to find out about stuff?” Patrice wanted to know.

I thought she kind of had a point.

“Why should I be the one to read it?”

“'Cause you on the honor roll, I don't want nobody stumbling over they words at a time like this,” Carla explained.

“Read about the part when her love came down! Turn to March 22,” Tanya insisted.

I sat down with the book. I figured this beat trying to get something out of Mama.

“‘I know I'm in love, don't care what nobody say, 'cause ain't nobody ever made me feel this way,'” I read aloud with Carla, Patrice, and Tanya sitting on both sides of me.

“Dog, your sister's a poet,” Carla declared.

“‘Derrick just look at me and I go to melt. I can't keep my mind on nothing else. Seem like everything be Derrick and Derrick be everything.'” I let out a sigh. You couldn't help but be affected.

“Yo sister sho do have a way with words,” Carla cut in, again.

“I wish I had me a Derrick,” Patrice added.

“Keep reading, Stevie, hurry up and get to the good part!” Tanya said.

“‘When he be kissing me, I don't never want him to stop.'” Patrice let out a couple of giggles. “‘Last night when he rubbed his thing up against my thigh …'” I had to come up for air; this was getting juicy. I could hear my heart beating. I could tell that the others were hanging on every word. Carla elbowed me, “Don't stop now, keep going, girl.”

I continued, “‘My panties was wetter than they ever was before.'”

“OOH WEE, see, I told you her love came down,” Tanya whispered. I swallowed hard. This stuff really was something!

“‘I know the reason I be scared is 'cause we don't have no protection and I don't want no baby.'” I wondered what protection was. It didn't sound like it was a gun or a German shepherd.

“Hurry up 'fore the bell ring!” Carla shouted.

“Okay. ‘Derrick say he gonna buy some rubbers before the next time he rub his dick against me.'”

Why would he need boots? I wondered.

“Stevie, be cool.” Carla elbowed me again.

“Carla, why are you stopping me now? It sounds like it's really about to get good.”

“I know, Stevie, but there go Mr. Davis and Mrs. Robinson standing right behind us.”

I turned my head and saw the principal and the music teacher staring at us. They were two red-looking white people. Patrice and Tanya let out big sighs.

“Mrs. Robinson, let me know if the piano needs tuning for the assembly. Remember, it needs to be in tiptop shape for the graduation in June.”

Mrs. Robinson nodded. We sat like statues.

Mr. Davis leaned over and snatched the diary out of my hand.

“You girls follow me.”

I cut my eyes at Carla. That's what I got for following her. I could tell from the sound of Mr. Davis's voice that our gooses were cooked!

Carla, Tanya, and Patrice were suspended from school for three days. Mr. Davis had talked to our teachers and they had decided not to suspend me because I was on the honor roll. Mr. Davis said that Tanya could have her sister's diary back if her mother came up and got it.

Mrs. Cunningham told me that I couldn't return to school without my mother. There was no way I could have Mama miss work to come up to school about me, when Carla's birthday party was this Saturday. No way, I thought.

Me and Carla were walking back to our class with Mrs. Cunningham.

“I don't know when I've been so disappointed. Jean, you are one of my brightest students. No one expects anything from Carla, but you have really disappointed us.”

Carla rolled her eyes as Mrs. Cunningham continued.

“We have an old Jamaican saying, ‘Every tub must sit 'pon its own bottom,' Jean. You can't go through life following behind other people; you have to have a mind of your own.”

“I didn't say it was anybody else's idea,” I reminded Mrs. Cunningham.

“Look, I wasn't born yesterday, you know. I don't believe you did this without being influenced. I've been teaching for a long time now. I know my students.”

“Okay, okay, I dragged her into it! Satisfied now! Hey, I'm suspended anyway, what do I care if you know. Stevie … Jean ain't know nothing about it till we got in the auditorium. And then we had to twist her arm, okay!” Carla blurted out as we reached the door.

“Clean your desk before you leave,” Mrs. Cunningham said coldly.

I was at home washing the dishes. To top everything off, we'd had liver for dinner tonight. On
Gunsmoke
, at least they always gave you your favorite food before they sent you to the gallows. We couldn't have had fried chicken or spaghetti. No, we had to have liver.

I had been quiet during dinner, barely touching my food. Mama had let me get away with it because she knew I couldn't stand liver. I just couldn't bring myself to tell her what had happened today, not with Carla's birthday party three days away.

My hands shook as I washed dishes now. I had almost broken two glasses.

It was the next morning and I still hadn't told Mama what had happened. Carla had called me last night and brought me up to date. She said none of them had told their mothers they were suspended. In fact, she, Patrice, and Tanya planned to hang out at her crib and watch the stories all day. Carla's sister, Marla, would cover for them because Carla would be able to babysit her “rusty-butt boy” and tell her what was happening on
The Edge of Night
. Carla's sister was even going to sign their mothers' names to the suspension notices. Carla said it was no sweat, they had it made in the shade. It wasn't like she had never been suspended before. Everything was cool. Carla was trying to get her sisters to let her borrow their 45s so we could dance at the party. Everything was set. It seemed like I was the only one in trouble. Carla said that even Annie Pearl had kept her cool after Tanya said if she hit her, she would tell her mother what was in the diary.

I knew I was pressing my luck as I walked into Mrs. Cunningham's classroom alone, without Mama.

“Jean, where is your mother? Is she talking with Mr. Davis?”

Dog, Mrs. Cunningham couldn't even let me get the Pledge of Allegiance out before jumping in my face.

“No, she's home in bed. She was too sick to come out. She's got the flu. That bad flu that's going around.”

“Okay, Jean, I'm going to give you until tomorrow.”

“It's a bad flu, Mrs. Cunningham, a real bad one.”

“What about Mr. Stevenson? Can he come in tomorrow?”

No way, I thought. Daddy hit harder than Mama.

“He's got the flu too, Mrs. Cunningham.”

“Okay, Jean, I'm going to let you stay today because we're having a math test. But you either show up tomorrow with one of your parents or have them call me. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Mrs. Cunningham.”

If I could just stall one more day, I'd have it made. Tomorrow was Friday. If I could just hold Mrs. Cunningham off one more day, I could go to the party on Saturday. Mama had already made my hair appointment at No Naps Beauty Salon. In fact, Carla's mother was the one who was going to do my hair.

I had made it! It was Friday afternoon and I was on my way home from school. Mrs. Cunningham had been out sick today and we'd had a substitute teacher. I had totally lucked out. The substitute had barely been able to keep the class from going crazy, let alone figure out I was supposed to bring my mother up to school. I couldn't believe it: nothing was gonna come between me and going to Carla's party now. I knew that chickens would come home to roost, as Mama always said. But let them roost on Monday, that's all I asked. Besides, a lot could happen between now and Monday. The Russians could attack. We could be invaded by Martians from outer space. Mrs. Cunningham could fall and hit her head and lose her memory. Anything could happen.

chapter 6

David met me at the door. I could tell something was wrong, because his eyes were so big. David grabbed my arm and started pulling me toward my bedroom. He was a head shorter than me and two years younger, but he was strong.

“David, what are you doing? What's wrong? Why are you grabbing on me?”

“Jean, you better change out of that dress and put on some long pants! Mama's talking to your teacher on the phone! I can tell you're in trouble just by how her voice sounds. Jean, you're really gonna get it!”

I set my books down on my bed.

“How long has she been on the phone?” My voice was shaking.