Fair-Weather Friends (15 page)

“Mama, this is all my fault,” I cried as I buried my head in her lap. I sobbed for a couple of minutes, then sat up and sniffed. “Trying out for the Theta Ladies was all my idea. I never meant for it to come to this: Angel getting hurt, us barely speaking. I just wanted to be a Theta.”

My mother wiped away my tears and took my hands. Even though she could nag the heck out of me sometimes, for the most part, my mom and I had a good relationship. Ever since she almost died from a heart attack last year, things had gotten a lot better between us and I'd really come to value her opinion.

“Everything happens for a reason, dumplin', so maybe now is not the time for you to be joining a sorority. Maybe you should save that for college because it's obvious these girls aren't mature enough to understand the real meaning behind sororities. Unfortunately, from what you've told
me, the Thetas are led by a girl who goes against everything sororities are all about, be it on the college level or in high school. They're about sisterhood, and sometimes that sister may not look just like you.” She sighed as she dropped my hand.

“You young people don't know the things our people have had to endure. If you did, you would see how detrimental hate is.” She lifted my chin. “Let me tell you something we don't talk about much in our family. It's too painful for your grandmother to even think about.”

My grandmother lived in a senior citizens' center about twenty minutes away. Over the years she had shared a lot of stories with me, so I couldn't imagine that there was something she had never told me.

“You've heard us talk about your grandfather, right?” It seemed like my mother was forcing herself to tell me whatever she was trying to tell me. Her eyebrows furrowed and she had stress lines all across her face.

I nodded. “Yeah, Grandpa died when you were just a little girl.”

“That's right. But we never talked about how he died.” She took a deep breath. “He was lynched.”

“You mean like hung?” I asked in disbelief.

My mother solemnly nodded. “He was very active in Mississippi, trying to help get black people registered to vote. A lot of white people in town didn't like that.”

I was stunned. I was also having trouble figuring out
how this story was supposed to bolster my mother's case that we should all just get along. If my grandfather was killed because of the color of his skin, she was entitled to have a racist attitude. Wasn't she?

“Daddy was with me and Mama at the store picking up a few groceries one day when we were approached by several white men,” she began. “I couldn't have been any more than three. But I remember them yelling at my daddy. Mama was crying and shielding me behind her back. The next thing I knew, those men were dragging both of my parents to a field. They strung Daddy up right there on a big old oak tree and they were about to do the same to Mama.”

I stared at my mother, my eyes wide in shock. “Oh, my God. B-but you're so nice to
everybody
. If anyone has a reason to hate someone because of their color, it's you.”

My mother closed her eyes and sighed like I just didn't get it. “They could've killed Mama, too. And maybe even me. But do you know what stopped them?”

I didn't have an answer, so I just shook my head.

“Another white man who just so happened to be passing by,” she continued. “He didn't know us from Adam, but he came over and pleaded for my mother's life. He knew they could've easily killed him as well, but he begged them to let us go. So how can I hate white people when it was a white person who saved me and my mother's lives?”

This whole story was too much. And I still wasn't seeing
what it had to do with anything. “But this isn't between blacks and whites. It's the Hispanic and black kids who are mad at each other.”

“Don't you see it's the same thing? It's hate. Pure and simple. You're judging someone based on their race.” She let out a long sigh. “That man who saved our lives helped us out tremendously after Daddy died. Daddy took care of everything, and Mama didn't work so it was really hard on us after he died. But Charles Stamps gave us money to move, to start over and basically rebuild our lives. Imagine if he had just said, ‘Oh, they're black, I won't help them.' We would've been in a world of trouble. He didn't see color. And I've tried to live my life the same way.”

I now understood where my mother was coming from. She had a valid point. Until this whole Theta thing, I never really saw color or race. I still didn't, really. But I'd aligned myself with people who did.

I hugged my mother and thanked her for helping open my eyes. I knew now exactly what I needed to do.

E
verything felt so surreal as I walked up to the hospital doors. The last time I had been in this place was when my mom was rushed here after having a heart attack. Just like then, I felt like this was all my fault.

Alexis and Jasmine, who were with me, read my mind.

“Camille, you know this is not your fault, right?” Alexis said to me.

Jasmine nodded in agreement. “Something like this was bound to happen with everything that was going on.”

I wiped at the tears that had started trickling down my cheeks. “That's what I keep trying to tell myself, but why did it have to be one of
my
best friends who got stabbed?” I said as we walked up to Angel's hospital room. “This whole peace forum was supposed to promote unity and it just ended horribly.”

Before anyone could respond, Christina came barreling down the hallway, jumped in front of the doorway, and blocked the entrance to Angel's room.

“What are y'all doing here? I can't believe you have the nerve to show your face at this hospital. This is all your fault anyway. Angel wouldn't be in here if you were her real friends!” she spat. “But don't worry, you can go back to your precious little sorority sisters. Angel's family and true friends have this under control.”

Jasmine, whose face was turning red, exploded. “What? How you gon' tell us we aren't her real friends? Were you there when Angel ran away from home and had nowhere to go? Were you there when we had to drive all the way to Victoria, Texas, to drag her back to Houston? How about when that triflin' baby daddy of hers refused to help take care of Angelica? Or better yet, were you there when Angel went into labor and had to have the baby all by herself? Uhh, no, I don't think you were, because
we were
there. So don't talk to me about being a true friend!”

Jasmine was yelling so loudly that a nurse at the nearby station cleared her throat and shot us dirty looks. Jasmine lowered her voice. “You just came on the scene a month ago and all of a sudden you've made yourself Angel's personal bodyguard,” she continued. “Girl, please, you better move out of my way and let me in this room.”

Angel's sister, Rosario, must've heard the commotion in the hallway. She came bustling out of the room to see what the problem was.

“Excuse me, ladies, but my sister did just get stabbed. Can y'all keep that nonsense away from her door? She does
not need that kind of stress.” Rosario's eyes were puffy, and I'd never seen her angry.

“I'm sorry, Rosario,” I said. “We just wanted to check on Angel, and Christina won't move out of the way. We promise no more arguing, okay?”

Rosario looked at us skeptically. “Okay, but my mom is upset enough as it is. Don't come up in here with that drama, upsetting her even more.”

We all nodded. Jasmine cut her eyes at Christina, who reluctantly moved out of the way.

We opened the door just in time to hear the doctor say that Angel was going to be okay. The knife had just missed her kidney. A couple more inches and she would have died before she even made it to the hospital.

Angel lay in bed, pale as a ghost. There were all kinds of tubes connected to her arms. Angel's mom was sitting on the side of the bed, holding her daughter's hand. She looked like she would collapse from exhaustion at any given moment.

“Thank you, Doctor. I'm so glad she's going to be okay,” Mrs. Lopez said.

He gave her a reassuring nod. “You're a lucky mother,” he said, glancing at his chart. “And luckily, you have a fighter on your hands. Well, I have to make my rounds. Buzz your nurse if you need anything.”

Mrs. Lopez stood as the doctor left the room. “Oh, hi, girls,” she said, finally noticing us. “Angel is going to be
so happy that you came to check on her. She's still a little groggy, but I'm sure she will be excited that you all came.”

Angel's mom obviously had no idea that we had barely been speaking to Angel. Jasmine gave Christina a “now what” look and Christina scowled back at her as Mrs. Lopez turned back to Angel and began gently stroking her hair.

“Sweetie, your friends are here to see you. Your sister and I are going to go down to the cafeteria and get some coffee so you and your friends can have some privacy. We'll be back in a little bit.

“Oh, and girls?” her mom said to us before exiting the room. “Thank you for always being there for
mija.
It makes me feel better knowing that she has such good friends in her corner.”

I now officially felt like the scum of the earth. Alexis must have been feeling the same way because she put her head down and said, “There's no need to thank us, Mrs. Lopez.”

“Yeah, really you shouldn't,” Christina snidely remarked from the corner.

Angel, who hadn't said anything since we entered the room, softly spoke. “Christina, can you please give us a minute? I think we need to talk.”

Christina let out a nasty sigh and reluctantly followed Angel's mom and sister out of the room.

For what seemed like forever, there was a silence that blanketed the room as we looked from one to the other.

“Okay, I guess I'll start,” I said before I lost my nerve. “Angel, you know we never meant for this to happen. If I had known things would end up like this, I would've never asked any of you guys to join the Thetas. And then with the peace forum, we were only trying to help the situation, and instead I think we made it worse. You know we all love you regardless of what sorority we may belong to. We were friends long before the Thetas came along and we will be friends long after they are gone. It doesn't matter …” My eyes were starting to tear up and I felt a lump forming in my throat as I tried to continue. “It doesn't matter …”

“I think what the crybaby is trying to say,” Jasmine interrupted, “is that it doesn't matter to us if you are black, Spanish, or white with purple polka dots, we are always going to be there for you.”

“Leave it to you, Jasmine, to always lighten the mood,” Angel said as she smiled at us. “Look y'all, I know I have been acting a little strange lately, but my feelings were really hurt when I found out the real reason I didn't get picked for the Thetas. I just thought it would be best if I started hanging with some friends more like me.” Angel winced in pain.

“Save your strength,” Alexis told her. “You don't have to explain anything to us. I think we've all said and did some things we aren't proud of. So I think it's safe to say that we are all sorry.” By this point me, Alexis, and Angel were in tears. Even Jasmine was a little misty-eyed, although you could tell she was fighting back her tears.

“We have been through so much within the past year and a half, and we've become such close friends,” I said. “I just hate that it had to come to this in order for us to realize nothing is worth jeopardizing that friendship.”

Angel reached out for my hand. “Nothing at all.”

We turned when we heard a noise at the door. Miss Rachel stood in the doorway with a huge smile on her face. “I knew you girls would make me proud,” she said, walking in the room. “Angel, how are you feeling, sweetie?”

Angel stretched her other hand out for Alexis, who took it. “Miss Rachel, I'm sorry. And just so you know, I'm feeling better now.” She squeezed both of our hands. “Much, much better now that my friends are here.”

“S
o, how's your little
chica
?” Tori snidely remarked. She was so working my nerves. Angel had almost died behind this foolishness and she was still trippin'.

Lynn stood next to her, looking uneasy. “Tori, chill out,” she said.

I ignored Tori as I threw my books in my locker and slammed the door shut.

“Dang, I'm just asking,” Tori said, rolling her eyes. “Can't I be concerned?”

“Don't act like you care what happens to Angel,” I snapped.

We were standing in the hallway about to go to lunch. Even though it had been three days and Angel was doing much better, she was still in the hospital. Me, Jasmine, and Alexis had been up to see her daily.

Today was our first day back to school since the rally. Monday and Tuesday had been teacher in-service days. I'd
already told myself that I wouldn't be sitting with the Thetas today and was actually looking forward to a nice, quiet lunch with Jasmine.

“You know, Tori, not that you really care, but Angel almost died,” I said.

“
And?
It's not like I'm the one that stabbed her.”

“Yeah, but this whole climate that you're creating, making people hate each other because of their race … It's just crazy.”

Tori sucked her teeth like I was getting on her nerves. “Look, you and Alexis need to decide who you're with. Us, your sisters, or some Mexican from the other side of the tracks.”

I looked at her in utter disgust. It's like I was seeing her in a whole different light. I mean, I knew she could act ugly, but right now, she
was
ugly.

“You know, I can't understand what I ever saw in the Theta Ladies,” I finally said. “Especially if you're representative of what and who they really are. I went to bat for this organization every time someone talked junk about you. But I believed in what you all were doing.” I sighed when it was obvious I wasn't getting through to her. “You know, my grandfather was killed because of the color of his skin.”