Novel-You'll Never Know- Part 1
Posted: Friday, July 31, 2009
by Mulaykah
It has been 8 years to the day I last seen my best friend, Andre.
My family moved away from the home that I grew up in until the age of 13.
I had begged that we not move, if we didn't really have to. But I guess they felt we had to, two weeks later we packed our bags and our things that were near and dear to our hearts. And sent our furniture away in a moving truck, we said goodbye to our old home, and drove down south to Georgia to meet our new one.
Away from school and school mates that I was use to.
I exaggeratedly explained to them that it may be detrimental to me as a child if they should choose to uproot me from all that I have known. But they let my words carelessly breeze through their ears and out the other never minding me. My father told me it was best, and besides he was getting another job a better one and with that came better things he explained for his family. Things didn't matter to me, all I cared about was what I had known and not wanting to be away from it.
I left my block littered with people on stoops and children on side walks, girls with the exception of always one boy playing double Dutch and hop scotch. I had left the scene of young boys, with foot balls in their hands, briskly tossing it back and forth to one another, imitating their favorite football player while playing in the streets.
I left the laughter of children; and music that rose in the air from blasting cars riding by; that sent trebles and bass on the concrete announcing the vehicles arrival, even before it arrived.
I had left the familiar smells of summer barbecue breezes, which always made my stomach rumble and sent me running home to momma asking her to cook up some of the same good eats my nose recognized. I left my fondest memories behind, most including my best friend Andre.
We were an odd couple, I being a rough little tom boy and he being precocious suave little man choosing to hang with me over his other rough housing buddies and mischief makers.
His hair was curly, dark and shiny, he had green puppy dog eyes, and
Lips as pink as lipstick wearers which he always curled up
When he thought I'd did something disgusting, something unsatisfactory to him.
He wore jeans even in the summer with a matching base ball hat and a
Pair of ran down converse sneakers.
We did everything together, riding bikes, playing video games, going to the near by bay to just sit and talk about why we thought certain things were, and why things wasn't.
His family didn't like me very much, maybe because they felt that they were better. Better looks, better home, better upbringing, better Race.
But Andre didn't care, he thought I was beautiful he thought my family was funny and fun to be around and he thought being black was cool. I remember the first day he opened the doors to his home to let me in. He lived in a yellow vinyl siding house, with 5 small steps leading to the off white door. There were sounds and smells of bacon sizzling in the kitchen and eggs frying. Spanish music quietly played in the background and shadows of a burning Jesus candle flickered on the soft beige walls. The house was darkened by the closed shades in the quaint Neatly arranged living room that led to a hallway which led to the kitchen where Andre took me and his mother stood.
She was a short voluptuous woman, with skin darker than mine, her under tone was redder than yellow.
Her eyes were as deep of a green as Andre's and her hair was black thick and curly that fell to the middle of her back. She was a very pretty woman, even though she had awkward features, her nose was slightly thick at the bridge and narrowed out into a small curve at the tip, that kind of reminded me of Gonzo, a Muppet character of Sesame Street . She was strange looking different from me and my people, but maybe that's why she was pretty to me, she was exotic like an actress from a foreign movie.
Her back was turned towards he and I while she stood over dirty dishes in the sink about to wash them.
"Mommy, Andre said attempting to get his mothers attention.
She turned her head half way to look over her shoulder and sat her eyes on him.
"Mommy he said again.
"What Mejo, I'm looking right at you speak if you want to say something!
Her accent was Dominican and strong. Andre turned to look at me where I stood in the back of him, acting as a shy scared girl. He motioned his hand to have me come up close, and when I came close he pulled me closer to his side
"This is Mina, Mina this is Mommy-Say hello. He said in a demanding manner.
"Hello, Ms. Rodriguez. I said in a soft tone.
She turned around fully, and leaned her back against the sink while loosely crossing her arms. Her eyes rose up and down passing over me as she examined the little girl who stood before her even before she returned the greeting.
" Hello, Mina.
And then
She started questioning me. Asking:" Where do you live?
" Who are your parents?
" What do they do?' How is it that you came to know my son?
Answering all of them,
Andre hurried to cut her off before she could speak anything else."
"Mommy what's up with all the questions?
He asked in an aggravated tone, He rolled his eyes and huffed while walking away.
" Come on Mina, He said as he waved me to his room. I was relieved of the pressure, but weary of the way Andre talked to His mother. I glanced back her way with eyes asking permission to be excused,
And got the permission I needed by a nod from her head. I wasn't use to being questioned the way she questioned me, but at the time it just seemed that she was just over protective with her son- at least concerning the people he spent his time with.
We went into Andre's room and he closed the door behind us.
I walked over to his made up bed and a sat. His room was quite tidy for a boy of his age. I had wondered if the cleanliness was from his hands or that of his mothers.
I didn't ask though, I just sat admiring it all. Although later I did find that he was just that way, clean and organized, that's how he liked it, and that's how everything stayed around him.
Andre had things that I didn't have, one of them being: his very own room, I had to share one with my older sister. But, when I was in his home, his things were made to be mine. He was unselfish welcoming me to all that he welcomed himself. He was one of the most unselfish people I had known.
"Don't worry about her, Andre said. She's just upset... she doesn't usually question my friends like that.
He paused
" my Papi didn't come home last night that's what is probably bothering her.
"Oh, I thought she didn't like me-or just being protective with you-you know that's how some parents are. They have to know everything about the friends their kids hangs with.'
"Nah, nothing to do with you" and nothing like that, believe me He said with a reassuring smile as he turned on the Television.
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