The United States of Rebellia

by RJ Pritchett

  “Never say never!” Clara gasped again, “You’re jinxing us!”

  It was funny to see her worry like that. It was really adorable to tell you the truth. Clara was such a beautiful girl on the inside and out, and I knew she was the one because of that. As I was sitting there, rubbing her back, I knew that nothing would be able to tear us apart. Absolutely nothing.

  Over the next couple of years, Clara was my world. They say that young love doesn’t last, but I just knew that Clara was going to be my wife someday. I almost proposed to her during prom night, but I was afraid of the ‘we’re not ready’ rejection in front of the whole grade, so I canceled that plan as the night went on. Even though I didn’t propose, Clara and I had the time of our lives. I couldn’t think of life without her by my side. It’s like the first 13 years of my life before I met her were all a blur. My life began the moment I gave her that rose that I stole from my momma. Even as I close my eyes today, that memory is sharp in my mind.

  A few days before our high school graduation, Clara and I went on a movie date. I kinda forgot which movie it was, but it was a chick-flick that she picked out. Something to do with werewolves or something like that. At the theater, we saw this kid from the next graduating class that happened to have a crush on Clara before we started dating. I knew he didn’t like me, but I didn’t care. When he saw us, he wasn’t too happy to see us there, holding hands and smiling.

  “Hello, Claretha,” he said, waving to her.

  Clara and I exchanged confused looks, “Who’s Claretha?” she asked me. I just shrugged. Clara’s name was short for Clarissa, not Claretha. I did find the mix-up funny though.

  “I mean… you don’t have to ignore him. You can say hi,” I told her.

  She just shook her head. “No,” she said, placing her hand gently on the back of my neck, “he needs to finally get the picture,” she pulled me closer, and that kiss we shared was one of our most passionate. It might have been the first time our tongues were involved in a kiss. It was beautiful. When we finally separated after what felt like an eternity, she wiped her bottom lip with her thumb, smiled and looked directly at that kid. I looked his way too, and he was furious. I could see it on his crimson face. To add to the embarrassment he must’ve been facing at the time, his friends were laughing at him.

  “Real nice,” the boy said, putting on a sarcastic smile and giving us a slow sarcastic clap, “real fucking nice. You know what? Fuck you. Stupid, nigger-loving bitch-”

  Clara quickly grabbed my waist as I launched myself at him. For a girl so much smaller than me, Clara was strong enough to hold me back a few seconds, preventing me from getting to the kid before he and his friends ran out of the theater. I swear I would’ve killed that motherfucker if I would’ve caught him in time. I would’ve killed all of them if any of his friends would’ve jumped in. Aw man, I couldn’t wait until he showed up at school… but he never did. I thought about going out on the town and looking for him at one point… but I never did. I wanted to fight him no matter what Clara said to try to get the thought of punching that kid’s face in off my mind.

  “Look, Clara,” I told her that summer while the two of us were lying down on the picnic blanket that we rested at the nearby river one night. Our night picnics were always the best. Those were where our real intimate moments took place. Nothing sexual really, just pure conversation. Those were the best. “I love you more than anything in the world,” I said to her, “that may sound like something cliché, but I just can’t sit back and allow people to disrespect you like that. You are the love of my life, my future wife, and you’ll be the mother of my children one day. You are my Queen, and when someone disrespects the Queen… off with their heads. This isn’t about the fact that he referred to me as the n-word. He called you a bitch, shouted fuck you- all that. I can’t stand for that. I can’t see myself just allowing stuff like that. I gotta nip this in the bud really quick so that other people can get the message.”

  “Okay, Vincent,” she said, almost growling at me, “what’s the endgame? You find that motherfucker, and then what? Huh? You beat him to a pulp- probably kill him. You go to jail, you leave me out here all alone with this baby. Is that what you want? If so, that’s really fucking selfish of you-”

  “Wait- what?” I ask, my eyes grew. I wasn’t sure I heard her right. “Baby?”

  She smiled at me and nodded, “I took about three pregnancy tests this morning, they all came out positive… We’re going to be parents.”

  “Oh… my… God!” I grabbed her, holding her in my arms really tight. This was really one of the happiest moments of my life. If not the happiest moment of my life. I really couldn’t believe that Clara was pregnant. I couldn’t believe that I was going to be a father. At that moment, the only thing that was going through my mind is that our dream of being a happy family was almost complete. “This is amazing,” I said to her when I finally let her go. I pecked her on the lips.

  “I’m glad you’re just as happy as I am,” Clara said, with that beautiful smile, “I was a little afraid to tell you because I thought you would think it was too early for us. And then the whole college thing…”

  Oh shit, I thought to myself, my momma is going to fucking kill me. “Baby, it’s never too early to start a family with the person you love most in the world. Tomorrow’s never promised, so what’s the point of waiting? You know I’m a proponent of the belief that everything in the world happens for a reason. Obviously, this happened for a reason. This is a gift from God. Why wouldn’t I be happy with this?” Damn, my mom and pop are probably going to both kill me while Nadine laughs.

  I was too scared to tell my parents when I got home, so I didn’t. However, my parents were surprisingly happy with the news once they found out. There was no hiding it any longer. Clara was about four months pregnant and started showing. That’s how her parents found out, and when she confirmed her pregnancy to her parents, they immediately called my parents to celebrate. Even Nadine was happy for me.

  “So, y'all picked out any names?” Nadine asked us over a phone conversation one day.

  “Vincent Justice Jr. if it’s a boy, and-?”

  “No, Vince… just… no,” Nadine didn’t approve, “give that child its own name.”

  “I just thought-” I started to say, but Nadine just started laughing out of nowhere. “What’s so funny?”

  “Nothing. I just realized that after you two get married, her name will be… Clara Justice.”

  “And what’s so funny about that?” I asked with a straight face.

  “Sounds like the name of a superhero bounty hunter,” Nadine said.

  “Come on, Nadine. Let’s be serious for a minute. What’s wrong with giving him my name?”

  “Did dad give you his name? I’ll answer that for you. No!” Nadine was no longer laughing at her lame joke, “People who name their sons ‘junior’ are just too lazy to come up with their own names.”

  “Hmm… that’s a stupid way to put it,” I said, stroking the stubble of hair on my chin, “I’ll consider ignoring it. Maybe, they just want their child to continue their legacy by passing their name to them.”

  “Legacy? What legacy do you have, Vince?” Nadine howled with laughter, “You ain’t nobody special. You don’t deserve to be passing on your name cause your name don’t mean shit.”

  “Hater,” I said, shaking my head while Clara silently giggled.

  “How about Andrew, Xavier, or Cory? See look, I gave you three good boy names free of charge… and if it’s a girl then suggestions would include Iris, Ava, or Ruby.”

  “What about Zoey?” Clara asked as if she needed to.

  “Zoey?” Nadine already sounded dismissive without even thinking about it, “we are not gonna give my niece some little white girl name, okay?”

  “… But the baby will be… half-white,” Clara murmured.

  “I like the name Ruby,” Nadine concluded, “pick that one. You know what? Never mind. It’s up to y'all. We’ll talk
later, my show is about to start. Bye, Brother.”

  “B-” the call ended before I could bid her farewell. Clara and I exchanged looks and just laughed, “That girl is too much,” I laughed, shaking my head.

  My son Xavier Justice was born in April over Spring Break during my freshman year in college which made everything seem perfect. I was already home from school and I was lucky enough to take my wife to the hospital. The timing was perfect. I was lost for words when I held Xavier for the first time… It’s a completely different feeling than anything in the world. Seeing him just laying there brought me joy.

  “Move, let me hold my nephew,” Nadine said, almost snatching my son out of my hands, “Vince, take a picture of us.”

  Clara and I exchanged looks (as we always did when Nadine had her moments) and we both laughed as I reached for my camera to take the picture.

  Xavier grew into one of the best basketball players I’ve ever seen. I mean that kid was born to play basketball. From the moment I first took him to the nearby park, he always showed that he had a lot of potential in it. Because I saw this, we practiced and practiced, he joined the team in middle school, and then went straight to varsity in high school. Next thing you know, in his sophomore year of high school, colleges were coming out to scout him. Clara and I were so proud of our boy, and to make things even better, Clara was with child again. This time with a girl. Nadine was throwing names all over the place, but Clara was fixed on the name Zoey.

  Before the ball tipped off in Xavier’s first playoff game, Clara and I were surprised at what we saw. Before he stepped onto the court, he made his way over to the bleachers. Clara and I thought he was coming to say a few words to us, but we were wrong. Instead, he leaned over and kissed some girl on the lips.

  “Good luck, Baby,” the girl called out to him.

  “I don’t need luck, but I’ll use it for you,” he shouted back to her while walking back to the middle of the court where the starters were getting ready for tip-off.

  “That’s right, Xavier,” my dad said with his arms folded and a smile on his face, “Black girls are where it’s at. See? He knows,” after saying this, he laughed and patted me on the shoulder, “I’m just joking, Son. I’m curious how you’re gonna handle this though. You know, that was you at one point in time.”

  “That must be his girlfriend,” Clara said, looking at me and then at the girl, “should we go introduce ourselves?”

  “Oh. Y’all didn’t know about her?” Nadine asked.

  “Wait. You knew? And you didn’t tell anybody?” I was shocked.

  “Why would I tell his parents that he had a girlfriend?” Nadine asked me, “That’s a severe invasion of privacy. What kinda person would I be if I just went around snitching on everybody?”

  “Now you say this…” I said, “Where was this Nadine when I came home from the dance that night.”

  “Relax, Brother. Everything worked out for the best that night, didn’t it? You should be thanking me.”

  “Should we go to her?” Clara said, still looking at the young girl about five rows down from us.

  “I don’t think we should,” I said, “Let Xavier introduce us. If he feels that she’s the one, he’ll bring her around eventually.”

  Xavier’s team won the game by nineteen points. The game wasn’t very competitive, but the atmosphere was fun, and Xavier’s team looked amazing. If my memory serves correct, my boy put up twenty-eight points and had eleven assists that game. It’s always fun watching my son win and it’s especially fun to win while colleges are watching my kid.

  “Mom, Laramie is having a party tonight. Can I go?” was the first thing Xavier said when he saw us in the parking lot after the game.

  “Good game, Son,” I said, wrapping my arm around his neck.

  He laughed, “Thanks, Pop.”

  “I don’t know,” Clara said, responding to his question about the party, “What time do you plan on being home? Nine?”

  “Nine? The party probably won’t even be lit by that time,” Xavier said, seemingly agitated. “Come on, Mom. Everybody’s going to be there. I have to be there.”

  “Oh, just let the boy go,” I said into my wife’s ear, “we can pick him up when we’re on our way back from the river,” I kissed her neck, she giggled, and Xavier looked like he wanted to vomit.

  “Aw, okay,” Clara said, “no drugs, no alcohol, no… don’t get anybody pregnant.”

  “What?” Xavier blushed, “None of that stuff will be going down at this party. We’re pretty much just celebrating Lars’ birthday. The most that’s gonna happen is one of the guys will light up some fireworks for Lars. That’s it.”

  “Well, we’re coming to pick you up at eleven,” Clara said.

  “Eleven-thirty? Alright, cool,” Xavier smiled, backing away towards the area where his girlfriend was talking with a bunch of other girls.

  “Eleven… alright, eleven-thirty! On the dot! Not a second later!” Clara called out.

  “You’re the best, Mom,” Xavier called back, turning around to jog to his girlfriend. They embraced with a hug and a kiss once he got there.

  “They grow up so fast,” Clara sighed, shaking her head, “it seems like just yesterday he was asking to sleep in our bed because he was scared of the lightning. Remember that, Baby?”

  “Um… that was yesterday,” I laughed.

  “You know what I mean,” Clara laughed with me.

  We locked arms and walked to the car. We needed to get ready for our weekly night picnic down by the river.

  While Xavier was at that high school party, (where I’m sure drugs and alcohol made a cameo), Clara and I were sitting down on our blanket down by our spot by the river. Well, I was sitting; she was more so laying down, staring up at the stars. We’ve visited this spot more frequently over the past couple of months. So many memories here. This was where our first date was; this is where Clara told me she was pregnant with Xavier; she also told me that she was pregnant with Zoey at this spot; I proposed to her at this spot about a month after the Xavier announcement, and we got married the next day at the courthouse. Our family members were there, but we didn’t have the real wedding until after Xavier was born. I also happen to think that Zoey was conceived at this spot. *laughs* Our picnic area at the river was a monumental place in our lives, and we even made a promise to each other early on in our relationship that after we both die, we would meet at a river like this if there was one in Heaven… Clara thought that was very Shakespearean, and beautiful. I agreed to it even though I hated when she would speak of death. Anyways, this night was just as beautiful as our previous dates here. We spoke about Xavier’s future in the NBA, we spoke about the name of our pending daughter. Clara confirmed that the baby’s name will be Zoey, and that was final. Nothing would change her mind, even though I didn’t try to. I actually liked the name when she first brought it up when discussing if Xavier would be a boy or not.

  It was nearing eleven o’clock. That was the time Clara wanted to leave to go pick up Xavier from his friend Laramie’s house. We were cleaning up, and I couldn’t help but stare at Clara. She was so beautiful. As I stared at her creepily, I asked myself for the millionth time how did I get so lucky? She grabbed her pillows and the blanket while I grabbed the basket, the empty plates, and the Bluetooth speaker. All in one trip. I was so proud of myself for that. I got everything in the trunk of the car, while Clara answered her ringing cell phone.

  “Hello?”

  Once I closed the trunk door and rounded the car, I suspected that something was wrong. Clara was frozen. I got in the driver’s seat and waited for her to come around to the passenger’s side, but she wouldn’t move… she nodded. That was her first sign of life in the past ten seconds or so. She hung up the phone and ran over to the car.

  “We have to go to the hospital. Hurry!” Clara yelled at me when she got in the car. I sped off, not knowing what happened at all. I just knew that I had to get to that hospital as fast as I could.

/>   While I drove down the lonely road, I persisted, asking Clara what happened as she started to tear up.

  “Something happened with Xavier, he’s in there right now,” she finally said, and the pedal immediately kissed the floor of the car. My mind was racing, my heart was beating as fast as it ever did in life. I couldn’t believe this. Something happened to him. Whether it’s fatal or not, I let my boy go to that party, and he got hurt. This whole thing is my fault. My mind was everywhere, so much so, that I didn’t even notice the blinking blue lights behind me.

  “Should I pull over?” I asked Clara. She just noticed the cop car behind us too. She nodded.

  I pulled over, and for some reason, the damn police officer took forever and a day to come out of his car. Looking through the rearview mirror, I watched as three police officers stepped out of the car at the exact same time. They all made their way over as Clara and I tried our best to keep our emotions in check.

  “Finally got you to slow down, Speed Racer,” the first officer said, and upon looking at him, I knew him… he recognized me… from before. The movie theater was the last time Clara and I saw him, and he was right here outside my car about to write me a ticket for speeding. “Oh shit… look who it is. My old high school friends, Claretha and her boyfriend… Vinny?”

  “Vincent,” I said, trying my best to be calm.

  “Vinny, man. Why the hell were you driving so fast? You know we have speed limits around these parts.”

  “I have to get to the hospital as soon as possible; my son is there. He could be hurt.”

  “Oh. You have a son now? with… her? Oh wow. Color me surprised. I didn’t think you two would last a full year. How long has it been, Vinny?” this guy seemed to be in a cheery mood.

  “Seventeen, I’m guessing?” I shrugged my shoulders, “Look, Whatshisname, we can catch up some other time. Right now, I really need to get to my son.”

  The guy (I honestly forgot his name) leaned closer to my open window and whispered into my ear, “I’m sorry to hear about the whole son thing, but you don’t move until I give you the say-so,” he backed away and smiled, “You were speeding down the street, not fully stopping at stop signs… those things are there for a reason, Vinny boy. What if you would’ve crashed? Speed limits are not to be ignored. It’s for everybody’s safety, yours included. License and registration please?”