by J. Dillard
“Nah, just kidding!” she said. “Your video won, and they want you to tape a live interview!”
I was too excited to be mad at Mom for her sneaky trick, and so was Vanessa. We joined in a group hug and jumped up and down.
Granddad walked in to see what was going on.
“Did someone win the lottery and didn’t tell me?” he asked, joining our hug.
“No, Granddad, we are going to be on ‘Southeast Star’ doing hair!
“Oh my goodness, kids, that’s my favorite show after The Young and the Restless!” he said. “Do you think you can get me a cameo?”
“Only if you let me cut your hair on live TV, Granddad,” I said.
“Slow down there, son. I don’t know about all that!”
CHAPTER 17
Big Time
Vanessa and I split up so we could tell our friends the good news. I couldn’t wait to see my best friend. I rushed next door and asked Mr. Mathews if he’d let me talk to Jordan. He motioned for me to come in when I told him it was about “Southeast Star.”
Jordan was in his room, separating and lining up his sneakers by brand.
“Hey, Jordan! Guess what?” I said excitedly. “We’re going to be on TV!”
He set down a pair and looked up in disbelief.
“Are you serious?” he said.
“Yes, for real!”
“Wow,” he said. “So I can finally stop paying my allowance to Naija?”
I explained that not only could he pay off Naija, he’d have more than enough money for the latest retros that were due to drop.
“Oh, that’s gonna be sweet,” he said. “But now I need to think about what I’m gonna wear to the show. . . . ”
“That’s easy to fix,” I said, leading the way to Jordan’s closet.
CHAPTER 18
The Road to Jackson
The day of the interview, I made sure I woke up extra early to perfect my fade. I even cut a half moon part into my head. My hair had to look perfect.
Jordan had let me pick through his clothes and shoes. Even though he was bigger than me, he saved his sneakers from years past, and I ended up borrowing a pair of all-black Nike Air Max 720s and a white T-shirt with a black Swoosh on the front. I was going to look great on TV!
We told everyone we knew to watch. I called my dad. Xavier and Eddie even planned to watch at Eddie’s house and invite some of the peewee football team over.
Granddad had agreed to drive me, Vanessa, and Jordan to the TV station in Jackson, which was an hour away. Jessyka and her dad were going to follow behind us in their car.
Granddad was the only adult free at the time to take us, but I think he just wanted to meet Sharon McNeil! He even put on a three-piece suit.
Vanessa went all out with her hair. She added colorful shapes using stencils and matched them with the colors on her skirt.
We tried to keep ourselves busy in the car by pretending to interview each other in the back seat.
“Hi, everybody, I’m Sharon McNeil!” Vanessa said, putting up her fist to her mouth like it was a microphone.
“Mr. J.D., what’s your secret to a great haircut?” she asked me in a fake deep voice.
“I make it look great every time! You never have to worry if you’re in my chair. You will come out looking fresh for days,” I said.
Jordan burst out into laughter.
“I hope you don’t say that on TV,” he said.
“Why, what’s wrong with that answer?” I asked him. “It’s the truth.”
“I dunno, man, maybe you should say something more exciting like, ‘I may make every kid in Meridian look smooth, but now I’m taking on the state!’ ”
Vanessa’s fake microphone fell in her lap when Jordan said that.
I remembered the Great Barber Battle and how that was my first time getting up in front of the whole town to show people what I could do. Now we’d be doing that in front of strangers from three states. I could tell that thought made Vanessa nervous. She hadn’t done something like the Great Barber Battle. This was new for her.
“It’s okay if you’re nervous, Vanessa,” I said. “Did you know that Mom used to feel like throwing up before her track meets? And that she was afraid of drawing people’s blood when she was a nurse?”
Vanessa shook her head.
“Well, Mom says when we’re nervous, we should imagine that everyone is cheering us on.”
I think Mom’s advice helped Vanessa, because her shoulders relaxed and she brought up her fake microphone again.
“So, J.D., tell us how your big sister has influenced your life,” she said in her deep interviewer voice.
We all laughed, including Granddad.
CHAPTER 19
Showtime!
Once we arrived at the station, we were greeted by Kat McDonald, the lady Mom had spoken to on the phone.
Kat McDonald had the back of her head shaved, with diamonds cut into the base and the top pulled up into a set of dreadlocks with purple tips.
“Wow! How long did it take for you to get your hair like that?” I asked her.
“Eh, only about thirty minutes for the back and about an hour and a half for the color,” she said.
I wondered if I could get any of my friends to let me loc their hair. I bet Jessyka would.
Kat wore a Tuskegee University T-shirt tucked into flared jeans. She explained she was going into her senior year and hoped to be an on-air personality one day.
“I’m so excited you agreed to do this! This is the first segment I’m producing on my own,” she said.
Kat gave us a quick tour of the studio. Jordan got to stand behind the cameras, and Vanessa saw where the anchors got their hair and makeup done.
Then I heard the loud click of high heels, and there was Sharon McNeil!
“Hello! So you’re J.D. the Kid Barber, Vanessa Does It All, and their friends Jessyka and Jordan?” she asked.
Sharon was wearing a bright-pink pantsuit with matching pink heels. She looked like a giant crayon.
“Yes, ma’am,” we said.
“You’re all such little stars. I can see a bright future for you. We are so excited to have you here today! Kat will get you prepped for the segment. Remember, it’s live, so there won’t be any do-overs!”
Kat walked us into what she called the “green room,” but there wasn’t any green at all. It was just a regular room with an oversized couch, two chairs, a bathroom, and a table with a spread of food. It was more than I could imagine anyone eating, from fruits to cheeses to little pieces of bread and meat. It reminded me of the New Meridian Buffet, but I was too nervous to eat.
There were photographs of famous people from Mississippi and the rest of the south on the wall. Oprah Winfrey was in the middle.
Vanessa, Jessyka, and Jordan ran for the couch and started to jump on it.
“Get down, kids!” Granddad said. “Have a seat, and stop showing out in front of these nice people!”
Kat chuckled to herself.
“I know this is exciting, but try to keep the room neat for our next guests,” she said.
Kat clipped a microphone battery to everybody’s waist, ran the cord up our backs, and clipped the microphone to the inside of our collars. Jessyka was wearing pink-and-black track pants with shiny black dress shoes and a white T-shirt tucked in. She had done her nails in matching alternating colors, and even her beads were color-coordinated. The night before, Jordan had me give him a new fade, with the letter J shaved on the side, and he had on a brand-new pair of red-and-black Air Jordan 1s.
“This is your microphone,” Kat said. “Just speak in your normal voice, and everything will be fine.”
Kat explained that our segment would be no more than five minutes and that I would talk about what inspired me to start cutting hair, and Vanessa would tal
k about where she gets her ideas for different hairstyles and nail designs. Then Sharon would ask both Jordan and Jessyka a question about video production.
“You know all about us, Ms. McDonald!” I said.
“Please, call me Kat, and it’s my job to know everything. I’m a producer!”
After the interview, Kat told me I would do a quick trim and style of the model’s hair. The model was the weatherman, Carl “Stormy” Anthony. Vanessa would do Sharon McNeil’s nails.
“Oh, that’s exciting, J.D. I love Carl, too,” Granddad said.
Granddad watched the news so much, it seemed like he was a fan of everyone at the station.
“We will knock on your door five minutes before your on-air appearance,” Kat said. “And finally, don’t forget to bring your tools out with you. We will have a stool for you so you can reach Carl’s head.”
I had brought one pair of clippers, sheers, and a comb, paste, and pomade. I hoped my equipment wouldn’t stop working like it had during the Great Barber Battle.
Five minutes later, Kat told us it was showtime!
The four of us walked past the backstage area and stepped out onto the set. There was a couch, a desk, and cameras everywhere. My nerves began to kick in again. I think Vanessa noticed, because she put her hand on my shoulder.
“Hey there, J.D. the Kid Barber, right?” It was Carl. Carl was a middle-aged man with a few flecks of gray in his hair. He already had a cape on and wore glasses. I noticed that the back of his neck had not been shaped up.
“Hi, Mr. Anthony,” I replied.
“Take it easy on me, now, my wife won’t like it if I come back home with a crooked fade!”
I could relate. The crooked fade my mom gave me started my whole career.
Then I heard Kat’s voice.
“Everyone, please sit on the couch now,” I heard her say. It was weird to hear her voice without being able to see her. It was almost like we had walkie-talkies!
Then bright lights turned on, and I heard a little bit of music.
I took a deep breath. There was no live audience, but everyone in all of Mississippi, Tennessee, and Georgia would be tuning in!
Sharon McNeil walked out onto the stage, towering over us in her pink heels.
“We’ll go live in three, two, one!” Kat said.
* * *
»»««
“Today, we are live with this week’s Southeast Star, or Stars, I should say, except it’s our junior edition! These fabulous young people not only do hair and nails, they make amazing videos to inspire us all at home!” Sharon McNeil said. “Now, each of you go down the line, and say your name and age,” she finished before turning to face us.
“I’m J.D. the Kid Barber, and I’m eight years old!”
“I’m his older sister, Vanessa, and I’m ten.”
“I’m Jessyka spelled with a y and a k, and I just turned nine!”
“I’m Jordan, and I just turned nine, too. We are all going to be fourth graders next year, except Vanessa. She’s in middle school.”
“Amazing! I’m going to ask you each a question, and then we are going to have a surprise at the end,” Sharon McNeil said.
“J.D. the Kid Barber, I understand you won a barber battle not too long ago? What inspired you to start cutting hair at your age?”
“Yes, ma’am. I beat the only real barber in town, Henry Jr. of Hart and Son. Then I started working for him. Hi, Henry Jr.!” I waved at the camera in case Henry Jr. was watching. “But I wanted a bigger audience, so I started putting videos online. Oh, and I started cutting my own hair because I didn’t like the way my mom did it,” I said.
Sharon laughed at that last thing I said. Vanessa gave me a look like I had told a family secret.
“By the way, it was fun driving to Jackson,” I added. “I don’t leave Meridian much!”
Sharon McNeil laughed again.
This wasn’t so bad after all!
“And Ms. Vanessa, where do you get your ideas for your impressive nail art and hairstyles?”
“My own mind!” Vanessa said instantly. She hardly let Sharon finish her question! “I started this because it was a business idea for a school project. My brother is my employee. I bet I could teach the class after all I learned these last few weeks. Business is not easy!”
She always had to throw in that “my brother is my employee” line!
“Ms. Jessyka, my you look sporty! It’s my understanding that you help shoot and edit these videos?”
“Yes, I am getting really, really good at both iMovie and Adobe Premiere. I can do moving graphics now, just like in movies,” Jessyka said proudly.
“Wow, I can barely send emails on my cell phone!” Ms. McNeil said.
A few people in the crew laughed like they agreed with her.
“Now last, but not least, Mr. Jordan, what is your role in this project?”
“I am the director and equipment manager. I directed the video we used for the competition. I think I wanna direct my own movies one day. Or maybe my own video games. I don’t know,” Jordan said as he shrugged.
“Well, you certainly have time to figure that out and try lots of different options, and I wish you the best of luck with that!” Sharon said.
Kat’s voice popped into my earpiece at that moment. “J.D., now stand on the stool that we put behind Carl!”
TV moved fast. We were almost done! It seemed much longer when you were just watching from home.
I stood on the stool behind the weatherman.
“What are you going to do for our brave weatherman today?” Ms. McNeil asked.
“I’m going to shape up the back of his head, spray some water on the top, and add pomade so it looks like he went to a real barber!” I said.
As I worked on Carl’s head, Sharon McNeil asked me more questions.
“Who was your first client, J.D.?” she asked.
“My baby brother, Justin. Then my friend Jordan was next,” I answered.
I heard Kat yell, “Thirty seconds to finish!” in my ear.
“So you can see I’ve cleaned the back of his neck, spritzed the water, and added pomade. It’s easy to do. Anybody can do it at home,” I said.
I spun the chair around so Mr. Anthony could face all the cameras, and I saw a cameraman zoom in on the back of his neck.
I handed him a mirror.
“This is a job well done, J.D.” he said.
Before the segment officially ended, Vanessa pulled out her stash of nail jewels and did a quick manicure on Ms. McNeil, adding a touch of color and bling.
“Look at how you completely transformed my nails, young lady! You really do Do It All!” Sharon said.
Kat told me and Vanessa to stand together for what she called our outro. I think that just meant saying goodbye to the folks watching at home.
“Tell everyone where they can find you, J.D. the Kid Barber, Vanessa Does It All, Jessyka the editor, and Jordan the director. Whiz kids, all of you!” Sharon McNeil said.
Vanessa didn’t waste a second before she exclaimed, “Just look for our YouTube channel, Kidz Cutz and Nailz! We do both girls’ and boys’ hair!”
The lights dimmed, and the camera people started walking away from the set.
As we walked offstage, the crew gave us pounds and fist bumps.
Kat appeared from behind the set.
“That was great, everyone! J.D., do you have an email address? I want to send you a copy of the segment after it airs,” she said. “We’ll also post it on the station’s YouTube channel and tag you!”
That was music to my ears! WTOK had 150,000 subscribers. That’s how many people would see the clip online if they tagged us!
“We don’t have an email, but my mom does.” I told Kat what it was.
“Thank you for making my first se
gment a success, kids!” Kat said.
* * *
»»««
The station sent us home with free T-shirts, water bottles, baseball caps, and PopSockets. I couldn’t wait to pass them out to the people who have been there for me since the Great Barber Battle, like Grandma, Justin, Mom, Xavier, Eddie, Henry Jr., and Henry Sr. I could even mail one to my dad!
Granddad said he was proud of what we had done. He kept bringing up his favorite parts of the interview while he drove me, Vanessa, and Jordan home.
“My grandchildren on television,” Granddad said. “You kids let me know if you want help bringing in the senior market to your page. I’ve got ideas!”
I was proud, too, and my mind raced, thinking about what I could do next.
CHAPTER 20
Post-fame Life
It took a while for the $5,000 from the TV station to show up. But when it did, as promised, we split it four ways, and Naija was able to buy a new camera. Kidz Cutz and Nailz now had over 1,000 subscribers who tuned in every time we posted a new video. Our “Southeast Star” segment had done well and got almost 100,000 views on the WTOK YouTube channel! Finally, we were getting the kind of attention Vanessa and I had set out to get when we started our family business.
The contest was good for our friends, too.
Jessyka had a few more talks with her dad that led to some changes.
“Now I have one week a month where I get to decide by myself what I want to do with my time!” Jessyka said. “I write the letters J-E-S-S-Y-K-A across the whole week in the calendar!” Usually, she and Vanessa spent a lot more time doing videos for girl hair and nails.
“If I post every week, I’ll keep getting new followers,” Vanessa said.
“So are you still going to do Junior Business Scholars after this?” I asked her.
Vanessa shrugged.
“Maybe. I don’t need the program to show I know how to run a business. I already learned on my own.”
