by Chanel Hardy
John was speechless. He didn’t know how to respond. “I’m sorry. I know it sucks to see a place you care about torn down.”
“Do you really? I bet all the nice houses in your suburban hometown are bought by corporations all the time, while people you know and care about are displaced.” Porsha said sarcastically.
John gave her a questionable look. “What do think? I’m some rich kid from a loaded family who went to prep school and ate caviar for breakfast?” Porsha looked at him. “Well, I’m not.” He continued. “When my dad died, my mom worked two jobs to put me through private school. Thanks to that school, I was able to get an academic scholarship to attend GU.”
Porsha was shocked. She felt guilty for having her own preconceived assumptions about him. “Your mom sounds like a hard-working woman.” She said softly. They shared a moment of silence.
“Me and my friends are having a protest to save the center. It’s going to be the day after tomorrow. “Porsha told him. “I don’t even know why I’m telling you this…”
“I’m there!” John said abruptly.
“What? The protest?”
“Yeah, I wanna join. I wanna help.” He sounded very enthusiastic.
Porsha felt that there was no harm in letting him join. “Alright. Are you sure? Seems like it would be a conflict of interest, with your friend being involved.”
“I don’t care about what he thinks. I can think for myself.”
“Good.” She said, pleased with his response. They smiled at each other. John couldn’t help but admire her. She had her hair in that high bun with the loose curls hanging in the back and on the sides, and that coconut conditioner smelled amazing. He loved looking at her. He wasn’t sure where things were headed between them, but it felt like the perfect opportunity to do what he had wanted to do since the moment he shared a table with her at the coffee shop. He leaned in for a kiss. She wasn’t expecting it but embraced it, which let John know the feeling was mutual.
***
It was the day of the protest. Porsha grabbed her sneakers from the closet, quickly put them on and headed out the door. Her father had already left, so the coast was clear. Brittany spread the word and got nearly every youth from the southside to participate. When she arrived at city hall, where the protest was being held, the crowd was huge. The turnout was amazing. She caught up with Brittany, who was dressed in all black and ready to go with her megaphone in hand.
“Why are you dressed like you’re ready for war?” Porsha asked.
“Well, you never know. Right?” Brittany replied humorously.
“Oh, look! There he is!” Porsha yelled. It was John. She noticed him standing in the crowd. She held her hand up, calling for his attention. “John! Over here!”
“That’s him? That’s the guy?” Brittany watched as he walked closer toward them. “Oh, he is a cutie. But why is he here? This isn’t a date.”
“He wanted to come. I said it was okay.” Porsha told her.
“Hey!” John got close and went in for a hug. Porsha welcomed him with open arms.
“Britt, this is John. John, this is my best friend Brittany.” Porsha introduced them.
“Hi, nice to meet you.” John said to Brittany, extending his hand.
“Same.” She shook his hand.
“I’m glad you came. It’s nice to see you.” Porsha expressed.
“Couldn’t miss it. Or you.” John blushed a little as Porsha smirked, her face wearing a huge grin.
Brittany quickly came in-between their sweet little moment. “That’s enough you too. We’ve got work to do.” She pulled up her megaphone and began shouting “MAYOR JACKSON! SAVE OUR CENTER! WE KNOW YOU’RE THERE! WE KNOW YOU HEAR US!” Porsha and John, along with the rest of the crowd followed with a chant. An hour had gone by, and the protest had attracted the local news stations, which is exactly what Porsha wanted. Everything seemed to be going smoothly, until a black SUV with police vehicles arrived.
“What the hell?” Porsha was pissed.
“Oh, they better not start! This a peaceful protest! We have a right to be here!” Brittany snapped.
“It’s probably my dad. Porsha said. She knew he’d find out eventually, especially with the news stations covering it. She tried to get a good look at the SUV. “With who? I’m not sure.”
John looked closer at the vehicle approaching, getting a strange feeling about the visitors. “I think I know.”
The cars pulled to the side of the street, which was blocked by the protesters. Porsha’s father Brian got out of one of the police vehicles. The doors of the SUV opened and out walked an older white male, who looked to be about fifty. Behind him, another gentleman got out. It was Tom.
“Oh great! This asshole!” Porsha shouted. Her father spotted her, and began to approach her, she could tell he was mad.
“What are you doing here? Don’t tell me this was all your idea!” He shouted at his daughter.
“Yes, it was! I’m an adult! I can do whatever I want!”
“These things don’t do anything but start trouble! Let’s go before anything escalates. We’re shutting this down now!” Other protesters heard him and started getting angry. The shouting got louder, they weren’t giving up. John approached Tom, who was standing by the vehicle, with a smug look on his face.
“Well look who it is, Johnny boy. You’re hanging out in the slums now?” He laughed.
“Why are you here Tom? These people aren’t breaking any laws. They have every right to be here.”
“Well these people are getting in the way of business. Why do you care so much anyway? Don’t tell me, it’s that girl isn’t it?”
“So, what if it is?”
“You get a little taste of brown sugar and suddenly you’re a bleeding heart now? Classic!” Tom thought all of this was hilarious. “I always knew you were a joke.”
John was livid. “I always knew you were a racist piece of garbage. You’re a daddy’s boy, and you’re scum.”
Tom punched him square in the face. John clenched his nose, tumbling to the ground. Porsha saw what had happened and ran over to him. “John! Are you alright!” She kneeled to comfort him, clenching his nose with her fingers to stop the bleeding. “What the hell is wrong with you!” She shouted at Tom.
The camera crew from one of the news stations caught the assault on camera. Once it got out, that the son of a wealthy businessman had assaulted a protester, it wouldn’t look good for Tom’s father. The protesters began to get rowdy, yelling obscenities at Tom and his father. They became intimidated and didn’t want to deal with the pressure from reporters, so they got back in the SUV and left the scene. Brian dispatched for an ambulance for John, whose nose was gushing blood from the hit.
Another hour had passed, and the crowd started to thin out. “Well, we did what we could. I think we should go home now.” Porsha suggested. After getting taken care of in the ambulance, John decided to press charges against Tom.
“Don’t worry, everything will work out. Organize another protest if you have to. I have faith in you. Besides, your protest is trending on social media. Everyone in school knows about what Tom did. The mayor may even issue a statement. Something tells me your rec center might be okay.”
Porsha lit up with happiness. She placed her arms around John and hugged him tightly. “Thanks for being supportive. I really appreciate you being here today.”
“Of course.” He hugged her back. “You know what I would love right now?”
“Yeah?” Porsha asked.
“Iced coffee.”
She laughed. “That actually sounds good. But maybe we can go to a different coffee shop this time?”
“Sounds good to me.”
III. Andrea
“Be careful, if you pop one of those things, it’ll wake the baby.” Michelle told her husband Charles as he blew up pink balloons, preparing for their baby shower. They had planned to have it a few days earlier, but Michelle had gone into labor earlier than they had expected.
She gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, named Andrea. They decided to go forward with the celebration when she got home from the hospital, giving friends and family the opportunity to see baby Andrea.
“Don’t worry, I got this, you just relax.” Charles told her, as he blew up more balloons.
“Don’t you have work to do? Your election is in two weeks. Why not let the maids take care of the decorations?”
“Work can wait. Besides, I want to do this. Let the maids take care of the house before the guests arrive.”
Charles phone started to ring. He grabbed it to see who it was, and his face became concerned.
“Who is it? You don’t look very happy.” Asked his wife.
“It’s her.” His voice reeked of fear. “I already told her she isn’t welcome, but she won’t stop calling me.”
Michelle began to get worried. “You think she’ll show up? What if she does?”
“She won’t. She knows I’ll have my guards throw her out of here and she’ll be spending the night in a cell.”
Juanita Bonèt was the eldest sister of Mayor Charles Bonèt, and far from a family favorite. Ten years earlier, Juanita was suspected of putting a death juju on their father, to inherit the family fortune. After the death of their father, a will was discovered. He was leaving the family fortune to Charles and leaving nothing to Juanita. This angered her, and she hatched a plan to kill Charles. He found out, but before he could confront her, she disappeared. When the news spread of his wife’s pregnancy, he started getting calls and messages from Juanita, who wanted to come to the baby shower. Charles refused, and threatened her if she were to ever come around again. But this didn’t stop her from calling constantly.
Charles turned his phone off and went to go grab a drink. The thought of his sister coming back made him uneasy. He decided to increase security just in case.
***
At 3pm, their home was filled with guests from all over Louisiana to celebrate the birth of baby Andrea. The dining room was filled with gifts, everyone was happy and enjoying themselves, admiring the Bonèt ’s new bundle of joy. Suddenly, Charles felt an odd presence, like something was wrong. The house began to shake, and everyone started to panic. Michelle grabbed Andrea and held her tightly. The odd presence Charles felt began to get closer. He turned around and couldn’t believe what he was seeing. His sister.
“Security!” He yelled. But no one came.
“Oh, brother. It’s so good to see you. It’s been so long.” Juanita glared at him with an evil smile stretched across her dark face. She was dressed in rags from head to toe and looked as if she hadn’t bathed in weeks.
“SECURITY! WHERE IS SECURITY?” Charles demanded.
“Oh, they are taking a nap. They won’t be bothering us. Don’t worry.” Said Juanita, still smiling sadistically. She looked over at Michelle, who was holding baby Andrea. “My beautiful niece! Give her to me!” She demanded.
“NO!” Michelle yelled.
“DON’T YOU GO NEAR HER!” Screamed Charles.
Juanita turned around, facing her brother. “Unless you want me to kill you, and everyone else in this room, including your child, I suppose you better let me see her.”
Charles knew that Juanita had always been involved in powerful black magic and could make things happen if she wanted too. Bad things. He didn’t have a choice. “You can hold her, for a minute.”
Juanita clapped in excitement and reached over to grab the baby from Michelle. Juanita held the baby in her arms, while The Bonèt ’s and all the guests watched in terror. “Look at you, just as beautiful as your auntie.” She said to Andrea. “Unfortunately, I can’t stay, but I won’t leave without giving you my gift.”
Charles and Michelle looked confused.
“Juanita reached into her pocket and pulled out red sand. She sprinkled it over Andrea’s mouth. She whispered something in the baby’s ear, kissed her on the cheek, and handed her back to Michelle.
“What did you just do to my daughter?” Charles asked, frightened.
“I gave her a gift. On her sixteenth birthday, she will fall into a deep sleep. She will sleep for eternity. Only in her dreams will she exist.”
“NO!” Charles yelled with fury. Michelle started crying, and all the guests stood in awe.
Juanita snapped her fingers, and all the guests in the room except Charles and Michelle fell asleep. “None of them will remember a thing.” She laughed.
“YOU EVIL BITCH!” I’LL KILL YOU!” Charles charged at her but with a flick of the hand, she sent him flying across the room.
“Goodbye brother. It was a pleasure seeing you again.” The house began to shake, and within seconds, Juanita was gone.
All the guests began to wake up, confused and disoriented. Michelle and Charles just stood there in disbelief, not knowing what to say, or think.
***
(sixteen years later)
Andrea rushed downstairs to see her birthday gift. Her parents had been keeping it a secret for weeks, but she knew they had gotten her the car that she wanted. Her parents were still sleeping, but she rushed outside barefoot and anxious. As soon as she saw the silver Lexus sitting in the driveway with a big pink bow, she screamed with joy.
“Looks like she’s up.” Said Michelle, who was awaken by the screams. She leaned over and kissed her husband. “Good morning.” He didn’t respond, but he was awake. “Honey, I know you’re worried, I am too. But it’s her birthday.” She said to him.
“I know.” He said, still facing the wall. It was the day the curse would take his daughter’s life. Not literally, but figuratively. It was the day Charles and Michelle dreaded for sixteen years. They listened as Andrea yelled from the driveway, thanking them for her gift.
“Let’s go wish our daughter a happy birthday. I’ll put breakfast on.” Michelle got out of bed and headed downstairs. Charles didn’t budge. He knew that today would be the last day he would see his daughter smiling, laughing, happy. Living her life.
When he finally went downstairs to join his family for breakfast, his daughter immediately got up from her seat to throw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. “Thank you so much dad! I love you! The car is amazing!”
“You’re welcome baby girl. Happy birthday.”
His daughter noticed that he didn’t sound so happy. “What’s wrong?” Andrea asked, concerned. Charles and his wife looked at each other. “I’m fine sweetie.” He told Andrea.
“Alright, just asking.” Andrea smiled at her father.
Her parents never told her about her aunt Juanita, or the curse. They wanted their daughter to live her best life. They never enrolled her in school, she had a private tutor since the age of five. Andrea was a loner who never really made any friends. Except one. A girl named Piper, who was also homeschooled. They had been friends since the age of six, and inseparable ever since.
“I can’t wait to show Piper my new car!” Said Andrea while she texted her friend. “We’re going to the mall today.”
“The mall? But your mother and I are taking you to dinner.” The last thing her father wanted was his daughter out of his sight on this day.
“We won’t be there all day. Just for a while. We can still do dinner later. Please dad?” She begged.
“I just really wanted all of us to spend the day together.”
“Let her go. Two hours. Then we can have the rest of the day.” Said Michelle. “It’s alright Charles, she’ll be fine.”
“Umm… jeez guys I’m just going to the mall, I’m not dying.” Andrea said jokingly. Her parents looked at each other with disappointment on their faces. They felt guilty for keeping the curse a secret. But they didn’t know how they could ever tell her.
“Sure. Have fun. We’ll see you in two hours.” Charles agreed.
Andrea ran up to her room to call Piper and tell her about her new car. Her parents didn’t know how to feel. It was 9am and the curse hadn’t taken effect yet. Maybe it wouldn’t? Maybe, Andrea would be safe after al
l.
***
“The car is really nice, Andrea.” Said Piper as she sat on the passenger’s side while Andrea drove to the mall.
“I know right!” Andrea’s curly brown hair blew in the wind while she had all the windows down. Her silver Saturn ring sunglasses went perfectly with her magenta lipstick. “My parents are amazing!”
They parked near the entrance and went inside. Their first stop was a frozen yogurt place that was Andrea’s favorite. She ordered a chocolate brownie swirl and Piper ordered strawberry. They took a seat at a nearby table. Piper stared at Andrea as she took large bites of her treat.
“Andrea, I wanted to talk to you about something.” Piper began to get nervous, fiddling with her spoon.
“Oh good, I wanted to talk to you about something as well. But you can go first.”
“Well, we’ve been friends for a really long time. We’ve only ever been around each other.”
“Yeah...” Andrea gulped down her frozen treat, waiting to hear what Piper had to say.
Piper was struggling to put her thoughts into words. She had a secret that she had been wanting to tell Andrea for a while now. “I care about you, a lot. I got you a gift for your birthday, and I was just waiting for the right time to give it to you.” Piper paused. “Andrea… I-”
Suddenly, there was a loud thump. Andrea’s frozen yogurt spilled all over the floor. Next to her unconscious body.
“Andrea!” Piper yelled out, jumping out of her chair, and rushing to help her friend. She was unconscious. “Andrea! Wake up! What’s going on!” She shook her frantically. “Someone, call 911!” The cashier panicked and ran to call for help. Piper sat there holding up Andrea’s head, crying, confused and worried to death. Within ten minutes an ambulance had arrived. Andrea was rushed to the nearest hospital, with Piper by her side.
When they arrived at the hospital, Piper sat by Andrea’s bedside, waiting for her parents to arrive. When they got there, Piper was distraught. She tried to explain that she had no idea what happened. That Andrea just passed out. Charles and Michelle just stood there, looking at their daughter. They were at a loss for words.
