“Oh, that’s great, Jade. That’s really great,” Mom says.
“Told you I had friends,” I tell her. I roll my eyes—just a little—then smile. “I keep telling Lee Lee about Sam, and Sam about Lee Lee, so they’re finally going to meet today.” I pour more syrup onto my pancakes. “And Dad said he was coming by tonight to drop off my gift,” I tell her.
E.J. gives Mom a look. She puts a forkful of pancakes into her mouth.
“What?” I ask E.J.
“Your dad said he’s coming, huh? Said he got you something?”
“E.J., don’t start,” Mom says.
“That sorry—”
“E.J.” Mom stares him down. “Don’t. Start.”
“I’m just asking what is he going to buy you a present with? Wishes? Or is he going to use that white lady’s money?”
“E.J.!” Mom is yelling now.
I get up from the table. “She’s not some lady. She’s his fiancée. And my dad isn’t working right now because he got laid off—you never even had a job to get laid off from.”
“He’s using her, Jade. They’ve been engaged for, what, three years? That man is not marrying her. He is living off her.”
“And what if he is? You’re living off my mom!”
“Jade!” Now Mom is yelling at me.
I leave my half-eaten plate of pancakes on the table and go into my room. I don’t come out until it’s time for me to get ready to go meet up with Lee Lee and Sam. By then E.J. is gone and Mom is off to Ms. Louise’s house. As I am changing my clothes, the phone rings. It’s Lee Lee. She can’t go. She got into an argument with her aunt, and now she’s on punishment. As soon as I hang up, the phone is ringing again. This time it’s Sam telling me she is sick, so she can’t come either.
I know I can’t blame Lee Lee and Sam for not being able to celebrate my birthday. I mean, Lee Lee’s aunt is always overreacting and fussing and putting Lee Lee on punishment for something. And Sam can’t help that she’s sick. But of all the days for them not to be able to hang out with me, why this one? I spend the rest of the afternoon watching TV and sleeping on and off.
E.J. comes home as the sky settles into its blackness. We don’t speak to each other. He has a Safeway bag in his hand. He goes to the fridge and puts away whatever it is he bought.
Dad hasn’t come, hasn’t called.
Once it’s eleven o’clock, I go into my room and dress for bed. I can feel the tears trying to come, trying to work their way out, but I distract myself by listening to music. I put my headphones on, find the playlist E.J. made for the end-of-summer BBQ at the rec center. Nothing but fast songs, some of them I don’t even like that much, because they were overplayed during the summer, but I listen anyway. Because a fast song you kind of like is better than a slow song you love when you’re trying to keep your heart from exploding. I turn the volume up and lie on my bed.
I’m almost asleep when E.J. starts banging on my door. I take out one earbud. “What?”
“Come here for a sec,” he says.
I step into the hallway and follow E.J. He walks to the kitchen. On the table he’s placed two slices of cheesecake. One has a candle in the middle. “Can’t go to bed without some birthday dessert,” he says. He pulls me into him. “We good?”
I nod and hug him back tight.
“You know I love you, right? You my favorite niece.”
“I’m your only niece.”
“Details, details,” E.J. says.
15
el pelo
hair
No braids today.
My black cotton hovers over me like a cloud.
I’d never wear my hair like this to school, but today is Sunday and I’m home. When Mom comes back from work, she sees me and smiles. “You’ve been in my closet?” She tugs at the scarf tied around my head as a headband.
“You never wear this.”
“Humph,” she says. She takes her shoes off, sits on the sofa, and lets out a sigh. “I guess you can have it. Looks better on you, anyway.”
I laugh and mumble under my breath, “I know.”
16
regalo
gift
The weekend is over, and Monday has come with wind and rain. I hold my umbrella in front of me, like a warrior’s shield, to keep the rain from hitting my face. I hold on tight to the top so it doesn’t blow away.
When I get on the bus, my shoes squeak and slide as I walk to the back. Someone must have set their umbrella in the seat because it is wet. I find another seat. Sam isn’t at her stop this morning, so the second half of the bus ride is quiet and slow. Like it used to be last year.
Once I get to school, I head to my locker. Josiah is walking toward me. “Hey, Jade. Happy birthday,” he says.
“Thanks.” I didn’t even know he knew it was my birthday.
I turn the corner and walk past Mrs. Parker’s office. When she sees me, she walks to the door and says, “Hope you have a great birthday, Jade.”
“Oh, it was Saturday. But thank you.”
“Well, happy belated,” she says.
I keep walking toward my locker. I see Sam standing at the end of the hallway. She is at my locker—only it doesn’t look like my locker, because there are balloons and an oversize card taped on it. I walk faster, and when I get to her, she holds her arms out and hugs me. “I’m so sorry I missed your birthday lunch. I really wanted to go.”
“Sam, this is so—wow, thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” she says.
For the rest of the day, whenever I’m at my locker, someone calls out, “Happy birthday!” to me. Even people I don’t even know. Having balloons taped to your locker brings a lot of attention. Usually I don’t like attention put on me. But today it doesn’t feel too bad.
17
mi padre
my father
After school I go over to Dad’s. He can’t keep secrets at all, so as soon as I walk through the door, he says, “I have something for you, but I haven’t wrapped it yet, so don’t go into my bedroom.”
“Dad, I never go into your bedroom.”