“And what exactly is that?”
“Dope ass women who are about their shit, career orientated, fine as fuck, and dope ass big sisters,” I answered. “None of you grew up with sisters, yet stepped into the roles perfectly.”
“I wouldn’t say perfectly on my behalf,” she said, laughing. “I struggle with a lot.”
“What do you mean, you struggle?” I lifted my head to look at her. I wasn’t naïve enough to think that Spelman was perfect, but hearing her say that made me pause.
“I have no idea what I’m doing with y’all,” she answered with a shrug. “My mama wasn’t the affectionate type. I knew she loved me, but I can probably count on one hand how many times she told me. I didn’t go to her for advice or have those pivotal mother-daughter moments. I just figured it out. So when y’all come to me asking for advice or get those looks in your eyes that I know means y’all are uncertain, I’m panicking inside because I don’t want to mess up.” She leaned back and rested her head on the couch as she talked to me. “I’m learning as I go, and this shit is hard. Especially since we are grown and set in our ways.” She gave me a small smile, and my eyes watered. “You’re going to cry.”
“I don’t mean to.” I looked away. I couldn’t blame my tears on being pregnant because I was always like this. Spelman tapped my leg to get my attention. She gave me a sincere smile and wiped away more of my tears. “I know it’s hard trying to navigate our sisterhood, but you do it well. We all have different personalities, yet you always seem to know who needs what and when.”
“You all need something different and at different times.”
“What about when you need something?” I asked her, and for a moment, she looked surprised. “I don’t think we’ve ever asked what you need, Spelman, and that’s not fair.”
“I don’t know what I need,” she answered with a shrug. “I’ve been on the go for so long that I haven’t even thought about it.”
“Well, I want you to think about it,” I said, nodding. “Even if it’s for a moment, I want you to think about what Spelman wants and then come back to me so I can make it happen. I don’t care if it’s a spa day or a full-on trip with no one contacting you for a few days.”
The doorbell rang, and I stood.
“Is that the people you want me to meet?” she asked, and I nodded. Spelman looked in the direction of the door and sighed.“What if I say no?” I forgot how private Spelman was. When Xoey mentioned having the older sisters meet, I was so excited at the possibility of them becoming friends and jumped into action.
“I didn’t think about that when I invited them,” I answered, biting into my bottom lip. “I was just excited at the thought of you meeting them. I know you’ll get along.”
Spelman laughed and closed her laptop. She stood, stretched her arms over her head, and put on her shoes. My smile dropped when she walked away. “I’m just going to the bathroom.”
“Okay,” I said, nodding. I left the living room and went to the front door to find Amethyst already answering the door. Aurora Cooper and Bradley Toliver were everything that I described to Spelman and so much more. Aurora was a principal at an alternative school that, at one point, was ranked the lowest in the state, but since she’d taken over, it was in the top twenty, and everyone said it was because of Aurora’s dedication. She was tough but fair, and the students at her school knew that when she spoke, they were expected to listen because she wasn’t just talking. Bradley Toliver was just as lovable as Aurora and just as successful. She was a Petroleum Engineer at the top of her field, but was modest about how smart she was. It had taken me almost a year of knowing her before I even knew what she did because she never talked about work. When I found out what she did, I’d done my own research and was impressed.
“How are you?” Aurora asked as she pulled me into a hug. Even though she was a little over ten years older than me, she looked younger. She pulled back and looked down at me. “Why have you been crying? What’s wrong?” She stepped back and looked over at Amethyst and crossed her arms. “What did you do?”
Amethyst put his hand up in surrender and shook his head. “I’ve been in my office,” he said, shaking his head.
“You better have been,” Bradley said, looking at him. Her dark eyes narrowed, and she kissed her teeth. “You’re still on our shit list.” She turned to me and pulled me into a hug. “Hey.”
“He didn’t do anything wrong this time,” I whispered into her ear as I laughed. We pulled apart, and I put my hands in my pockets to try to hide my nerves. “Umm.” I licked my lips and looked between the two of them. Amethyst stood directly behind them, smiling.
“Why do you look nervous?” Aurora’s brow went up, and she smirked. “What did you do?”
“Let me guess,” Bradley said, looking me over and shaking her head. “You didn’t tell her we were coming?”
“No, I did,” I quickly said.
“Then what’s the problem?” Bradley asked. “She doesn’t want to meet us?”
“I don’t know. I asked her, then we started talking about something else, and before I knew it, y’all were ringing the doorbell. She asked me if that was y’all, and I said yes. She said she was going to the bathroom and left. I didn’t think she would say no.” I answered, and they exchanged looks. “What?”
“You’re a brat,” Bradley laughed and shook her head. “And she didn’t say no.”
“But she didn’t come back,” I whined, which made them laugh harder. “When Spelman doesn’t want to do something, she disappears. She’s not like Berkeley, who is outspoken, or Clarke, who just ignores people in their face.” I wiped my hands over my face. “I should’ve asked her and then had y’all come another day to give her time to think about it.”
“She didn’t disappear,” Aurora said. She nodded, and I turned around to see Spelman leaning against the wall, smiling, her arms crossed.
“She’s right,” Spelman said, laughing. “You are a brat.”
“I thought you left,” I quickly said.
“I said I had to go to the bathroom,” she replied and playfully rolled her eyes. “I was coming back.” She pushed off the wall and approached Aurora and Bradley. “I’m Spelman.”
