It’s enough to make me want to shut my mouth, but instead I forge on. “I’m just asking: Can I trust you?”
She shrugs, juts out her bottom lip. “Sure.”
“You know about Mama Carla leaving, right?”
She nods.
“I’m fixing to talk to Mrs. Whitmore about taking her job.”
Her eyes bug like she’s a little ol’ tree frog or something. She doesn’t open her mouth, just rolls that gum around. I honestly feel like she’s about to say:then I quit.But instead she says, “That’s good.”
“You mean it?”
“I got your back,” she says, then grins like she’s real happy for me.
“Girl. Thank you for that.”
Kadeesha turns, glances over her shoulder. “You’re welcome.” Then I watch her strut off toward Mama Carla’s apartment. But she reverses her stride and strolls right back to me with a much faster gait. “You mean you’re talking to Mrs. Shitmore, don’t you?” Kadeesha wiggles her thick eyebrows, then sucks in her cheeks, holds her head high, playing like she’s her.
Oh Lord, here I go again. Now it’s Kadeesha and me cackling. “You and Fee. You know what she called her, don’t you?”
Kadeesha nods. “Mmm-hmm. She used to say it all the time.”
I lay my rag down on the piano so as not to get oil on her shirt and hug her around the neck. It’s the first time the two of us have ever touched.
SIXTY-ONE
MISS PEARL
The chapter room door is closed when I arrive promptly at two o’clock. I’m not sure if there’s someone in there with her, but I go ahead on and knock. No one opens. So I stand outside the door twiddling my thumbs. The thought crosses my mind she may be standing me up, but then I hear a pair of high-heeled booties clicking down the hall in my direction.
“Sorry I’m late,” she says when she sees me. “I was meeting with a party planner about Annie Laurie’s birthday party in February. Gage and I are throwing her a Mardi Gras ball here in Oxford.”
Her hair is down today. Only half of it is in a ponytail, but it’s still got a bump on top, like Barbie’s, and her makeup is perfect. She takes out her key and opens the chapter room door. To my knowledge, it’s never been locked before. “Have a seat, Pearl.” She motions to a row of chairs. All the chairs are set up from Monday night’s chapter meeting, so I pull one out from the back row and sit down. She pulls out another, making sure to keep a noticeable distance between us, then sits down herself. A pleasant smile spreads across her face, but I can’t say it’s genuine. “How can I help you, today?”
Looks like there’ll be no small talk so I dive right in. “I’d like you to reconsider my application for House Director.”
That smile fades away as fast as butter can burn. “As I told you before, we have mandatory qualifications for the position. Last time we spoke you didn’t have a college degree. Has that changed?”
I refuse to be rattled by that snarky comment. “You know it hasn’t.” Folding my hands in my lap, I just look at her.
Now we’re in a standoff.
“I do have a question for you,” I say after a long fifteen seconds. “Does knowing everything about this House and caring about every girl here account for anything?”
Not one speck of emotion crosses her face. “Carla didn’t know any of the girls when she was hired, but she did have a bachelor’s degree, which prepares the mind for all the business decisions that come with this job.” She holds up both pointer fingers to emphasize her words. “We have it recorded in the Alpha Delt bylaws that the House Directormusthave a college degree. If you like, I’d be happy to share that document with you.”
“That won’t be necessary.”
She stands up, as if our conversation is over, wearing a smile as phony as a cheap silk flower. “Maybe next time we’re searching for a House Director—if you have graduated by then—you can reapply.”
But I keep my seat. I am not done. “Not everyone has had the opportunities you’ve had, Mrs. Whitmore. Have you ever considered that perhaps I had every intention of graduating from college?”
Now she just looks at me.
“Sometimes life has a way of grabbing folks by the tail, and they’re forced to head in another direction. One they may not have planned.”
“That’s not really our problem, though, is it?”
