Sugarpill

8- Andre Hammond

Andre Hammond

                  Like I had stated earlier, Dre Hammond’s father was a military man too. His father was a very good military lieutenant, and my dad was from the same division as he. Lt. Montrel Hammond had received a numerous amount of honors, for his achievements- both on the battlefield, and his community. He was respected by many of his peers, but if there was one short sightedness of his life, it was that he died of a heart attack five years short of reaching a certain marker for his pension pay. And due to policy cuts by our Commander-In-Chief, they wouldn’t give him the extra five years, so that his family would be well compensated. So Lynda Hammond, and her only son Dre, had to stay in the Hilltop, as their dream of moving into a better home in a better neighborhood was expunged. Dre hated the military for the way his father was done. He assumed that his father got the bad end of the stick because he was black, and not because he didn’t have enough years in, or because of the fucked up policies that were implemented several years ago. Every time he got a chance to voice his opinion about the military, and their actions home and abroad, he was taking the opportunity, and speaking ill of them. Soon Dre fell into such despair, that he begun to hate everyone…but especially military officers, and their offspring.

                   That’s where I came in. Everyone knew my dad was a high ranking official, and Dre tried to make his hatred known, by making me an example. Some days I would one up Dre, and some days he would actually get me. I never truly fought Dre like, in a fight…not that I was scared, but I just never took him seriously. Like when he started dating Jassandra back in high school…I was a bit jealous, but kept logic in mind, that, he was what Jassandra wanted…so I left it alone. She dated him for 2 years, as I had moved on to dating other girls. It got to the point where, she confronted me in the hallway during our senior year. I tried to go around her, but she wouldn’t let me. Jassandra backed me against a wall. I rolled my eyes, looking to her. “What do you want with me Jassandra? I’m late to class,”

                     “Why won’t you talk to me, Mitchell? I thought we were cool and everything? Is it because of Dre?” she asked. I sucked on my bottom lip a little…I wanted to say yes, but then that would have been admitting my insecurities. Besides- I had no control over her to say who she should, and shouldn’t see…so if she wanted to mess with Dre, then that is her bed to lie in. “No it’s not because of Dre…I just got a lot on my plate right now with me trying to take this test to get into the Naval Academy. I really want to be at the top of my class, so I’ve been trying to focus all of my energies into this. I’m sorry if it seems like I’m ignoring you,”

                     And of course, Jassandra was smarter than that…she saw through my bullshit. But also in that moment, I saw into her eyes- what she was trying to tell me without saying. She wanted me to be there, because she wasn’t so sure about Dre anymore. “Fine…take your little test. Good luck,”

                     I tried to grab her hand, but she was a little tougher back then, with her short locks that were reminiscent of Lauryn Hill, with the little African shells on them. Jassandra kept walking, not hearing me when I called her. I sighed…once again, I was in that zone where I was with her short of recently- where one moment, she’d want me to be there, and the next, she’d curse me out and tell me to leave. I didn’t seem to get her…and just when I thought I did, she’d flip the script on me.

                     When we graduated, Jassandra and I made a little bit of peace at the end of the summer, when I was heading off to the academy. After that, I didn’t hear from her anymore…I might’ve seen her at Thanksgiving and Christmas, but we never just sat back and talked. She looked as if she wanted to say something to me, but didn’t. After the New Year, I didn’t hear anything else from Jassandra, until Mom called with the news of Ms. Haddie’s death. I was torn, because had Haddie had been there with us most of our lives, but I also wondered about Jassandra and Kendryk. I called to Ms. Haddie’s house, and Kendryk answered the phone…that’s when he told me in conversation, that Jassandra and Dre had been split since the end of the summer last year.