Wear Your Crown Proudly

1. Morning Walks and Breakfast Talks

September 21
ZOYA ISMAIL

My little sister, Sophia, trails behind us with her petite 4-foot frame, struggling to keep up due to her short attention span. Meanwhile, my younger brother, Harith, dashes past us. He may not be little, though his brain might be, but he's a year younger than me and possibly taller. As Harith reaches the house next door, he enthusiastically pounds on the neighbor's door. Harith has appointed himself as the Washingtons' personal alarm clock. Trinity, my best friend, lives in the house next door.

As for me, I'm not skipping or running; I'm strolling casually, patiently waiting for Tri. We used to be a larger group walking to school together, but now it's just the four of us.

Trinity emerges from her house a few minutes later, leaving the front door wide open. I smile at her, and she returns the gesture, overflowing with affection. Tyrese, her twin, calls her back inside with a firm and commanding voice.

Ty dropped out of school, convinced it was his true calling, but I'm fairly certain he regrets it. No true calling leads to disappointment. He was practically a genius, undoubtedly the smarter twin (no offense to Tri). Rumor has it that he had the highest grades in the entire 11th grade. I was in 10th grade at the time. My brother Adam, who had repeated two grades and was two years older than me, also dropped out. I think he influenced Ty's decision. I'm pretty sure Adam had the worst grades. He started working at a gas station for a friend of my dad's and once he got a taste of money, he saw school as a waste. Ty's dropout wasn't official yet; he simply stopped joining us on the walk to school one day, and before we knew it, he didn't finish the 11th grade.

Tri returns to the house but then moonwalks back out after receiving a $100 bill from her brother. I wish my brothers would bid me farewell like that. She flaunts the bill while walking back to us.

"Dang, who did he rob this time?" Harith asks, reaching out to grab the money. I glance at my brother. We all assumed Ty was involved with a gang, but we never questioned it.
"I know Mr. Unemployment isn't talking right now." Trinity and I burst into laughter, and Harith playfully nudges her.

"That's what you think. Act broke to stay rich," Harith remarks.

"Really okay, Harith, do you even have a bank account please leave us and let the older woman talk?"

"Don't trust banks," Harith rolls his eyes.

"That sounds like something a broke person would say. Act broke, stay broke. It's all about manifesting. I manifested making money by sitting back and doing nothing, and look, I have a twin doing all the work and bringing in the cash." Trinity waves the hundred bucks in the air.

We cross a few more streets and then split up. They head towards Richmond High School, while I remain behind with Sophia, who attends elementary school. Our schools are only a few blocks apart, but it's a decent walk from our house. I always think about what the two talk about when I'm away. Harith clearly chooses to walk with us for some reason.

"I'm sorry, but you must be the slowest 8-year-old I know," I remark, pointing to the other kids on the school grounds, all happily Lollying  behind. I miss running to school; being early meant having extra time to play outside while everyone else had breakfast. I miss nap time. I feel a lack of energy, and a midday nap is sunnah not only would not only align with our faith but also rejuvenate my body. Ahh, to be 8 years old and carefree. I lift Sophia up now; I don't want to miss my breakfast tea, and she's taking quite a while. Interrupting my thoughts, Sophia playfully pounds on my back, demanding to be put down. To make matters worse, in an attempt to accommodate her, I pick up my pace, only for her voice to grow louder. "Waaa waa." The neighborhood has already unfairly labeled my family as terrorists; might as well add kidnapper or child abuser to the mix. I finally drop her off in the schoolyard, flashing a smile and nodding at the teaching aides as I sign her in. Then, I make my way back towards the route to Richmond High, feeling a bit sweaty from the exertion.
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