"'Ow 'eva, I can tell you that you must take from life and give, if you can't take anything , then turn situations to your favour, exploit." The old woman said with a grin. " Something we do get out of life though, is experience, wisdom, and knowledge. Life teaches us and the more educated we get then the more happy we are to live. Ya might not think it's worth it now but soon you'll be 'appy to have learned all you have."
"Why must some go through it while others get on well?" Adebisi asked.
"We all go through it gyal ain't no escape." The woman replied.
Those words did make Adebisi feel better about life, she sincerely wanted to believe them so she looked back at all the trials she went through and realized each taught a lesson. She looked at the woman with such appreciation and admiration. Adebisi was never able to word how the woman just literally improved her life and refreshed her mindset, all she could do was cry.
Imagine living your whole life dying with guilt and self hate. Thinking that you are a horrid being with no hope of being better, believing that you are dirty to the core of your creation. Then suddenly realize that you are not in fact any sort of demon.
Adebisi cried for so long that night even though it was the happiest moment of her life. She repeatedly said 'thank you' to the woman in between sobs, it was all she could do to express her gratitude.
After a while the happy tears stopped and Adebisi was smiling " you're god sent." She said to the woman
"You're god sent." The woman stated. On that note, Adebisi left with a certain dance in her step and song in her head. Her world wasn't perfect but it seemed a lot better. Before, her sort of excuse for life being hard was 'there's people that are dying' so she shouldn't complain but soon dying did not seem too bad.
When she reached home she jumped in bed and slept without visiting Debi's playhouse for comfort nor was her sleep tormented by nightmares.
___________
Early the next morning, Toni and her mother observed Adebisi's changed attitude. Toni was glad as they were both going to meet new people and wanted to make good first impressions.
"I'm ready." Adebisi turned.
"The colour yellow was made for black
people!" Toni exclaimed.
Adebisi looked down at her outfit and smoothed invisible creases. The girls ordered an uber and left for brunch.
"So do you know all the people you invited." Adebisi asked
"Not personally, I know of them. They're also bosses so you'll get along. I just wanted to meet people that would be going to the same college as us." Toni said.
Adebisi did not have a good history with a friends, especially the female kind so she braced herself. When they arrived at the outdoor restaurant, Adebisi could already single out the group the were supposed to meet. They were pretty hard to miss since they all wore something yellow or mustard as planned. Toni told her that it was to promote one of the girl's project 'black goes with every thing' meaning it was going to be a casual photo shoot.
Toni and Adebisi joined them, the group received the newcomers with hugs and smiles. All together they would be eight but a girl was late so they decided to sit at a table and wait for her.
"So let's go round the table and introduce ourselves?" Toni suggested and seeing no objection, she begun with herself.
"I'm Toni, from the Bronx ."
"I'm Adebisi from Nigeria."
"My name is Chyna and I am from the Bronx"
"My name is Imani, I'm from Zanzibar."
"Night from Uganda."
"I am Surya from France."
"I am Debbie from London."
"Hi, sorry I'm late. My name is Mimi I was born in Freetown."
Adebisi' s head whipped in Mimi's direction, at that moment they locked eyes. Toni did not know how but a second later, Adebisi was on the other side of the table squeezing Mimi in a tight hug. The girls looked at them, then each other and back at them.
"So I'm guessing y'all know each other." Chyna said. They turned still holding on to one another,
"We went to juve together." The girls were shocked by Mimi's nonchalant confession. Adebisi remembered the days her and Mimi robbed police stations and stole stolen gang cars.
They were known as Bibi and Mimi, sweet to one another and mean to everyone else. They were never caught or convicted but Adebisi' s parents found out and shipped her, Mimi and Rashad (Mimi's nephew) off to a private juvenile detention center somewhere in Africa. It was hell but it made them closer, Adebisi always said 'you find the best people in the worst circumstances.'
"You'd never believe Bibi, I opened the saloon, me and Rashad work there, we stuck together." Mimi felt a little bitter about her best friend leaving her in juve and going off to live her life.
When they were together Adebisi and Mimi planned to run away to America and open a hair salon and always take care of each other and little Rashad , at the time they were between twelve and fourteen years old and had big dreams. At that age that dream was what they clung to dearly, it was heaven to them, their escape, it was their happily ever after.
"Adi, how do you know each other?"
Toni asked because she knew her cousin lived in Nigeria.
"My family moved a lot when I was young, but we stayed very long in South Africa and that is where we met. As a matter of fact I've been to all of your countries." Adebisi pointed at the girls.
Mimi noticed they way the other girls were looking at them and immediately felt defensive, she begun to whisper in Adebisi' s ear that she did not like these girls when Debbie spoke,
"I used to be a little fighter."
"I lead a damn gang when I was thirteen, I thought I was so bad and grown but all we did was petty stuff." Chyna laughed, so did the others.
Mimi relaxed.
"I think we've all done bad things but it doesn't matter because we have learned and now we're all bosses." Adebisi shared her newfound wisdom with all the girls.
"So is everyone in the group a criminal? Well I'm not." Toni said as a joke but it was not funny, Night, Surya, Imani, Debbie and Chyna were not criminals. In Adebisi and Mimi's defense, they lived in the most dangerous neighborhoods of South Africa, made that way by corrupt cops and the gangs. In their little minds they decided to play hero and be the Robin Hoods, they did everything to make the neighborhood safer.
The battle was very personal as it was the reason Mimi and Rashad lost their parents, it was the reason Adebisi was shot while walking to school.
The girls knew too well that the struggle was real and Toni's comment was ignorant. Even though they were not all criminals, each struggled to survive at some point and were misunderstood.
Being labeled criminal, bad kid, troubled, was something they did not appreciate at all. The world belittled them with those words and now that they finally picked themselves up they would not allow anyone to use the words against them.
"Now I have worked too hard for my respect I am not going to let anyone offend me." Imani stood up to so she was facing Toni, Adebisi could see where this was going and said " it would honestly be unfair if you judged her so quick, remember she doesn't know any better, we should understand that she had a different life but it doesn't make her an enemy."
Night added, "yes, my best friend was a rich white girl, she lived a fairytale life, even though she said ignorant things, she was considerate and kind."
"But at the end of the day I believe nobody rides for you like the person who's familiar with the life." Surya spoke so only Adebisi and Mimi could hear, her French accent was subtle.
In a different situation, Adebisi would not argue with Surya's point but Toni was family.
"Toni is my cousin, I know her, she's genuine." Adebisi defended her
"Now that we are all here, and are familiar with each other, let's take these photos and support our sister." Toni suggested.
They all agreed and posed for the camera. After the photo shoot they made a toast to black girls supporting each other.
*************
A.N
Hello everyone, it's been too long I even forgot about the book but I promise now that my life is a little stable I will update every week.
It's really beautiful when black girls support each others because we always feel like it's a competition, when really, a rise for one of us is a rise for us all. Let's all be bosses!
