Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay
“OK, so, Glendella, other things to know in your new world. You already know that your Big Cousin Robert is not to be messed with, and you can probably guess my dad Sgt. Trent isn't because he's friends with your Big Cousin, but what you need to know is, don't sleep on none of the women around here.”
Eleven-year-old Velma Trent was talking with ten-year-old Glendella Ludlow.
“Oh, I already picked that up, because the men around here actually respect their wives and daughters, and real strong men don't respect pushovers,” Glendella said. “Y'all have real grown grown folks over here, not folks playing kid games.”
“Yeah, but even watch out for Vanna, who won't officially be grown until next week,” Velma said. “Vanna is just like Mom and both our grandparents. She will love you and feed you up and comfort you, but when you do foolery – well, just don't, because it is about to go all the way down with one of her high school buddies.”
“Uh oh.”
“See, the first thing is, don't copy other people's stuff when you are writing a college entrance exam – don't plagiarize,” Velma said. “And the second thing is, don't call Vanna and tell her that because we are all Black and we gotta stick together against the system, she needs to get her billionaire grandfather involved.”
Glendella considered this.
“I'm kinda relieved to know that my type of people are not the only messy people in the world,” she said, “but I'm kinda sad because that's just bad.”
“Look, it's red and yellow, black and white – mess is with us, left and right,” Velma said. “That's not how the song goes, but sometimes you just get up in the morning and just find out what is happening and that's what's going on.”
“It's a good thing that Jesus does love all the little children of the world, because I don't know how we are going to make it otherwise,” Glendella said. “If Vanna who is so sweet is out here having to defend her own grandfather from getting caught up in this world, we are just lost.”
“Don't misunderstand,” Velma said. “My grandfather doesn't need Vanna's protection any more than your big Ludlow and Lee cousins need you to protect them. The men here are not trying to use the women and children as human shields – but at the same time, the women here are not going to let you bother the men either, or talk crazy to them because you are jealous that they have good men and you don't.”
“Oh, that's it,” Glendella said. “Yeah, I've seen that, and the thing is … half the time, the woman that folks are mad at does not even have a good man. Folks think that kids don't know, but we do.”
“Of course we do – half the grown folks are at the same level that we are, and that ain't right,” Velma said. “But the reason God made Vanna is not just because she is a great big sister, but because nobody can help you get to grow up before you die than Vanna, because by the time she finishes with you, you ain't gonna feel like you have another choice.”
“And I'm OK with that – from over here at the Lee house, of course, but I'm OK with that,” Glendella said. “Somebody grown has got to stand up for being grown so kids have a chance at life. We don't need any more grown folks coming back over here trying to compete with us!”
“Well,” Velma said as the volume on her sister's voice got huge, “that's one more person who isn't going to be competing.”
“NOBODY OWES YOU ANYTHING! GROW UP!”
“Wow,” Glendella said. “I'm not even over there and I feel like I should be working harder to be 11!”
“And I'm not over there because I'm not rushing my 12th birthday,” Velma said. “Big brother Melvin tells us all the time: once you get grown, you really can't go back, and if you try, you're just gonna be an old fool, so, no.”
“Yeah, no,” Glendella said. “I know a lot of those, and being an old fool is not the business you want to be in. People with sense start running away from you, and I know because I'm one of those type of people who will go out a window on you in a minute, and I know how to tie some sheets together, too.”