Into Each Life Read online

  “Hey, you guys, I’m going to go see if I can find Debra and Chelsia before the game starts. I’ll see y’all a little later.”

  “Okay,” Prodigal replied. “Faith, you want to get some popcorn and a soda before we sit down?”

  “Yeah, that’ll be fine with me,” Faith answered. After they got their popcorn and drinks, they proceeded to climb the rows of bleachers until they found a spot at the very top.

  “I like sitting up here ‘cause it makes me feel like I’m close to the stars and to the heavens,” said Faith.

  “Yeah, I like it too, though I’ve never thought about it quite like you,” Prodigal stated. “Tell me something Faith…”

  “Whaddaya want me to tell you?”

  “Did you mean what you said earlier?

  “What did I say earlier?”

  “You know. That I’m your type, and that you like me.”

  “Sure. I really think you’re nice and you make me feel special.”

  “Really?” Prodigal’s chest puffed out with pride.

  “You’re not like most of the other boys; always thinking about getting in somebody’s panties and all. When that happens for me, it’ll be with the boy I love, who loves me back. In other words, the one I marry.” They stared into each other’s eyes until Teary walked up with Debra and Chelsia tagging along beside her.

  “Hey, scoot over, y’all. Give us some room,” Teary ordered, twisting her butt around, moving to the music. The earsplitting beat of the drummers reverberated throughout the gymnasium. Cheerleaders from both teams began to perform their routines.

  “Hey, y’all, just wait,” Teary remarked. “Next semester, after I try out for the cheerleaders’ squad, I’m going to be down there shaking my booty. “Go Fairley Tigers,” she cheered. “Yeah, that’s going to be me, baby.” Just then she spotted the new guy, Langston Silverman, and a couple of his friends coming up the bleachers toward her group.

  When Langston enrolled at Fairley High, girls dreamed of being his lady. Teary was no exception.

  ”Ooh wee, look at that there,” chimed Chelsia.

  “Ain’t he just the epitome of fineness?” Teary said, unable to take her eyes off of him.

  Debra was mesmerized too. She had her own opinions about Mr. Silverman. “Teary and Chelsia, that boy’s skin looks smooth as a baby’s booty and his charcoal black self makes me want to give him some of this tail.”

  “Debra, you're too hot for me, isn’t she, Chelsia?” Teary stated, waving her hand with a twisted wrist at Debra.

  “Teary, you know good and well Debra ain’t giving up no booty. She just tripping,” Chelsia said.

  “Yeah, I know. But Debra, you know you telling the truth, don’t you?” Teary giggled and gave a high five to both of her friends.

  Langston’s triceps and biceps drew attention away from his short stature and his confident swagger was often compared to that of Denzel. His deep bowlegs accentuated his athletic build. His designer clothes hugged his sculpted body in all the right places. Though he was not altogether handsome, when he smiled and his heavy voice boomed forth, girls were drawn to him like a magnet. On top of all that, he could move his body across a dance floor like nobody’s business. His hips and tight butt made sinful gyrations that drove the girls wild.

  “Do you have room for me?” Langston asked confidently.

  Teary raised her head to meet the voice in front of her. “Are you talking to me?” Her voice trembling as she spoke. She couldn’t believe Langston Silverman was actually talking to her. She heard her friends oohing and ahhing, and she felt special.

  “Yeah, I'm talking to you,” Langston confirmed. “Anybody sitting here?”

  “You are, I guess,” Teary said, shrugging her shoulders.

  “I guess I am,” Langston said as he and his friends squeezed in, Langston sitting next to Teary. “What’s your name?”

  “Teary,” she replied, playing coy.

  “I’m Langston.”

  “I know who you are.”

  “Oh, you do? And how is that?”

  “I just do. That’s all,” she answered.

  “Well, good. Now I know who you are.”

  Teary couldn’t find words to say. Langston had her spellbound. She peeked over at Debra and Chelsia, searching for some semblance of guidance as to what to say or do next. Chelsia shrugged her shoulders and Debra followed suit.

  Langston didn’t need any help from any one. He kept on with his pursuit of Teary. “Hey, you know you sounded real good cheering. You should be on that gym floor with the rest of the cheerleaders,” Langston complimented.

  “Oh, don’t worry, I’m trying out next semester and I plan on being down there,” Teary assured him.

  “I don’t have any doubt you’ll make it, too, sweet lady,” Langston added, looking into Teary’s eyes.

  When the game started they began rooting and yelling, hollering and screaming. There was no time for idle chatter. Everyone was into the game.

  Suddenly Prodigal sprang to his feet and yelled, “Hey, Ref that was a foul. What’s wrong with you? Call the game right.” A stream of boos from Fairley students followed, signaling their agreement with Prodigal’s remarks.

  When the game ended some two and a half hours later, the Cougars came out victorious.

  “Man, I just knew we had that game,” Prodigal said voicing his frustration over their loss. “I can’t believe that referee called a foul at the last few seconds. Man that was wrong.”

  Langston agreed. “You got that right. But like they say, you win some and you lose some.”

  They proceeded down the bleachers.

  Prodigal gently reached over and grabbed Faith around her waist, holding her steady as she moved down the flight of steep bleachers.

  Langston grabbed hold of Teary’s hand just like they had been an item all along.

  “Is your daddy picking you up, Faith?” Prodigal asked.

  “Nope, I told my parents that a bunch of us would be walking home together. They said it was okay just as long as I wasn’t alone.”

  “You definitely won’t be alone. I guarantee that.” After saying their goodbyes, Prodigal and Faith strolled across the campus hand in hand until they reached a nearby breezeway. They paused for a moment. He reached out to Faith and looked deep into her hazel eyes. “I want to kiss you so bad.” He looked at her seriously, longingly. She looked back up into his spectacled eyes and removed his glasses.

  Prodigal allowed his virgin hands to embrace Faith’s shoulders, being extra careful not to go any further. He lifted her chin toward his and placed a sweet, innocent butterfly kiss on her lips. When his mouth touched hers, it was like tasting cotton candy. Her lips were soft, and he felt his boyhood rising. He felt nervous as he experienced unfamiliar desires and feelings.

  Faith’s heart pounded like it was about to jump outside of her body. She wasn’t supposed to be allowing this to happen. She had made a promise to God that she wasn’t going to let a boy touch her in any way, not even kiss her, until she knew for sure that he was the one, but she liked this feeling, and she definitely liked Prodigal.

  Prodigal tried to remain focused. This was not the time or place for things to get out of hand. He stopped before he could no longer control himself. They continued the long walk home, holding hands in silence.

  ♦

  “Where do you live, Teary?” Langston asked her.

  “On Parkdale.” Teary’s belly quivered.

  “Good, only one street over from mine. Mind if I walk you home or are you going to walk with your girls?”

  “Nope, don’t mind.” She sashayed around and eyed her friends. “Hey, Debra, Chelsia, I’ll talk to y’all tomorrow.”

  Chelsia responded first. “Okay, sure, see ya.”

  Debra threw her hand up in a waving motion and walked off with Chelsia, the two of them giggling along the way.

  Butterflies continued to keep up a ruckus in Teary’s stomach. She thought her heart would pop right thr
ough her chest.

  “What grade are you in?” Langston inquired as they slowly walked the distance to her house.

  “Tenth. What about you?”

  “I’m a senior. This is my first year at Fairley. I just moved to Broknfield a few months ago.”

  “Hey, I didn’t know that. From where?”

  “Atlanta. My dad’s job was transferred here.”

  “Oh, I see. Any brothers and sisters?”

  “Nope, just me. Do you have any?”

  “Yeah, I have one older sister. Her name is Sara. She’s a senior this year. So pretty soon when she graduates and goes off to college, it’ll be just like I’m an only child too.”

  “Then I’ll just have to keep you company, won’t I?”

  “I don’t know about that. Will you?”

  “I think so.” He cautiously moved his arm around her teeny waist while his fingers brushed against her long braided hair. His mind quickly visualized what his body yearned to do.

  When they approached her house, Teary scanned the dimly lit street for signs of her sister or Prodigal. She didn’t see either of them. A sense of relief caused her to sigh.

  The night was cool and peaceful. Langston watched her with intensity without moving his arm from around her waist. He twirled his fingers through her hair.

  Again, Teary began to feel funny inside. Her stomach gurgled, her throat became dry and her body felt like it was about to jump outside of itself. What’s next? I just met this boy, she thought. But that thought quickly rushed from her mind when he leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. Her eyes quickly closed and she lifted her head toward his. He gingerly kissed her nose, then her eyelids, all while being careful not to come on too strong. He didn’t want to frighten her. When he felt her responding positively to his touch, he backed off.

  Teary suddenly opened her eyes. The warmth between her legs felt surprisingly good. Somehow she knew it wasn’t right for her to feel this way but she couldn’t resist Langston. She was glad to have him standing beside her doing things to her that she’d only seen on HBO.

  Langston pretended to ignore what he knew was obvious – this girl was hot for him. “Hey, thanks for letting me walk you home,” he said speaking in a low, seductive voice. She felt the warmth of his breath against her ear as he spoke.

  She didn’t know what to think. Why did he stop doing what he was doing? He made her feel alive, like a real woman.

  He interrupted her secret thoughts when she heard him say, “Earth to Teary, are you there?”

  She quickly thought of a lie. “Oh, sure, I was uh, wondering if my sister had made it home, that’s all.”

  “I see. Look, can I get your number so I can call you sometime?”

  “Sure.” She rummaged inside her black cloth shoulder bag until she pulled out a pencil nub and an address book. She scribbled her phone number down then tore the piece of paper from her address to give to him.

  “Thanks, I’ll give you a call, okay?” Langston said, taking the piece of paper out of her hand.

  “Okay, goodnight.”

  He flashed a flirting smile at her. “Goodnight,” He turned to walk away. “Oh wait. I forgot to ask you something.”

  “What is it?”

  “Can you receive company from the opposite sex?”

  “Why?”

  “Because I just might want to come and see you sometime. Anything wrong with that?”

  She hoped her nervousness wasn’t showing too much as she responded, “No, of course not. I’d like that.” She didn’t want to appear like she was a little, naïve girl.

  “Can you date?” he asked.

  “Yep, one weekend day a month. I have a ten thirty curfew. And no school nights under any circumstances; that includes having company, unless it’s to study.”

  “Sounds good. I’ll give you a call. Maybe I’ll come over this week, meet your parents, and see if we can go check out a movie. How about that?”

  Still feeling excitement rushing through her body, she answered demurely, “That’s fine.”

  He planted another kiss on her lips and walked off. “See you, Teary.”

  “Goodnight, Langston.”

  ♦

  Faith rushed straight to her room, yelling a quick, “I’m home,” to her parents as she bolted by. She felt like a time bomb about to explode. She hadn’t wanted Prodigal to stop kissing and touching her. She’d heard about girls who had sex and became pregnant when they were only thirteen and fourteen years old, and she was determined not to turn out like one of them. I’ve just got to pray and ask God to forgive me for tonight. Shucks, I didn’t really do anything anyway.

  She flung herself across her full-sized bed. Pulling the pink satin covers up over her, she closed her eyes and relived the night. “Prodigal and Faith sitting in a tree, she sang to herself, “k-i-s-s-i-n-g,” she giggled and continued thinking about him. Prodigal, you made me feel real good, but I’m not giving up the booty. A smile caressed her face. Within minutes, she drifted off to sleep before she could even remove her clothes and before she could say her prayer of repentance.

  ♦

  Prodigal couldn’t believe how one day had changed the entire course of his young uneventful life. Of course, he wasn’t a man just yet, but he still had feelings and insight. His body ached from the memories of tonight. He sneaked quietly in the house. He didn’t want to wake his mother or sister, afraid they’d witness his excitement. His mother would have a hissy fit if she saw his manhood trying to eagerly press itself outside his jogging pants.

  “Prodigal, is that you, sweetheart?” His mom yelled out just as he entered the house.

  “Yeah, it’s me, Momma,” Prodigal answered, snapping his finger and mumbling under his breath as if he’d been caught.

  “Who won the game?” She didn’t bother getting out of bed. She simply talked to him from her bedroom. Boy was he glad.

  “The Cougars did…again. This time by two points.”

  “Well, I hope you had a good time, son.”

  “I did. I had a real good time. Goodnight. I love you, Momma.”

  “I love you, too, sweetheart. See you in the morning.”

  Whew. He breathed a sigh of relief. He just knew she was going to get up and start talking, but to his surprise, she hadn’t. She must really be tired tonight. He hated that she had to work so hard and so much. He made up in his mind that he was going to graduate from high school, go to a trade school instead of college, get a decent job and take care of his Momma. That way, she wouldn’t have to spend her evenings working for anyone.

  Yeah, everything is going to be all right. It couldn’t be any other way.

  ♦

  Sara Fullalove had a secret of her own. His name was Anthony Chamberlain. Sara and Anthony had been seeing each other every since she met him at the movie theatre almost eight months ago. She and Fantasia were standing at the refreshment counter when they saw him. He stood at the counter next to her and their eyes met at the same time. Sara shifted her brown eyes in the opposite direction, but not before she answered his smile with one of her own. They ended up in the same movie, and he took a chance and sat beside her and introduced himself. The two of them hit it off right away. Sara started meeting him at the movie almost every weekend. She swore Fantasia to secrecy. He became her first boyfriend and she quickly fell head over heels for him. It wasn’t long before Sara started sneaking to meet him any time an opportunity presented itself. Tonight was such an opportunity. During the championship game, Sara met Anthony in the school parking lot. They sneaked off from the game in his Honda and drove to Willow Park. They talked and watched the moon’s rays skip over the lake. She never expected to cross the line that would lead her to go against her Christian principles but her attraction for him proved to be far too strong for her to resist the temptation.

  “Sara, sooner or later, someone’s going to find out about us,” Anthony told her.

  “Well, let it be later. The only person who knows about yo
u and me is Fantasia, and she promised not to breathe a word to anyone,” Sara responded.

  “Why can’t we tell anybody? I don’t understand the big secret.”

  “The big secret is that I don’t want my parents to know that I have a boyfriend. They’re way too strict and my daddy is so overbearing. I wouldn’t be able to listen to his lectures day in and day out about what to do and not to do. Plus, you’re four years older than me. My daddy would hit the roof if he found that out.”

  Anthony kissed Sara on her cheek and pulled her head against his muscled shoulder. “I love you, that’s all. I want everyone to know it. So what if I’m a little older. Why do I have to be penalized for that? You’ll be out of school in a few months and you’re old enough to have a boyfriend. Don’t you love me too?”

  Sara tilted her head so that her eyes met his. “What kind of question is that. You know I love you, Anthony. But we have to do everything in the right order. Just be patient a little longer, and soon we can tell everybody that we love each other.” He breathed a heavy sigh and pulled her tighter against his immensely broad chest. His tongue flickered around inside her mouth and she enjoyed its salty taste. She didn’t resist when his hand traveled underneath her blouse. With his other hand he gently lifted her skirt.

  “Anthony, we’d better go,” Sara said as she pulled back, looking at him with a mixture of lust and love. “I need to get back before the game is over. I don’t want Teary to be looking everywhere for me.”

  Sara and Anthony made it back to the game during the last few minutes of the fourth quarter. She met up with Trina after the game and walked home, making it there before Teary.

  When Teary went inside the house, heading for the stairwell, she met Sara coming out of the downstairs bathroom.

  “Teary, where have you been and what took you so long? I looked for you after the game, but I didn’t see you,” Sara said, trying to hide her own guilt.

  “Shhh, I didn’t see you either,” Teary replied, pressing a finger against her freshly kissed lips. She whispered cautiously. “Where are Momma and Daddy? I hope I’m not in any trouble. You know they want me and you to come home together.” She was scared now. She didn’t want to be grounded, and she didn’t want to listen to a lecture about a disobedient child’s days being cut off either. Not tonight. She had other things on her mind.