Hood Ornaments

“Grandma!” Tori yelled from upstairs while dumping the contents of her purse all over her bed. Her yelling combined with the change hitting the hardwood floor startled Trudy so much she ran up the steps to find her granddaughter dumping the contents of her bed drawers. “Good Lord Victoria, what are you doing?!!”

Still flipping the contents of the drawer all over her bed Tori responded, “I had four stamps left. I need them to mail off the documents the art school asked for. They need the documents by the end of the week.”

“Why did you wait so long?” Trudy asked while helping Tori rummage through the stuff Tori shrugged and then as if a light bulb went on over her head she quickly turned her head towards Trudy,

“Old people always have stamps. Do you have stamps Grandma?”

“The hell you just say Victoria?”

Tori winced, “I didn’t mean it like that Grandma; I’m sorry.”

Trudy sucked her teeth and reached into the pocket on the front of her blouse, “As a matter of fact, I don’t have any stamps, so I guess I ain’t old,” She then handed Tori a ten dollar bill and said, “Take your wanna be sorry ass to the Post Office and get us some stamps. I have to pay bills anyway.”

“Grandma,” Tori said while taking the money, “I’m sorry. I was just frustrated.”

“In case I have never told you this before, I am telling you now Tori,” Trudy said with her hands on her hips, “Always apologize; never say you are sorry. I didn’t raise nothing sorry in this house.”

“Yes, Grandma.” Tori said as she attempted to leave her bedroom. Trudy stood in front of her blocking her path and pointing to her bed, “Unt uh. You gonna clean up the mess you made first.” She then turned Tori by her shoulders and guided her towards her bed. Tori chuckled,

“I’m sor…I mean I apologize Grandma.”

Trudy muttered under her breath and left the room just as Tori’s cell phone rang.

“What chu doin?” Dell asked.

“You got stamps?” Tori asked.

“Stamps?”

Tori rolled her eyes as she cleaned up the mess on her bed and put Dell on speakerphone. “Yes Rondell stamps like what you put on a letter. Do you have any?”

“Letter? Who writes letters?” Dell inquired sounding a little annoyed.

“Oh sweet Jesus, Dell, never mind.”

“Chu need stamps for?”

“If you don’t have any, does it matter?”

“Tori, you got me on speakerphone?”

“Yeah, I made a mess of my room lookin for stamps, so I’m cleaning up.”

“Take me off speakerphone; I hate that shit,” Dell’s slight annoyance was gradually growing.

“Ugh, then I have to hold the phone; I need an earpiece.”

“Go ask your man then,” Dell’s sarcasm was well into the extremely annoyed phase.

Tori was becoming just as annoyed with Dell. She clicked off the speakerphone and held the phone in the crook of her neck while hastily returning contents of the drawer back where they belonged.

“I dunno what happened to you between last night and this morning, but should I circle the date on the calendar and start keeping keep track?”

“You funny.”

“No, I’m insulted. So do you have any stamps or not?”

“You never answered my question.”

Tori put her stuff back in her purse and then put it in the drawer, “What question?”

“Chu need stamps for?”

“Oh my God Dell, I’m writing my boyfriend in the County.”

“Now you really funny.” Dell replied.

“And you are really annoying today. For your information, I have to get some documents off to the art school before my application expires. And speaking of school, when do you have to go back to take the placement test?”

“I…um. Well see Tori, that’s why I was askin what chu were doin. I may need your help.”

Tori walked over to her closet and pulled out a hot pink sundress and some matching flip flops and threw them on the bed. She then ripped the Scunci out of her head and plugged in her flat iron. She knew it was humid out, but she was tired of wearing her hair up. The worst that could happen was her hair would “poof” out and she would look like a lion.

“Help? With a placement test they are gaging the knowledge that you already have. You don’t need to study for that. You take the test and they place you in the appropriate classes based on your skill level.”

“It’s a little different for me Tor,” You could hear Dell’s wincing in his tone.

“Chu mean?”

“Wanna walk to the waterfront with me?”

“I’m kinda gettin dressed and doin my hair.”

“For what?”

“Okay was that not just you I was arguing with about stamps a little bit ago?” Tori asked as she tried to part her hair with her cell still in the crook of her neck.

“I don’t understand why you have to go all the way to Chicago to go to school when they have a decent art program right over the bridge.” Dell stated more than asked.

“Because the school in Chicago is rated third in the country while the one right over the bridge is thirteenth; it’s kinda a no brainer.”

“Speaking of no brains, that’s why I was calling you.”

Dell then went onto explain about having to get his G.E.D. before he could enroll and all that would entail. He asked Tori for her help with math and, of course, she agreed. After, he let her off of the phone so she could finish getting dressed and doing her hair.

Tori was feeling so good about herself she even plucked her eyebrows, put on some lip gloss and some Egyptian Musk oil.

She then lotioned her limbs real well and bounded down the stairs and into the kitchen where Trudy was cleaning the greens for Sunday. Trudy caught a whiff Tori’s oil before she saw what she was wearing,

“Mmmm, I remember that smell. Your mother wore it all the time. It smells sweeter on you though,” She turned around and was pleasantly surprised to see her granddaughter in a dress. Trudy’s eyes were wide which made Tori smirk and giggle,

“What Grandma?”

“Nothin, you just clean up nice that’s all.” Tori thanked her kissed her on the cheek.

“We’ve been painting for days, and I just was tired of wearing jeans and lookin like a boy all the time.”

“Let me fill you in on a little secret Tori,” Trudy said pulling her granddaughter closer to her, “With your hips and thighs, won’t no one mistake you for a boy,” She then laughed heartily and went back to washing the greens. Tori s got a glass of orange juice. “Oh dammit to hell,” Trudy’s words halted her own laughter and startled Tori.

“What’s the matter Grandma?”

“I just forgot to tell Dell to get vinegar when he was at the store. I’m gonna need it for the greens.”

“Well, he told me to call him when I get back from the Post Office cuz he is supposed to come over. I’ll tell him to grab some.”

Trudy smiled.

“Thanks. You talk to Tony today?” She almost sung to her granddaughter.

Tori shook her head vigorously.

“I don’t have to talk to Tony every day, Grandma. I mean I didn’t before. I’m not gonna act all new now. I’ll stop by his house on the way back from the Post Office and tell him you asked for him.” She said jokingly.

Trudy watched her carefully. Although she was definitely coming into her womanhood, Tori was still in many ways like a little girl. She liked the boys Tori hung with, and although she knew full and good well they would protect her with their lives, she felt horrible that Andre wasn’t around to see his daughter, to give her advice, to show her how she is supposed to be treated. “Do you have a minute, Victoria?”

“Grandma, I really need…”

Trudy interrupted her, “I know, but I promise this isn’t a lecture or nothin,” She said as she pulled out a long black box from the back of the silverware drawer and opened it. Tori’s facial expression took on a combination of confusion and shock as she picked up the long gold rope chain with a large ring dangling from it. Upon further inspection, the ring had a large topaz stone and her high school name on it. She then began examining the ring and saw her father’s name inscribed under the stone with the year he graduated. Tears filled Tori’s eyes and she started trembling as she attempted to open the clasp. Trudy gently took the chain from her and turned her granddaughter around by her shoulders to help her put it on. The chain was so long that the ring hovered right above Tori’s navel. Tori kept gazing at the ring, turning it over and over in disbelief. Trudy kissed her granddaughter on her cheek which was now damp from tears and whispered in her ear.

“I was going to wait until graduation day but when I saw you looking so pretty there, I just couldn’t help myself. Now stop crying, girl. You didn’t put that eye makeup on just to ruin it.” Tori turned to hug her grandmother and when she did the ring slid down the rope and made this unusual sound like a wind chime. She swallowed and found it necessary to deviate the seriousness and the emotion of the moment.

“I always knew you were gonna tie a bell around my neck one day.”

Trudy chuckled. “Don’t get fresh girl; and don’t be long okay?”

Tori hugged her. “I’ll try grandma; I just hope they ain’t crowded.”

And with that Tori took her cuteness and slick mouth downtown.

Which was a dangerous combination for her that day.