Southern Legitimacy Statement: I was born in The Bronx Hospital, on Pelham. Those roots will last forever. I don’t act like I’m from the Bronx, my father agrees because I won’t eat a bacon, egg, & cheese, or a peanut butter and jelly.
Bodega Boys
That Girl’s dad slept on that cold couch. The plastic is still on top of it because Grammy doesn’t want it to get messed up. Daddy slept from 11 o’clock at night until one-thirty in the afternoon, and no one dared to wake him up. Unless they were hungry.
“Nyena,” That Girl whispered her sister’s name, that soft high voice filling the almost quiet room. Nyena laid on the warm king size bed, cartoons being watched, the volume never going above twenty-two. Nyena’s eyes flash between That Girl, and the cartoons. That Girl laid on her stomach, her small feet under the floppy pillow.
“They’re Magically Delicious!” The TV exclaimed softly. The mushy rainbow Lucky Charms marshmallows from the commercial made its way into her imaginative youthful brain. They spun like clothes in a washing machine. And speaking of Lucky Charms, she’s hungry.
As if on cue, That Girl rubbed her stomach in Nyena’s face. They had their own sort of language, so Nyena knew exactly what she meant.
“C’mon.” Nyena said as they hopped up out of bed, walking over to Daddy. Tap him once. Tap him twice. Tap him thrice. Tap h-
“What?” That stern raspy voice we knew way too well finally spoke up. “We’re hungry.” Nyena said, her voice in a quiet yet annoying whine.
“I’ll make you a peanut butter and jelly.” Daddy said after a few long seconds, but That Girl spoke up.
“I don’t eat that.” She said with a pout. He always forgets. Daddy sucked his teeth in annoyance.
“Don’t make no sense, a lil’ girl don’t eat peanut butter and jelly.” He muttered. He grabbed his sweatpants off the floor that were next to him as he laid on the couch. He took a twenty dollar bill out of his pocket and handed it to Nyena putting the cover back over his face. Daddy had his own language with them as well, so the girls knew very well to go to the bodega up the block and get breakfast.
That Girl and Nyena went downstairs. In their little minds, they were on a mission. Money in Nyena’s jeans pocket. They stepped out of the apartment building and That Girl held onto Nyenas hand. Daddy said they have to always hold hands outside. He told them outside to move as one person, not two lost people. They walked to the bodega and the ock already had their freshly prepared butter rolls ready.
They knew to grab them with manners, because Daddy would come downstairs later to make sure, because his little girls had to have manners. The steps to the attic in the bodega are the steps they sat on to eat. Stickers and smiley faces, hearts and rainbows on those steps. The top one for Nyena, the bottom for That Girl. Soft ringing filled the nearly silent store, only other sound being the soft Dominican music in the back.
Those Bodega boys walked in, they didn’t have many manners when their mom wasn’t there. They walked over to us and sat on the floor, slow sips of their shared Tropicana orange juice. The Bodega Boys banged their hands on the cold floor. That beat was so familiar to them. Familiar like a blow up pool on the sidewalk being filled with water from the hydrant. Loud speakers playing the newest thing on the radio. He rapped to that hot beat, although it wasn’t his own. Lines stolen from various parts of different songs. Quiet kids weren’t allowed to chill in the bodega so the ock told us “Get out with all of that ruckus!” It always made That Girl and Nyena laugh because that sweet, thick, Dominican accent saying “Ruckus!” is funny. Duh.
They walk across the street and draw chalk on the sidewalk. A big house with flowers, dogs and rainbows. We kind of loved rainbows.
“Do you think we’ll get those big houses one day?” One of the Bodega Boys asked, pointing at our drawing.
“I don’t know.” That Girl said laughing. “My mom will get one of those.” Nyena said, pointing to the house. The Bodega Boys laughed in unison as Nyena grabbed That Girl’s hand, walking her up the block back home.
“We’ll get one of those.” That Girl whispered. “I know we’ll get one if we are together. One person, just like Daddy said. We can’t get lost together ‘cause we know where we are.”
