Look at her.” She whispered, “She’s probably a lezzie.”
Gail’s words were an invisible slap. I stood up and said tersely, “I’ll be back later.”
“Okay, later.” Gail was oblivious to my coldness and went back to hanging all over Travis.
I rolled my eyes behind Gail because she had completely missed my subtle departure. We used to talk to each other every day on the phone, but now that she had Travis we only talked once in a while, and she usually ended our calls with something like, “Oh, I’ve got another call. It’s Travis,” or “Travis is picking me up, so I have to get ready.” At first that kind of stuff hurt my feelings, but I got used to it. I mean, I had no choice. On top of all that, I didn’t know if my best friend could accept me for who I was.
I met Jessie and Rebecca in the aisle. “Hey,” I said to Rebecca and nodded to Jessie.
Rebecca introduced us. “Devon, this is Jessie. Jessie— Devon.”
Jessie stuck out her hand, so I shook it. She had on tight black jeans and a white long-sleeved t-shirt. Her t-shirt did nothing to hide her strong muscular body. The gold chain around her neck held a colorful pendant in the shape of Africa. The red, green, and yellow stood out against the white shirt. Gail was wrong. Jessie didn’t look like a guy. She looked like an athlete.
“Should we go outside?” I gestured toward the door. “This shouldn’t take too long.”
“Sure.” Jessie led the way. She shoved the door open with so much force that I didn’t know if she was trying to impress me or Rebecca.
Jessie sat down at the table closest to the door. Rebecca sat next to her, and I grabbed a seat across from them. I couldn’t tell if my hands shook from the cold or from nerves.
Before any interview I tell my subject that anything said was fair game to be quoted, and if they didn’t want to be quoted, they should say, “off the record,” and I’d put my pen down.
Having given Jessie my disclaimer, I opened my notebook to the list of questions. “The team is supposed to do really well this year. What are your biggest challenges?”
I thought she might say something cocky, but to my relief she thought about my question for a second and answered, “Well, Stone Lake always gives us trouble. We split with them last year, so we’ve learned never to take any team lightly. You know? On any given day...”
She had such a tough exterior that her thoughtful and honest answer surprised me. Maybe I shouldn’t have judged her so quickly. I mean, I didn’t even know her.
“There must be a lot of pressure on you in particular. Senior, captain.”
“I guess so.”
I don’t think she expected this question, but I waited for her to elaborate. A good interviewer knows when to stay quiet and let the subject keep talking.
She continued, “Everybody relies on me, ‘cuz I’m the point guard.” She hesitated again, and I could sense the pressure she must have felt. I hoped she’d elaborate because I had no idea what a point guard did. She added, “But once I get scoring, I’m pretty unstoppable.”
Ah, there was the ego I knew she had. I nodded and happily quoted her exact words. “Anything else?” I asked.
“Well, off the record...” She paused while I put my pen down. “There’s pressure on me to represent.” Without smiling, she struck a hip-hop pose with one hand on her chin.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I’m black, and I play basketball.”
Again, I waited.
She continued. “It’s such a cliché, you know? Being black and playing hoops.”
She was baiting me. I just knew it, but I didn’t know what she wanted from me. Did she want me to make some kind of comment about her being black? I decided not to say anything. When I didn’t answer her, she looked at Rebecca. “What are you gonna do? Right, babe?”
My mind screamed, Babe? Did I hear that right ? Jessie called Rebecca babe, and Rebecca had simply shrugged her shoulders.
“Becca,” Jessie
Gail’s words were an invisible slap. I stood up and said tersely, “I’ll be back later.”
“Okay, later.” Gail was oblivious to my coldness and went back to hanging all over Travis.
I rolled my eyes behind Gail because she had completely missed my subtle departure. We used to talk to each other every day on the phone, but now that she had Travis we only talked once in a while, and she usually ended our calls with something like, “Oh, I’ve got another call. It’s Travis,” or “Travis is picking me up, so I have to get ready.” At first that kind of stuff hurt my feelings, but I got used to it. I mean, I had no choice. On top of all that, I didn’t know if my best friend could accept me for who I was.
I met Jessie and Rebecca in the aisle. “Hey,” I said to Rebecca and nodded to Jessie.
Rebecca introduced us. “Devon, this is Jessie. Jessie— Devon.”
Jessie stuck out her hand, so I shook it. She had on tight black jeans and a white long-sleeved t-shirt. Her t-shirt did nothing to hide her strong muscular body. The gold chain around her neck held a colorful pendant in the shape of Africa. The red, green, and yellow stood out against the white shirt. Gail was wrong. Jessie didn’t look like a guy. She looked like an athlete.
“Should we go outside?” I gestured toward the door. “This shouldn’t take too long.”
“Sure.” Jessie led the way. She shoved the door open with so much force that I didn’t know if she was trying to impress me or Rebecca.
Jessie sat down at the table closest to the door. Rebecca sat next to her, and I grabbed a seat across from them. I couldn’t tell if my hands shook from the cold or from nerves.
Before any interview I tell my subject that anything said was fair game to be quoted, and if they didn’t want to be quoted, they should say, “off the record,” and I’d put my pen down.
Having given Jessie my disclaimer, I opened my notebook to the list of questions. “The team is supposed to do really well this year. What are your biggest challenges?”
I thought she might say something cocky, but to my relief she thought about my question for a second and answered, “Well, Stone Lake always gives us trouble. We split with them last year, so we’ve learned never to take any team lightly. You know? On any given day...”
She had such a tough exterior that her thoughtful and honest answer surprised me. Maybe I shouldn’t have judged her so quickly. I mean, I didn’t even know her.
“There must be a lot of pressure on you in particular. Senior, captain.”
“I guess so.”
I don’t think she expected this question, but I waited for her to elaborate. A good interviewer knows when to stay quiet and let the subject keep talking.
She continued, “Everybody relies on me, ‘cuz I’m the point guard.” She hesitated again, and I could sense the pressure she must have felt. I hoped she’d elaborate because I had no idea what a point guard did. She added, “But once I get scoring, I’m pretty unstoppable.”
Ah, there was the ego I knew she had. I nodded and happily quoted her exact words. “Anything else?” I asked.
“Well, off the record...” She paused while I put my pen down. “There’s pressure on me to represent.” Without smiling, she struck a hip-hop pose with one hand on her chin.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I’m black, and I play basketball.”
Again, I waited.
She continued. “It’s such a cliché, you know? Being black and playing hoops.”
She was baiting me. I just knew it, but I didn’t know what she wanted from me. Did she want me to make some kind of comment about her being black? I decided not to say anything. When I didn’t answer her, she looked at Rebecca. “What are you gonna do? Right, babe?”
My mind screamed, Babe? Did I hear that right ? Jessie called Rebecca babe, and Rebecca had simply shrugged her shoulders.
“Becca,” Jessie
Similar Books
