Read Online Coffee Will Make You Black by April Sinclair - Free Book Online Page A

was on the honor roll. Mr. Davis said that Tanya could have her sister’s diary back if her mother came up and got it.
    Mrs. Cunningham told me that I couldn’t return to school without my mother. There was no way I could have Mama miss work to come up to school about me, when Carla’s birthday party was this Saturday. No way, I thought.
    Me and Carla were walking back to our class with Mrs. Cunningham.
    â€œI don’t know when I’ve been so disappointed. Jean, you are one of my brightest students. No one expects anything from Carla, but you have really disappointed us.”
    Carla rolled her eyes as Mrs. Cunningham continued.
    â€œWe have an old Jamaican saying, ‘Every tub must sit ’pon its own bottom,’ Jean. You can’t go through life following behind other people; you have to have a mind of your own.”
    â€œI didn’t say it was anybody else’s idea,” I reminded Mrs. Cunningham.
    â€œLook, I wasn’t born yesterday, you know. I don’t believe you did this without being influenced. I’ve been teaching for a long time now. I know my students.”
    â€œOkay, okay, I dragged her into it! Satisfied now! Hey, I’m suspended anyway, what do I care if you know. Stevie … Jean ain’t know nothing about it till we got in the auditorium. And then we had to twist her arm, okay!” Carla blurted out as we reached the door.
    â€œClean your desk before you leave,” Mrs. Cunningham said coldly.
    I was at home washing the dishes. To top everything off, we’d had liver for dinner tonight. On Gunsmoke , at least they always gave you your favorite food before they sent you to the gallows. We couldn’t have had fried chicken or spaghetti. No, we had to have liver.
    I had been quiet during dinner, barely touching my food. Mama had let me get away with it because she knew I couldn’t stand liver. I just couldn’t bring myself to tell her what had happened today, not with Carla’s birthday party three days away.
    My hands shook as I washed dishes now. I had almost broken two glasses.
    It was the next morning and I still hadn’t told Mama what had happened. Carla had called me last night and brought me up to date. She said none of them had told their mothers they were suspended. In fact, she, Patrice, and Tanya planned to hang out at her crib and watch the stories all day. Carla’s sister, Marla, would cover for them because Carla would be able to babysit her “rusty-butt boy” and tell her what was happening on The Edge of Night . Carla’s sister was even going to sign their mothers’ names to the suspension notices. Carla said it was no sweat, they had it made in the shade. It wasn’t like she had never been suspended before. Everything was cool. Carla was trying to get her sisters to let her borrow their 45s so we could dance at the party. Everything was set. It seemed like I was the only one in trouble. Carla said that even Annie Pearl had kept her cool after Tanya said if she hit her, she would tell her mother what was in the diary.
    I knew I was pressing my luck as I walked into Mrs. Cunningham’s classroom alone, without Mama.
    â€œJean, where is your mother? Is she talking with Mr. Davis?”
    Dog, Mrs. Cunningham couldn’t even let me get the Pledge of Allegiance out before jumping in my face.
    â€œNo, she’s home in bed. She was too sick to come out. She’s got the flu. That bad flu that’s going around.”
    â€œOkay, Jean, I’m going to give you until tomorrow.”
    â€œIt’s a bad flu, Mrs. Cunningham, a real bad one.”
    â€œWhat about Mr. Stevenson? Can he come in tomorrow?”
    No way, I thought. Daddy hit harder than Mama.
    â€œHe’s got the flu too, Mrs. Cunningham.”
    â€œOkay, Jean, I’m going to let you stay today because we’re having a math test. But you either show up tomorrow with one of your parents or have