7-7-97, 11:09 AM

I was bored out of my mind. Mrs. Jackson was sewing, so it was useless to try to talk to her. She stopped sewing for all of 15 minutes and talked to me. She said I was asking too many questions and that she had to finish sewing.

I decided to call Shannon from Harmon Street COGIC. I called her at 11:23 AM. We talked for about 20 minutes. I found out that she and a couple of the girls from the church were going to the movies later on. I asked her could I go with them. She said it was okay. I told her that I had to call Kourtnee. We said goodbye after I promised to call Shannon back after I talked to Kourtnee.

I called Kourtnee's office. Paula answered the phone. She told me that Kourtnee was in a meeting and that Kourtnee would be out of the meeting at 12:00. I asked Paula to have Kourtnee call me back as soon as she got out of the meeting. I said goodbye and hung up the phone. I began getting my clothes ready to go to the movies with Shannon.

Kourtnee didn't call me back until 12:29 PM. I was upset. This is how the phone call went:

Kourtnee: Hello.

LaDawnya: Hello. Kourtnee, you were supposed to call me as soon as you got out of your meeting.

Kourtnee: Something came up. What do you want?

LaDawnya: Shannon and some of the girls from Harmon Street are going to the movies later. Can I go with them?

Kourtnee: No, you can't go.

LaDawnya: Why not?

Kourtnee: You can't go because you decided to act silly this morning.

LaDawnya: I ain't got nothing to do around here. I wanna go to the movies.

Kourtnee: I told you no! It's your fault that you can't go! I have to go. Bye.

LaDawnya: Kourtnee.

Kourtnee: LaDawnya, I have to go. Bye.

LaDawnya: Why can't I go?

Kourtnee: I already gave you an answer. I am hanging up. Bye.

She hung up the phone. She didn't even wait for me to say bye. I thought to myself, "Kourtnee makes me sick!"

I called Shannon back and told her that I couldn't go. She asked why. I told her why. She started laughing and said, "I guess little Miss Perfect can get into trouble. Lord, help us all the world is gonna end. LaDawnya actually got into trouble." I told her to shut up. She kept teasing me until I said that I had to go. She said she was going to tell everyone at Harmon Street that I had gotten into trouble. I told her that I didn't care. She laughed as we said goodbye. I hung up the phone.

I was stuck in the house with nothing to do. It was all my fault.

7-7-97, 8:57 PM

Kourtnee got home late, much later than usual. (I wondered if it was because of work or because she didn't want to be bothered with me.) It was close to 9:00 PM when she got home. I hadn't eaten anything because I was waiting n Kourtnee. We always ate dinner together on Monday nights because Mrs. Jackson didn't cook dinner on Monday nights.

I heard a door slam in the garage. I ran to the door. Kourtnee walked in the kitchen from the garage. She had a bag from Stacalla's in her hand. She told me that there was something in the bag for me to eat. She handed the bag to me, but I didn't take it from her. She walked to the kitchen island and set the bag on the countertop. I stared at her the whole time she walked through he kitchen. I finally said, "You ate dinner without me?" She responded, "Yes. I ate dinner with Paula," as she walked out of the kitchen. I followed in into her bedroom. She put her briefcase on her bed and sat down beside it to take her shoes off. I stared at her and repeated the phrase I had just spoken to her. She responded with the same answer as she had before. I said, "You were supposed to eat with me. I waited for you. How could you eat without me?" She said, "I wanted to eat dinner with Paula, that's all. We can go somewhere tomorrow night." (She looked very tired. I should have been sympathetic, but I was hurt. She had left me at the house by myself all day. Now, she had forsaken me again and eaten dinner without me.) I brashly said, "I don't wanna go with you anywhere tomorrow." I stormed out of Kourtnee's room. I went upstairs to my room, laid on the bed, and cried. I thought to myself, "Kourtnee makes me sick!"

Kourtnee came up to my room at 10:05 PM. She looked more relaxed. When she walked in the room she asked, "Did you eat?' I shook my head no. She asked, "What did you do with the food?" I shrugged my shoulders. She said, "I don't understand shoulder shrugs. What did you do with the food?' I said, "I guess it's still on the counter, if Mrs. Jackson didn't put it up." Kourtnee laid down on the bed beside me and stared at the ceiling with me.

Kourtnee: What are we staring at?

LaDawnya: Nothing.

Kourtnee: Oh.

LaDawnya: Why did you go eat with Paula?

Kourtnee: Because I wanted to go eat dinner with her. She is my best friend. We have to hang out with each other from time to time.

LaDawnya: You didn't have to go tonight. You could have gone tomorrow.

Kourtnee: I figured that since you didn't want to eat with me this morning that you wouldn't want to eat with me tonight.

LaDawnya: I waited for you. Why didn't you call me?

Kourtnee: I didn't want to call you.

LaDawnya: Why not?

Kourtnee: You have been acting silly all day. I didn't feel like dealing with you and you were acting silly. I had a hard enough day at work.

LaDawnya: Oh.

I was quiet for a while.

Kourtnee: Why are so quiet, now?

LaDawnya: I don't know.

Kourtnee: Are you going to start acting silly with me again?

LaDawnya: No mame.

Kourtnee: That's good.

LaDawnya: I'm sorry I acted silly earlier.

Kourtnee: Ok, sweetie. Are you going to eat your dinner?

LaDawnya: Yes, mame.

I got up from the bed, left my room, and went downstairs. As I suspected, Mrs. Jackson had put the food in the refrigerator. (I bet that woman could hear dust bunnies crawling across the floor.) I went to the refrigerator and took the Stacalla's box out. I looked in the Stacalla's box. Kourtnee had brought me some spaghetti and meatballs with some garlic bread. I walked over to the stove and turned the stove on to heat up the garlic bread. I had to wait 15 minutes to heat up some bread. I heated the spaghetti and meatballs up in the microwave after the bread was warm.

I started eating. It was good. The noodles were the angel hair pasta noodles that I liked. I hated the thick spaghetti noodles. Kourtnee walked into the kitchen and sat down beside me. She reached for a piece of my bread. I move the plate away from her. She called me stingy. I kept eating. I pushed my plate towards her. She took a piece of the bread. She ate it. She told me about her day as I ate. That was that. It was over.

Once before, Paula had told me that Kourtnee didn't hold grudges. Paula said that was one of the best things about being friends with Kourtnee. If you had a fight, an argument, or an altercation with Kourtnee, all you had to do was talk to her about it. After talking, everything would be back to normal.