7-19-97, 3:48 PM

Mrs. Austin was sitting in the kitchen of our house talking to Ms. J. Colt had left mad because Mrs. Austin said she wanted to stay with me tonight. She was going over to his house tomorrow night after Mrs. Adams' birthday dinner. Kourtnee went straight to her room after she walked into the house.

I listened to Mrs. Austin and Ms. Jackson talk for a while. Their reminiscing got boring, so I went into Kourtnee's office where she was and sat down in the chair in front of the window. I was looking out the window when Kourtnee said, "Hold on a second please. LaDawnya, do you want something?" I turned around and looked at her, "No Mame." She said, "Go in there with Ramona and Monica. I'll be in there in a few minutes." She turned her back to me as if I had never even walked in the room.

I know I took what Kourtnee said the wrong way, but I wanted to sit in the room with her. I went upstairs, into my room, and laid down on the bed.

4:26 PM

Kourtnee walked into my room and sat down in the love seat. I turned and laid on my back. Kourtnee put her feet up on the matching footstool as she leaned back in the chair. Neither one of us said anything for a few minutes. Finally, Kourtnee let out a long sigh. I didn't even acknowledge Kourtnee's noise. She sighed again. I continued to ignore her. Kourtnee stood up and walked over to the bed. She stood up over me, staring down at me. The next thing I know, Kourtnee was flopping down on the bed right next to me; then she started tickling me. After she finished tickling me, she said, "Why did you ignore me?" I hit her with one of the pillows. That started a pillow fight.

Kourtnee cheated. She grabbed my arm, where I couldn't hit her. I mad and wrenched away from her grip. I swung the pillow the pillow I had in my hand backwards intent on knocking fire out of Kourtnee. She looked in my eyes and said, "Li'l girl, if you hit mw with that pillow, I'm gonna whip you!" I thought of swinging the pillow to see if she would actually whip me afterwards. Kourtnee saw that her threat had no affect on me, so she said, "LaDawnya, put the pillow down. I ain't playing with you!" I still had the pillow extended backwards. I looked at Kourtnee, still trying to decide whether to feel a brief moment of unbridled pleasure or to cave in like a bed with a broken box spring. I don't think Kourtnee knew what to expect from me. I stared at Kourtnee a little longer, and then caved in. I didn't have the guts to do what my arm longed to do.

Kourtnee grabbed the pillow, "You were gonna hit me, weren't you?" I started laughing, "No, I wasn't, although you did cheat." Kourtnee threw the pillows onto the top of the desk. "Hey, I'm your mother. I'm allowed to cheat." I sat down on the bed, "Whatever!" Kourtnee sat down on the bed, "What does that mean?" I stared at the dresser, "Nothing." Kourtnee pulled my hair, "I'm sure it does mean something. Do you wanna talk about the stuff Monica said at her house?" I turned and looked at Kourtnee, "What for?" Kourtnee leaned back, "I thought maybe you wanted to talk about it." I leaned back, "Not really."

Kourtnee: What if I want to talk about it?

LaDawnya: You can if you want to. What seems to be the problem?

Kourtnee: You are not cute.

LaDawnya: Yes, I am

Kourtnee: Maybe you are. What do you think about what Monica said?

LaDawnya: Nothing in particular.

Kourtnee: You are just determined to be stubborn, aren't you?

LaDawnya: Yes, Mame. I didn't get Mrs. Adams a gift.

Kourtnee: Don't change the subject. I got her one from the both of us.

LaDawnya: Why we both got to give her one together?

Kourtnee: I didn't think you had any money.

LaDawnya: I have money.

Kourtnee: Oh really. How much do you have and where did you get it from?

LaDawnya: Ms. Jackson gave it to me when I was going to day camp. Plus I have a savings account from when I was at the orphanage.

Kourtnee: How much do you have in it?

LaDawnya: That's personal and private.

Kourtnee: You are a child. It can't be that personal or private.

LaDawnya: I have close to $4200.

Kourtnee: Really?

LaDawnya: Yes.

Kourtnee: How did you get so much?

LaDawnya: When I started going to church with Mother Johnson, she would give me $5.00 for offering. Arlene gave me five dollars and so did her husband. I told Mother Johnson about it and she opened me up a savings account. They all acted like they didn't know that the others were giving me money, but I think they all knew. I would put the $5 in the offering and put the remaining $10 in the bank. That's how I got so much in there. Mother Johnson made me promise to not touch it until I went to college.

Kourtnee: So, I don't have to pay for your college education. Oh glory.

LaDawnya: Yea right. But remember, I won't be around here that long.

Kourtnee: Ouch!

LaDawnya: I got some alcohol right here.

Kourtnee: Ha ha, very funny. What did you do with the money Mona gave you?

LaDawnya: It's in my treasure box.

Kourtnee: How much do you have in there?

LaDawnya: $150.00

Kourtnee: Are you serious? Why do you have that kind of money here in the house?

LaDawnya: I don't know.

Kourtnee: Go get the money and give it here.

LaDawnya: For what? It's my money.

Kourtnee: I know that! Just got get the money.

LaDawnya: Mannnnnnnnn!

Kourtnee: I am not a man.

LaDawnya: Cover your eyes.

Kourtnee: Why?

LaDawnya: Cause I don't want you to see where my box is.

Kourtnee: Girl please!

LaDawnya: I'm not gonna get it until you close your eyes.

Kourtnee: Alright.

Kourtnee covered here eyes. I watched her to see if she was looking. It appeared that she was peeking through her hands.

LaDawnya: You're peeking.

Kourtnee: I am not peeking.

LaDawnya: Can you go stand out in the hall?

Kourtnee: Are you serious?

LaDawnya: Yes.

Kourtnee: What do you have in the box anyway?

LaDawnya: Stuff!

Kourtnee: Well, I wanna see this box.

LaDawnya: Why?

Kourtnee: Just to see if it is gold plated or something.

LaDawnya: Are you gonna leave?

Kourtnee: Yes.

Kourtnee got up from the bed and walked out of the room. I motioned for her to walk a little further down the hallway. She took two steps backwards. I folded my arms across my chest and made a face. She moved down the hallway a little more. I walked into the room, closed the door, and went into the closet to get my box.

Mrs. Johnson had given me the box on my 13th birthday. She said that every young lady needed a special place to keep special things. It was a small brown wooden box. There was an intricate design all over the box. It was a series of leaves and branches. Mrs. Johnson had given every one of her daughters a treasure box on their 13th birthday. Mrs. Johnson had said that I was the only person who was supposed to look in it or see what was in it. She also told me to keep some money in it. I had always kept $10 in it.

I felt weird the moment I touched my box. I knew Kourtnee was gonna ask to see what was in it. I couldn't hand it to her locked because I had broken the lock on it. I was too scared to tell Mrs. Johnson that I had broken the lock. The lock hadn't work in 3 years.

I opened the box and rifled through what was in the box. There was the first ribbon I won from Sunday School, the first youth program that listed me as the youth choir director of Harmon Street COGIC, a picture of me and Necca Harris, a picture of Arlene, her husband, and me at Dunn Amusement Park in Hardaway, an envelope with my money in it, my savings account bank book, the funeral program from Mrs. Johnson's funeral, and a newspaper clipping mentioning the name Penya Jones. I looked at all the stuff in the box. I began to get misty-eyed. Everything in the box held a memory of the past. The past that I no longer had any contact with.

I quickly took $140 out of the envelope and put the envelope back in the box. I hid my treasure box back in its place and made a mental note to hide it someplace else later on. I didn't want Kourtnee's curiosity getting the best of her. I went into the hallway and called Kourtnee's name. She was pacing up and down the hallway. I handed her the $140, walked back into my room, closed the door, and fell down on the bed. I was hoping Kourtnee would take the hint and leave me alone. Of course, she didn't.