Sista Don't Know

Sista Don't Know

I never thought I would be standing in front of a group of young adults speaking about my past experiences, but here I am to tell you about a story you during the time within my youth that you can say that A SISTER DID NOT KNOW! I'm taking you back to the late 80s early 80s or mid-80s where things were totally different. Summer are hot with dressing down early for fall. we were looking good, not the very jeans and a simple belly shirt, that you guys wear today. I mean looking good. I put on my blue suede shorts, my blue suede vest and my matching shoes.

We were going to a house party tonight. Me, Diane, and Vanessa oh by the way my name is Denise. I just put on the finishing touches, strapped my gold necklace, my gold Bangles on and fixed up my hair. My sister walked in the room, I gave her a nod and spun around.

” so, what do you think?”

“I think you look nice, remember don't drink anything that you do not open. check for both exits and go as you came alive.” I laughed at my sister because she didn't get out much. I knew she wasn't one to go to a house party so I didn’t ask her to attend, on the other hand you could call me a party animal. House Parties, block parties, you name it clubbing was my thing. My sister turned around sat down on my bed.

“you got enough money?”

Now you know being the baby of the family and spoiled at that. we don't never have enough money. I said “why do you plan on giving me some?” low and behold she opened her first purse and handed me some cash. I love my big sister because she always took care of me. so, I took the $40 pocket in my little back pocket of my shorts, smooth down my outfit and said “I'm out “

“Hey, be back here before mommy wake up because you know how she is.”

“Yeah, yeah,” I said as I walked out the door, headed down the steps. I was to meet up with Vanessa and Diane around 10 you know. We were going to pick up Vanessa first and get Diane last and then head on over to the house party. girl the air was nice, no rain my hair looking good. I picked up Vanessa first “hey what you doing? are you ready? Vanessa closed her apartment door as she spun around. Her red twill ruffled outfit hugged her curves.

“you know I'm ready I just spoke with Diane and she said she would meet us halfway.”

We walked down the street, met up with Diane and chatted. you know the usual talking mad bunk, talking about who we were going to dance with, and what we were going to do at this party. all three of us head off headed in the direction towards Bush wick. We were from Bed-Stuy. I'm from the Clifton block along with Vanessa and Diane was from the MP’s known as Marcy Projects.

We walked down, we figure we would cut up over down Flushing Ave. you know can't do some of the housing developments. and that's exactly what we did we bypassed Tompkins projects altogether because those houses were just too rough for us girls. they throw TVs out the windows. We got to Bush wick the music was pumping just right as we approached the house as we came up the street. Of course, there was a small surcharge at the door. I knew the DJ so I gave him a nod and they let us to go in, just as we thought it was on and Popping. The music was kicking the latest tunes and everybody was dancing having a good time.

No THOTS here. It was hot, liquor passed by in cups and we danced on. about 2 hours into this big Jam as we were at dancing, bumping and grinding niggahs. All hell broke loose, and I do all hell broke loose. Shit! I did not look for a 2nd exit and come to find out the argument was at the front door. Our only way out. Shouting turn into pushing and pushing turned into shoving. “Fuck, you man!” and then about six guys rushed the door. I looked for Diane who was standing by the door dumfounded at the commotion that was beginning to take place. People in the room broke in a panic. In order, not to get caught up in a wave of bodies. I threw elbows and anything else to get at Diane. That’s when the slashing started. Out of nowhere knives were pulled and people were either getting cut or stabbed or both. suddenly there was blood. Who’s blood I did not know. all I know is that I had to get us out of there and I had to move fast.

I reached her in time and took her by the arm dragging her behind me. Vanessa stood where I left her looking around. Damn we were trapped until heard the guy I was dancing with yell “bathroom, get in the bathroom.”. all four of us made a bee-line for the bathroom. Tripping over fallen people and doing our damness to stay alive and not become victims. We reached the bathroom door as the guys doing the slashing was weaving a destructive path of bloody bodies throughout the living-room that we were in.

People screams reached my ears as the bathroom door flew open and we rushed in. we fought against the fear that tried to freeze our limbs. The guy shoved us in, and we piled up behind the door. As fate, would have it he was grabbed from behind. He struggled with whom ever had a hold of him. The door slammed shut in our faces. We stood there trembling like leaves in the autumn wind and we needed to get out of here.

“Shit, what the hell was that?”

“Oh, my god, oh my god” Diane murmured. “They killing people.”

Think, think my head screamed and we all jumped as we heard a thump up against the door. We back up and I threw my hands up. I was good in a fight, but I didn’t know how good I would be in a knife fight. I swallowed hard as I squared up. The door slowly opened. Nothing and I do mean nothing prepared any of us for what we saw. The guy that saved us staggered in the partially opened bathroom door. He closed the door behind himself and fell into my arms. We all yelped as he and I went down like a sack of bricks. I laid there on the floor with him partially on top of me bleeding.

“Lock the door” he whispered

“what… what did you say?”

“Lock the door” he replied weakly as I rolled to my side to ease him off me. I didn’t care that I had his blood on me. I had to get him off me, so we could get our butts out alive. Diane stepped over us and clicked the lock on the door. There was another bump up against the door and I put my finger to my lips silencing any sound we might have made.

The violence was ragging outside the door like a thunderstorm and we were safe inside for a moment.

“Get out” he said and I grabbed what I could find in the bathroom to hold against his wounds. Grabbing a small hand towel. I pressed it against the gash on his neck. He kept his hand on his side trying to stop the bleeding. Vanessa kept murmuring over and over “oh shit”.

“Yo, Vee shut up. We got to figure out a way to get out of here, and you are not helping.”

“They killing people out there we can’t go out there.”

“She’s right Denise we can’t go out there. Why not wait it out here.?”

My instincts told me that that was a bad idea and I better think fast, as someone was turning the knob trying to get in where we were. I felt a pull on my shorts and looked down. The guy whispered again and I lowered my head to hear what he was saying.

“Go out through the window.”

I turned and stared at the window as a thump hit the door. I nodded and left him on the floor and went to the window. The house was an old-style house. I pushed open the window and looked down. We were two stories up if we hang and jumped we could make it to the ground a little scratched up but alive. I pointed to Diane and she shook her head. I rolled my eyes at her and showed her my balled fist. She got the message and climbed up to the window hung and jumped down Vanessa went second. I was last I fell into their arms as they braced me for my fall.

I'm only 5ft 5. The drop was scary but we all had made it. Outside we could hear screams. We smashed our bodies against the side of the house trying to blend in with the night. Picking dimly lit streets, the dark colors I wore did little to hide the blood that covered most of the front of my clothes. We made our way through the darkened streets of Bush wick. When we got passed flushing we separated, each going to our separate homes. I reached my house, put my key in the door and turned it as quietly as I could. I opened the metal door, flinching at the familiar squeak of its hinges. I tip toed passed my mother’s room and up the stairs.

I found my sister sitting in the same exact spot where I had left her three hours ago. She glanced up and stared in shock at me. Her voice came out next.

“what the fuck!”

I put my finger to my lips as I half way closed my room door. She came off the bed and started touching me all over. Checking to see if I was cut somewhere.

“It’s not mine” I said on shaky voice. The adrenaline that was pumping through my veins began to subside and I started to tremble.

“take those clothes off” she whispered at that precise moment, I heard my mother call my name. we stood frozen for a fraction of a second before we jumped into action.

“Go!” she said as she shoved me out of the room and pushed my half way down the hall towards the bathroom. I had just about had enough of bathrooms for one night. But this one was my own and no one was getting stabbed up outside of it. I got my ass in high gear as I heard my mother call my name again as she ascended the stairs.

You could say I moved as fast as lightening as I flew into the bathroom turn on the taps and pretended I was in there. Although I was in there. I undressed and stared at my reflection. I was alive. I couldn’t believe I got out alive. My mother must have come up and into my room as I stood naked in the bathroom with the door cracked trying to listen to what was going on. God, I hoped my sister lies would be believed tonight. She was a terrible liar and always got busted.

“where is your sister?”

“in the bathroom taking a bath or a shower.”

“I thought I saw her come in just now.”

“she came in early tonight around nine saying her stomach hurt.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes mommy. I’ve been up reading, she’s been running in and out of the bathroom all night.”

My mother obliviously believed her as she headed back downstairs to her room. I let the spray of the warm water wash over me as I reached for the soap and wash cloth. I stood under the spray wishing the water that flowed over my brown skin wash away tonight’s events. I closed my eyes only to relieve the violence of that house party. I stepped out of the water thirty minutes later. My sister was still waiting up for me.

She had the light in my room off and was watching TV in the dark. I came in with the bloodied clothes bundled up in my hands. She held out a plastic bag and I dumped he clothes within the bag tied it in a knot and threw it in the back of my bedroom closet. Then I sat down and told my sister everything that happened tonight. I looked around the room at the faces I was speaking to. A few looked disinterested, a few had their mouths open. I was speaking to or rather mentoring to them on an experience of me not knowing and heeding social warnings. The pitfalls of youth having too much of a good time can turn to an ugly time. Knowing your surroundings is always an a plus.

I waited and true to form there was always one in the group that thought they knew more than I did. I peeped his card from the way he entered the room. He snorted and smirked before calling out.

“So, what happened to the guy?”

“I can’t say. I never went back that way or asked about it. I put it away in the bac of my mind until today.”

“Come on, you or your friends never brought it up. How we know what you just told us was true.?

“I didn’t say we didn’t speak about it among ourselves. Of course, we did but we left it between us. There were so many rumors running around. We did not dig into it. Like I said we spoke among ourselves.

“Excuse me Ms. Denise did you go out after that.”

“Yes, but it took me couple of years to get back to the house party thing.”

“So, you went back to house partying?”

I shook my head no and there was a definite aw flowing through the room. Skeptical guy sitting in the back with the sagging jeans and white t-shirt spoke again. Man if it was me. I would have kicked some bodies ass as I was getting out of there. Hiding in the bathroom.” He laughed out loud and a few people glared at him. I don’t take disrespect well. I wanted to nock his lights out but smiled.

“well the true-life event I just spoke, was to give you food for thought. Going out can be a lot of fun. Hanging with your homies and stuff can be fun. So now I’m going to open the floor up for anyone that may want to come up and share.”

I looked around the room at the faces. They all looked like a group of deer caught in headlights. I let my eyes scan the room and lock onto Mr. skeptical.

“Anyone?” I said. Silence trumpeted in the room like an elephant and I laughed as I pointed to Mr. skeptical and said “You…”