When Everything's Said & Done Read Online Free Page B

had gotten together the first time she saw him at the college party and liked what she saw. You see, Michael attended Florida A&M when Brenda was there. But it just didn’t happen that way.”
     
     
     
    CHAPTER 4
     
    “Nobody’s gonna come. I don’t have nothing but old folks and little kids in the backyard,” Annette complained as she and Brenda stood on the sidewalk in front of their house.
    She glanced back at the Robinson’s backyard that looked like a carnival with large colorful Christmas lights strung from tree to tree and balloons dangling everywhere. An extension cord ran out of Nebia’s kitchen window to power the record player that sat on a card table in the middle of stacks and stacks of forty- fives. The frappe was still fresh with lumps of orange sherbet floating in a sea of ginger ale. There were cook ies and cake and fried chicken piled high on a platter beside a dish of deviled eggs. And there were gifts, for what would a graduation party be without them?
    “What are you talking about?” Brenda asked. “There are plenty of young people back there.”
    “Yeah, I know.” Annette sighed. “But not the right people.”
    “You’re thinking about that guy Michael that lives upstairs again.”
    “Yes, I am. He said his trip would only take a couple of days, and he promised if he didn’t make it back in time for the graduation ceremony that he would definitely make it to my party. ”
    “He still can, Annette. It’s early,” Brenda reassured her. “Listen.” She stopped and cocked her head to the side. “Isn’t that—It is! That’s ‘Til I Reach The High est Ground,’ your favorite. Let’s go back there and join everybody else.”
    They turned toward the house but the beam of car headlights turning onto their street stopped them. It was a string-bean green Nova, and it came to a halt right at the end of their sidewalk.
    “Who’s that?” Annette asked.
    “How am I suppose to know? I haven’t been back in St. Pete but a couple of days. You don’t know anybody with a green Nova?”
    “Uh-uh,” Annette replied.
    They watched as the car sat silent; then the door opened on the passenger’s side. A young man with a psychedelic shirt bent his head and climbed out.
    “Who is it?” Brenda strained to see through the trees and the dark, but Annette was way ahead of her.
    “Michael!” Annette nearly screamed. She ran up to him and threw her arms around his neck, then she took them down quickly and folded them in front of her.
    “You made it back.”
    “I told you I would.” He smiled at her and touched her cheek.
    Annette stepped back and looked at the Nova. “But whose car is this?”
    “It’s mine.”
    “Yours? You left here on the bus.”
    “Yep. But when I was in Memphis I went to a police auction. I was able to buy this and drive it off the lot for two hundred and fifteen dollars. And there’s only one thing that I know that’s wrong with it. You can’t open the driver’s door from the inside.”
    “This is unreal.” Annette covered her mouth and started laughing. Then she looked at Michael and smiled. “Well, come on. The party is in the backyard and it’s going great.” She grabbed his arm and began to pull him toward the house. “Oh, Brenda,” Annette said when she saw her sister standing there. “This is Michael.”
    “Hello.” Michael smiled.
    Brenda’s mouth opened but no sound came out. Fi nally, “hey” emerged. “Forgive me for staring but... didn’t you attend Florida A&M?”
    “Yeah.” Recognition dawned in Michael’s voice. “I remember you. I’ve seen you on campus.”
    “I thought so.” An uncomfortable look surfaced and faded in Brenda’s eyes.
    Michael continued. “We hung out in different groups, but I remember one day there was this big dis cussion about black folks not owning any business in Florida. You piped up and said your family owned an apartment building here in St. Petersburg. I remembered that when I got a job