Allie+Ridley's+Short+Story

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** __Tuddie’s Song__ ** As I sat in class watching the clock tic in slow motion, at least that’s what it felt like, all I could think about is going home and having to deal wit the landlord. I was seventeen and living in Harlem, New York, one of the toughest cities around and dealing with adult issues. I mean who else was going to handle my problems if I didn’t. But I don’t want any sympathy because I have big dreams that could set my life straight for once. I want to be a singer. See I have a voice that could make a def man hear, at least that’s what my grandma once told me. “RING!!!!” the bell interrupted my fantasy and brought me back to the real world. I had a reality of bills that need to be paid and a life that had been turned upside down. So after school was over, I left straight after to go get my two little brothers Nazeir and Zion from school. I headed up that long traitorous hill, and the cold wind piercing my face turning my tears into ice, just to catch the city bus. I finally made it up the hill in time to catch the bus in time. The bus doors opened.

“Hello Tuddie and how was your day?” “It was good Mr. Williams.” I muttered. Mr. Williams was my grandma’s old friend; she would ride the bus faithfully everyday to go to work at the hospital. “Well what’s wrong Tuddie? You seem down?” He pried Mr. Williams asked me the same questions everyday. However I tried to answer the question in different ways, so I wouldn’t come off as being rude. ”Nothing Mr. Williams, just a long day I guess.” I sighed and made my way back to a seat. It’s always a long day when nothing seems to go right in your life. Finally, I got my brothers and made it back to our little apartment. My house didn’t have a lot of furniture in it because I sold most of it to get money to at least keep the lights on, but it was just enough to survive. Although my problems didn’t end, they had just started. I had to make sure my brothers did their homework while I went to go handle the landlord. I was late with my rent again and I knew I was going to deal with her mouth. Let me just drop off the money and keep it moving. But with Ms. Annette you can’t just do that, she likes to talk. Not about what you did today or what she had for last night’s dinner, she liked to get in your business. “Here’s your months pay Ms Annette!” I shouted at the door, well just enough so that she couldn’t quit hear me. As just as I was about to turn around and walk away, there she was. “Miss Tuddie…!”She scolded with a smile. “Yes” I painfully said. “Where do you think your going?” I shouted “Back to my apartment” as I walked down the hall. “Not before we talk, come here.” See this is what I didn’t want to happen .All I could do is put my head down and go into her apartment. Her apartment smelled of vanilla candles. It was like she was the only one in the building who had heat in the apartment. Her lights were set like she was expecting special company. Everything was so nice while the rest of were left with the “low in” stuff. Even though I hated her I could get use to her apartment. “So Miss Tuddie, why are you late with your pay again for this month” “I don’t know…..because I haven’t had a lot of hours at my job.” I worked at IHOP and that was the job that kept the lights on and food on the table. “No excuse!” She snapped back. “Well what do you want me to do? Beat them up for hours?!?!?” I replied smartly “You beat everyone else up for your misfortunes. What’s different now?” “Okay Ms. Annette.” I gasped. “You need to get it together your grandma wouldn’t be proud if she knew…..” Before she couldn’t even finish her sentence I snapped. “You don’t know half the things I been through and for to try to judge me still living in the hood your self, is wrong.” I got up and stormed through the door heading back to my apartment. I made sure to slam her door real hard just enough to make her cheap glass vase fall off the table. Even though I hated Ms. Annette, her words were true. I don’t know if my grandma would be so proud of me now. Trying my hardest right now didn’t seem to cut. It was like everything was perfect when my grandma was a live. She took care of us like her very own because in reality we were her own. My mother and father left me and brothers a long time ago to chase their dreams grandma told us. But that never made my grandma treat us any different. Now that we are older we all know the truth why are parents weren’t around. My mama couldn’t take being a single mom after my dad ran off like a coward. I can’t even be mad any more, I guess. I’m through holding a grudge. After dealing with Ms. Annette, I went back into my apartment to find my little brothers watching T.V. I didn’t even have the energy to yell at them and tell them to go do their homework, so I went straight into my room and closed the door. I curled up on my bed and began to sing because singing was the only thing at this point to heal my pain. When times would seem to get ruff I learned to sing about them, as my grandma use to pray about them. I sang so long that I fell asleep. **//“Broken heart again Another lesson learned Better know your friends Or else you will get burned Gotta count on me 'Cause I can guarantee That I'll be fine//** //”// It was the next morning around 6:00 and I had to get ready to go to work. Before I headed off to work I had to also get my brothers ready to get up and leave. Since I was leaving they couldn’t stay there by their selves. That would be all I needed was for someone to come by my house and see to wild jungle boys unsupervised. So I quickly got them ready to go to my next door neighbor’s house, Ms. Silvia. As I rushed down the hallway, I yelled “Hey Ms. Silvia!” Ms Silvia was Jamaican with a heavy accent but she was so kind. She always had my back when ever I was in need. She helped me when she could and when she wasn’t so busy taken care of her on five kids. I went to door and banged hard. Then I start scurrying to the front of the building to catch the bus. She opened the door and looked out to see where I had went. //“Hey child, how are you!”// “Sorry I can’t stay and talk I’m going to miss the bus. See you later!” It was going to be another day at work. I hated having to go to work real early in the morning but I also liked getting it out of the way, so I guess it’s for the better. The only reason sometimes I looked forward to work because my best friend Summer worked there with me. Sooner or later I made it to IHOP, my job which smelled of hot sticky bacon. In the morning the smell didn’t really bother me because I was so hungry but after a while of smelling it all day, my stomach began to turn. “Hey Tuddie!” Summer yelled across the restaurant like we were the only ones in there. “Wassup Summer, what’s going on” as I tried to speak in a whisper tone. “Nothing Boss just asked for you, you better hurry.” Boss was well our “boss”, nobody really knew his name because he never told us. He said he wanted us to call him Boss because he wants us to remember that he runs things. So he never wore a name tag and we went around calling him boss. If you ask me he really hasn’t accomplished anything. He’s fat, lazy and makes everyone do his job for him. I don’t know who died and made him boss because that was probably the only way he got this job. So I sneaked back into the back room to put my things down and before I could finish Boss called my name from his office. “Deon Royal, are you late again?” I painfully turned around and stuck my head in the door and smiled. “Hey Boss, how are you feeling today? Are you losing weight?” I tried to make him feel good about his self for a second so maybe he would take it light on me, even though I was a half an hour late. And why did he have to call me by my real name? Everyone calls me Tuddie. I would correct him all the time but that never stop him from calling me Deon, now wasn’t the time though because he didn’t look in the mood. “Ms Royal, why are you late again? I give you all the hours because I know you need it the most and you repay me with lateness.” “I know Boss, I’m trying my hardest to get here on time but my brothers got up a little late.” “No excuses, maybe you should get up a little earlier to wake them up and get them together!” Why is everyone riding me on what I need to do? Don’t they see me trying at least? “Okay Mr. Boss.” I said smartly as I made my way out his office and to the floor. “I mean it Deon!” He shouted from his office never getting he’s fat butt up once. I made it to the floor were it was crowded with people waiting to be served. I went over to Summer so she could help me tie my apron. “Thanks girl.” So it was off to another day of work. I could tell it was going to be a long day and so it was. Lately time was running slow and it just felt as if every move I made was in slow motion and I couldn’t catch up. My life was turning against me. Not only was I moving slowly but my life was behind as well. To take my mind off if working and to make time go quicker, I begin to reminisce about different melodies liked and singing. Singing warmed my heart and put me in a state of being that nothing else mattered. When I sung it took all my problems and turned them in to positive things, like there was hope in the world. If I could I would sing all day every day. I would sing my own tones and sing all my problems away. I would be free for once in my life. It was time for my break after a long 3 hours and that meant I would see my boyfriend Wayne. Wayne was different from all those other guys, at least that was what I liked to think. Every girl liked to think their man was different from someone else’s man, but my boyfriend was different. He helped me when he could and was always there for me. Most boys would bail on me if they heard all the problems I had. I was seventeen with no money and was basically a mother. No boy would dare want to be with me but Wayne was it though. He was tall dark and played basketball. All he would talk about was playing basketball and that he wanted to be famous one day. Nevertheless, he never for got about the dreams I had for my self. He would say with that voice you could be a professional singer any day you choose to be. So I waited at the window until I saw him pull up in his all black Altima. He always kept his car clean. The car’s paint was so slick and smooth like fresh leather and the roof of his car was so polished it blinded me. I ran over to car and gave him a big hug, like I hadn’t seen him in ages. “Hey baby.” Wassup Tuddie, you okay? Even though I was having a bad day I didn’t bother telling him about it because I was so happy to see him. “I’m good, could be better.” “Okay, well maybe I have some news that could cheer you up.” “What is it?” I could not possible think what he had to surprise me with. All I was hoping was that it wasn’t something about that stupid car. He always talks about his car and what new tricked out things he’s done to it. Like bigger speakers that could shake the ground. But I bit my tongue and waited for a response. “So what is it? Tell me!” “I entered you into a singing competition! Look all you have to do is show up. I’ll take you my self.” “Wayne, how do you expect me to do that? I have business I have to handle I can’t be worry about my dreams right now.” “You can do things for you once in a while. Tuddie you take care of everyone else but you’re self. Sooner or later you’re going to have to do for you and that time is now. Its time to follow your dreams.” How could he just go ahead and sign me up for something and not even ask me. But instead of being mad I took it all in. So I thought about it and all I could see was my grandma’s face. She always would say sometimes if you take a little risk you can end up with a greater deal. So I took a risk and decided to do something for me for a change. “Okay I’ll do it. When is it? He scrunched up his face and began to ramble on; I could tell there was some type of catch. “It’s right here in New York at the Apollo at 8pm the only thing is…it’s tonight. I know its short notice but I know you can do it.” “WHAT?!?! I can’t just go out there and just start singing, I need to practice! Who is going to watch my brothers for me?” I wasn’t panicking because I couldn’t do it but that this would be the first real time people would actually hear me sing and would be judging me on it. However, if this is what I really wanted to I would have to take a risk. “Okay Okay, I’m going to do it.” I smiled and he smiled back. “Good I’ll pick you up around 7:00.” Then he got back in his car and drove off. There I was left in the parking lot like a lost puppy with no home. I made my way back in to work and from then on everything was different. After Wayne had told I would finally be trying out to have my dream, everything felt back to normal. The time sped up and I felt my life getting back on track. In time I was back to my little apartment. However this time it was like I came in to a new apartment, an apartment full of lavished furniture and I was finally living the good life. I went around the house singing everything I knew, all the way from R&B to rock. I wanted to be prepared. Nothing could take my joy away, until I forgot I left my brothers at Ms. Silvia’s house. So I called down to her apartment to simply ask her if she could keep the kids for tonight. When she answered the phone all I heard was loud rambunctious kids in the background, screaming and playing. I thought she was going to give me a hard time about it but she had my back on this one. She said she would watch them for as long as I needed. Everything was going as planned. Until Wayne called and said he was down stairs and his car wasn’t starting up. So I went down stairs dressed up looking and smelling good to find him bent over his car looking under his hood. “What happen? “I shouted. He began to whine about this car. “I don’t know just after I was done talking with you I went to go get my engine cleaned at Sticky’s everything was good until I was making my way over hear to you. Not my baby!” He cried. He got that right that car is his only baby. Never mind me. If he could he would marry that car and leave me out of it. “Well that’s your problem you took your car to Sticky’s you know why they call him Sticky? He’s hand sticks to everything. He probably stole some parts out of your car.” He looked at me and rolled his eyes. “What are we going to do? I’m sorry Tuddie I didn’t mean for it to happen.” He implied. Even though it hurt like hell to even have the thought of me not being able to perform, I couldn’t blame anyone but me.“ It’s okay sweetie, maybe it wasn’t meant to be.” And right when I said that Mr. Williams showed up in his bus and opened his doors. “Hey Ms. Tuddie, how’s it going?” He shouted from the doors. My eyes lit up like a kid in the candy store. Maybe it is meant to be. I know this had to be a sign now, I had to perform tonight. “Hello Mr. Williams! I need a big favor….” “Yea sure, anything for you” “Can you take me to the Apollo Theater right away?” “Sure hoop on in.” Wayne and I hopped on the bus so quickly like the ground was like hot rocks. We were off to the theater. My dreams were finally coming true for once. We at last pulled up to theater and ran in it was 8:10pm and I was afraid I was too late. Right when I walked in the judges had called my name. Everything was speeding up again “Tuddie Royal!!!” My name was being called like it was my turn to die but in fact this was my time to live. So I stepped on stage with the lights blinding me, like I was being interrogated and with the people looking at me like I was a freak show. I just had to take a risk and this was it. No turning back now. I began to sing and let all my pain tell my story through the lyrics. The words I sung couldn’t be any clearer. I felt like me again, like Deon Royal the girl so full of life. The crowd went crazy and so did my insides. I couldn’t believe I actually was living my dream. At that point I didn’t care if I won our lost, all I cared is that I actually lived for me for once and I liked that feeling. I felt as if I was a kid again with possibilities. Time went on and it was time to announce the winner of 3,000 dollars and a contract to Motown Records. They called a name but I was so stuck I didn’t realize that they had called my name, me, “Deon Royal, Tuddie from Harlem, N.Y”. I did have a future no longer a dream. My future was going to be Motown’s newest singer and I would finally get to live my dream of becoming a famous singer.