Shit that Makes Shit Worth Going Through

scene: classroom in North Oakland charter school
characters: Ms. Elka and Cheyenne (all other students have been misdirected to another aftschool activity)

Cheyenne and Ms. Elka are working on test prep questions. Cheyenne, who is usually boisterous to the nth degree, is surprisingly easy to hang with when she doesn't have to compete for attention with six other kids.

She's also getting every single answer right, confidently so, with impeccable logic behind each choice.


"Ms. Elka?" says Cheyenne. She stares me down. "Now, can I talk to you, woman to...um, girl?"

"Okay," I say. She's done way more work already than anybody in my other groups, anyway.

"So, I have a hecka crush on this boy, Imari." She jumps up to point him out on the class picture."

"I know Imari," I say.

"But he's going out with four other girls already, like, my friend Rebecca, and Sarah, and Jazzmin, and Katie."

"That must keep him busy."

"And I'm going to have to just push this crush down, because ain't no way I'm going out with nobody who's going out with other girls than just me."

"That sounds very respectful of yourself, Cheyenne. I think that's a good decision."

"Cuz you see, Ms. Elka, girls be trying to outdress each other, and take away other girls' boys, just by looking cuter. And girls don't care about a boy. They just care about if he's cute. If he gets a job, or he's in afterschool classes, or plays sports, they don't care. They just care if he's cute. And that's all that boys care about, if a girl's cute."

"That sounds really superficial of those people."

"I know, but that's not what I care about. I care about what's on the inside, too. Why don't more people care about what's on the inside."

"That's a good question."

~~~~

Also, she's a really good double dutcher. And she's in 4th grade. I went through a good portion of this winter with this girl as the bane of my existence. Funny how things change.