The Night Before Thirty (11 page)

It was Chris. Tanya fell into his arms and wept. She took deep, heavy breaths to release the energy she'd been reserving to handle the news that he'd been shot.

Chris rocked her in his arms. “I can't believe this shit!” he said. There was anger behind his words. “T-Roy is gone, Tanya,” he said. His head fell on her shoulder.

“I know,” she said, and embraced him tighter.

“We gotta get outta here.”

“What?” Tanya needed a moment. The thought of moving from that spot seemed too much.

Chris grabbed Tanya's face and met her eye to eye. “We gotta go.”

She understood. There was nothing more they could do for T-Roy. He was already dead. But Chris was alive and an adversary of the police. He didn't need to be anywhere near such a horrific crime scene.

He hugged her tightly one more time, then took her hand and led her out the back door of the club.

ORE CHILDREN AND
parents were flowing through the gym than Elise had planned for, but instead of panicking, she delighted in their overwhelming interest and quietly thanked God that people were not only interested but signing their children up for classes.

Every hour on the hour, from twelve noon until six p.m., the five high school and college student instructors walked onto the floor and gave a presentation. They had gotten to the last presentation of the day, and Elise was exhausted from talking to parents, meeting children, and answering questions. Just knowing that the day was winding to an end, however, gave Elise the energy she needed to go on. She asked the parents and potential students to take their seats surrounding the floor, while the instructors stood to the side.

Elise introduced the Gotta Flip staff and their mission to the audience.

“Hello, everyone, and thanks for coming out today. I am Elise Ross, owner and head instructor. At Gotta Flip, where our motto is 'safety comes first in our progressive learning environment,' we offer high-quality instruction while using the best available equipment.

“If you're wondering if I'm qualified to instruct your children, the answer is yes. I am a three-time college national medalist in rhythmic
gymnastics. Also, I was privileged to study under international gold medalist Wendy Hilliard, the first African American gymnast to represent the United States on the rhythmic gymnastics national team. I was a member of the U.S. Rhythmic Gymnastics Olympic team, but I couldn't compete because of an unfortunate knee injury during the trials.

“Because of that injury, safety is essential to my coaching method. I, as well as the rest of my coaching staff, have been safety certified by USA Gymnastics. If you are searching for a gym and decide that we are not right for you, for the sake of your child, please make sure that the instructors at the gym of your choice have been safety certified.

“I can't promise that your child will be one hundred percent free of injury—no coach can—but I
can
guarantee that the instructors here will take every measure to prevent accidents from occurring. Speaking of instructors, please allow me to introduce my staff to you!”

As Elise introduced the instructors one by one, each entered the floor with an impressive tumbling pass, garnering oohs and aahs from the audience. When all five coaches were standing next to her, she continued talking.

“I'm going to let our senior instructor, Mike, have the floor. He'll explain to you the various levels of instruction available, and then we'll break out and allow everyone a chance to become briefly acquainted with all aspects of our offerings, including beam, bars, and vault.

“After you've spent time at each station, one of the ladies at the desk will help you get your child registered in the wonderful world of gymnastics. Both ladies are well informed about rates, payment options, and class schedules. Remember, if you register your child for a full semester today, he or she gets a free Gotta Flip T-shirt. If you have any more questions at the end of the hour, please see me and I'll do my very best to answer them for you.”

Elise handed the microphone to Mike, who continued with the presentation. She walked over to the desk to check in with the two older women who were helping for the day. While the new presentation was going on, there were still straggling parents with questions or those who wanted to see the presentation a second time before making a decision. Some wanted to speak with Elise personally, to ask her questions that had already been answered more than once during the course of the hour.

“How are you ladies holding up?” Elise asked.

The women were members of Elise's church and recent retirees. When Elise had approached them for their help, they enthusiastically agreed and offered their services. One was a retired accountant and the other a secretary; Hattie helped Elise keep the Gotta Flip finances together, and Darlene helped her remain well organized.

“Whew, child! I tell you what, who would've ever thought that this many black people would be interested in gymnastics?” Hattie said.

“Yeah, if I'd of known you were gonna have this kind of turnout I would have asked my sister to come over and help us,” said Darlene.

“Ladies, I apologize. I wasn't expecting such a great response myself.”

“I was a little worried about you, to be honest. I didn't think you had a leg to stand on trying to teach gymnastics over here. But I'm glad to say you're proving me wrong,” Hattie said.

“Oh, so you've been talking about me?” Elise teased.

“Now, you know Hattie talks about everybody. It gives her something to do,” Darlene said as she opened a box of file folders. “Ms. Elise, you see all of those parents standing over there in the store area who seem to be so interested in your merchandise? Well, all of them want to speak with you personally.”

“You can't be serious,” Elise said, staring at the ten or more parents.

“Here, take a bottle of water with you and get to work. You've got an establishment to build,” Hattie said, and smiled. “You know, we're proud of you.”

Elise took the bottle. “Thank you, Mrs. Hattie. I'm glad to know I meet your approval,” she said with a grin, and headed to speak to the parents.

As Elise walked off she heard Hattie say to Darlene, “Now, let's just see if she can keep it up.”

She shrugged the comment off because she knew Hattie, in her own warped way, meant well.

By the time Elise said good-bye to her last family, she was tired, starving, and ready to get off her feet. She walked the couple and their seven-year-old daughter out and assured them that before they knew it, their daughter would be asking when it was time to go back to Gotta Flip every week. She walked them out, locked the door, fell back against it, and breathed a sigh of relief.

“Whew, child, we put some work in here today,” Hattie said, as she stood up from her chair to stretch her legs. Darlene was creating the last few files for the students who had registered that day.

“We did, didn't we?” Elise said as she took a look at her worn-out staff. The instructors were all lying around in the middle of the floor. Elise was so pleased at the way things had turned out that she knew she would never be able to show her full appreciation to everyone. Nobody had slacked on the job, and their attitudes were pleasant, despite the chaotic day.

“First, before I forget, your friend Allen called to wish you good luck,” Hattie said.

“Awww,” some of the staff members gushed, teasing Elise.

“Yeah, he's a nice fella. We had a good conversation. I like him and I think he's right fond of you, Elise.”

“He's just being nice,” Elise responded.

“Maybe, but he asked a few personal questions about you and I had no problem answering most of them.”

“What did he ask?”

“Now, that's between Allen and me,” Hattie said firmly.

“Come on, Hattie,” Elise begged.

Hattie gave her a firm look.

Elise knew she wouldn't budge, so she let it go. “So how did we do tonight?”

“Can you believe we registered nearly one hundred children today?” Hattie said.

“Wow!” everyone exclaimed.

“One hundred children. Are you sure?” Elise said. She moved away from the door and took a seat.

“Not one hundred. I said nearly one hundred. In this case, it means eighty-six children.”

“That's still excellent. And with open registration through Thanksgiving, we should have no problem getting the enrollment number to a hundred. I saw a few kids with T-shirts—how many paid up for the semester in advance?”

“Let me see,” Hattie said as she fumbled through the paperwork. “Seventeen.”

“Not bad,” Elise said. She stretched out along with the other instructors. “That's rent for two months,” she joked.

“Or salaries, right?” Mike said.

“Right!” Elise agreed.

THE OFFICE AREA
was well organized. All the new folders were in their proper place and everyone had left for the day except Elise and Mike. They had stayed to discuss the best way to schedule the coaches and classes, based on the current and projected enrollment through the end of the year.

The two grabbed their gym bags and slowly made their way toward the door, and Mike put his arm around Elise. “You're doing a good thing here, and everything is going to work out fine,” he said.

“Yeah, I know. We'll be in a good position if we can get the enrollment to a hundred kids—or better—and keep it there.”

“We will. We've got open house the rest of the week. People will be strolling in, and some who didn't register today will come back around.” Mike stood by the door, waiting for Elise to set the alarm.

She punched in the code. Mike opened the door, and she walked out and he followed behind her.

It was a clear night. Elise looked up and she could see the stars shining.

“We can only pray,” she said. She knew she'd done all she could to prepare for and promote her grand opening. And that at that point, only God could fill the classes. “I'll see you tomorrow, Mike. By the way, thanks for leaving Gym Works and coming over here with me,” she said.

“No problem, believe me. For one, Gotta Flip is closer to my apartment. Two, I believe in what you are trying to do, and just by talking to you over the past month, I knew that you weren't going to half-step. Three, it feels good to be a part of history. I don't know if you realize how big a deal this is, the first gymnastics center of this magnitude in this area of town. How could I not be a part of this?”

Elise knew that what she was doing with her gym was a big deal to her, but she never considered it a historical undertaking.

“Did you hear anything?” she asked. She'd heard a slight noise from around the side of the building.

“No,” he said, “but let's move quickly to our cars.”

Just then a rush of footsteps came from the side of her building. Elise gasped and reached for Mike's arm. She knew something wasn't right.
The noise got louder. They turned to see what was behind them. Suddenly a man wearing a dark jacket and a black ski mask rushed them.

“Turn around and put your hands up!” he demanded.

“There is no way this is happening! There is no way this is happening!” Elise said, in her mind or out loud, she wasn't sure which. She and Mike stopped instantly and threw their hands in the air.

Mike, who was five-nine and barely heavier than Elise, was as frightened as she was, but he couldn't help looking over his shoulder.

“I said turn around,” the man yelled. “You saw, right? It's a gun. Now, both of you get on your knees.”

Elise and Mike slowly and carefully fell to their knees and stayed close to each other. Elise did everything within her power to remain levelheaded and calm. She looked at Mike out of the corner of her eye. He was distraught, breathing heavily, his face contorted in fear.

“Drop your bags!” he demanded.

The two removed their bags from their shoulders.

“Empty your pockets.”

They pushed their hands into their pockets and pulled out their car keys.

“I don't want your cars. I just want the money!” he insisted. Then he came in close to them, hit Mike on the back of the head with his gun, snatched both bags, and took off running behind the building.