The Other Half of My Heart (27 page)

A
s soon as they stepped through the door, Miss Jackie grabbed them and pulled them toward the stage. The other girls were already in position behind the closed curtains. “Where have you been? You’re late!”

“Sorry, Miss Jackie,” Keira said. She squeezed Minni’s hand, then smiled her brilliant smile. “Break a leg!” She paused. “Wait. Scratch that. Have fun!” She ran to her place in front.

Minni stood frozen. She couldn’t remember a single dance step. What were they supposed to do first? Step left or right? Or was it forward? A spin?

And her personal introduction—how did it start? She couldn’t even remember the first line. What was she doing out there?
I can’t do this! Help, someone…anyone, help!

Miss Jackie pushed her toward her spot in back. “You’ll be fine. Just do the best you can.”

“Ladies and gentlemen,” a man’s voice announced. The girls around Minni murmured with excitement—everyone except Alisha. She stood in position, eyes straight ahead, like a hunting dog on point.

“Welcome to the ninth annual Miss Black Pearl Preteen National Achievement Program!” Lots of applause.

“And now, let’s meet our girls as they dance to a song that reminds us all—‘We…Are…Fami-leeeee’!” More applause. The music started. The curtains parted.

The spotlights were so bright, Minni couldn’t see a single face in the audience. Looking at the crowd was like looking at the ocean on a dark, moonless night. She fixed her eyes on Keira’s back, and though she was a little late with the first step, she took it. Suddenly she was off and dancing with the rest of them.

She spun one direction: one, two, three, and clap! And the other direction: one, two, three, and clap! Time for the back row’s chance to show their stuff. They sashayed forward.

Here in front, she could see the table of judges. Miss Laverna looked dazzling in a sparkling lavender jacket. She winked at Minni, and Minni almost lost her place in the routine, but then the girls around her stooped to the ground, and even though she was a beat behind, Minni did the same, and she was back in the swing of things.

She had half a mind to reach when she was supposed to slide so she could get Alisha in the eye again, but while that
might be bold, it wouldn’t be very wise. She did the sequence correctly…
kick, spin, reach and slide
. Her row returned to the back.

They ended with their arms in the air, waving their hands. Minni could smell her melony sweat, but she smiled anyway. The only other people who could smell it back here would be the girls to either side of her, and if the stink caused Alisha to make a sour face, that would be all the better for Keira. Minni waved even harder to get the odor to waft toward the snooty girl’s nostrils.

Now it was time for the girls to run forward one at a time for their thirty-seconds-or-less personal introductions. They clasped hands and swayed back and forth while they waited their turns. Alisha held Minni’s hand as stiffly as a Ping-Pong paddle, as if in protest at having to touch her.

Minni frantically searched her mind for the words she had rehearsed at Grandmother Johnson’s so many times. Keira, one of the first to go, did beautifully, of course.

Too quickly, girls in the back row were pulling away to take their turns at the microphone. Suddenly Alisha was at the front of the stage, bragging to everyone how she’d been competing in pageants since she was five.

Minni silently repeated the one line she could recall. Hopefully the rest would follow once she got up there.

Alisha was returning to her place. Minni’s shoes felt as if they’d been nailed to the floor.
“Go!”
the girl to her right whispered. She gave Minni a little shove.

Minni jumped, then started her jog forward. She avoided looking at Alisha as they crossed paths. She rounded the
front row. Keira gave her another big smile. She stepped up to the mike, took a breath and enunciated every word as loudly and clearly as she could. “My name is
Minni
King. I’m eleven years old and I’m from Port Townsend, Washington. My best friend and twin sister, Keira, and I were born in our daddy’s airplane…” She thought she heard Grandmother Johnson cry out. “And I plan to learn to fly one day. I love animals, reading and spending time with my family. Most of all, I want to be like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and do something to make the world a”—she looked at Miss Laverna—“a more
equitable
place for everyone. Thank you.”

People applauded, and she ran back to her place. Alisha smirked. “An
airplane
?”

Minni ignored her and smiled out at the audience. She had done it.

After a few more introductions, the curtains closed and everyone hurried offstage.

Keira grabbed Minni. “You were great!”

“You too.”

“How’d you do on the dance routine?”

“I tried to throw off Alisha with my stinky pits.” They ran into the dressing room, laughing.

While Keira changed into her tumbling outfit, Minni read the lyrics to “His Eye Is on the Sparrow” from the sheet music. Over and over, until it was as good as branded on her brain. Then she sat in the corner with her eyes closed and breathed deeply, in and out, just like Mama had taught Keira to do before she took a test.

Breathing reminded you you were alive, Mama said, and that was the most important thing to be.

Minni wasn’t sure if God watched her the way the song talked about or not, but there
was
someone who would always be aware of her existence. Always care that she was alive. Always know who she was.

Keira
.

The deep breathing got her so relaxed, she drifted into a dream. She and Keira were climbing the Sisters, hand in hand. They had just reached the summit of the tallest peak when someone shook her. “I’m going on soon,” she heard.

Minni jerked awake. Keira crouched next to her. Minni remembered where she was and scrambled to her feet. She changed into her blouse and skirt, then hurried with her sister to the wings and watched as Keira took flight. Keira soared through her routine, tumbling, twirling and flipping to the raucous remixed symphony music. She was awesome. The applause was deafening.

Just like that, it was Minni’s turn. No way through it except to do it.

Keira ran up, breathing hard. “I love you.” The words spilled from her mouth. “Just…the…way…you are.”

Minni took another deep breath. Someone shoved a cordless microphone into her hand.

“And now,” the emcee announced, “Minerva Lunette King will perform ‘His Eye Is on the Sparrow’!”

It felt as if someone were using Minni’s stomach as a trampoline. She shuffled to center stage and waited for the recorded music. Her head floated a few inches above her
neck. Dizziness caused her to sway. Would she topple in front of everyone?

She glanced at the judges. Miss Laverna winked again. Her parting words from last night came back:
If you think your skin is going to keep you from belonging, it will. But it doesn’t have to
.

Minni inhaled and exhaled.
Keira knows who I am
.

I contain multitudes…

She heard the soft static that signaled that the tape was rolling.

Minni swallowed, trying to moisten her dry tongue. She clutched the microphone, waiting for the piano intro, but instead of Grandmother Johnson’s so-so playing, an awful grating sound filled the room—a loud, low rumble followed by a high-pitched whistle. Waves of cold dread washed over her.

Grandmother Johnson’s snoring
.

Minni had recorded over Grandmother Johnson’s accompaniment! She had never gone back to take the tape out of the machine.

People shifted in their seats, glancing around. The snoring went on and on, and then stopped suddenly. The room was dead silent.

Minni stood frozen, nervous laughter welling at the base of her throat. Someone coughed. What was Grandmother Johnson doing? Had she fainted in her seat? Or rushed to the sound guy and ripped the tape from the deck? Whatever she was doing, she would be livid.

Keira stood offstage with her hands clamped over her mouth. She waved frantically and whispered, “Sing!
Sing!”

Minni wanted to flee, but something deep inside wouldn’t let her. She had to do this and she knew it. She took a breath.
“Why should I feel discouraged?”
Her voice shook, soft and airy.
“Why should the shadows come?”

Her eyes slid to Keira, who gave her a thumbs-up. Minni closed her eyes and imagined she was on the beach, singing to the ocean and the sky…to the sun and the moon. No one was there except her and her sister.

That was when it happened. Someone yelled out. “Go on, girl!”

If she hadn’t been to Grandmother Johnson’s church, she might have thought the person was impatiently telling her to get on with it already. But she’d heard people shouting things like this all over the church that day, and it clearly meant one thing:
We like what we’re hearing. Give us some more!

She took a deeper breath and let her voice ring. More people called out encouragement. She even heard a woman who sounded like Mama. She smiled.

“I sing because I’m happy. I sing because I’m free!”
Her voice soared and floated like the sparrow she sang about.
“His eye is on the sparrow. And I know…”
She made her voice loop up and down and around, just like that girl at the church.

Sort of.

“I know…”

Not as confidently or as beautifully, but she tried.
“I know…he watches…me
.” She held out the last note as long as she could, just like the choir had done.

For a moment, the room was silent again. And then…applause! And it was loud! Not as thunderous as Keira’s had been, but it was loud. They thought she’d done a good job. More importantly, she realized,
she
thought she’d done a good job.

She rushed offstage and into Keira’s arms.

K
eira and Minni helped each other into their gowns, giggling hysterically about the tape snafu.

“Do you think she left the building in humiliation?” Minni asked.

“Never. She’ll blame it on the sound guy or the tape player or something.”

Donyelle, who hadn’t performed a talent, came up and told them how much she liked their performances. Alisha, who had twirled a baton—quite well, Minni had to admit—stood at a distance and scowled.

Keira decorated her side bun with the roses. Then she touched up their lip gloss, and it was time to get in line.

Minni was feeling good, in spite of how uncomfortable she was in her long dress. She’d done the hardest part. She’d sung in front of a whole crowd of strangers! They’d even shouted for her!

“Remember, chin up and shoulders back,” Keira said as the girl ahead of them walked around the stage to the emcee’s reciting of her awards, activities and achievements. “But don’t let your chest protrude!”

Minni stifled a giggle with her hand.

Alisha sauntered over. “Good luck, Keira. May the most deserving girl win.” A huge grin spread across her face as she held out her hand.

Keira shook Alisha’s hand just as the emcee called her name—her cue to start walking. “Keira Sol King is the daughter of Gordon and Lizette King…”

Keira turned and stepped, but her foot caught on something. Minni sucked in her breath as Keira lurched onto the stage and tumbled to the ground. She lay spread-eagled, just past the curtain. The audience gasped as if they were one giant person. The emcee stood by dumbly.

Minni rushed to her sister’s side and helped her to her feet, brushing dust from her bright yellow dress. “Chin up, Keira,” she whispered. The audience applauded and Keira started again. Just like that, she was floating around the stage, as beautiful and graceful as ever. Her smile looked a little more forced than usual, but in a way that only a twin sister could tell.

Minni stood in the wings, fuming. That brat, Alisha! She had tripped Keira, no doubt about it. No way would Keira trip on her own. That was Minni’s department. Minni wanted to go find the cheater and tell her she knew what she’d done, but it was her turn next. She had to stay put—for now.

Keira’s list of activities and awards was impressive, even to Minni, who already knew them all so well. The national fashion design contest. All her gymnastics awards. Her Girl Scout badges. Volunteering at the senior citizens’ center. Her plan to own her own fashion design business. Her desire to start a foundation to assist AIDS orphans in Africa and to bring attention to the struggles of kids with learning disabilities.

“Keira Sol King, ladies and gentlemen,” the emcee finished. Keira exited on the other side.

“Minerva Lunette King…”

Minni stepped back onstage, still distracted by what had happened to her sister. She wound around on her way to the other side, barely paying attention to what the emcee was saying. She was walking faster than Miss Jackie wanted them to, but she didn’t care. She needed to find Keira and make sure she was okay.

Finally done with her turn, Minni rushed toward the dressing room. Alisha was in the wings again, waiting to be called. She should shove the girl onto the stage—give her a dose of her own medicine. No, she wouldn’t sink to her level. Instead she walked straight up and stomped on her foot.