Piecing Me Together

The girl from the bus is in Mr. Flores’s Spanish class too. The class divides up into pairs and Jade ends up with Kennedy, whom she calls “Glamour Girl” because she’s always fixing her hair or makeup. Glamour Girl digs in her purse looking for a pen and she pulls out lots of things, including a tin of peppermints. Jade’s stomach growls, embarrassing her since “big girls” can’t have stomachs that growl. Glamour Girl passes the mints around and the tin finally reaches Jade. There are only fragments left, but Jade takes two halves. She wishes she was Glamour Girl’s friend, as then she might’ve gotten a whole mint.

After class, Jade goes straight to Mrs. Parker’s office and she takes a Jolly Rancher. They briefly smile over the photos of Mrs. Parker’s grandsons in her office, but when Jade sees a photo of them wearing Winterhawks gear with the Native American mascot, she wonders how Mrs. Parker can manage to not care about wearing a stereotype like that. She offers Jade some of her free tickets and Jade silently wonders why people who can afford things get so many free things. Then, Mrs. Parker turns to business: she asks Jade what she wants. Jade doesn’t respond but she thinks that she wants to go on the study abroad program and to speak Spanish everywhere, especially in job interviews where knowing a second language is an asset. Mrs. Parker tells Jade that she doesn’t have to answer now and she hands Jade a folder.

The photo on the folder depicts a group of adult and teenage black women, and the title reads, “Woman to Woman: A Mentorship Program for African American Girls.” Jade feels shattered, though Mrs. Parker looks thrilled as she describes what the program entails. She points to the list of planned excursions, which includes museum visits and a trip to the symphony. When Mrs. Parker asks Jade if she has questions, Jade wants to ask about the study abroad program. Instead, she asks why she was chosen. Mrs. Parker awkwardly cites several reasons, including “need.” Jade insists that she already has adults who care about her.

Mrs. Parker responds that people in Jade’s circumstances are statistically at risk for “certain things” and she reiterates that this is a good opportunity. Jade feels like opportunities are stalking her and she asks what happens if she doesn’t participate. Mrs. Parker says that if Jade does complete the program, she’ll receive a scholarship to any Oregon college. Mrs. Parker quietly shares that her son-in-law grew up in Jade’s neighborhood and that he now is still trying to adjust to life in predominately white and wealthy Lake Oswego. She also tells Jade that the woman who will be her mentor went to St. Francis and she just graduated from Portland State University. Grudgingly, Jade accepts and she fills out an information form. One question asks what she wants out of the program, but Jade leaves it blank.