First Laugh Page 5

  Ms. Chappelle was quite impressed with Kareem’s explanation. “I could not have explained that any simpler,” she said and smiled.

  Jean-Mary poured over the prospectus as Kareem hit Chappelle with a tsunami of questions. Kareem’s questions were very astute and Dre was shocked that his younger brother carried such an intelligent conversation. Dre had no idea that his brother had armed himself with knowledge gained from reading an article about buying stocks and mutual funds for the first time. He had found the article in a copy of USA Today that he had found on the train. Kareem’s questions were straight to the point and left no room for codswallop.

  Ms. Chappelle satisfactorily answered his questions and set Kareem up with shares of Hewlett Packard, Yahoo!, Walmart, and Six Flags. Kareem resisted all of Ms. Chappelle’s double talk and come-ons used at pushing Merrill Lynch’s pet stocks. Instead, Kareem selected companies that he knew to invest in, and companies large enough that the media would alert the public if they failed. Kareem knew that he would never get a company executive to call him and tip him off like Martha Stewart had.

  After completing the agreement forms, Ms. Chappelle stood and shook Jean-Mary and Kareem’s hands. She reached out to Dre who was in his own world, and didn’t even notice. “Right this way,” she said directing them to the door. “Have a great afternoon and much success with your portfolio.”

  When they entered the car, Jean-Mary expressed her shock that Kareem had actually saved $500, which he invested. She told him, “You’re going to make a wonderful husband and father, Kareem.”

  “What about me, Mama?” Dre asked before Kareem could even thank her.

  “Whoa, Dre! She was talking to me.”

  “Man, shut up. I gotta invest in stock in order to be a good dad.”

  “Man, she ain’t even saying that. No one has to compliment you when they’re complimenting me.”

  “Stop it! Both of you just stop it. I have had enough,” Jean- Mary said and blasted the car radio. She pulled off and was pissed. She hated to hear the two of them argue like children. She had such a perfect vision of them both and they hated each other it seemed.

  Once, while Kareem was filling out a check to pay bills, Jean-Mary had snapped on him. She had said, “I can do it myself. I’m not that old.” The statement had caught Kareem off guard. He had to understand that Jean-Mary did not want him to render her helpless or write her off as too old to do basic things. Kareem had an unselfish regard for her that would never die. She had a devotion to his welfare, as well, like he was her son. Their bond could not be severed and at times, Dre was jealous, but for no reason.

  Twenty-minutes later, Jean-Mary was in a First Union Bank waiting area with Kareem. Dre wanted to stay in the car. Kareem wanted his savings to mature in the bank in order to build a personal cash reserve. He took the advice of the banker that visited his school. He had a plan and while Dre sat in the car, he was building his future in ninth grade.

  A very dark-skinned customer service representative named Chandler tenuously asked Kareem for his student ID and a $10 deposit. He gave the man his ID and $150. Within minutes, Chandler had handed Kareem a signature card to record his signature and a passbook to record all of his transactions. Kareem inquired about a checkbook and ATM card, but was denied both until his 18th birthday.

  Armed with an investment portfolio and savings account, Kareem had a sense of self-worth. He felt like a millionaire. His money needed to grow so that he would be wealthy enough to start his clothing line as soon as he left high school. He planned to be on an Ivy League campus to prepare for a rewarding career and to take care of his family. Right now, he was the man, and no one could tell him different.

  PART 3

  April

  Chapter 14

  “Mr. Davis, C plus. Ms. Crozier, B minus. Mr. Bezel, as usual, A plus,” Mr. Lehman said and went on handing out Biology papers.

  In the third row, fourth seat, Kareem said to his friend Marquis that sat behind him, “Mr. Gibson, C minus.” He was imitating Mr. Lehman.

  “I don’t know what I did wrong.” Marquis confessed.

  “You definitely didn’t cheat off of me. That’s obvious.” “Man, I have to stop that.” Marquis was lying. “Imagine that.”

  “Please, you’re killing me.”

  “Seriously, though. What am I going to do in college next

  year? It’s bad enough you’re a freshman and I am a senior and we’re in the same Biology class.”

  “Let’s face it. Biology is designed for sophomores. In 8th grade I had a 99% in Science. I wasn’t given a 100% because the school board has decided that no student is perfect, so I was stuck with the 99%. I chose to skip Physical Science as it’s not important. Well, neither is this, but at least I cut open a frog. Just relax, things may change in college.”

  “Reem, C minus’ don’t get you into the NYU Theater Program, man.”

  “Look, get more involved with the school’s theater program and NYU will be all over you. All the time you spend loitering in the ID room, because you only do five minutes of work making two ID’s a day, you should be with the school’s theater teacher doing extra things. You also need to log onto the NYU web site, so that they can see that you are interested in their school.”

  “Yeah, I feel you. I am going to get on top of that. You always say the right things to be way younger than me.”

  ***

  Kareem and Lavar entered the pool area twenty minutes late and the teacher asked them both why they were late? Coach Rodin had a pernicious grin on his face having heard rumors about the two of them doing bad things on school grounds.

  “I had a wardrobe and had to borrow shorts from Lavar,” Kareem said with a straight face.

  Lavar just nodded his head in agreement. “Whatever he said.”

  “Really! Since both of you are seeming to take responsibility for this frequent lateness, both of you 15 laps.”

  “But Coach,” Lavar said trying to protest.

  His efforts were futile. “But Coach nothing. Fifteen laps. The clock is ticking. Take the end lane and share it.”

  Kareem hopped in the pool and hoped that Lavar was not mad. After all, he too had participated in several of the late arrivals, so they had to pay together, simple as that.

  At the end of the day, Marquis joined Kareem on the bus headed to West Conshy. They got off the bus and crossed the bridge headed to the train and then boarded it. On the train, Marquis confided in Kareem that his family was poverty- stricken and experienced financial problems since his dad went AWOL and started a new family in Houston, Texas. The sorry man had left him and his siblings behind with no father.

  Marquis was going to help his mother clean office buildings to take some of the load off her. Marquis would not get paid, but his mother would have less work to do for the same pay check. Marquis explained that the stress was affecting his grades.

  Kareem was sympathetic, but as a 14 year old friend, what could he do? He said, “Never give up. Things will change. Try to find a part time job to help your mom with the bills and study harder. Failing is not going to make this better, man. Good grades lead you to NYU and then to Broadway. They work in tandem.” Kareem tried to sound like an academic scholar.

  The train pulled into the Market East station and Kareem used a bit of humor to balm the mood. “You could always rob a bank,” he said impishly.

  “Don’t tempt me!” Marquis said through laughter.

  Marquis then walked to the office building that his mother cleaned for a living. He had taken heed to Kareem’s advice. Meanwhile, Kareem took the train home and walked into his home. He was aware that he served as an impetus to Marquis and hoped he’d follow through.

  Kareem entered the living room and found a morose umbrella draped over Jean-Mary. He was immediately affected. To show concern, he sat on the arm of her recliner and wrapped his arm around her and asked, “What’s wrong, Mama?”

  “Oh, nothing. Just a little down.” An obvious lie.r />
  Kareem had no plan to let it go that easily. “Please do not tell me that nothing is wrong. It’s all over your face.”

  “Kareem do not worry. I will be fine.”

  “Yup, so just tell me what am I not supposed to be worried about.”

  “Boy, you’ve always been persistent. Good thing you’re not going to be a lawyer. Any-hoo, the water could potentially be cut off in three days, seventy-two hours, if the bill is not paid in full.”

  “And the balance is?” Kareem asked unbothered. He had considered how much he had in a small show box savings, his investments, and his savings account.

  She said, “The bill is $549.83.”

  “Okay, use the money that my dad left me.”

  “No, that money is for your education, not my bills.” “These are our bills, Mama. I implore you to use the

  money. I’m a three-year consecutive National Honor Society member. Trust me, top universities will be fighting feverishly over me. Do not fret. I’ll live here instead of going away to avoid room and board. The University of Penn is one of the top three schools in the country. College is a guarantee for me. Pay the water bill.”

  Jean-Mary shook her head stubbornly and replied, “I won’t do it. I’ll make a way.”

  Kareem was pissed and before he had gotten into trouble, he went to his sanctuary. He prayed that God would command Mary to use the money. Tears began to escape his eyes. He could not believe that Jean-Mary loved him to the point where she would sacrifice the water to keep his educational fund intact. There was no way that he could have her in the house with no water, though. Kareem would move the heavens and Earth for her, so he called his maternal family to see if they could help with some of the money to at least bargain with the city water revenue department. Of course, they all cried broke, and Kareem became more infuriated. To block some of his anger he dug into his homework. That was his outlet. To set up his future for success by working extremely hard in high school.

  Later that evening, Kareem went to work and became angrier. There he was slaving for a foreigner. He hated that Jean- Mary’s father was from Alabama and he was a step away from slavery. He thought for a moment about the Black community and the incessant reliance on welfare, which kept them in poverty. That was not going to be him.

  Mr. Kim, his boss, noticed that Kareem was not working and scolded him in front of many of his neighbors. Many of them already viewed him as a square because he was not in a hood school, spoke properly and had a job. They were wasting their lives away on corners and making babies. He planned to prevail over the ghetto mind-set and his miserable neighbors. Kareem replayed all of his bad memories in his head and decided someone would pay. He smiled at Mr. Kim, got up and began to stock shelves. He had a plan.

  Kareem returned home and went straight to his room and avoided Jean-Mary who was in the kitchen making late tea and toast. He called Marquis and told him to meet him in the ID room to take care of the financial problems that they both faced.

  Chapter 15

  The next day, Tuesday, found Kareem glum and burdened. He could barely concentrate with the thought of returning from school and the water being off. He had to be there for himself and Jean-Mary. He had a plan that spun in his mind all night, and he was adamant about overcoming his dilemma.

  After Kareem met Marquis in the school’s ID room to get a new ID, they made their way to Biology. Neither of them had science on their minds, though. At 11 a.m. during Marquis’ College Writing class, his teacher received a call and instructed him to report to Dean Edgefield’s office.

  The teacher asked, “What have you done?” Mr. Gavin, the writing teacher, was also the school’s drama coach and Marquis was his brightest student. They were rehearsing for the schools latest production, Les Miserables.

  “Your guess is as good as mine, Sir,” Marquis replied coyly.

  Marquis walked out of his class, just as Kareem was pulled out of AP English 1. They met out in the hallway and were supposed to be headed to the Dean’s office. They both turned the corner together and then made their way to the stairs that led to the student parking lot.

  They jogged five blocks to Route 202. They had one-hour and sixteen minutes to complete their mission: the rest of 5th period and their 6th period lunch. They arrived at the intersection and were scared inwardly, but they both kept hard outer shells, so that they did not let their fright be known.

  They strolled into a First Union Bank branch and sat in the customer service section. The bank was empty, so Mr. Ballard, a banker, escorted him to his desk and wondered what the truant teens were doing in his bank.

  Kareem, with his take-charge attitude, set things off. “We would like to open student saver accounts,” he said confidently. “Sure, no problem. But first, why aren’t you two in school today?” the beefy, pale-faced banker asked.

  “We had a half-day,” Marquis quickly responded. Good thing because Kareem was lost for words.

  “Okay. In that case, I’ll need your high school ID’s and at least a $10 deposit.”

  Marquis pulled out an ID bearing the name David Muldrowl. Kareem’s ID labeled him as Donnell Landries. The two also handed the banker business checks endorsed by Kim Li for $800 each. Between the tips, Kareem picked up from the clowns on the train, he and Marquis were ready to make a move to get their money trials settled.

  Mr. Ballard entered the bogus information regarding David and Donnell’s addresses, social security numbers, birth dates, phone numbers and employment as the two of them sat there on pins and needles. Mr. Ballard completed his duties and then handed each of them signature cards and passbooks. He also handed Marquis a checkbook.

  Kareem asked, “Why didn’t I get a checkbook?”

  “Don’t worry, Donnell. As soon as you turn eighteen you’ll receive a checkbook, too. As for you, David, these are your starter checks. Within two weeks, you’ll receive a box of checks in the mail at your home.”

  Kareem felt like slapping himself for not lying. All he had to do was calculate a birth day that rendered him eighteen and he would have had a checkbook, also. Kareem knew that those checks would come in handy if another account had to be opened. He also thought when the Asian caught on to this crime, he may send Khmer Rogue after him. Kareem doubted that, but he expected to be prosecuted, and he didn’t care. The extra checks could have been used to pay his boss back to avoid jail. Either way, he was paying that water bill.

  Not only did Kareem steal the checks, he was also armed with a copy of a week worth of receipts from the store’s actual earnings. Kareem copied them when he noticed the altered numbers. Kareem knew from the Money Section of USA Today that filing false tax earnings was a crime. So he would keep that as some leverage over his boss. Kareem also knew that paying employees less than minimum wage and under the table was a crime, too. He had checked with Mr. D’Ambrosio, the Law and Government Program coordinator at his school. He had not slept the night before as he calculated all of that. He was very analytical and tried to cover all bases.

  “You guys are all set up with your accounts.” Mr. Ballard assured them.

  Now was the time to get some cash, Kareem thought.

  They were both scared out of their boots, but Marquis forged forward and Kareem followed suit. He asked for some money out of the accounts.

  Kareem quickly followed with, “It’s our girlfriend’s birth days and we have to buy them each something special today.”

  “Yes, I know how that can be. You’re in luck because those checks were drawn on First Union accounts and the funds are available now. How much money do you want?”

  Kareem feared that taking out a large sum of money would draw suspicion, so he asked for $100.

  Marquis said, “I’ll second that.” He threw his hands in the air and added a wide animated smile to his face.

  The banker said, “Stop being cheap boys. Welcome to the big leagues. How about you buy them something really nice? What do you say about $400?”

  “Nice,” th
ey replied in unison.

  “You’re too much,” Mr. Ballard said through a smile. He then disappeared into the teller’s area and then returned with two white envelopes. When he returned, he said, “Four hundred each,” and handed them both bank envelopes filled with twenties.

  “Thanks,” they both said and got up from their seats. They stuffed their money in their pockets.

  Seconds later, Kareem and Marquis exited the bank with their hearts racing. They disbelieved that they had pulled it off. Crossing the busy Route 202 intersection, they walked through the shopping plaza and back towards their school. They turned the corner and were out of the bank’s sight and then ran as if their lives depended on it.

  They arrived with 20-minutes left in the lunch period. They crept back in school and were ignored by hall monitors who knew that it was their lunch period. Entering the lunch room, Kareem flagged down Lavar and all three of them convened in the bathroom. In the bathroom, Lavar chased a scrawny white kid out and locked the door to ensure privacy.

  Kareem started off, and said, “Lavar, you won’t believe how the bank dude ate up our story.”

  Marquis confirmed. “No movie disguise needed to play this role. We just carried out perfect thefts until Reem’s boss finds out.”

  “You two are out of your minds,” Lavar said. He was pissed that he did not have the supreme self-confidence to pull off the con, or he would be up, too.

  “Well, thanks for being Dean Edgefield. Here’s $50 from me. And Marquis has another $50. Without you using Coach