Like an Epiphany

by Donnay Givens

“Everybody shut up, please!” I had to add the word “please” at the end or my mom

would start flashing at me for being rude. Somehow the Word “please” made it sound

like it was a joke. Saturday afternoon, talk about people being loud, sound like, some

football fans at a bar watching a game, with one year old babies running around. My

family needs to be on a reality show, or YouTube, Starring my big sister Lb and her baby

boy Jacob, co-starring my mom and her sisters. Sitting in the living room at my house,

trying to watch a movie I never seen before, while my family yelling across the room

telling all different types of stories of gossip that have nothing to do with them. BOOM,

BOOM, BOOM, somebody is knocking at the door sounding like the police. We all know

it’s my Auntie Channing at the door.

UH-OH, here Come my grandma yelling. “You all have no respect I have to get up early

In the morning to go to work Saturday is my only day off of work.” Everybody had a stupid look

on their face until she Walked out of the living room then into her room and slammed her door.

My auntie Channing started laughing really loud, that’s when my mom got mad.

“That is really stupid,” my mom said.

“Man, you always have something to say,” my auntie yelled, with a bad attitude. We all

knew for the rest of the night it would be animosity between them two.

“Please don’t start this mess, every time we get together you guys are always arguing,”

said my big sister Lb.

“I know you guys suppose to be sisters, you two get into arguments more than me and Lb

Do and it be so pointless because you guys always end up laughing about something,” I said

agreeing with my big sister. We all sat in silence, looked at each other and all we could hear was

the voices coming from the T.V.

“All I’m saying is we need to keep it down mom is trying to rest, because this is

her only day off , and she does need her rest,” My mom said to my auntie. We all nodded our

heads agreeing with my mom. So everybody continue talking quietly across the. I continue

trying to hear my movie . This family is full of surprises.

Saturday night, twenty one and up to get in the casino unfortunately I’m under age, that

sucks. My auntie Channing loves the casino. My big sister is 20 years old, but she has a fake I.D

that shows she’s 23 years old. You know make-up can make you look as old you want to be. If all

you need to do to get in clubs is to look 21 and over, I would have put make-up on and

been in casinos and clubs. Everybody is deciding to hit the casino to gamble. My mom doesn’t

too much like to gamble her money, so she is not including herself. My mom ended up

convincing my big sister not to go and waste her money. By the time my aunt Channing was

dressed and ready to go to the casino, my sister told her she didn’t want to go anymore. My

aunt turned and looked at her with a mean look and my sister gave her a sad and an apologetic

face.

“Why not L.b? What changed you mind? Let me guess, your mom?” my aunt said with a

irritated voice.

“Well, how did you know Channing? Do you have bionic ears or something?” my mom

said with a sarcastic voice. I’m thinking to myself, do they always have to get into an argument?

“How about we go somewhere that we all agree on?” my sister said interrupting their

conflict.

“The club sounds fun,” I said with a big smile on my face.

“You can’t go, you’re too young,” my mom yelled.

“Why she can’t mom? She can use Jasmine I.D, she’s 21 years old.

We can just put make-up on her to make her look older. Trust me she’s going to look like her,”

my sister said.

My mom said, “um, okay,” sounding as if she doesn’t want me to go

“Okay, let’s get started,” Channing said.

“EXCUSE ME! You guys are treating me like I’m an art project,” I yelled.

So, I called my cousin, Quisha who is 18 years old, which is under age too, and I told her the

plans for the club. She agreed to the plans and said she was going to use our cousin Lucy’s I.D.

I went to my room and started picking out my outfit. I was so excited I am going to be able to

brag to my friends that I went to a 21 and over club when I’m only 17. I went to my room and

started Looking through my clothes, I never could decide what to wear when I want to look my

best. So, at this point I am frustrated, I’m at the point when I don’t want to go anywhere. So I

turned my music up in my room. I hear someone knocking at my room door.

“WHO IS IT?” I yelled.

“It’s your sister,” she yelled.

“What you want?” I said, irritated.

“Open the door punk, turn your music down before grandma come in here yelling at you

and before mom change her mind about you going to the club.” I opened the door with

an angry face and said, “I don’t have nothing to wear, can you help me?

“Donnay you never know what to wear, you can wear something of mine if you want.

“How about we go to the mall before it closes? please, please, please,” I said.

“What time is it now? and what time do the mall close?” she asked.

“It’s 7:45 the mall closes at 8 or 9:30,” I said with a smile on my face.”

“Alright, come let’s go, I hope you have your money,” she said. We started walking out

to the car. My mom came outside.

“Where are you two going?”

“We going to the mall, do you want to ride with us?” my sister said.

“Why are you going to the mall?” my mom asked.

“I don’t have nothing to wear mom,” I answered.

“Donnay please, it is not that serious, we only going to the club!” My mom yelled.

“I know mom but this is her first time going to the club,” my sister said. My sister started

walking up to our mom to calm her down. I already had a feeling my mom

wanted to change her mind about me going to the club with everyone. Therefore, I opened the

door to the car and got in, I sat in silence and waited until my sister was done talking to our

mom. After my sister been talking to her for ten minutes to 15 minutes, she finally came

running to the car to get in and said “come on let’s go before the mall closes.”

“About time, what was you and mom talking about?” I said, being curious.

“Nothing much, she really don’t want you to go. I convinced her to let you go, don’t

worry about it Donnay she’s going to let you go.”

“She’s acting as if I’m going to the club by myself or with some friends. I’m going to be

with you,Channing, and mom. Why is she tripping like that?” I said putting on my seatbelt.

“Don’t stress over it Nana,” my sister said calling me by my nickname. My sister start

turning up the music in the car and start nodding to it.

We finally arrived at the mall, looking for somewhere to park. I hate looking for parks

and we always try to look for the parks that’s closer to the doors to the mall.

“Right there sister, it’s a parking spot right there next to that green car!” I yelled.

“Oh, I see it. Oh, shit,” she said. I can tell she was starting to get frustrated.

“What, what happen?” I said, seeing that this elder lady was taking our parking spot.

Don’t nobody like looking for parking spot, It’s like going through a maze trying to beat

someone to the exit.

“There go another one, someone is getting ready to come out, but that lady

looks like she’s waited for that park,” I said.

“Quick, act as if you don’t see that lady.” She said, turning her head quickly to the lady

coming out of the park. The lady pulled out of the parking spot. My sister quickly pulled into

the parking spot. We got out of the car, as we quickly walked towards the mall. We heard

someone beeping their horn, my sister and I turned around,

“It’s the lady we took the park from sister,” I whispered.

“YOU SEEN ME WAITING FOR THAT PARKING SPOT!” the lady yelled.

“Sorry we didn’t see you,” my sister said loud enough for her to hear her.

Finally in the mall, as we walked in the mall, Bebe was the first store we seen. Bebe is

our favorite store, we rushed in the store. I seen this red dress, started to smile and grab it.

“I’m about to try this on, I’ll be back,” I said running to the dressing room.

“Hurry up Donnay, we don’t have that much time. The mall closes in 30 to 45 minutes,”

she yelled.

“This is so cute right? I asked my sister spinning around, making sure she see this dress

on me in every angle.

“Yes,” she said laughing at me because of me spinning around. “Come on, I don’t see

nothing in here I like Donnay.”

“Okay, let’s go to Forever 21” I said agreeing with her. I went back into the dressing

room and put my clothes on then, we went to Forever 21. I ended up finding my outfit in there, it

was a blue fancy looking jacket with green and grayish flowers on it, and a gray skirt with ruffles

on it. Then I bought some green heels to match my outfit. About that time we were ready to

go. On our way home, we stopped to pick up our cousin Quisha. We went by Jasmine’s house to

pick up her I.D. Our mom was calling our cell phones back to back. Therefore, we started

speeding on the freeway. We are lucky the police didn’t see us, we were going at least about

85mph on the freeway. As we pulled up in front of the house, my mom came outside telling us

to hurry up. We rush in the house and started to get dress. My auntie did my make-up, I loved

it. After we all was ready to go, we went outside to take pictures of each other.

While we were on our way to the club, I was getting nervous. I start having all these

different reasons of them not letting me in the club. What if the people at the door know the

person on the I.D is not me? What if they call the police? Would they take me to jail?

at this point I’m thinking about not going in the club. As we arrived at the club, we got out of

the car and started walking towards the line outside the club.

“Wow, that’s a very long line, you ladies sure you to wait in it?” I said, feeling nervous.

“YES, that’s how we know it’s going to be fun.” my sister said.

“I don’t want to stand in the line, well to tell you the truth I’m scared I don’t want to

go no more. Everybody looked at me like I had shit on my face.

“Yeah, I’m scared too, I just didn’t want to say nothing,” Quisha said, agreeing with me.

“Well you two can sit in the car,” my mom said. Me and Quisha walked back to the car.

We started talking about how we wasted all that time, the mall, getting dressed, and putting and

make-up on. My sister came running back to the car and said,

“Maybe next time!” with a sarcastic voice. I realized that if I had all theses different

types of doubts of not going then I am too young to be going anyways, but four years to wait? damn.