The Start Of A Good Thing (Book 1)

Chapter 43

Trevor stood in silence with a harden expression on his face. Mrs. Kim, his grandmother didn’t seem to notice him just yet. She smiled and hugged India first. “Hey India! How are you?” she asked.

            “I’m good,” India answered, being humble. Trevor remained still, studying the woman he hasn’t seen in eight years. His Grandmother had the same skin tone as him with black glossy eyes, other than that; they didn’t share too many common features. At forty-seven years old, Mrs. Kim was in good shape for her age, looking years younger than she truly was. “Mrs. Kim, I want you to meet my ‘friend’. He’s the one I’ve been telling you about.”

            “Oh so you must be…” Mrs. Kim’s smile faded when she turned to her grandson, recognizing him. “Trevor? . . .” She folded her arms and her face began to match the sour expression on Trevor’s.

            “Oh, so you know each other?” India asked, completely oblivious to the tension between the two. They both nodded at the same time, staring other down.

            “She’s my grandma’.”

            “He’s my grandson.” They said in sync. 

            “Wow, what’s the odds?” India chuckled. “Who would have thought I’d be neighbor’s to your grandma.”

            “Not me…” Trevor hissed.

            “Why don’t ya’ll come in,” Mrs. Kim insisted. She held the door open for India, but let it swing shut the second Trevor took a step forward. “Have a seat at the kitchen baby,” she told India. Trevor entered the house grumbling under his breath, catching his grandmother’s attention. “Trevor! The least you could do was knock your shoes off before you come inside. Look at this!” she walked over to him and pointed to a few specs of dirt on the cream color carpet. “Take your shoes off and leave em outside!”

            Trevor watched his grandmother storm off and balled his fist. He wasn’t sure how much more of this he could take. He slipped off his shoes and tossed them outside on the front porch. When he came back Mrs. Kim was in conversation with India laughing and carrying on, but immediately stopped talking the moment he took a seat.

            Mrs. Kim grabbed her cup of juice and took a light sip. “So… I’ll take it your okay.” She muttered her sentence like it hurt her to ask how he was doing. Trevor didn’t open his mouth; he only nodded once in response. “What about your sister? She pregnant yet?”

            “No,” Trevor barked. His grandma almost laughed at his answer.

            “That won’t be long…” she mumbled. India raised an eyebrow at her neighbor’s rudeness. She’s never heard her say anything out of line like that. “What about Hector?” Mrs. Kim wondered, referring to Heavy, Trevor’s older half brother. “He still in jail?”

            “He never was in jail,” Trevor corrected.

            His grandmother shrugged her shoulders and took another sip of her drink. “hmp, that won’t be much longer either.” 

             “Sooo… did you know that Trevor’s applied to NYU’s art program?” India interrupted, trying to keep the conversation at peace.

            “Well you told me that somebody applied there, but I didn’t think that somebody would be Trevor,” Mrs. Kim stated. She crossed her right leg over her left, sitting up straight in the chair. “That’s interesting. Did India tell you that I was the Dean of the Art program?” The sound of her voice suggested that she was bragging more than mentioning the fact.

            “ ‘Wow’, how amazing,” Trevor replied, poorly faking his excitement.

            Mrs. Kim saw her grandson’s sarcasm and sucked her teeth in a dignified way. “You wouldn’t understand the importance of that roll. I was the first African American dean of that school, and the first female dean of the art program.”

            Trevor was too aggravated to fully realize how much of an asset his grandmother could be to him. Instead of humbling himself he only further his resistance. “So what you do now ‘Nana’?” He said, knowing how much she hated being called ‘Nana’. “What brought you back here?”

            “Well if you must know, I left the school two years ago. I figured fourteen years was long enough. Now I work in administrations at Lake University. It’s an easy job, but at least it’s something to do.” Mrs. Kim finished off her drink and got up to get fill her cup. “India, would you like some more juice?”

            “No, I’m fine,” India politely declined.

            Mrs. Kim took a seat back at the table, shifting her eyes to her grandson. “So, India tells me your trying to get in N.Y.U.”

            “I applied. All I gotta do is send in my design,” Trevor informed. He seemed to lighten up a little bit while talking about his plans.

            “Is that so?” Mrs. Kim asked, crossing her legs again. “How do you plan on paying for your education? Financial aid?”

            “No,” Trevor shook his head. “Imma get a scholarship. I applied for three of them and already wrote the essay. All I need now is one more recommendation.”

            “I guess that’s where I come in,” Mrs. Kim assumed, setting her drink aside. Trevor glared at his grandmother, his eyes saying ‘duh’. “Well I’d love to help my grandson. But… I need to know what kind of student you are before I put my neck out in the road.” Trevor sighed long and hard. “I’m going to need your G.P.A, S.A.T or A.C.T scores.”

            Her grandchild appeared to get nervous out of nowhere. He clenched his teeth, moving his eyes from Mrs. Kim to India. “Uhh… my G.P.A, right now… is a 1.9. but imma get it up though,” he answered.

            Mrs. Kim rolled her eyes, seemingly not surprised. “And your Test scores?”

            “Um, I aint take the S.A.T, but I got 18 on the A.C.T,” he told her.

            “Hmm,” Mrs. Kim scratched her chin, staring at the table in front of them. “Let me get this straight. Your G.P.A is a D, but you say your going to raise it. Then you got an ‘18’ on the A.C.T… which is nothing to be proud of. And yet you except me to help you?” The way Trevor’s grandmother repeated what he told her made him feel stupid. “From the sound of things Trevor, your not even helping yourself. What do you expect me to do?”

            There was a brief moment of silence in the room before Trevor stood to his feet. His eyes where burning with rage, but hurt at the same time. India sat still, not knowing what to do or say. “Your right. What ‘did’ I expect you to do,” he growled while walking to the door.

            “Trevor, wait!” India called out, getting up as well. He slammed the door shut, making India go after him.

            Mrs. Kim just sat there with her arms folded. “Well ‘bye’ to you too…” She retorted, as if her grandson could hear her.

            Trevor was stomping to his car with India right behind him. “Trev stop, Trev. Trevor!!” She shouted, but he didn’t stop. He got in the driver seat and rolled down the window. “Trev where are you going?”

            “Home,” he shot back, starting the car.

            “But Trev…” before she finish her sentence, Trevor hit the gas and sped down the road, leaving India behind. She stood there looking upset and outraged. What was it between Trevor and his grandmother that stirred up all of this drama? The tension between those too was worse than the problems she had with her father. India pondered on the thought while walking back to her house. Whatever the issue was between the two, India wanted to get to the bottom of it. She just hoped that Trevor wouldn’t resist her efforts.