Nao, Sou Americana

Graduation

“Please join me in congratulating The Woodlands Senior High School Graduating Class of 2010!”

Mortar boards flew into the air and rained down onto the elated graduating seniors. Most of the students laughed and cried. They hugged, some snog, while most chest bumped in celebration to four years well spent. Last minute photos and email exchanges accompanied the continued applause as the once uniformed group of students weaved and amassed over the neatly line chairs. Most of them.

Norma scowled as she ducked and dived through the throng. Her nimble body was no stranger to being stuck in a crushing crowd. But this crowd refused to move. So Norma pushed and squeezed her body through until she made it safely to the rear exit. She pulled of her mortar board and polyester robes, saving only her tassel and tossed the rest into the trash before walking out.

It was a cool June day. “The perfect weather for a barbecue.” Allen James had remarked. Norma rolled her eyes. Her father thought every day was the perfect day for a barbecue, save raining. The former senior bit into her watermelon gingerly. She enjoyed the taste and smell, yet she hated it all the same.

Same for the fried chicken and lip smakin' ribs her father was in the middle of throwing. Then there was her mother’s green, and crackling cornbread. Or how could she forget her Aunt Nettie’s famous sweat tea.  But that’s what black people always eat.

Besides her family’s home cooked staples there were lays, Fritos, Doritos, ruffles, hot Cheetos, and other deep fried snacks or cookies and cancer galore. Some had once been Norma’s favorites. Still were. But how would she be respected overseas when she ate that stuff. No, Norma decided her sophomore year that in order to get out of Texas and America, she had to stop being American.  Japan was a worthy country.

Norma inhaled her sushi rolls. Her mother had made them the best she could. Norma would have settled for store bought California roil. But Louisa Jones-James would have none of it. Though, Norma didn’t miss her mother’s (and fathers, and sister’s, and brothers’) eye roll when she made her graduation feast request, she was appeased to have them anyway.

Norma still eyed the junk food. She eyed her eyed her sister as well. Ella was basking in her senior glory. She was walking around. Queen of corn. Norma caught her sister's eye and they both waved. Norma sighed. She is so content. Not that Norma was jealous. It was easier, between them. When Norma entered high school, Ella had been upset because she was used to having all the attention. But after a few months, Norma made it clear to the entire student body, that she was one James sibling that was focused on school work and track. Nothing and no one else.

Norma had dealt with her brothers constantly teasing her about being a freaky forever virgin. But Ella welcomed it. Norma wasn’t jealous of her sister’s record of boyfriends. She liked being left alone. Ella helped to keep interested guys off her back. Ella even told Norma that if she dressed less girly guys would lose interest. Norma wasn’t dumb. Her older sister had ulterior motives, but she had been right. Without something to catch their eye, the boys at school almost forgot that there was another James sister. None of the popular students paid attention to academics like Scholar quiz or Junior Classical League, but when Norma climbed up the ranks in track, her name was more often associated as the other James sister. Not the pretty one, the nerd.

“Yo, Norma Jean.”

Norma scowled as her brother and a few of his friends spotted her hiding space. Norma pushed her barely eat water melon slice to the ants and bit into a sushi slice, hoping he would get the hint. But it was no use. Norma shriek and kicked after her older borther's body slammed into hers. his picked her up, which cause the sushi rolls to fall to the ground.