Kehinde Adejumo - Attainability

“Bye Mom, I gotta go,” I say as I rush down the brown wooden stairs towards the living room. The living room has tan walls, dark green couch, red bookshelf, and brown carpet.

My mom’s face contorted into a deep frown. She stares at me with squinted eyes while on the phone with her employee.

“Make it work, Jeff. If you mess up again, you will be history. Got it? Adeola, before you go, fix your hair and your shoes. You don’t want to look– well you know.” 

Ugh, this is bull.

“I’ll go change.”

“That’s my girl.”

I can’t believe I have to come up with another look! 

My feet rush me to my bedroom. I sit down to get my shoes and my curler. The shoes are black pumps. I take four sections of my hair and hurry to get my signature wavy hair look. As I catch my own reflection, I stare at my outfit for a minute. My top was white with a pop-out collar and short sleeves. Mid-V-neck black sweater over it with brown buttons on the side. Then I have a mid-length maroon pleated skirt, black socks that reached up to my ankle to complement the black pumps. I moved my body closer to the mirror. Now my face was all I could see, my black eyebrows that I got done last week, my eyeshadow, maroon- colored with black eyeline to match. Only to go perfectly with my clear glossed lips, making them as plump as ever. I take a step back. I like what was staring back at me. My sweater matches my hair and shoes perfectly. My hands on my hips, posing to the mirror like it was my camera. As I look at my medium dark complexion, I hear my mom screaming.

“Adeola! Hurry up, I refuse to let you be late for school!”

“I’m coming!”

I run so fast down the stairs; I thought the heels to my pumps were going to break off. It took a miracle for me not to fall on my face.

“Come now, let me see your outfit.”

My mom’s eyebrows were scrunched. Her eyes trailed my body up and down. After a while, her face showed a smile.

“That is better. Don’t ever look like that again. Okay? Now get to school already, I would hate for you to miss class. After all, this is your last day of school before graduation.”

“Mom, I get your point.” I said while straddling my bookbag onto my back. 

“Good. Love you Adeola!”

“Love you too, Mom.”

I can’t believe I just went through that. I shouldn’t be critiqued on my outfit choices! After all, she wears pantsuits and blazers most of the time. 

As I go into my white car, I drive 70 miles per hour. I make it to school in 5 minutes and park in front of the school. I enter the hallway and familiar white painted walls, blue lockers, and tan floor tiles greet me. The bell would ring at 7:20am. It’s currently 7:05am. As I go to my locker, my best friend Esmerelda comes up to me.

“Adeola, why didn’t you pick me up?”

“I am so sorry, Esme. You see the thing is that--”

“Let me guess, does this have to do with your mom?”

“Yes. She made me change my outfit and I was almost late.”

I mean, could my mom be a little less obsessed with appearances? Sure. Could I have objected? Possibly. But whatever I could have done in that moment didn’t matter. I always must look my best. To present a front of calm tranquility. To never show what I am truly thinking. That is the way, my mom tells me. And I follow it to a “T”. 

“Wow, that’s stupid? Well, I forgive you. Let’s talk before class starts.”

“Sure.”

“So how do you feel about graduating tomorrow? I feel like I’m not ready for it.”

“Well, I think it’s time.”

“Of course, you would say that. You’re the one giving the valedictorian speech.”

“Yes, and as the valedictorian, I believe our class is ready to move on with their lives. But for the time being, I’m just trying to figure out what to wear!”

“Girl, I got you. I can come over and help you choose what to wear.”

“Thanks Esme, you’re the best.” 

I open my locker and grab my folders. We strut down the hallway to class with one leg over the other and one hand on the hip. As we laugh at each other, our teacher smiles as we enter the classroom.

“Adeola, why if that isn’t my favorite student! Come on, sit down!”

“Of course, Mr. Garcia.”

Throughout class, I raise my hand to answer questions. I get all the answers right. No shocker there, the class isn’t challenging. My teacher praises me, and I do a fake bow. It’s annoying how I’m the center of attention. Constant cheering from my classmates, teachers using you as an example for others, being student of the month, it never ends! Once class ends, I say bye to Esmerelda and talk to my teacher. 

“So, graduation’s tomorrow! Have you written your valedictorian speech?”

“Yes, I have. My speech is the perfect end to high school. It going to blow people away for sure.”

“I have no doubt. See you then!”

“See you!”

I wave to him as I leave the classroom. The rest of the school day is a blur. Meet and greeting students, freshman calling you an inspiration, blah blah blah. I mean it’s kinda nice but I’m not some unattainable person. Why can’t they see that? Anyway, at the end of the school day, Esmerelda meets me at my car. We listen to top hits on the radio and scream to the lyrics. Once we reach the driveway, I can see my mother peeking through the window curtain with her eyes dashing.

“Adeola, we need to talk now,” my mother said.

“Mom, what is it?”

“Tell me what you wrote in your speech! I should proofread it. You know, just to make sure it’s--- Oh what’s the word?”

“Perfect,” they both say simultaneously.

“Mom, just trust me. It’s something no one will forget.”

“Okay. Just go over the speech tonight. Make sure it is exactly what you want to say. You only get to do this once, you know.”

“Believe me, I know. Mom, my name will go down in history. Promise.”

“Okay dear.”

Why doesn’t she trust me to write a good speech? What am I, a preschooler?

After that long ordeal, Esmeralda and I go up to my room. My room is a shade of pale pink, black vanity, and a white bedframe. Esmerelda throws her body onto my bed, with her arms propping her head up and her legs in the air. 

“Okay so graduation day outfit. Tell me what we are thinking.”

“It’s going to be a blueberry color satin dress with straps and my back exposed. It tightens around the waist and poofs out slightly to give an hourglass figure. Then I will pair it with big gold flower earrings, gold flower pendant necklace and gold slingback stilettos to match. My hair will be straightened with the ends curled upward. My makeup with be blue eyeshadow and eyeliner with a nude lip.”

“Sounds like you have this all figured out.” 

“You bet I do! Now can we figure out my look?”

“Of course! I’m thinking a pink satin off the shoulder dress, with a large slit on its right side. And matching black stilettos and clutch.”

“Oh my god, yes! That’s going to look so good.”

“I know right!”

“So now that we are done with our outfit planning, is your speech actually done or did you lie to your mom?”

“Of course, it’s done. But no one can see it yet. Not even you, Esme. Just trust me, no one will forget.”

“I trust you Adeola. I know you will crush it tomorrow.” 

“Like always,” they both say. 

Esme and I spend the rest of the afternoon talking about senior year and all the pressure leading up to tomorrow. We watch our favorite tv show from the 90s and ate Fritos. Then I dropped her at her house and went to sleep.

Graduation day is finally here. I get ready in my dream look. My mother nods as I pass by and tells me she will come to the graduation later. As I get to the school, I see my contact. His name is Drax. He’s 18 and is in my graduating class. I reached out to him 2 weeks ago. I was tired of my image. He came up with an idea to fix that. And at first it seemed crazy. But I soon went along with it. 

“You got the stuff,” I said.

“Only if you got the money,” Drax said.

“Please you know I’m good for it. Give it to me!”

“Fine, you better keep your—”

“Promise. Yeah, yeah, your name says out of this.”

“Pleasure doing business with you.”

“I wish I could say the same.”

I run to the back of the school. Once I am inside, I go to the theatre stage to present my speech.  

“Hello everyone, I am Adeola. I like to start off with saying that—”

Suddenly a teacher runs in. 

“Everyone the classrooms are on fire! Get out everyone! Get out now!”

We evacuate the building and run to the parking lot. The teachers are trying to find each other, wondering what to do. The students are calling their parents. Some of the local news people are showing up. I try to get away from the crowd when someone grabs my hand. I turn around and see Esme.

“Esme, are you okay?”

“I am. Adeola, are you okay?”

“Yes I am. It’s a bummer I didn’t get to do my speech.”

“Hey, you still might get a chance.”

Like I want that.

The principal grabs a megaphone and talks to us.

“Students, we have been able to put out the fire. Luckily only 3 classrooms in the west wing got damaged. Unfortunately, we are going to have to post-pone the graduation for another month. Sorry guys.”

Esme nudges me with her elbow.

“What, Esme?”

“Aren’t you sad? I know how much you were looking forward to this.”

“Yeah, its devasting.”

The cops suddenly show up. They tell the local news people to quiet down. Apparently, they have an announcement.

“Everyone, please settle down. The cause of the fire was Adeola Musa. She put an explosive behind the west wing. Adeola, you’re under arrest.”

Esme suddenly backs away from me. Everyone looks at me with disgust, pity, and confusion. As I get pushed into the cop car, my mom comes out of the crowd.

“Please officer, that’s my daughter. It’s probably not her. What about that Drax kid? He looks suspicious.”

The cops drag her away as the car drives to the station. I get thrown into a room with nothing but two chairs and a table. The officer sits me down and go across from me. He asks me questions on why I did what I did. I tell him that I was breaking down. Everyone sees me as perfect, and I snapped one day. I called Drax up for some explosives. I wanted to make sure my reputation could change forever. At the time, Drax said that it would cause a minor fire. He turned out to be right. After telling my story, the cops said I need to do counseling for a year. In that year, I would have to retake my senior year. My mom is disappointed and angry. Esme keeps her distance but talks to me on occasion. I hate what I did and how it affected people. I just hope that I can make it right, somehow.