The Thetas Chapter 4

Kinda stuck on a blog I'm writing. So here's The Thetas Chapter 4 And you can buy The Thetas on Smashwords too!

Chapter 4

I keep the smile pasted on my face as the private penthouse elevator closes on Marcia and Abigail. When I hear the car going down, it twists into a grimace. I don’t like being set up.

I storm back into the living room where a nosy Aunt Margaret is eager to find out what we talked about. “So when are you headed up to the Theta House?

“Like a crappy job interview, they say they’ll call me.” I sigh. “She told me to take care of my “tatty nails” before I came up to the house.”

“You could use a manicure.” Aunt Margaret retorts looking down at my hands.

“I think my hands are fine.”

“The Thetas know polish.” Aunt Margaret replies. “Oh, they’re going to make a fine young woman out of you in a few weeks.”

I take offense to that statement. “What’s wrong with who I am today?”

My aunt is eager to answer that question. “Besides the dowdy way you dress, there are your manners. Always so casual with everyone.”

“I’m comfortable. And I want people to be comfortable with me. That’s why I dress down.”

“A little refinement in formal etiquette will give you some presence and make people take you more seriously.”

“I don’t want people seeing my money. I want them to see me.”

“And they will see you. In a way that leaves a lasting impression on them. Now do you have any dress clothes in that closet of yours? Or is it all T–shirts and jeans in there?”

Very funny Auntie. “I’ve got a closet full of suits and gowns from all the company events I go to.”

My Aunt Margaret rolls her eyes. “Last year’s clothes. No, those garments won’t do for pledging the Thetas.” Aunt Margaret insists. “We’re going to have to go shopping.”

Nuts. A day with one of the women in the world I just can’t stand. She’s gonna dress me up like MochaTan Malibu Barbie. I knew I should have taken another semester of courses this summer.

Aunt Margaret makes her plans indifferent to the frown on my face. “We’ll make a day of it. Manicures, pedicures, and hair. Oh, you’re going to make a smashing impression when they take you up to the Theta House.”

“I’ll meet you downstairs tomorrow morning eight sharp to take you to the hairdresser and the manicurist. From there we’re going shopping on Fifth Avenue.”

An excited Aunt Margaret rushes out of the living room into the foyer to get on the elevator. My father notices the forlorn look on my face. “Why so sad Pumpkin?”

“Oh, I don’t know, I’m not too happy about being ambushed by my aunt, conned into spending my summer doing something I hate with a bunch of chicks I don’t know anything about.” I pout.

“I think this will be good for you.” Daddy replies. “You rarely ever get to socialize with girls your own age.”

“Et tu Father?” I retort.

“You’re always complaining about not being able to associate with other Black girls your own age. Well here’s an opportunity to get to know some.”

“But pledging a sorority goes against everything I believe in. I don’t feel it’s right for a bunch of girls to form a club where they exclude and oppress other women. In a racist sexist world like we live in, I feel all Black women should work together instead of dividing ourselves based on class.”

Daddy smiles at me. “You sound just like the books you read in your Women’s Studies classes.”

“Well, I’ve learned a lot about how Black women have been mistreated in society these last two years.”

“Reading about the history of Black women is one thing, but experiencing things can give you perspective. You can use pledging to get a better understanding of how the Theta women think and why they do what they do.”

“I don’t think I want to understand Sorority life. Partying, drinking–”

“Sometimes we do the things we don’t like to in order to do the things we want to.”Daddy says.

“I thought I had enough money to keep from running into situations like this.”

“I think if your mother were alive, she’d be happy to see that you’d put your feelings aside to do what’s right for someone else. It shows a lot of character to pledge in spite of your reservations.”

“Well, I didn’t want to disappoint you or Mom. If I declined, it’d be like dishonoring her memory.”

“I think your mother would be just as proud of you as I am if she were here.” Daddy comforts.

I smile after he says that. I’ve always wanted to do something to make my mother proud of me. “Okay I’ll try to keep an open mind about pledging.”

“It’s all I’m asking that you do.”

I grab my backpack off the floor. “I’ll be in my room. I’m gonna do some research.”