Despite All Obstacles Part IV

Amends

BARBARA'S STORY

This afternoon.

"Hello, Barbara. How are you feeling, today?" Dr. Florence asks me like a generic robot.

"Hurt," I reply. She makes a concerned face.

"Why are you hurt, Barbara?"

"Because I feel betrayed by a friend. Who I thought I could trust. We went on a date."

"That's great, Barbara. You went on a date." She's happy that I did. So was I.

"We went on two dates, for real. The first time, we went to Pasadena Plaza and saw his favorite place, called The Jones Brothers' Music Museum. He did music practices there for seven weeks and bought his saxophone there in seventh grade. He really loves music."

"Is he in the school marching band?"

"Yeah, he is. He's also in the orchestra for the winter concert. He's real talented." I may be bragging about him, right now, but I'm still hurt by him.

"Does he go to this school?" She points to the floor.

I nod. "Yes, he does. He attends Palm Trees for a long time."

"Most of the students here usually come from Palm Trees Jr. High. Whoever hasn't is considered new. Unless you also went to Palm Trees Grade School and decided to go to a middle school and start ninth grade in Palm Trees Jr. High and Sr. High for high school. The Palm Trees private school system was established in 1993 in Pasadena only. The reason they made jr. high and sr. high instead of middle and high school is because they want to make it old-fashioned and more focused on college and advancement. Social events are more on the students than the educators and staff themselves. That will explain our logo."

I almost fell asleep and get her point. She explains it well. Private schools aren't like public schools. I see the students are more engaged here than I saw in Obama and Inglewood Heights.

"I'll say I went to a charter school that was established in 2009. It's connected to a public middle school, and we share half the spaces on each floor. But let's get back to my friend, please."

She nods. "Okay. I'm sorry, Barbara." She gives me back the floor.

"Like I was saying before, we went on a couple of dates. The second one, we went to the carnival here in Pasadena, saw him did band for the second time, showed him the mall I used to shop in with momma as my favorite place for Inglewood and met one of my old friends. After that, we went to his place."

"Wow, Barbara. That sounds like a really interesting date." She smiles about it as she listens.

"Yeah. When we went to his place and went to his room to hear him play his electric piano. He has the same one as his best friend. He plays real good, just like his best friend. But he prefers to play the saxophone, just like I prefer to sing soprano."

Dr. Florence seems impressed. "You sing, he plays instruments. Sounds like a duo."

"Yep, but," I exhale and bend down a little, "He has two friends he practices band with every weekday after school in one of their houses. I just sing and then hear them practice like an audience. They do a song that they'll perform every Saturday. Do we always play against public schools?" I don't remember another private school playing against us.

"No. We play against public schools, magnet schools, charter schools, college preparatory schools, magnet schools and private schools. This Wednesday, on our away game, we played against Gallagher Polytechnic Preparatory, a college preparatory in Santa Monica. We won. The only school we're having trouble beating is your old school, Barack H. Obama II Academy, a new charter school. This private school system is nonsectarian, because we want to include everyone in all religions and backgrounds. We get a reputation that we think we're better than everyone else and full of gifted nerds." That can explain the brawl. "But, right now, we're talking about your situation. Sorry for digressing, repeatedly."