Then There Were Three
Tagging: Folami Adebowale Location: East Austin, TX Time Frame: New Years Eve, 1995 General Notes: Fatima Aa'ida has a hard time with a new discovery
“Folami, you’d better quit with all of that noise!” Fatima yelled. Then, under her breath wondered, “How does she even make that much noise?” Quiana didn’t respond. Instead, she sighed and kept looking at her Word Up magazine. They both still heard running around in the next room. “Go tell her to cut that out. The people downstairs are going to complain on us.”
Quiana said, “Mama, you know she ain’t finna listen to me. Folami be in her own little world. Just let her be. It’s not even nighttime.”
Fatima gave her an attitude look, then asked, “Excuse me? When did 13 year olds start talking back?” She pointed towards the other room, where Folami’s noise had grown. Quiana got up and went into the other room, then came back and sat down. Folami was quiet for a little bit, then the noise began again. “I knew she wasn’t going to listen to me, but nobody don’t ever listen to me.”
“Girl, don’t make me take away your lil’ funky magazines,” Fatima said before she began to march into the room. Quiana bit her lip and shut her magazine to listen to the next room.
Fatima marched in, angrily, but yelped when she entered, “Folami!” The eight year old girl turned to face her mother, with two other girls quickly jumping in front of her, as though to shield her... they were all her. “Oh my God...”
From behind the other two, Folami said, “I’m sorry, Mommy. I’ve been chasing them around, trying to get them to come back. I don’t know how to do it.”
Fatima fell to her knees and stared at the girls. “This has happened before. I thought I was tired. I thought that I was so tired that my mind was playing tricks on me.” Folami came from around the other two girls and sat on the floor, in front of her mother, ready for whatever comfort she might be able to find from her. Fatima covered her mouth and whispered, “What are you?”
Folami shrugged her shoulders and looked down at the floor. Fatima pulled herself from the floor and went towards the other ones. She grabbed one and the girl screamed loudly. Folami was afraid to get involved, but Quiana rushed into the room and pulled the girl free. “Mama, what you doing? Can’t you see that this is Folami?”
Fatima backed away and shook her head. “I had one baby when I had Folami. One of these might have come from me, but what could even be said about the others?”
Quiana shrugged her shoulders now, “I don’t know. That they came from her? I couldn’t say. But, this is Folami,” she said of the girl whose hand she had. She pointed at another and said, “That’s Folami.” She looked at her little sister and said, “And the little girl crying on her knees, scared for her mommy is definitely Folami. I mean...” She held out her hands.
Fatima took a deep breath and said, “Um... I have a date tonight. Make sure they don’t do anything messed up.”
Quiana’s eyes widened. “Mama, I really feel like this is super specifically a thing that you need to face and handle...”
Fatima nodded, then took the two extra girls’ hands and walked them over to Folami’s bed. “Stay,” she said, then left the room.
Quiana shook her head, then went to help Folami up off the floor. “She handled that worst than she did when I started my period, last year.” She gave Folami a hug and promised her, “There’s nothing wrong with you. Don’t be scared. You’re lucky. You’ll never have to be alone in this place.” She wiped Folami’s face and reminded her, “Please, try to play quietly this time. No more need to run around panicking. It’s out now.”
“How do I get them back in?”
“Girl, I don’t know. I can’t tell you the science that got you to pull them out. I say name them and have a doggone tea party.” Quiana got up and left the room.
Folami looked at the other two. “Do y’all want to have a tea party?”