The thought lingered, but Juste’s computer dinged. Abdul had sent over what he promised. We sat there for the next few hours going through what he sent over. Trying to make sense of it all. We spent the next couple of hours talking and looking through the file Abdul sent.
The thoughts about talking to my kids was still sitting in the back of my head when my phone rang, cutting straightthrough the quiet in Juste's office. I glanced down at the screen. Number I didn't recognize.
I answered anyway. "Hello?"
"Mr. St. Jean, this is Principal Taelor. I'm calling you about your daughter Julise." My back straightened in the chair.
"What about my daughter?" I asked.
"We need you to come down and pick her up. Her and a few other kids were caught drinking vodka out of a large water bottle." For a second, my brain didn't move.
Like the words landed, but the meaning hadn't caught up yet. "What the fuck?" I muttered under my breath.
"Excuse me?" the principal said sharply.
"I'm on my way," I said and ended the call.
Juste was already looking at me. "What happened?"
"Man, the principal just called me and said they caught Julise and some more kids at school drinkin vodka out of a water bottle," I said, still trying to process the sentence myself.
Juste leaned back in his chair like he'd heard something unbelievable. "Oh hell nawl. I'm coming wit you. We gon give her some tough love today. Niece tripping." He stood up immediately and followed me out. Neither of us said much getting into the car. I started the engine and pulled out the driveway. The ride to the school was quiet. Not tense. Just focused. My hands stayed steady on the wheel. Inside my chest, something had tightened, though.
When I pulled up to the school, I cut the engine and stepped out before the car had fully settled. The halls smelledlike cleaning spray and cafeteria food. Same smell every school got.
I walked to the principal's office, and the secretary waved me through. Julise was sitting in the chair when I walked in. Her Back was straight, and her Hands were folded in her lap with a blank face, just waiting. That almost irritated me more than if she had been crying. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. St. Jean," the principal said, standing up. "I'm sorry we have to meet on such bad terms." I nodded once. "As I explained, we caught them drinking out of a water bottle. Apparently, this has been going on for a while. We have them on camera passing the water bottle around a few days out of the week for the last eight weeks of school."
I looked down at Julise. Her eyes stayed forward. "Have you called her mama?" I asked, still staring at her.
"Julise explained that her mom was at work in an important meeting this morning and that it would be better if we called you." That made something in me almost laugh.
"Oh yeah?" I said calmly. "Your mama at work Julise?" She turned her head away instead of answering.
"As you know, this is an extreme violation of school policy. Julise has a ten-day suspension. Five days out of school and five days in school." The principal kept talking. He started handing me packets of assignments. I took the papers and nodded once when he finished.
"Alright." We left the office without another word.
The walk back to the car was quiet. Julise walked beside me with her hands in the pockets of her hoodie. Head down but not ashamed. Once we got in the car I started the engine. "Mando you know they say your niece ass been getting drunk for the last eight weeks at school," I said.
"Damn Jul, you a young drunk?" Juste said, turning around in the seat to look at her.
She stared out the window. "This mutha fucka so slick she told the principal her mama was in an important meeting at work and they would have better luck contacting me instead," I added. "Nia don't even know this shit going on."
"You know damn well yo mama ain't got no job," He said, smacking his lips. "Ion know Ju you might need to whoop her ass. She way too out of hand." I nodded my head in agreement pulling in the McDonalds parking lot up the street. I cut the engine but left the car running.
Juste twisted around in his seat. "Be real with Unc niece. What's going on, man? Be honest. Why you wilding out like this?" She looked at him with the same blank expression she had in the office. Silence stretched. "Aight," Juste sighed. "Either you answer me, or I'm finna get on the phone and tell your Auntie Chiana what you did. And you know she gon call your mama."
Her eyes widened immediately. "Please don't call Auntie," she said quickly. First words she'd spoken since getting in the car.
"Well, you better open your damn mouth, Jul, and start talking now," I said, turning slightly in my seat.
She hesitated. Then spoke. "It started back when everything happened, when mama broke up the family." Juste shot me a quick side eye. "I just never stopped," she continued. "We just kept going. We was all just trying to escape what wegot going on at home." For a second I didn't say nothing. Just listened to the engine idle.
"First of all," Juste said, pointing at her, "becoming some young drunk ass disrespectful lil girl ain't the way to deal with the shit you going through." She looked down. "You need to talk to your parents. Hell call me. But this shit you got going, niece, it ain't the way."
She nodded slowly. "Uncle Juste, how am I supposed to talk to anybody?" she said quietly. "Mama got her own stuff going on. I mean, I was able to spend time with her a couple of weeks ago, but daddy..." Her voice trailed off. She glanced at me through the rearview mirror. "Daddy just ain't around. Even when he is him, and Mama never talks. It's just weird, and I'm over it."
I kept my eyes forward. Juste didn't. "You need to quit pointing the finger in grown folks’ business," he said. "Your daddy is what broke your family up but you so busy being disrespectful to your mama you can't even consider that as a possibility."