CHERRY PUMPS

Most of my close friends know that I'm a low maintenance girl that insists on doing my own hair because I'm not too fond of salons. However, the other day I decided to get my hair blown out after leaving school. I didn't feel like going all the way to the salon I know so I saw one that looked pretty decent about 2 blocks from the school. I thought to myself.."why not? Surely, they can do a simple wash and set, eh?" And surely they did, but I didn't sign up for the drama I witnessed involving one of my students while I was in the salon.

I was minding my own business while the cosmetologist was rolling my hair and I started to hear shouts, yelling, screaming and some rumbling. I thought it was the TV in the background, but it was coming from outside of the salon. I heard this uproar coming and growing louder, but yet I couldn't see anything. The lady jumped off my head and looked outside of the door and started screaming. Now, here I am DEEP in the hood getting my wig done just thinking, "oh boy, I'm about to get robbed or attacked." The lady had the scream of a victim off a JASON or HALLOWEEN flick. All the Dominican ladies ran to the door to see, except for me and two other black girls, and then they immediately ran back in the salon shouting Spanish phrases and locked the door! At this point, I'm thinking, "What is coming towards the salon!!!!!!!!!????!!"

In the blink of an eye, I finally see what was making all the noise. It was 2 gangs fighting each other. I sat there with my mouth wide open because it was several guys jumping this one guy while the other gang members were trying to get in to pull guys off. I mean they were going after eyes, throats, kneecaps..YOU NAME IT! However, something wasn't quite right that I was observing. This was not a gang that I was use to like the bloods, crips, latin kings, etc....this was a slightly different one. They had base in their voices as they yelled but the mannerisms, dresscode and demeanor of these men were straight out of a Ricky Martin Video. You'd think there was a casting call for West Side Story directed by Richard Simmons and all they wanted to do was act out the fighting scenes! It was two gay gangs fighting each other. I mean QUEENS at its finest. (Ya'll I couldn't make this up if I wanted to...TRUST ME!)

From what I saw it was grown men fighting each other and it seemed to be Black men against Latino men. They were relentless! This one Latino man was beating this Black guy senseless like pre-tatoo Tyson beating all of his competitors! All of a sudden I look to the right only to see one of my kids, Shamar, trying to kick and stomp another man that was on the ground!!! I was STUNNED to see him because I really thought all of these men were grown! The two gangs suddenly ran in all different directions because the cops came running after them with sticks in their hands! Little did Shemar know that I had a front seat ticket to the fight and I was about to interrogate him the next day.

The next day I saw Shemar. Hey yells out something always outrageous or funny and that day it was , "Ms. Thompson, you are looking sharp as a tack, honey!" He saw I was not smiling and immediately knew something was wrong. I told him that I saw the fight he was in yesterday and how I was shocked and concerned. I was shocked because the sweet (pun intended) kid I knew as Shemar had a malicious side to him and I was concerned because he was hanging with men like twice his age! Shemar told me that someone had stole someone's boyfriend and proceeded to punk him in public and then the beatdown occurred.

I expressed to Shemar...What if someone pulled out a gun and he was innocently shot? What if he had gotten caught and arrested due to the gang fight? All of these issues I addressed to him and more. Do I care he's gay? No, but I do care about his safety. I lectured him on "the company you keep" speech and offered him about different after school activities he could do instead of just roaming around with the gang after school. At least this story ended in a laugh.,..check this..

After my talk with Shemar, he leans in and whispers to me, "Ms. Thompson, what size shoe do you wear?" I was like "WHAT?..What kind of question is that after we just discussed a topic on gangs?????" I was lost! I said, "Why are you asking me my shoe size?" He said, "Ms. Thompson, please just tell me your shoe size!!" I played along with a doubtful disposition and replied, "Nine". He shakes his head and was like..."oh well, they are too big for you." Shemar goes in his Louis Vutton duffle bag and slyly pulls out a pair of patent leather cherry red pumps that had to be a size 11 or 12.

I cocked my head sideways wondering where Shemar was going with this conversation. He said, "it's for tonight!" Then, it hit me...it was Halloween. I started laughing and whispered back to him, "I don't even want to see the outfit Shemar...just please be safe tonight." I'm sure I wasn't ready to see the outfit he had in the bag. I just hope he's around nonviolent guys his age tonight and not around those grown violent men.

I do know that Shemar is part of a group of openly gay guys we have in our school called "the Party Boys". They don't know that I know that is their name but it's hard to keep it a secret when the leader of the group, Ike, can barely whisper. He stands 6'4 about 240 pounds with a neon yellow tongue ring and about 8 earrings. Now THAT...is another blog for another day....