“I know they’re big, and I even know they try to be bullies, but they’re still my babies,” Mrs. Tolliver said quietly.
“But what about all the stuff they said on the talk show?” Delia asked timidly.
Mrs. Tolliver sighed. “My boys have never been happy children, but they’re not bad kids,” she began.
“They’ve never actually done anything wrong, as far as I know,” Miss Benson told her, “but they have managed to frighten quite a few people.”
“They like putting on like they’re mean, but they’re really just two kids who are afraid of getting close to anybody. They use each other and depend on each other so much that they block out the rest of the world—even me.” Delia couldn’t believe how sad she looked.
“They’ve managed to do a pretty good job of intimidating their classmates, too,” Miss Benson said.
“I’m sorry,” Mrs. Tolliver said. “That television show was a mistake.” She sighed again. “Money has been very tight lately. I’m only working part-time,” Mrs. Tolliver continued, “and I’m NOT going on welfare. I have no idea where they got my name, but the producers of the show called me and offered me more money than I could make in six months if me and the boys would appear on the program. I couldn’t turn it down. I’m sorry if they frightened everybody. It was mostly big words and empty threats. The producers loved it.”
“I told you those TV shows are fake!” Randy whispered to Delia.
A squawking noise interrupted the conversation. The policewoman spoke into the walkie-talkie on her shoulder and said briskly, “Yes, sir!” She turned to the group standing there on the grass. “You might want to come with me. Someone is emerging from the building.”
Randy grabbed Delia’s hand as they ran ahead of the adults toward the school. Long strips of yellow caution tape had been strung around large areas of the building, but they ducked under it as they saw three dusty figures emerge, not from the hole where the front door used to be, but from the side of the building. Tabu Tolliver, his black shirt torn, a huge, bleeding gash on his chest, staggered forward. Next to him stumbled his brother, Titan, his face dirty, his eyes blinking in the sunlight. In his arms he carried the unmoving figure of Yolanda Pepper, her ponytail dangling.
sixteen
DELIA THOUGHT HER HEART WOULD EXPLODE IN HER chest. Oh, my God, she whispered in prayer, please don’t let Yo Yo be dead. Please. She couldn’t move for a moment, but Mrs. Pepper screamed, “My baby!” and ran past Delia and Randy to her daughter. A paramedic got to the trio first and asked Titan to set Yolanda down on the ground. He did so more gently than Delia ever would have expected. Tabu looked dazed. Both boys seemed to be confused by the quickly growing crowd of paramedics, police, reporters, and students. Titan staggered a little, then sat down next to Yolanda, who still had not moved. The paramedic knelt over her. Another paramedic began to treat Tabu’s wounds while the police tried to push back the crowd of onlookers.
Mrs. Pepper had to be restrained from knocking everyone aside to get to her daughter. “Let us take a look at her, ma’am,” one of the paramedics said. “Give us just a few minutes, okay?”
Mrs. Tolliver quietly slipped around the crowd and sat on the grass close to her sons. She hugged each boy tightly and kissed each of them on the forehead. They looked embarrassed, but they didn’t pull away from her. The gash on Tabu’s chest was deep enough to require a few stitches, the paramedic told her as he cleaned the wound, and Titan mostly had just cuts and bruises.
Delia stood trembling, close to Mrs. Pepper, as they waited for word of Yolanda’s condition. Yolanda looked pale and lifeless lying there on the damp grass, a medium-sized lump swelling on the left side of her forehead. The paramedic broke a small plastic vial and passed it under Yolanda’s nose. Delia could smell it even from where she stood. Yolanda coughed and fluttered her eyelids, turning her head to get away from the smell of the ammonia.
In another moment, she had opened her eyes fully and looked around in bewilderment. Delia imagined what Yolanda must have seen looking up at the faces peering down at her, with clear blue sky above. “Am I dead?” Yolanda finally asked. The tension was broken. Everybody laughed with relief.
“No, baby,” said her mother, who had finally pushed her way to her daughter’s side, “but we thought you were. Do you remember what happened?”
Yolanda was silent for a moment. She looked confused. “I had to pee really bad, and I was almost to the bathroom. Then it’s like the hall blew up, and I got scared and started running. Pieces of ceiling were falling, and I swear I heard a train coming down the hall. I got turned around and confused, and I fell. Then I looked up and I saw the Tollivers running full speed, like the train was chasing them or something. I was afraid they were chasing me! I heard another huge crashing noise, I felt something hit me on the head, and everything went dark. That’s all I remember, until just now, when somebody who’s wearing some really gross perfume got too close to my nose and I woke up here.”
“You were in a tornado, Yolanda—all of us were,” Delia told her. “The whole school is messed up. Nobody could find you when it was over, and we were really scared. And get this! The Tollivers weren’t chasing you—they saved your life. Titan carried you out.”
Yolanda turned her head toward Titan, wincing in pain. “For real?” she asked him.
Titan shrugged his shoulders. “No big deal,” he said. Both of the boys looked uncomfortable with all the attention directed toward them.
“So how did you manage to save my baby girl?” Mrs. Pepper asked Titan. “You’re a real hero, you know. Are you going to be okay? Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Mom, let him answer. You’re talkin’ as fast as those winds were blowing!” Yolanda interrupted.
Titan glanced at Yolanda with a look of thanks on his face. “We never planned to be no heroes. We heard the storm and we jetted, ’cause that classroom just didn’t look safe,” he began.
Tabu, wincing a bit as he touched the bandage on his chest, continued. “We saw Yolanda in the hall just before everything went ballistic. A big hunk of ceiling dropped down on us. I saw Titan fall down. Then another piece hit me, and I guess it knocked me out. The next thing I remember was him shakin’ me.”
Titan added, “We sat there in the dark for a long time, then we figured we’d better try to get out, so as we were moving pieces of wall and stuff, we saw Yolanda layin’ there.”
“We thought she was dead,” Tabu said quietly.
“So I picked her up and brought her out. Like I said, no big deal.” Titan looked embarrassed.
Yolanda insisted on sitting up, even though the pain made her wince. “Hey, I don’t know about you, but I think I’m a VERY big deal!” She smiled at the twins. “You two are straight up. How can I ever thank you?”
Tabu let a shadow of a smile show through. “Win at Double Dutch this weekend,” he said.
“How do you know so much about Double Dutch?” Delia asked, shocked.
They didn’t answer, but walked with their mother, who led them to the waiting ambulance so they could be checked at the hospital for further injuries. The crowd cleared a path for them and, as they walked, a few people began to applaud. The clapping got louder and stronger and swelled to cheers as the boys climbed into the back of the ambulance and were driven away.
By this time, Yolanda was on a stretcher and also headed for an ambulance, even though it was pretty clear that she had no really serious injuries. She looked at her mother and Bomani, who walked beside her. Delia and Randy walked on the other side. “Will I still be able to jump this weekend?” Yolanda asked.
“Let’s just make sure you’re okay first. We will do what the doctors say,” her mother replied.
“Is my hair a mess?” Yolanda asked Delia.
“Totally wiped out,” Delia replied, laughing.
“I hope they have bathrooms at the hospital,” Yolanda said as she was being lifted into the ambulance. “I never did get to pee!”
>
Just as the ambulances were leaving, Delia’s mother arrived, running toward the small crowd that remained. She grabbed Delia and hugged her for a very long time. “Are you sure you’re all right, sweetie?” her mother asked with tears in her eyes.
“I’m fine, Mom, really, and so is Yo Yo, I think. It was the strangest thing—she got rescued by the Tollivers! I’ll tell you all about it in the car. Let’s go home. Is our house okay? Oh, Mom. I was so scared! It was like some kind of monster was attacking—nothing seemed real. Even the sky was the wrong color. And then I thought for sure Yolanda was dead.”
As they all walked together to the parking lot, Delia’s mother touched Miss Benson’s arm, who, finally sure that all her students were safe and accounted for, walked wearily with them. “I just want to thank you for keeping my daughter—and the rest of children, as well—safe today. You, too, were a hero.”
“I didn’t do anything special,” Miss Benson said in genuine surprise. “I just sat with them until help arrived. I was as scared as they were.”
“But they didn’t know that,” Mrs. Douglas told her. “They looked to you, and you were there—keeping them safe.”
“Thanks, Mrs. Douglas,” Miss Benson told her as they shook hands in the parking lot. “I really needed to hear that. It’s been a rough day.”
“Go home and get some rest,” Delia’s mom said gently. “You deserve it.” She gave Miss Benson a hug, and the exhausted teacher finally got in her car and drove away.
“Did you hear anything else on the news, Mrs. Douglas?” asked Bomani, who was walking behind them with Randy.
“The last news report I heard just as I got here said that the school will be closed for at least the next three weeks—probably until the end of the school year,” she told them. “And the state proficiency tests scheduled for next week have been postponed—indefinitely.”
Delia whooped with delight as she got into her mother’s car. “Call me later!” she yelled to Randy.
seventeen
RANDY GRINNED AND WAVED TO DELIA, FEELING RELIEVED and frightened as well. He wondered how he should handle this. He was going to have to tell Bomani about his dad.
At Bomani’s house his children huddled around Randy, making him tell the story of the storm over and over again. The ones old enough for school had practiced the usual tornado drill, but nothing more exciting than a little wind and thunder had occurred at their schools. To have somebody at their house who had lived through a direct hit from twin twisters made Randy a hero, and they peppered him with questions all evening.
The news reports on television told of the terrible damage to the building, the lack of serious injury to students or staff, and the heroism of Titan and Tabu Tolliver. The stations kept rerunning the film from their appearance on the talk show and speaking in very excited terms about this turn of events. Dozens of reporters were camped out on the lawn of the small Tolliver house, but they said no one inside would agree to come out and talk to them.
Randy ate a huge dinner, interrupted only by giggles and questions from Bomani’s children. He thanked Bomani and his wife for allowing him to stay there for a day or two.
“Have you been able to reach your dad yet?” Bomani asked as he and Randy washed the dishes while Bomani’s wife put the kids to bed.
“Uh, no, not yet. His cell phone is turned off,” Randy said honestly.
“When is the last time you talked to him? He must have heard about the storm—it’s been on all the national news stations. Did you call home and check your answering machine to see if he’s called you? I know he will be worried if he can’t find you.”
“There was no message,” Randy said quietly. He clenched and unclenched his fists. He had finally had enough. The burden of a missing father was too much to carry along with the stress and the fear of the day. “Bomani? We’re straight, right? You always tell us in Double Dutch that if we’ve got problems, we should tell you, right?”
“Of course,” Bomani said, setting down the plate he was wiping. “What’s wrong, Randy? You can tell me anything. I’m here for you. You know that.”
Randy sighed. “I haven’t seen or heard from my father in more than two months,” he blurted out finally. “I think he’s deserted me, just like my mom did,” Randy added in a whisper.
“How have you been living all this time?” Bomani asked. He sat down with a thud on the sofa.
“By myself. Me and my cat. I just knew he’d be home any day, so I didn’t tell anybody. I didn’t want to call the police, because I was afraid they’d put me in some foster home or they’d get my dad in trouble for leaving me. So I just managed. He left me a little money, but that’s all gone, and I’m at a place where I just don’t know what to do.” It felt so good to finally tell somebody.
Bomani was silent for a while. “You’ll stay here for the time being,” he said finally. “Then we’ll start investigating what’s going on. And don’t worry—nobody is going to make you go to a foster home, and nobody is going to get your dad in trouble. I know he wouldn’t desert you, Randy. He adores the ground you walk on. There has got to be an explanation, and we will find it—I promise.”
Randy felt weak with relief. Bomani gave him a big hug and looked him straight in the eye. “I wish you had told me sooner. We’re a family in Double Dutch. Families don’t keep secrets like that—they help each other. Don’t worry. We’re going to figure this out. Now, here’s a blanket. You get your choice—the big couch or the little one to sleep on.”
Randy grinned. “The big one, of course. And thanks, Bomani. I feel like a hundred pounds have been lifted off my back.”
“Good thing, ’cause I think you ate a hundred pounds of food tonight!”
“Bomani? Can I call Delia before I go to sleep?” Randy asked. “I want to see how Yolanda is doing.”
“Sure, and let me know how they both are. Today was unbelievable. I’m so glad you are all safe.”
“You think we’ll still be able to have the tournament this weekend?” Randy asked as he tossed the blanket on Bomani’s big, comfortable sofa.
“I know today has been traumatic, but as soon as we get ourselves together and start to breathe normally, we’re going to have the finest World Championship Double Dutch Tournament the world has ever seen!” Bomani said with encouragement. “We’re gonna be jumping with the best of them all day Friday and Saturday.”
“I’m glad. I think we all need something to think about besides the tornado. I sure hope Yo Yo is okay.”
“Me, too. And Randy? I’m going to make some inquiries on my own about your father, but if nothing has changed by Monday, we’re calling the police. Bet?”
“Bet. Thanks again, Bomani—for everything.”
“No problem. Give my best to Delia.” Bomani headed up the stairs.
Randy dialed Delia’s phone number, feeling better than he had in weeks. “Hey, Delia,” he said when she picked up the phone. “Have you heard from Yolanda?”
“I just got off the phone with her. She’s back home and she’s gonna be okay. The doctor said she had a mild concussion, which is a big word for a bad bump on the head.”
“Oh, goodness, now we’re gonna have to listen to her stories of concussions and medical complications for months!”
Delia laughed. “It’s already started. She told me that while she was unconscious she saw angels who lifted her up and carried her out.”
“She didn’t see angels—she saw the Tollivers, the last people that I would confuse with anything from heaven,” Randy said.
“You got that right,” agreed Delia. “But you know, maybe we have been unfair to them. Maybe they’re not as bad as we’ve been making them out to be.”
“Maybe,” Randy said thoughtfully.
“It’s not every day you save somebody’s life—even if they didn’t really plan to,” Delia replied.
“Well, I’m sure glad they did. Yolanda’s kinda far out there sometimes, but I’m so glad she’s all right. I d
on’t even care about her tall tales.” Randy chuckled.
“Me neither. She said the doctor told her if she rests for the next few days, there’s no reason why she can’t jump in the tournament,” Delia added.
“That’s good news. She should have no problem resting with the school closed down. You know, when I was little, I used to dream about the school blowing up or burning down. I never really believed it would happen.”
“I know. It makes me a little sad that the school is messed up, but I am so glad we don’t have to take that state test!” Delia said with glee.
“You know they’ll make us take it eventually,” Randy reminded her.
“Yeah, but by then Double Dutch Championships will be over, and I won’t have to deal with one before I get to do the other!” Delia reasoned.
“Whatever,” Randy said. “You know, Bomani told me we’ve raised enough money for all of us to stay in the hotel downtown with the rest of the teams. We check in Thursday, he said.”
“Super!” Delia replied. “That’s the best part of a trip-eating pizza at midnight, swimming in the hotel pool, running from room to room, and—”
“And getting yelled at by Bomani and the chaperones when we do that!”
“I’m glad you’re at Bomani’s house, Randy, especially with your dad so far away.”
“Me, too,” Randy added with real honesty. “I’m gonna sleep good tonight on this big, fat, lumpy sofa.”
“I gotta go now, Randy. My other line is beeping. Talk to you tomorrow.”
“Later.”
eighteen
AS RANDY HUNG UP, DELIA CLICKED OVER TO THE OTHER line. It was Yolanda again.
“Guess what, girl?” Yolanda began.
“What’s up? You okay?”
“Yeah, my head is feeling better already, and the swelling is going down a lot. But you’ll never guess who I just talked to.”
“Who?” Delia asked. “A reporter?”