Educational Experience

Part III-Chapter 26 and a snippet of Chapter 27

Doing these two chapters was just a joy! It was a return to the wild, earlier chapters when Colt first went to DeGrazia and that dance that changed his world forever. I added a piece of Chapter 27 to whet your appetite but also because I just couldn't stop writing after I'd gotten to the end of Chapter 26 and the kids were all sooooo excited to be headed for that prom in such a remarkable way. I think it wish fulfillment for me--I WISH proms were like this! I wish everyone could have someone like Colt to do this for them and to make a more meaningful statement while they're doing it. 

BTW the goofy video was the ONLY one on YouTube that captured the full sound and the JOY of the opening moments of Daft Punk's "Robot Rock" intro that is referenced in Chapter 27. So just have a giggle and try to IMAGINE THAT HAPPENING AT YOUR PROM when you get there. I love the two guys yelling for "ROBOTS!" And the guy who says, "We are not worthy?" Too funny!

His world will change again as this first draft ends, finally, sometime shortly after the beginning of 2016. As I see it now, I have two chapters left to do, because of the way it has to be constructed. But because I'm a "pantser" things can change--it could end right here, or it could take three instead of two. But oh, how lovely to end almost as it began, and to realize that I'm really, really going to make it to the end--and begin the arduous task of rewriting, at the beginning of a new year. How beautiful is that? If you're a writer, you KNOW what I mean...

I signed up all the kids at the tables who wanted to go to prom with us. And then I let them run and find a few more in five minutes, like it was one of those TV shows where you run all over a grocery store to throw things in your cart.

Once we'd lined up the whole bunch, I paid for their tickets and those stupid swag bag packages they have. I thought it was weird that the bags had champagne flutes or beer mugs in them along with the other junk, but what the hell, right? Whatever the other kids were getting I wanted them to have, too.

The prom committee kids got all dazed and confused when I flipped them my black card. In fact, they were so freaked out that they wouldn't use it until they called one of the sponsor teachers to come make sure it was a real credit card.

They were no help, until this new black hipster teacher with one of those stupid beards they have got there. I liked his glasses and the crown of dreads and all, though.

He grinned when one of the teachers showed it to him, and said he had to hold it "just this one time, dude. Seriously." And when he got hold of it, he grinned and said, "This is a Kanye moment, dog. Somebody click this!"

Every kid nearby got a click of it, actually. It was all over What's App and Tumblr and YouTube and Instagram and Twitter and Facebook—good thing you couldn't see any numbers or anything. Cause it made the digital rounds that day.

There were a lot of pictures of the girls dancing around with the prom tchotzkes they'd had out on the table to help them pick which bag they wanted, too. And of them kissing and hugging me.

But there were logistics to deal with, and lunch was almost over.

So I said, "So should we meet you at the mall or—well, where do you think you'd wanna shop? Guys, too, that need tuxes. Where does everybody shop for that stuff?"

"Oh, Lord, this boy gon' buy out the stores now!" Lakesha said.

"Got tuxes, a lot of 'em," Maria said. "From quinceaneras and all that."

"See there? Y'all jus' wanna be greedy," this one black guy said. He was just joking though. Turned out he had his own tux because of some weddings and cotillions he'd gone to. Only two of the guys—there were only five—didn't have anything, and they promised to borrow or something. Wouldn't let me buy them anything at all.