It was the first week of the sixth grade I believe. And this super skinny, short, light brown skinned girl with long hair was at the table next to me. I couldn’t believe we were having a math test in the beginning of the semester, before I had the chance to realize that I’d made it to the great entity that separated the babies from the big kids. Middle school.
I had gotten to maybe the second problem and I’m just staring at the page when I hear my teacher Miss Wallace saying: “Don’t get stuck on a problem. If you don’t know it, skip it and come back to it”. How embarrassing, I thought. She had to be talking about me. I look up at her, then to my left at that same darn girl. We had the same look on our face. Sheer confusion. Except she was already on the back side of the paper. It didn’t look like she had anything written down though.
The next few questions were a breeze. “I’m not so embarrassing after all”, for now at least. *Tap Tap* my neighbor, the little long haired girl was tapping her pencil on the edge of my table. I just about peed my pants, “she’s gonna think we’re cheating and my mom’s gonna kill me.” And next thing I remember is us trading papers. We did the problems that the other had no earthly idea how to solve. From there we lived happily ever after folks.
Charde’ McGraw, ladies and gentlemen. From that day on we became inseparable. Every time our single mother homes thought they had seen the last of our epic duo, they were quickly awaken from such horrible night terrors. Come on, a world with no sassy, creative, athletic, non-discriminating, and wild Chira (literally just made up our ship name, suggestions welcome)? No way!
She lights my soul on fire. She’s strong, brave, confident, intelligent, and fine as wine. She pushes me to be beyond anything my mom could ever imagine me to be, all because she knows it’s not only what my mom would want but also because as my best friend she wants it too and knows it’s in there. She’s been there for every crush, rejection, opportunity, and failure. She’s behind every choice even when she thinks it’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever let depart from my lips. I graduated with her, she came to college with me. We found out that though he looked like Ju-Lo (Jude Law) Leo did not want a cock (Coke), Carmine is now an acquaintance of mine, CoCo never got with JuJu and frozen will forever be our movie. She introduced me to Greek life and showed me what the Navy life looks like through snapchat. She managed to wiggle her way into my single parent, three person household and made me feel right at home as the seventh McGraw sister. Mrs. Claudia will always be mine just as Miss Dee will always have a place with her.
Charde’ has been my cheerleader, my mom, and stand-in boyfriend. She was my shoulder, ear, yoga instructor and stylist. She reminds me how beautiful and independent I am. Through our eleven years of friendship she has never once judged me but she did convince me that it’s okay to cry, flirt, dream, dance, sing and get a little weird.
Though Anetra, Aleah, Uche, Daisy and of course my Janessa know the love I have for them, Charde’ completes this OTP (One True Pair).
