See Me, Hear Me, Know Me

One Cold Day

Lately, Makena has done really well at remembering the house key to let Amari and herself into the house after school. But one cold Friday in October, Makena realizes she forgot it. She asks Amari if she has her key, but she shakes her head. They look under the porch rail for a spare, but it’s gone, too.

Makena considers calling Uncle Alex, since he has a key. But the food truck isn’t like a restaurant. He can’t just leave.

When Amari complains that she’s cold, Makena suggests they try a window. She goes to try the kitchen, and Amari goes around to the side to try the dining room. Both doors are locked. Amari suggests breaking a basement window, and Makena says she’d better not. She tells Amari to try the window by the fireplace. Dad opened it last week.

Makena hops off the bench and heads back to the front porch. A dog begins to bark close by. And then, Makena hears sirens. It’s probably an ambulance. The sounds get closer and closer.

Amari joins Makena on the driveway and digs for her phone to call Mom. And then all at once, two police cars screech up, lights flashing. A Black officer and a White officer close in on the porch, ordering the girls to raise their hands. Makena’s heart pounds. She tries to think of what their parents taught them to do in a moment like this. She can only hear Dad’s words echoing through her head: Remember your sister. Makena lifts her arms very slowly, her eyes darting at Amari, who is still holding her backpack, frozen-scared. The White officer repeats the order to drop the bag and put her hands up. What would happen if Amari doesn’t move fast enough?

Makena whispers Amari’s name, reminding her to do what they say. The White officer tells them that someone reported two Black women breaking into a house on U Street. The Black officer steps closer and says they’re just two kids…

Just then, Makena hears Jerome shouting their names. Jerome and Stella sprint over. They ask if the girls are okay and whether someone was trying to break in. And then, Stella realizes what happened, and she insists the girls are their neighbors and this is their own home.

The Black officer turns back to Makena and asks if this is her home. Makena says yes, and Amari starts to cry. Makena hiccups that they were locked out. The Black officer turns to his partner and says there must be some kind of mistake. Jerome steps up to the porch and tells Makena and Amari to return to his home with Stella. He’ll sort this out.

Makena is shaking as Stella takes her and Amari’s hands. She has trouble walking down the street; her feet don’t seem to want to move where she wants them.

Across the street, in a house that has recently sold, Makena sees an unfamiliar short, pale man peeking through the window, his arms crossed. Had he called the police on them? On his own neighbors?

Mom and Dad arrive together. Mom grabs Makena and holds her tight. Then she kneels down next to Amari, who has been lying on a futon very still and quiet. When she hugs Mom, she bursts into tears apologizing for losing the keys. Dad puts his hands on Makena’s shoulders, studies her face, and says it’s time to go home.

Mom and Dad thank Stella and Jerome. At home, they take Amari and Makena to their room and settle them in their king-size bed. Mom makes tea and Amari falls asleep right away. But Makena can’t sleep.

Makena hears phones start to buzz. But where is her phone? She walks unsteadily to her bedroom where Mom placed her phone on a dresser. She looks and sees a text from Najee. He sent a link to their neighborhood news site. Somebody posted a picture of the girls on the porch.

Makena sits on the bed. She doesn’t recognize either herself or her sister. She just sees two brown girls standing in front of a police officer with their hands up. The officers look huge. Makena clicks her phone off.

Later, the doorbell rings. Makena listens through her open door as Jerome tells Makena’s parents that the man across the street was the one who called the police. He admitted he didn’t recognize the girls, he only saw two people breaking in. Mom furiously questions why he couldn’t see they were children. Makena rolls over and covers her ears with the pillow. But in her head, she’s screaming, No, Mom! He couldn’t see that we’re real people, with real names, lives, and feelings. All he could see was that we’re Black.