Big Girls Need Love
Shanice, the 24 year old fashion diva from Brooklyn NY, who is currently going through fashion school to pursue
her dream of being the top fashion designer for plus size women...while battling with the negativity of today's
society...
While growing up in Brooklyn, Shanice had to deal with alot of things that most people wouldn't even think of...At
age 11 she was raped by a man that was dating her mom at the time... Her mother was never really the type to take
care of her children. Basically, Shanice grew up taking care of her younger brother and sister. Making sure that she
was there for them when ever they need anything. While attending fashion school, Shanice had a hard time finding a job.
Every job that she would apply to would basically turn her down cuz she wasn't given the chance to prove herself. She had
to almost go to the extreme of prostitution. Luckily, God was looking out for her and she was given the chance to better herself
by working for a retail store called Shawty's.
Shawty's was the type of store that sold clothes that only a size 12 girl could wear. Shanice was thinking why did they hire me? I'm
a size 22! The owner saw something in Shanice that he had never seen in anyone else that he had hired. The potential of a genuwine woman that
wasn't given the opportunity to shine through. She would go to work everday listening to Keep Ya Head Up by Chaka Khan to listening to
Tell It Like It Is by Aaron Neville. Being around all the skinny girls, brought Shanice down. She would tell herself, "Why do I let them get to me?,"
and ofcourse she wouldn't have an answer to the million dollar question.
Then one day a tall, light-skinned, size 14 petite woman by the name of Tayviah or tae-tae for short walked into Shawty's. She was just looking around at woman's
clothes. She saw Shanice stocking some women's boots on one of the shelves. Tayviah thought that a big girl shouldn't be working in a store that doesn't carry
plus-size clothes. She approached Shanice and said, "Shouldn't you be on a diet?!," Shanice looked at her with discust, and replied,
"Shouldn't you be kissing my ass?!" Tayviah had nothing to say after that. She walked over to the counter and told the cashier she wants to speak to a manager.
The cashier asked, "And who are you?" She replied, "Tae-tae, the manager is my cousin Dajuan! Go get him NOW!!!" The cashier runs in the back to get him.
Dajuan is this husky, well groomed, half Italian and half Puerto Rican with blue eyes and black hair. He comes out and says, "What's the problem Tae-tae? Are you
causing problems in my store again?," Tae-tae just looked at him as if she was really hurt or something. She responds, "You need to check your BIG girl before she gets
dealt with! She had the nerve to tell me that I should be kissing her ass! She don't know me!!," Dajuan was thinking here we go again!... "What do you expect me to do Tae-tae?
You come up in my store actin like you run this! Last time I checked I was the OWNER! You need to take your drama and problems elsewhere!" Tayviah wasn't happy with what
Dajuan had to say to her! She goes,"You know what, you can have that BIG girl workin for you... Just remember that family is always gonna be there when shit goes wrong!" And
she left.
Dajuan was all stressed out after that. He couldn't concentrate on anything! So he decided that he need to talk to Shanice about what had happened earlier. He calls Shanice into his
office. "Please, have a seat,'' he replies with a not so happy look on his face. Shanice, thinking to herself, hopefully it isn't going to be that bad. "First of all, I want to hear exactly what happened?"
Looking at Dajuan was something that Shanice didn't like doing, because she just knew he would be like the rest of the stereo-typical guys. "Well, that woman came in the store actin like she was
better than everyone else... She came up to me and asked me a question that wasn't right. So I told her that she could kiss my ass!" Dajuan just sat there not knowing what to say to her. "Shanice, I know
that she shouldn't of said that to you and you are entitled to your own opinions, but you are suppose to handle the situation to the best of your ability by not losing control." Shanice, sat there thinking the nerve of him!
Dajuan had a hard decision to make, was he going to keep the girl that could potentially be his wifey or let her go and take the chance of not seeing her again. So he told her," I'm gonna give you a few days off to think about the situation
and to think about the job, whether or not its where u want to work. Then in a few days I want you to come talk to me." Shanice, sitting there not shocked at all, tells him "I believe that what I said wasn't wrong, but i'll take what you said
into consideration and just to let you know if I don't show up in a few days that means I quit!" She walk to the door and slammed on her way out.
She goes to the bus stop to wait for the bus to come. She sat there listening to Chaka as always. Thinking to herself, how could he be like the rest of them? I thought he wasn't like that! So the bus finally came and she was on her way home to her
brother and sister. Right as she walks into the door her sister Sayriah runs up to her and gives her a hug. "I'm so glad that you are home!" as a tear ran down the side of her face. "What's wrong Sayriah?" The appauling look on her face was
unremarkable. She couldn't even look her sister in the eye and tell her what happened. Sayriah just sat there cry and had her arms wrapped around her sister. Then the soft little voice, said " I was teased today at school and was called all these bad names."
Shanice, with lots of anger built up inside her, told her sister " I will be going to school with you tomarrow and talking with your teacher." Sayriah felt a lil bit of relief.
Shanice went to Sayriah's school in hopes to get the situation taken care of. When she arrived there, the principal was in a meeting. While sitting there she was reflecting back on when she was in school. She remember that she was picked on by the popular girl in
school. One day Shanice was eating lunch in the school cafeteria by herself, and went to go put up her tray when the bully bumped into her and spilled everything on the floor. The girl told her that she should watch where she was going! Shanice, looked at her with anger,
picked up her trash and threw it away. Ever since that day Shanice has been known as the ''clutz".
''Mrs. Micheals, Shanice is ready to see you," replied the secretary. A loud response came from down the hall,"Send her down." Walking down the hallway Shanice was looking at the pictures of previous students that attended Truth Middle School. Truth was also the school
that Shanice had attended twelve years ago. While taking a deep breath she entered Mrs. Micheals office. "Please have a seat Shanice." Going through paperwork, Mrs. Micheals asked her what she can do for her today. "Well Mrs. Micheals the reason that I came today is my
little sister Sayriah is being teased by her classmates and I would like to stop it." Mrs. Micheals,being a skinny lady herself, told Shanice, "Shanice, kids are going to be kids. I'm sure at some point in time everyone has experienced being bullied of some sort." Sitting on the edge
of her seat, Shanice couldn't believe what just came out of Mrs. Micheals mouth! Trying not jump over the desk to smack her, Shanice gathered herself before saying something she would later regret. "Mrs. Micheals I think that you aren't looking at the situation closely. You see, I
went to this school twelve years ago and was once in my lil sister's situation. And what had happened is the same thing that is happening at this moment: NOTHING!" Looking at Shanice Mrs. Micheals had responded," Shanice I see where u are coming from but there isn't anything
that I can do to change this!" Shanice then realized how people that have never been teased or over-weight wouldn't understand. With anger in her voice, " I'm taking my sister out of this school and don't be surprised if I sue this school and the district!" Shanice got up went and found her
sister and stormed out the school.
Upon arriving at home, Shanice realized that her mother was passed out on the couch with empty alcohol bottles everywhere. She went over to her mother and tried to wake her up. "Mom, wake up!" Shanice yelled. Still she got no response. She kept telling her mother to wake up. Putting
her hand on her mother's neck to take a pulse. There wasn't one. Her mother was dead. Shanice yelled at Sayriah to go to her room. Crying hysterically, Sayriah had saw her mom and knew that something wasn't right. Maliko had just walked in the door and saw Shanice hovering over there
mom. Maliko asks, "Whats wrong with mom?! Shanice couldn't bring herself to tell him. But she knew he was old enough to understand. This angered voice said," Mom has passed Maliko." In shock, Maliko ran over to his sister and mother. The police had showed up shortly after that. While
trying to get the story from Shanice, the police and the corner were covering up the body. Not thinking, Shanice had realized that she need to break it down to Sayriah that their mother wasn't going to be there anymore. Although their mother wasn't the mother that she should of been. The Smith
children deeply cared for their mother.
It was time for Shanice to go back to Shawty's to talk to Dajuan. She couldn't think about anything except the mother that she had just lost. She really didn't want to go back to Shawty's but she had no choice if she wanted to keep her family together. Shanice walked in to Shawty's not looking herself
at all. Approaching the counter, she told her associate Kaleighia that she needed to talk to Dajuan. "Shanice come in" a voice had said from the back. It was Dajuan. Shanice sat down in the chair across from Dajuan. Contemplating on whether or not she wanted to tell him her news first or not. "So
have you decided what you want to do," Dajuan said eagerly anticipating hearing her response. Shanice took a deep breath and replied, "I'm going to still work for you but there is something that I need to tell you." Having a puzzled look on his face and glad at the same time that she was going to stay.
Not really wanting to tell him about her family problems Shanice had to so that she could have time to prepare for her mothers funeral. " I had arrived home the day before yesterday to find empty alcohol bottles everywhere and the house a total reck. I went in to the living room and my mother was
passed out on the couch. I tried to wake her up and she didn't.'' A tear started to run down the side of Shanice's beautiful high yellow skin face. "I need to take some time time to plan the funeral. I will be only able to work part time for a few days." Dajuan gave his condolences to her and also the time she needed.
"Just make sure that you let me know when you are able to work your normal shift," Dajuan said as he got up to see Shanice to the door. With a weight off her shoulder, Shanice went to the store to pick up a few things to last till she got paid on friday.
"Sayriah!" Shanice yelled for her sister. All you hear is rumbling footsteps from down the hall. "What?" Sayriah's voice sounded like a surround sound stereo. "Please help me put away these groceries, so I can get dinner started,'' Shanice said in a soft tone. Sayriah got an attitude like her brother would when he
didn't want to do anything either. "I know your not getting an attitude with me. I will ground you and you won't be able to do anything about it!" Sayriah screamed and ran down the hall yelling, "Your not my mom!" That really had hit home for Shanice. She didn't know what to say or do about that. While putting
the rest of the groceries away she was thinking to herself and didn't know what to about her situation. She asked herself why did this have to happen to me. Preparing spaghetti and salad, Shanice called Maliko and Sayriah to the dinning room for dinner. They each grabbed each others hands, and Shanice said grace.
Then they started eating. Shanice asked Maliko 'how was school going?' His response as always "School is school. I'm thinking about joining the track team in February." With a big smile on her face, Shanice said "I'm so proud of both of you! You both make me happy."Then Sayriah blurted out, "Shanice i'm so glad that we
have a sister like you that actually cares about us! We wouldn't know what to do without you!" Shanice gave each of them a hug and started to clear the table. Maliko all of a sudden grab the plate from her hand and said " I'll clean the dishes cuz I know that u are tired and stressed out."
It was a cold and gloomy day in Brooklyn on the day of the funeral. Shanice had woke up restless and feeling like a part of her was lost. She had to prepare for what she would have to face for the rest of her life that fact that her mother wasn't coming back. Sayriah dressed in a black dress with a sweater and Maliko wearing a
suit, they were ready as they could ever be. The Smith children had all gathered in the living room where their mother passed and prayed. They left the apartment to the car that Shanice had rented for the funeral. Arriving at the church, everyone that approached them gave their condolences. The reverend walked through the door
on his way to the pulpit. He had stopped and shooked each one of the Smith children's hand and gave his condolences. Each one of the children went up a gave a speech about their mother. It was Shanice's time to speak and so many thoughts were running through her mind. Her speech was very deep and meaningful eventhough her
and her mother weren't close. The reverend ended the service with the benediction. Everyone that attended proceeded to the grave site and in silence. There wasn't a moment of sound that could be heard.
