Emako Blue

As Jamal enters the church at Emako’s funeral, he sees Monterey but decides to not greet her, unsure of what to say. He and Eddie see and acknowledge one another. Jamal feels a rush of fury and despair. He thinks about how he wants to “get the MF who had done this” (25).

Jamal recalls the first time he met Emako in the fifth grade when they attended piano lessons at the same house. He remembers the teacher being frustrated with Emako because she refused to learn how to read music, insisting instead that she could learn everything by ear.

Jamal does not see Emako again until she begins attending the same high school as him, and he sees how much Emako has grown and matured not only in her appearance but her talent. Jamal envisions a future in which he writes and produces the music that Emako performs, imagining them sweeping the yearly awards shows with their act. At choir tryouts, Jamal falls instantly in love with Emako: “I wanted to hand her a bouquet of lavender roses and tell her she had my heart. Crazy love” (26). He nearly tells her this after choir practice before Savannah interrupts them to inquire about his relationship status with Gina. Jamal thinks about how he likes Gina but does not see her as more than a casual and occasional hook-up partner.

A few days go by before Jamal can approach Emako without Savannah nearby. As he sees her waiting for the bus, he switches into “player mode” and asks her if she remembers him from piano lessons. Emako does, and he offers to give her a ride home. They listen to an Aaliyah CD on the way home, and Jamal asks Emako if she wants to stop at McDonald’s. They sit in his car eating, and Jamal asks Emako if she has a boyfriend. Emako says she does not and that she is looking for someone mature, so Jamal asks what she thinks about him. She tells him “You’re a’ight” (28), and before Jamal can inquire further, Emako checks her watch and tells him she has to go so that her mother can leave for work. Jamal watches her make her way into her house.

Savannah Parker enters the church at Emako’s funeral and sees Monterey glaring at her. Savannah thinks she deserves the opportunity to say goodbye to Emako. Savannah understands why most people think she hated Emako, and Savannah admits that she was jealous of her beauty and talent. Savannah also admits that beyond this, Emako was kind to others, and that “this was the part I didn’t trust” (30). Savannah recalls that “no matter what I did to that girl, she wouldn’t let me pull her down into my little hell” (31). Savannah looks around the church and regrets that she will never have the chance to apologize to Emako.

At choir practice back in October, Savannah recalls watching Jamal try to flirt with Emako. Feeling loyal to her friend, Gina, Savannah decides to intervene and asks Jamal why he is trying to flirt with someone who is not his girlfriend. She calls Emako “ghetto,” and Jamal dismisses Savannah, calling her ugly. As practice begins, Savannah is jealous of Emako’s talent. As she listens to Emako sing, she thinks of her house in the hills with a swimming pool and feels “good, like I had something she didn’t” (32).

Savannah’s mother picks her up after practice, and they argue about the radio. Savannah tells her mother to leave her alone and sulks quietly for the rest of the ride. In her room at home, she thinks about Emako and decides “to start a little something” with her (33). She has the opportunity the next day at school when she runs into Emako in the bathroom. Savannah greets Emako and approaches her, telling her that they need to talk about something. Savannah warns Emako not to get involved with Jamal because he is already dating Gina and that even when they break up, “he always gets back with Gina when he’s finished with his little chicken heads” (34). Emako tells Savannah she is not a “chicken head,” and Savannah, trying to seem sincere, tells her she knows, and that is why she is sharing this information with her.

Eddie Ortiz makes the sign of the cross as he enters the church for Emako’s funeral. As he sits listening to the service, he imagines Emako as an angel, flying around the church and singing like a “pajarito, like a bird” (37).

Eddie joins the choir because he likes to sing and because he thinks it will look good on his college transcripts. Eddie plans to attend college a year early, taking summer school classes in order to gain enough credits to graduate ahead of schedule.

Like everyone else, Eddie notices Emako’s musical talent right away. He is romantically interested in her friend, Monterey, even though Monterey always seems nervous around him. After practice, Eddie gets the bus home and thinks about Monterey, wondering if he should ask for her number. He decides against it, thinking that he will be graduating early anyway because “I couldn’t wait for my future to become my present, for the present to become my past” (38). Eddie wants to leave his home early to escape the streets that claimed his older brother Tomas, who is now serving time in jail for gang-related activity.

Eddie calls out to his younger sister, Hortensia, when he gets home, to make sure she is okay. Hortensia tells him to stop worrying so much. Eddie checks the mail and sees a letter from Tomas, which he hides in a drawer in his room. He knows that if his mother sees the letter, she will read it and cry.