The music faded and Simi’s voice echoed across the hall, the lights dimming dramatically and focusing on the large stage where the DJ booth was situated. “Mandem, gyaldem, peopledem, pay attention, for the portion of the night you have all been waiting for has arrived.”
Her regal demeanor soured a little as her eyes narrowed at something at the back of the hall. “Um . . . who is in the photo booth? Fuck’s sake, what is wrong with you people? I’m all for sexual liberation but we are literally in a hotel right now. You have options. Look, who is on health and safety duty? We have to disinfect that now. Ugh. Chanel, can you sort that please? Don’t do that face. Whose earrings are you borrowing tonight? Thanks, babe. Okay.”
Simi swung some hair out of her face and recomposed herself, a shimmering, glossy smile painted across her face again like she’d never been interrupted. She delicately cleared her throat. “Okay. So. It is time to announce this year’s AfroWinter Ball royalty. The winners get crowns specially ordered from China, a bottle of Prosecco to share, and two coffee vouchers for Beanz worth fifty pounds, and were voted by you, the polis of Blackwell, tonight. Like I said earlier as the polls opened, not only does the AfroWinter Ball royalty have to serve looks, they also have to represent who we are as a community. I hope you chose wisely. And the winners are . . .”
Simi fluttered a serene look across the hall before opening the envelope in her hand.
“Aminah Bakare and Kofi Adjei!”
“Hello? . . . Where are they? . . . Oh my God! Are they the people making out in the photo booth?”
When We Get By （Epilogue）
The Blackwell Beat with Lala Jacobs What’s good Blackwellians, and welcome to The Blackwell Beat with Lala Jacobs.
Our sources have just informed us that Zack Kingsford, the recently disgraced former president of Blackwell, is being investigated by the university for corruption and harassment after Kiki Banjo’s exposure of him at the AfroWinter Ball. Her accusations amplified the protests lobbied against him in the past month, making it impossible for the university to ignore what they have been ignoring for months.
Simi Coker provided a damning dossier to the university bosses. The news has gained traction across campuses nationwide and it is possible that the university’s fear of embarrassment has forced them to act. The Whitewell Knights have formally disbanded and have been condemned by the university. Zack Kingsford has been expelled from campus.
The Teahouse Well, Blackwellians, looks like the presidency might just get a whole lot sweeter.
In a shocking turn of events, following the ‘Live Brown Sugar Session’ （that was far, far too corny for my tastes）， Blackwellians have collectively called for Kiki Banjo to put herself forward for interim president and Adwoa Baker has withdrawn herself from the race, putting herself forward for the vice presidency instead.
If Banjo does win, I hope she and her boyfriend manage to keep their making out to themselves because frankly I’m sick of seeing that much of their tongues in communal spaces and it’s unbecoming for a leader to engage in that much PDA. Seriously, it’s gross. We get it. You’re in love. You’re not the only ones.
I am sure Adwoa Baker will make a fine vice president if their cabinet wins. Some may say the vice president’s role is more important than the president’s, a more strategic position. The team, including Aminah, Shanti, and Chioma, call themselves the Dahomey Amazons, after the all-bad-bitch military regiment in the ancient kingdom. They are up against . . . an all-male party called the Kingsford Kollective. （Really? Okay. Sure.） And the Pow Party. （I am seriously so confused—is this some kind of dance competition from an early noughties movie?!） Best wishes to all involved.
Brooks Media & Arts Institute New York University
Dear Miss Kiki Banjo, Congratulations! We are pleased to inform you that you have been granted an unconditional offer and full grant on our cross-media summer fellowship program. We look forward to seeing you in July.
Faithfully,
Loretta Davis Dean
Acknowledgments
In Yoruba culture, twins are called Taiwo and Kehinde. Taiwo is physically firstborn, but is thought to be the spiritual younger child who was sent out by the eldest to “taste the world,” or “try the world,” first. Kehinde, the eldest, is born second, after their spiritual younger sibling has gone out and confirmed that the world is somewhere that they should venture out to—in other words, after Taiwo has informed Kehinde that the world is worth living in. There is a hope embedded in this lore, this notion that despite the darkness of the world, some hope was detected, some light, some joy, some goodness. That living in the world is worth pursuing. Love in Color is the Taiwo to Honey and Spice’s Kehinde. Honey and Spice is my spiritual firstborn, conceived years ago, living with me through many transitions in my life, growing and deepening as I matured. While I planned for Honey and Spice to be my first book, Love in Color came along and altered those plans—and believe me it took some convincing! Honey and Spice is my firstborn! However, I am so glad that Love in Color was birthed first, because it encapsulated my mission statement, confirming why I do what I do, why I am who I am. It was an introduction, a taster of the many flavors of romance and love that I explore and revere, and it affirmed that not only is there a space for the stories I want to tell, but a community for them. When I came back to shaping and building Honey and Spice, I came bolstered by the many things Love in Color taught me about my craft and my subject matter, by the people who held the stories close to their hearts and breathed life into them by loving them. So I would like to acknowledge Love in Color and all that came with it for tasting the world first and telling Honey and Spice that there was space, to make itself ready.