Lotus Bloom and the Afro Revolution

At school, Lotus learns that there are no plans for the seventh grade students until Friday. The school is made up of only grades seven through nine, and while the other grades start their classes on Monday, Lotus’s class spends their time in the auditorium.

Lotus meets a boy named Dion, who compliments her afro and her “retro” clothing. He draws her, and the two become good friends immediately.

On Friday, Lotus goes to her classes. She has piano first. She is shocked that there is an entire studio devoted to piano, with individual keyboards and headphones. She has only ever received lessons through private teachers, so she is excited to be around other students. She meets a girl named Mercedes, who looks like “she was used to getting attention” but is nice and compliments Lotus’s hair (12-13). Despite liking Dion and Mercedes, Lotus misses Rebel, who has barely texted her back and doesn’t meet her before school anymore.

In second period, Lotus goes to beginner orchestra. The teacher, Mrs. Nan, asks each of the students to play a piece of music to introduce themselves. When Lotus plays, Mrs. Nan asks about her audition, but Lotus admits that she never had one; she just got an invitation in the mail. Mrs. Nan tells her that she should be in advanced orchestra and sends her with a note to the other classroom.

Lotus arrives to advanced orchestra and realizes that it is all eighth and ninth grade students. She is nervous but relaxes when she hears a few students comment on her style and her afro. She is shocked when she meets the teacher, Maestro Santiago Vasquez, a “former Cuban refugee turned international violin virtuoso” (15). He asks Lotus to perform for everyone.

Lotus is extremely nervous, but, as she begins to play, she gets lost in the music as she always does. She plays Vivaldi’s op. 3 and feels herself being transported back to Amsterdam in 1711, when it was written. When she finishes, Maestro stares at her for several moments, and Lotus can’t figure out if he is happy or disappointed. He asks her if she knows the Bach Double, then picks up his own violin. Lotus is shocked when she realizes that he wants her to play with him. However, she does it, full of confidence again as she begins to play.

When they finish playing, Maestro tells Lotus that she possesses a “musicality” that is “so hard to teach,” with an “ability to feel the music and make others feel it, too” (20). To Lotus’s surprise, he tells the class that she is going to be the new concertmaster. He makes the current violin first chair, Adolpho Cortez, move down a seat. As Lotus takes her new chair, she realizes how angry Adolpho looks and she feels bad for him. However, Maestro dismisses him, insisting that Lotus will be more valuable to the class in his seat.

Maestro tells the students that they have two smaller concerts coming up before the one that matters on November 5: their first production. He sees it as a way to show the community that building Atlantis was worth it.

Near the end of class, Lotus feels something in her afro. She reaches up and finds a paper airplane. When she looks around, she can’t tell where it came from. However, the girl next to her, Tatiana Lee, warns her about Adolpho. She tells Lotus that his parents are doctors and are part of the reason why the school was built. As a result, their money and power makes them think they own the school, and it makes Adolpho feel that way by extension. As class ends, Lotus gets rid of the airplane and thinks of how it’s not a big deal; however, she can’t help being nervous about making enemies with Adolpho.

Lotus wakes up on Saturday morning. She is disappointed that her father—who moved to France after divorcing his wife—didn’t call. She also has no messages or calls from Rebel. She puts it out of her mind and does her hair, taking time every morning to apply the right amount of product and using her pick to make it into the perfect afro.

When she goes downstairs, her mother and Derrick, her mother’s boyfriend, are there. She notes how her mother chooses to use chemicals to keep her hair flat. Lotus does not judge her for it, so she is annoyed when her mother always comments on her afro—as she does this morning. However, Lotus does not let it bother her, instead leaving for the beach.

Lotus comes to the beach every Saturday to sit by the walk in the same spot and play her violin. As she plays, she forgets about her parents, school, and Rebel, instead getting lost in the music. When she finishes, she finds that a crowd has gathered. They applaud her, then Lotus spots Rebel standing among them.

Rebel sits down next to Lotus. Lotus knows that she is angry, but she tries to make small talk about her week and school. It goes on for several minutes until Rebel can no longer hide her anger. She brings up Atlantis, telling Lotus how disappointed she is that Lotus left MacArthur to go there. She insists that if Lotus had stayed at MacArthur, she could have helped fight the community and the board to bring a better music program to MacArthur. However, Lotus argues that music is too important to her to be used as a tool. She can’t give up her future and the prestige of Atlantis for a political battle. Rebel continues to scold her, and Lotus grows angry that Rebel is not listening to her. When Rebel calls her a “sellout,” Lotus feels herself starting to cry. Rebel asks her, “[W]hy is it so hard for you to want to make a difference? What are you afraid of?” (36), then walks away.

After Rebel is gone, Lotus tries to play music again but finds that it can’t soothe her anger and hurt. Worst of all, she keeps wondering whether Rebel is right.