Sister 2 Sister Magazine Tribute (Trenae Interview) (2002)

LeftEye befriended Trenae while they were both sentenced to time in a diversion center (halfway house), part of Lisa's punishment for having set a fire at Andre Rison's home. Lisa was at peace at the center because she could relax there. She worked on her projects at LaFace during the day and returned to the halfway house in the evening After Trenae and Lisa's release, Lisa befriended Trenae and fell in love with Trenae's daughter, Snow, who's now nine years old. Lisa was in the process of adopting Snow when Lisa died.

Niki: So when did you first meet Lisa?

Trenae: It was January 6, '94 or '95, at a diversion center called Gateway, which is a work-release program. We were roommates. She wasn't there when they brought me in; she went in a week before me. When they called my name they told me what room I was in and they told me I was one of the lucky ones because she was in my room, so I smiled. When we went to the room, the new people are on restriction, so I sat in the room all day. It was six of us in the room. As the other roommates came in, they got up and went to the front, but Lisa came in the room and she stayed in the room with me. She grabbed a book off the desk and sat up on her bed and said "hi" to me. I said "hi" and I had this grin on my face from cheek to cheek. She was like, "Do you want to read a book?" And I was like, "No, thank you." She was like, "Okay.” So about five minutes later I said, "Can I ask you a question?" And she said yes. I said, "What would you like for me to call  you?" She said, "Well, I don't think you can call me LeftEye, but I would like for you to call me Lisa." She said, "I might get in trouble if you call me [LeftEye]." I sat there and I think I asked her a million questions while she was sitting there. And not once did she get up and leave the room. She sat there and she answered everything I had to ask her. was on weight room restriction and every day she would come in from work and she would sit with me. She would go up and call Andre and when she came back, she'd sit in the room. We became cool and we talked about a lot of things.

niki: What are some of the things that you all talked about?

Trenae: We talked about the things that she liked to do. We talked about my little girl, Snow. We talked about what I was there for and the things that I used to do. And just basically about how had always wanted to meet her..the people I always wanted to meet. There were only three of them: [Lisa], Tupac and Eazy E. And I just stated that it was a thrill to be sitting right there with her, just to talk to her. I can remember the first night I just sat up all night and I watched her sleep. And it was funny because I was like, okay, she's like an ordinary person. She slept on her back, her feet were up under the cover and she slept with her arm over her face. It was just amazing at the time.

niki: Because you were in shock to be sharing a room with her?

Trenae: Yeah, and I was a fan of hers. We just became close. She asked me to play spades. The first time I lost the game, but I lost intentionally. They were like, "Okay, we're gonna do a tournament," and I was like, "Lisa, do you want to be my partner?" She was like, "Uh-uh, I don't think I want to be your partner `cause you don't know how to play." I said, "Let me show you I know how to play." So I wrote our names down on the paper. After that, we were just like real close. I just made sure that she was comfortable. You know how people can be mean and ask you questions and all that kind of stuff? I just wouldn't let them ask her those kinds of questions or just take advantage of her. And she was so nice and she didn't care.

niki: How long were the two of you in the halfway house together?

Trenae: It was only for a month. She got out in the beginning of April and I came home April 7 [1995]. She used to always say, "Give me your number." Lisa was never on time when I first met her. She used to always lose things and [she was] forgetful, so I said "Okay, but you're not gonna call me." She said, "Yes, I am. You helped me out. And when you go home and I go home I'm gonna look out for you." And I said "Yeah, right.' So I gave her the number and she went home. A week later I went home. I'm sitting upstairs in the room with my boyfriend. It was April 24, one of my friends' birthday. My grandmomma said, "Telephone, Trenae." And I said, "Who is it?" She was like, "Lisa." I was like, "Who is Lisa?" I didn't forget about her, but I didn't expect for her to call either. She said, "Tell her 'LeftEye.'" My grandmomma said, "LeftEye's on the phone. I jumped up and I started screaming! I was running up and down the steps and I was like, "Oh my goodness, she's on the phone.' So I grabbed the phone and she was like, "What are you doing?" I said, "Nothing." She said, ""Well, get a couple of your homegirls and come up to my house." I said, "I can't get my grandmother's car 'cause it's not here at the moment." And she said, "Catch a cab." I said, "I don't have the money to catch a cab." She said "I’ll pay for it." I said, "Okay, let me call you back." I got the number to where she was and I called her back. I went to ask all my friends at that particular time did they want to come with me. Everybody said no. It was one of their birthdays so they wanted to drink or whatever in the apartment, So I was like, okay. I went back to the phone and called her back and I said, "Well, don't nobody want to come with me." She was like, "Okay, come on- -you come." I was like, "Cool." We called the cab on three-way and she gave the cabdriver directions. The cabdriver got lost a little bit but we found it.

niki: At this point did you have your daughter, Snow, yet?

Trenae: Yeah, Snow was born. She was a baby.I didn't bring her with me at that time.

niki: How did it get to the point that Lisa adopted Snow?

Trenae: We've been friends for eight years. She spent a lot of time with Snow. We got to the point where we actually lived in the same house together. She introduced me to her cousin, Tangi, and it was all three of us and we were all best friends. We all lived in the same house. We called ourselves "Three Women and a Baby" because I had the child, Lisa has never had a child before, and it was new to all of us. We were watching her go through her terrible two's. Lisa just fell in love with the thought that, "Okay, I didn't have a child, but we have this baby right here, so Ill make her my child." She just fell in love with [Snow]. Lisa loved her, she loved Lisa. It was funny watching her. Lisa said [Snow] was creative. She reminded her of her when she was little - like with some of the things she would do. I was thinking this morning that people think kids have the answers to the universe and to life. [Lisa] would sit and just watch her and ask her questions  -Snow was two, three...she was actually one when Lisa met her - Snow would give her the answers that she was looking for. I think it just tickled Lisa pink. Last summer it became a time when I was going through, I would say, a little nervous breakdown. My baby goes through a lot in school with trouble and stuff. I went to talk to Tangi about the situation and Tangi went to talk to Lisa because Lisa was out of town and I didn't talk to Lisa. But Lisa was like, ""Okay, I'm gonna take her for the summer. I'm gonna take her with me." And they went to stay in New York. Between Lisa and Tangi, she stayed last summer. Lisa called me and she was like, "Well, can I  adopt her?" And was like, "Well, you really don't have to because she's a part of you. We've been together for eight years. A piece of paper doesn't mean anything, but if you want to you can." We spoke about it or whatever.

niki: So when she adopted Snow, you lost your rights to your child then right?

Trenae: No, actually I didn't. I don't know why that was brought up.I don't know why it was.

niki: You mean, why the adoption was brought up?

Trenae: Yeah, I don't know why it was, but it was still like basically I was her mom and this, that and the other.

niki: But you all went through the whole legal process?

Trenae: No, we didn't. It didn't happen because this happened.

niki: So you all were going through the process [when Lisa died]?

Trenae: Yes.

niki: How old is Snow now?

Trenae: She nine.

niki: How has this affected her?

Trenae: She said she's not happy about it. She understands but she's sad because two years ago we lost our grandmom. Kids have a different way of expressing their sadness and their sorrow. I can tell she's hurt. Snow is a computer whiz and the teachers would tell me when I go up to the school, "You know your daughter can get on the computer and she can pull up things that I can't. Lisa taught her those things. I would stand there and I would smile and I would go back and I would tell Lisa, "What you done taught her now?" Lisa would say, "We go to the computer and I show her little things to pull up." It's just amazing how she was on the computer. I know that's gonna have a big impact on her when she goes to get on the computer again. She'll think about it and stuff like that. Yeah, she's very sad about it, but she said she understands.