by Zi'ere
“No thank you, I have my own!” I had a real sarcastic tone to my voice box.
If it was my off the damn chain Grandma he wanted to talk to in the middle of the night, then that is what he would get. She had no problem getting an overstanding when it came to any government authority figure. Grandma D had been breaking the law her entire life.
21
I was seventeen year old girl. My cell phone was glued to my hand at all times. As I dialed my Grandmother’s number I eyed him down and noticed that he couldn’t have been much older than me. He certainly was younger than the other officer he’d just dealt with on my behalf. For the first time in my life I noticed a guy. I shook my head.
“I need the phone to be on speaker. Or I need to talk to her myself.” He reached for the phone.
“Nope, no, no…hold your horses…it’s ringing now. I will put it on speaker.”
I had serious contacts in my phone.
There was no way in hell I was about to hand it over willingly to a police officer. I looked at him and felt a twitch in my stomach. I could only shake my head because of all the guys in the world for me to notice, the daughter of a white collar criminal and drug abuser for a mother and a murderer for a Grandmother thought a NARC was handsome.
Damn shame girl! Crushin on a man that would lock up the rest of your father’s family, your Grandma included if he had the opportunity. I have no idea how this shit is supposed to go so let me stop playing grown.
I had a feeling that Mr. Ward knew exactly what was going on but I had to give him what he’d asked for. Grandma D would get him right together for the rest of the year by the time she hung up the phone on him first.
“Grandma D, the police are here looking for Angel again and they want to take us to child protective services if we are not in the care of an adult. Can you tell this officer what is going on?” I held out the phone for the entire neighborhood to hear the tongue lashing he was about to get.
“LET ME TELL YA’LL IGNORANT MUTHAFUCKAS A THING OR FIFTEEN! YOU KNOW DAMN WELL ANGEL IS A HOE- WHEN ARE HOES AT HOME AT NIGHT? NEVER! THE LAST TIME YA’LLS ASSES HAD HER IN YOUR FUCKIN CUSTODY YOU LET HER GIVE YOU THE ADDRESS TO THE FUCKIN POST OFFICE WHEN EVERY MUTHAFUCKA WITH A DICK IN THAT POLICE STATION KNOWS WHERE THAT BITCH LIVES. YA’LL CAN DO THIS SHIT ALL DAY MONDAY THRU FRIDAY AFTER SIX AM AND BEFORE THREE PM WHEN MY GOTDAMN GRANDCHILDREN ARE NOT HOME. THAT BITCH HAS THEM IN ENOUGH GOTDAMN DISFUNCTION AS IT IS AND HERE YOU NOTHING ASS FUCKAS ARE COMING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT LIKE YOU GON CATCH THAT HOE SELLING NARCOTICS OR PUSSY OUT THAT DAMN HOUSE! GET THE FUCK OFF THAT PROPERTY AND THE NEXT TIME YOU WALK UP TO THAT FUCKIN DOOR YOU BETTER HAVE SURVELLANCE, LIVE AND IN FUCKIN COLOR THAT THE MUTHAFUCKA YOU LOOKIN FOR IS INSIDE OF THAT DAMN HOUSE. IF I HEAR ABOUT ANYTHING DIFFERENT…I’M COMING DOWN THERE TO TALK TO CAPTAIN TURNER WITH MY JEWISH ATTORNEY. WE ALL KNOW HOW THAT SHIT TURNED OUT THE LAST TIME. YOU GOT THIRTY MINUTES TO WRAP THAT SHIT UP BEFORE I’M ON MY WAY OVER THERE- MAYA IS SEVENTEEN YEARS OLD! HOW OLD DO YOU THINK CHILDREN ARE BEFORE THEY START BABYSITTING THE GOTDAMN NEIGHBOORS KIDS! NOW GET THE FUCK OFF MY PHONE AND LET MY GRANDBABIES GO TO DAMN SLEEP!”
He was smiling and shaking his head when we both heard the line disconnect.
“Here is my card. Please use it if you need me for anything.”
He was definitely flirting with his eyes.
Even though my ride or die of a Grandmother had just made me proud again, I was feeling something that I’d never felt before.
“Ooookay.” I took the card, still full of attitude but turned down a bit.
“I mean anything Amaya Stevens.”
With one more look for what I assumed was for good luck, he walked out of my house and took his boys in black and blue with him. Standing on the porch I was super embarrassed. You couldn’t tell me that every neighbor in the subdivision wasn’t out in their pajamas and robes to see what Angel had going on at her house that required the police this particular time.
I looked to the left and saw my best friend in the world that was my age Johan Belton. No words could be spoken, I just shook my head no. I knew he understood tonight was not a good time to try to comfort me. Not to mention his high profile, wealthy, and botoxed mom were both standing beside him. We both knew they did not approve of anything that had Angel’s name attached to it. Angel had almost cost Johan’s parents their marriage. After I calmed down, got the kids settled, and once the door was fixed, I would be willing to talk to him only about half of what the issues really were.
“Amaya?”
I was lost in my own thoughts when Officer Ward walked up on me again. I took a deep breath. I was sick of their asses. It was as if I was the one breaking the damn laws! I couldn’t understand why in the hell they couldn’t leave us alone. Anyone that knows Angel for real knows she would rather be anywhere else in the world than in her house with her kids. Since he was so familiar with her file and rap sheet, he had to know I didn’t involve myself in Angel’s bullshit of a life.
“Amaya?” He called out to me again.
This time he put his hands before my eyes.
“Yes, damn! What else do you need from me tonight?”
I really wanted to do shaken baby on his ass. He was definitely tap dancing on my last damn semi good nerve.
“I know you are stressed. Shit I would be too if Angel was my mother.”
“Did you pay attention to anything my Grandmother said? Angel isn’t a mother to nobody in this house. We- the four of us- is all we have. But you people keep coming here drawing attention to us when all we are trying to do is survive the best way possible. You know Angel is unfit but the minute ya’ll take us the first thing you are going to do is split us up! We are fine, we will be fine if ya’ll would leave us the fuck alone!”
“Okay…okay. That is understandable, I hear you loud and clear.”
“Thank you!” I turned to head back inside the house.
“I’m going to wait until the repairman comes. I have to fill out the form so that he can be paid. So…I will just be in my cruiser.” His voice sounded as if I’d hurt his feelings.
22
At the moment I didn’t give a damn about anyone’s feelings that didn’t have the last name Stevens or had school in a few hours. As my feet crossed the threshold, a truck came to an abrupt stop in the middle of the street. I turned to see what the commotion was all about. That is when I saw who I knew to be Darius jump out of his Range Rover with the dubbed out wheels and put his fresh Jordan’s to good use running up to the porch.
“Amaya is everything okay? I mean are you and the kids okay?” He looked sincere.
He confused the shit out of me. Since when was he concerned about us and our wellbeing was new to me.
“What? Angel is not here okay so you can go back to what you were doing. After the police get done with her then you can do whatever you want.”
I rolled my eyes as I stepped back into the empty space where a door once stood.
“I didn’t come here for Angel and I damn sure ain’t trying to check on her. I came to check on you and kids.” His voice made my heart rate increase.
“Since when do you give a damn about us?” My tone was on ready.
He dealt with Angel’s scandalous ass but he didn’t know I was more educated than she would ever be and I was not an easy win. He’d been in our home several times having ‘get high’ parties while Angel played hostess. What kind of man does that when he knows kids are in the same damn house I would never know but I was dying to find out the answer? I watched him look around at all of the police officers. He was nervous and he had every right to be.
“I started to give a damn when I found out about you all. Ever since I saw that picture of the four of you on the refrigerator, I have been thinking about the entire situation.”
“Angel was right. You are beautiful.”
“Look, I don’t know what kind of deal she made with you but I promise I will hurt you before you have a chance to hurt me! Take
your ass back to where you came from!”
Tonight wasn’t the night for anymore bullshit stacked onto my plate. For some reason Darius had comprehension issues that night.
“I was just coming back from looking at a new spot for you and the kids. Once your front door has been knocked down, your sense of security goes down with it.”
He looked me directly in the eyes.
For some outrageous reason I knew he was telling the truth. Yet it didn’t mean a damn thing to me.
“Maya who is this?” Johan appeared from out of thin air.
“This is one of Angel’s men…” I waved him off.
I tried to downplay the situation and forget about what Darius had said.
“Look, I don’t know what you think you know about Angel’s life…but we aren’t some charity case…we…I mean I, have the money to find our own home.” I decided to keep my guard up.
Here again, he dealt with Angel for years there was no telling how twisted he really was. Not to mention I didn’t depend on anyone to make a way for us but myself. I certainly wasn’t going to put hope into a drug dealer.
“I’m not sure how old you are but you gotta know no one is going to sell a house to a teenager with three small kids. It doesn’t matter how much money you have. The entire situation could blow up in your face.” Darius was still delivering smooth boss status knowledge in his words.
“Aye, she said she wasn’t feeling you or the shit you talkin bout so why don’t you step bruh?” Johan was really showing out.
“I know you a lil protective since you live next door and shit…but I promise you son, this ain’t what the fuck you want.” Darius squared off.
“It doesn’t matter what I have to do, ok! I will get it done just like I have been doing my entire life- without your help. Who needs help from someone like you anyway? You are selling poison that is destroying families every day. I know that if Angel couldn’t get it from you she would have gotten it from some other low life, but who told you to come into our home and have smoke out parties? Setting up a profitable beautiful air conditioned trap house? That is our home, you had no right to fill it with smokers who get high and start to feel the need to steal. Or feel the need to eat all of our food. You are no better than Angel. I’m not going to tell you again to get the fuck outta my face!”
“So that is what you are learning at that expensive school? How to use cuss words in correct verb and noun agreement?”
“Nope, that isn’t all I’ve learned. I also am a first place archery toxophilite AND I can fire off kill shots with a nine millimeter while my target is moving.” I formed the international symbol for a gun up and pointed at his forehead.
This time when I turned to leave, he didn’t stop me.
I can’t believe he thinks he is going to walk up to me and I would just run into his arms for fucking shelter. He must have thought I was Angel or something. He should have done his fucking research before he decided to step to me.
23
A few months earlier Angel had left to go out partying and did not come back home for six weeks. When she did finally show up, it was evident that she had spent all of the time in the hospital. She was bruised from her forehead to her ankles. I was sure she should have been beaten to a better frame of mind, but after wreaking havoc in the house with the kids she was soon well enough to resume her normal schedule. In my heart, I knew that God would not forgive her for the choices she made. And I hoped she was prepared to deal with the consequences at the pearly gates.
While Angel was recuperating I told Angel that the boys needed new scout uniforms for the new season, science fees were due, and Zina needed her jumper for Girl Scouts altered. Angel had said that she didn’t have any money for the kid’s needs and that they were in too many activities as it was. My heart was crushed. There was no way I could tell my brothers and sister they couldn’t have what they wanted when Angel had a practice of spending large amounts of money every day on bullshit.
That same night while Angel slept with some man I’d never seen before, I checked her purse and the unknown man’s wallet. Not only did Angel have money, she had thousands of dollars. As I took the money from both wallets, I prayed for forgiveness. I had been on the edge ready for the attack Angel would unleash on us about her money being missing. The crazy thing about the situation was always that no regular person would just so happen to lose thousands of dollars without saying something to someone. Chances are the person might be upset and want it back in a timely fashion. Angel has never said a word about the money to this day and I had even seen her guy friend around a few times after as well. I could only shake my head in amazement as she thought back to her brazen act that night.
I quickly added the banded stacks she had taken from Angel’s bag to the stacks inside the safe. The deposit brought their grand total to one hundred thousand dollars. Amaya realized she still had a long way to go before she could get a house and furniture for them. All the while I kept the faith that God would work a miracle for the four motherless Stevens children. The alarm going off in my bedroom startled me. The younger kids were going to school that day but there was no way I could fake my way through the rigorous schedule of classes I had. It was either be there running on all cylinders or not be there at all for a try on another day.
On the way to drop the kids off I began to think of my grandparents. Cora and Johnnie Stevens were getting up there in age even though they probably wouldn’t admit it. Because I sometimes handled delicate family business for them, I knew that grandpa was seventy- five years old, but I had no clue about grandma’s age which was the way she liked it. They had more money than they could spend in their lifetime and had always spoiled their only child, Angel.
After years of disappointment and being drained of cash with nothing to show for it, they had cut Angel off financially. Now they lived in a fancy condominium community for senior citizens with a lot of money who wanted to be surrounded with other persons in their same position. Their health wasn’t the best and I knew that there was no way they could take on four school aged children. It would be such a big task for them, so all of the kids kept quiet about Angel’s neglect whenever they were around them under my rule.
In the carpool lane I decided that very day was a fine time to finally come clean about their home life. I would ask or plead on my hands and knees with our grandparents to have a house built for us kids. Once I pointed out the fact that I had been the one tending to the kids anyway, she was sure they would help their only grandchildren. Keeping the other money a secret is a must, just in case of emergencies. Angel had never had a job and we had never had health insurance. Everything was always paid for in cash on the spot. If there was any way I could get around spending it, I had to give it a try.
Worst case scenario, their grandparents would have to move them all in with them. But, there was no way we could all fit in their home. Even if there was room for us all, their homeowner’s association had a strict no kid stay policy, end of story. The elder Stevens’ had to get a signed letter from the president of the HOA to have the children stay longer than a weekend in the community. I was certain that with all the money they had put into their property, they would flat out refuse to sell it. A house or apartment for the children alone would be the only feasible answer.
Angel had tried to sever all ties with anyone who could ruin her partying ways from her children. She had messed up her relationship with our God-mom and tried all she could to keep us from our grandparents, especially Grandma D, without a second thought. When she had completely run through her trust fund money, she realized that she was the only candidate for the Stevens fortune when her parents passed on. In her slick thinking she decided that her children needed to become close to her parents should they decide to leave the bulk of the fortune to their Grand-children.
Since all her children were minors, she also counted on being the executor of our trust funds as well. Angel foolishly assumed all of her parent’s assets, stocks,
bonds, and money would be handed to her at the time of inheritance. As long as I had breath in my body, it would not happen. She had already spent over three million of her own trust fund. She did not deserve another dime of the Stevens’ money.
She had brought too much shame and scandal to the family name. Grandpa was not going to be happy to find out that Angel was still up to her old tricks even though she had four kids. He would not be happy about finding out our dad was still in prison either. Angel had told everyone that he had walked out on her without a word. He would not be pleased that our dad had been consistently having a relationship with his four kids while he was in prison as well. Tonight was going to be just as good as a fireworks show on the 4th of July. I prayed the fragile senior citizens would be stocked on their favorite Brandy and red wine.
“Bye my babies! Have a good day okay! I will be right here when the bell rings.”
All three of them kissed my cheeks as the hopped out the car one by one.
Zina was the last to get out.
“Get some rest Nana. You need to sleep all day. I will call you in enough time for you to get up and get dressed. I love you.”
Before she shut the door she gave me more instructions.
“Resting, not cleaning or washing!”
I smiled.
24
Without really needing Zina’s advice, when I made it back to the house I turned down the air and fell into my bed. I slept long and hard for the first time in a long time. Maybe it was the new locks that gave me a sense of security I didn’t have before. Zina called just like she said she would but I was already up putting the finishing touches on my hair. While waiting in my car for the car pool bell to ring Johan jumped into the passenger seat. He damn near scared me to death.
“I hope you got some rest because your patience was short with Jesus last night!” He laughed.
I did not.
“Can you tell me how you have so much time to eavesdrop on my family so much? What is going on in your house that is so bad you are constantly all up in my business?”
