by Mariah James
“Where’d you get all this from?” Still nothing.
“Erin, Ryan?”
“We, uh bought it,” Erin spoke up, kicking herself at the lame answer she gave.
“With what money?” Ms. Mary counteracted.
“None of your business.” Ryan snapped. The hell with Ms. Mary. She wasn’t the one forced to wear the bullshit she supplied the girls.
“Little girl…” Ms. Mary wagged her finger at Ryan.
“What?” Ryan stepped closer to Ms. Mary, daring her to touch her again.
Ms. Mary backed up and shook her head. She couldn’t hide the tears that fell from her eyes.
“32 years! I’ve been taking in kids for 32 years. And never, ever have I had a child talk to me the way you do. I understand you’re hurting. It’s got to be hard losing your parents.”
“Don’t you bring up my parents.” Ryan cut her off, but Ms. Mary continued to speak.
“When Josh turned 18, I told myself, it was time to be selfish, to take care of myself. Then, Greg Leeper called me. I knew I shouldn’t have picked up my phone, but God told me to. Greg told me what happened, and my heart broke for you. I’m not rich by any means, but I am wealthy by my faith in the Lord.
I got love to offer, and it's okay if you don’t want it. I can deal with that, but the disrespect, I will no longer take. I don’t know what mess you girls got yourself into, but you better get right. Get right!” Ms. Mary investigated the girl’s eyes for a while before turning around and heading out the door.
“Ugh!” Ryan expressed her frustration regarding Ms. Mary. She wasn’t their mother and Ryan did not like the idea of her trying to be.
“Three weeks, two days, and twelve hours.” Erin sang happily, attempting to alleviate the negative mood.
“I miss Donnie so much!” Ryan confessed.
“Me too, I can’t wait to hug him!” Erin responded, “I wonder how he’s coming along.”
“Now, you know Don is holding it down. Pa taught him well.”
November 2016
Ryan was right. For the past four months, Don was setting up shop. When Lenny was escorted to his baby girl’s funeral service, he gave Don Jr. some tools of life. It ate Lenny up that he wasn’t on the outside to take in his grandkids. Don used his grandfather’s words as fuel to get it out the mud. He already made a vow to catch whoever was responsible for his parents, untimely death, but for now, that was on hold. His priority was to make sure he did everything in his power to get his sister’s home with him.
He promised the girls he would be there to get them in four months. There was one problem though, he wasn’t ready. He had a place to stay, but the county wouldn’t dare hand them over until he gave proof of legal income. Don, scratched his head trying to think of a way to break the news to them. He was tired of being the bearer of bad news.
“Today’s the day!” Erin woke up to Ryan, who was already packing her stuff.
Ryan smiled at her sister and nodded her head. They gathered the rest of their things before heading downstairs to face Ms. Mary.
“Where y'all going with all those bags?” Ms. Mary asked them.
“Far away from here.” Ryan rolled her eyes.
Erin nudged her sister, “Um, Ms. Mary. We’d like to thank you for everything you’ve done for us, but Don is coming to get us.”
Ms. Mary laughed.
“The fuck you laughing at?” Ryan gritted.
“Ry!” Erin stepped in.
Ms. Mary continued to smile, “You two think you know every damn thing. Y'all ain’t going nowhere until Greg himself come here and tell me so. So, go ahead and put your…borrowed clothes back and hang in there.”
Erin and Ryan looked at each other confused. Ms. Mary had no idea what she was talking about, it had to be nonsense.
“Fuck you!” Ryan spat before walking out the door.
“Thank you,” Erin whispered and followed her sister out the door. “Ryan, slow down.”
“I couldn’t stand to be around her any fucking longer.” Ryan let out her frustration. The girls anxiously waited for the bus to come take them to meet up with Don.
Just as they planned, Don was waiting for them when they got off the bus. The girls sprinted to their big brother at full speed.
“We missed you so much!” They cried in unison.
Don held them tight, just as close as he did the day Marie and Don Sr. died.
Ryan was the first to break their embrace, “So, where we headed?”
Don pulled away from Erin, bringing both girls under his arms.
“Don?” Erin questioned, she wasn’t feeling his sudden mood change.
Don sighed, “I love you.” Those three words are the only phrase he could get out. He could already see the disappointment in their eyes. He was disappointed in himself because he didn’t do what he needed to do, to bring them home.
“I spoke with Mr. Leeper, and until I have a steady income, I won’t be able to take you from Ms. Mary.”
“What?”
“I’m sorry. That’s just how the system works.”
“You promised us, Donnie! You promised!” Tears fell down Erin’s cheeks.
“And I’m still good on that promise. I just need a couple more weeks to get shit in order.”
“A couple more weeks?” Erin requested. Ryan stood in silence as she watched the exchange between her siblings.
“Y'all gotta trust me,” Don stated.
“We did trust you.” Ryan finally mumbled.
“Edwards don’t give up. All I need is some time. Until then, I need you two to stay strong. You’ve made it this far. Looks like Ms. Mary is holding y’all down too.” Don smirked, nodding at the baggage the girls had at their feet.
Ryan and Erin didn’t bother to address the truth. They were too saddened by the news. The thought of hopping back on that city bus to face Ms. Mary was a hard pill to swallow.
“I promise,” Don whispered to the girls before they went their separate ways. There was nothing but silence separating the twins on the ride home. Both girls’ minds were churning. While Erin wondered if Ms. Mary would welcome them back, Ryan hated the fact that she even had to step a foot back into her home.
“Well, well, well.” Ms. Mary spoke. Her back was turned as she stood up at the stove. Ryan didn’t have the energy to respond to her, she just headed to their room. Erin slowly followed, relieved that Ms. Mary didn’t kick them right back out.
“This is bullshit, yo.” Ryan slammed her bags down as warm tears fell down her cheeks.
“Ry, calm down.”
Ryan paced the floor in frustration. Erin sat on the edge of the bed with her head in her hands. She was as livid as Ryan, but complaints weren’t worth anything, without a solution.
“I got an idea.” A lightbulb went off in Erin’s head. Ryan shot her a crazy look.
“Can you just hear me out?” Erin pleaded. Ryan shrugged and sat down in front of Erin.
“Look, Don said he needed a steady income, right?” Ryan agreed. “Ok, so how about we help him get some money.”
Ryan laughed hysterically, but she soon stopped once she saw how serious Erin was.
“We already got this boosting shit down packed. Now, it’s time to step our game up.” Erin spoke with grit. Ryan smirked at her sister, partially because she was proud to see the Edwards’ ‘I don’t give a fuck’ attitude coming out of her and the other half because she knew Erin was on to something.
“Keep talking.” Ryan encouraged her.
Erin smiled once she got her sister’s full attention, “Let’s hit up some houses.” She suggested.
“Houses?” Ryan laughed. Erin must’ve been out her mind.
Erin rolled her eyes, “Yes, houses. Look at all the expensive shit we had at home, don’t forget Ma’s jewels and Pa’s safe.” The word safe peaked Ryan’s interest. She knew what Pa use to keep in his safe, her eyes lit up at the thought.
“All that sounds good, but let’s be real. We don’t know anybody worth t
aking that chance.
“The Winston’s!” Erin grinned, and Ryan mirrored her. The Winston’s were an old couple that lived a few doors down from them on their old street. They had what you’d call, old money. Calvin Winston used to run with Lenny back in the day and had since retired, once Lenny got knocked.
Calvin and his wife, Lorraine, lived comfortably, they weren’t flashy like the younger folks getting money. You could tell they had bread, and they didn’t need five cars and flashy attire to prove it. Calvin and Lorraine attempted to live as low key as possible.
Erin continued, “I’m sure their routine is still the same.
“Next weekend is the third weekend of the month…” Ryan started.
“Which means the Winston’s are away!” Erin glowed at the thought.
Erin and Ryan spent the night drawing up a plan and spent the week ironing out the details. Ms. Mary did nothing but shake her head every time they were in the same room. She gave up on the girls. As she said before, she was only required to supply a roof over their head, clothes on their back, and food in their bellies. Ms. Mary did the bare minimum.
“Whatever you girls are up to, just make sure it’s smart.” Ms. Mary spoke up to the girls as they walked passed ignoring her. No matter what she said, they were going to do what they had to do.
November 2016
Chills crept up the twin’s spine as they stepped foot on their old block. Memories filled their vision as they stared at their old house. It was boarded up, abandoned and still had investigation tape around the parameter.
“I can’t do this,” Erin spoke up. Her bright idea was coming back to haunt her.
“E, pull it together.” Ryan tried her best to hide her emotions, but she felt the same way as her sister. Who knew it was going to be this tough to even walk the sidewalks of their old neighborhood?
As assumed, the Winston’s weren’t home, neither was their RV.
“BINGO!” Ryan blew O’s in the freezing winter air. She rubbed her hands together at the thought of the gold mine the girls were about to come up on.
“You ready, E?” Erin nodded at Ryan’s question, “let’s go get ‘em!”
Ryan strutted toward the back of the house, with Erin close behind her, nervously looking over her shoulder for any lurkers. The last thing they needed was for someone to spot them out. It was bad enough the streets were still talking about what happened just a few short months before.
Ryan picked the lock to the back door like a pro. A conniving smile filled her face as she heard the satisfying click. She nodded for Erin to proceed ahead of her.
“Now or never,” Erin whispered to herself as she obeyed her sister. The house was beautiful, just as they imagined it would be. Erin’s heart melted as she looked around at the family portraits that decorated the walls, realizing that they would never have that again.
“C’mon,” Ryan interrupted her sister’s observation, “In and out.”
“In and out,” Erin repeated. The girls searched the downstairs, looking for any and everything to grab before heading into the bedroom.
Erin found the master suite, “Ry, in here.” She whispered. Ryan smiled, she was proud that Erin, was taking the initiative. Ryan was low key worried about Erin falling through on their plans, even though she was the mastermind behind it.
The girls scanned the room trying to spot the safe. Growing up with parents like theirs, they knew it wasn’t out in the open. That would be silly, they had to look in a subtle place. A place where no reasonable person would dream of putting one.
Erin and Ryan traced their fingers around the edges of every object that occupied the ivory-colored walls. Erin reached a button on the side edge of a large wall mirror. Her heart sped up its rhythm as she pressed it, causing the mirror to shift to the side.
Excitement blinded her as she watched the mirror uncover a steel door. Her entire world stopped as she realized what had happened.
“Ok, sis!” Ryan applauded stepping in ready to put her skills to work. Ryan focused on cracking the code to the safe. Her black leather gloves, fit her fingers tight like body-con, as she fingered the keypad and rotated the polished handle. The twin’s eyes lit up as the vault door opened.
Erin and Ryan looked at each other in awe. This wasn’t the typical, put some jeans in a bag and make sure no one is looking, type shit. Today marked their draft into the big league.
“Alright, stay focused!” Erin prepped, she was ready for tonight to be over with. She was overwhelmed, with mixed emotions.
Like professionals, the girls cleaned out the safe making sure to put everything else back as they found it. Erin and Ryan escaped from the Winston’s crib as if nothing happened.
“Yo, did we really just do that shit?” Ryan screeched as she scanned the items. “We really did that shit.” She answered herself.
Erin sat on the edge of the bed, numb. Her guilty conscious eating away at her. Ryan was too busy in her glory to notice her sister, at first.
“Pick your face up, baby girl!” Ryan laughed making a joke of Erin’s sour puss face, one that Erin didn’t find funny at all.
“Ryan, what are we doing? How’d we get like this?”
Ryan played stupid, “What you mean?”
Erin stood up from her bed and paced the room, “This!”She yelled, pointing to the goodies they just stole.
“Shhh!” Ryan covered her finger with her mouth.
“Your big ass mouth is going to wake the Grinch.”
“Ma and Pa ain’t raise us like this.” Erin shook her head.
“No, they didn’t. We were raised with silver spoons and shit. Shit, we don’t have anymore, the shit we use to. Genetically the grit it embedded in us, so we gotta get it.” Ryan explained.
“Not, like this Ry.” Erin contested.
“This was your idea remember?” Ryan reminded her sister. Erin hung her head in regret. It was her idea, and she wished she never suggested it. The stress of not leaving with Don, weighed on her and she was willing to do anything at that time, but the desire vanished the moment she watched that vault open. Seeing how happy Ryan was about their great escape, worried Erin. She wondered if Ryan even possessed a conscious, it was like the mere idea of taking things that didn’t belong to her, turned her on. Erin’s speculations were right. From the very first moment Ryan stole that necklace, she was hooked like an addict.
“Ma and Pa, are gone! They ain’t coming back to save us. Ms. Mary ain’t doing shit for us, so we gotta do what we gotta do.”
“But…” Erin began.
Ryan cut her off, “But nothing, E. Either you with it or you not. No, this ain’t the most honest shit, but it’s something. So, unless you got another plan, I suggest you stay on board.”
As much as Erin hated to admit it, Ryan was right. She’d have to swallow her cognizant and help steer the ship.
“Okay.” Erin decided. Ryan hugged her sister tight. Ryan knew Erin would end up making the right decision.
“Now, get some rest buttercup!” Ryan kissed Erin on the cheek and winked.
Don waited at the café for the twins. Ryan sounded enthusiastic over the phone but wouldn’t tell him what this urgent meeting was about. Ryan reminded him of Pa, so much. Although Marie and Don Sr. tried to exclude the girls from their illegal activity, Ryan picked up on a lot of stuff, without having to be told. She was smart and put things together, rather quickly. Don’s face lit up at the sight of Erin and Ryan. They were fraternal twins, but their features were prominent enough to tell they were related.
Ryan Edwards was the thicker of the twins. Her mocha brown skin was smooth and blemish free. Her belly was tight, and she had curves in all the right places. Along with her sassy attitude, you wouldn’t think she was 16-years-old. Her demeanor was far beyond her years. She was as smart as a whip and not afraid to use her knowledge as a weapon. At a very young age, she displayed boss behavior, and her parents did a good job, feeding into that aspect of her personality.
; Although Erin Edwards wasn’t as thick as her twin, she wasn’t skinny either. She too had curves. It is safe to say the twins were shaped like their mother. Erin had long legs, and her skin was a shade darker than Ryan’s. Erin had a lot of mystery in her eyes. She was quiet and anti-social at times, but it was only because she wanted to assess the scene before she reacted. It wasn’t her first line of business to pop off without knowing the backstory like Ryan would. She was more into the logistics. Erin was big on planning.
“What’s up, brody!?” Ryan hugged Don, with a huge grin on her face.
“Hey, Ry. Hey, E.” Don embraced Erin as well before taking a seat back in the booth.
“So, what’s up?” Don asked. Ryan’s smile showed the two were up to something and Don was determined to find out what it was, ASAP.
“Dang, nigga can we eat something first.” Erin chimed in and started to look over the menu.
Ryan laughed as she called the waitress over. The waitress came just in time, stopping Don from making his next statement. Don saved face as they ordered their drinks and food.
Don moved in closer and leaned across the table once the waitress was out of earshot, “Yo cut the bullshit. What’s this about?”
Erin and Ryan could see that he was serious. They looked at each other to see who was going to speak first. Although, they went over this interaction a million times, being in the situation always changed things.
Erin reached into her purse and slid Don an envelope. He looked at the girls back and forth. Don was thrown off by Erin’s gesture and the fact that they held two big smiles on their faces.
“What’s this?” Don asked, looking for a response. Once he didn’t get one, he proceeded to open the envelope. Don peeked inside and hurried to hide it under the table. He couldn’t believe his eyes. There was over $10,000 in there. Don ran his thumb over the crisp bills.
“What the fuck is this?” Don whispered. Erin and Ryan still wore their big grins, “Erin, where did you get this money? Ryan!” His voice elevated just a little.
“Shhh, Don damn!” Ryan finally answered, looking around the small café to make sure no one was paying them any attention.
