Chapter One
Joy came home from school a little early. She hated having to start her senior year at a new high school. She missed all her friends and her old house. She had been looking forward to going to her prom with her boyfriend, Joshua. They had planned to go together ever since meeting in the ninth grade. They had wanted to do all their senior activities together. Now all that had been ruined by her parents’ decision to move from Brooklyn to Philadelphia. Joy’s father, Michael, had landed a job as Dean of Students at Saint Joseph’s University. He worked very long hours, leaving Joy all alone with her crazy mother, Barbara, who sometimes did outrageous things such as feed imaginary cats and clean the same spot repeatedly.
She closed the door behind her and walked towards the kitchen. She dropped her book bag in one of the kitchen chairs and opened the refrigerator, taking out a Pepsi. Opening the can, she took a sip, at the same time reaching in the cupboard for a glass. Using the back stairs, she then went to her room, pausing to look at her parent’s bedroom before slowly opening her bedroom door. Hearing no noise from her mother, she entered her room. Her mother didn’t work and rarely left the house. She hoped her mother would come out to greet her, but she didn’t. She never did. Her mother treated her like she regretted bringing her into this world. Not once in Joy’s life had her mother been kind to her.
Sitting down on her bed, she felt the depression that had been with her all day began to dissipate. She felt the most comfortable when in her room. The softness of her king size pillow top bed felt like the much-needed hug she had never received from her mother. She stood up briefly to remove all her clothes except her undershirt and thong. Climbing under her comforter, she then felt even more relaxed. As soon as her head hit the pillow she was out.
…………
She awoke abruptly to loud screaming and arguing, scaring the shit out of her. She sat straight up in her bed, immediately realizing her father was home, even though she couldn’t make out the voices. She hung her feet over the side of the bed and sat there for a moment, trying to decide how to get away from them. She rushed put on the clothes she had worn earlier and opened her window. Looking down, she realized it was too great a height for her to jump without hurting herself. She walked to her bedroom door. The voices now muffled, she could tell they had moved into their room. Carefully opening her door, she stepped through and crept down the hall.
Once outside the front door, she ran down the stairs, skipping some, and didn’t stop running until she reached the end of the block. There she sat down on the bench in front of the number 18 bus stop. Her mind was blank for a moment, then she suddenly thought of Josh. Reaching in her pocket, she discovered she had left her cell phone in her book bag. Without looking, she ran to the pay phone across the street. As she dialed zero for collect, she prayed that he would pick up. She heard the operator ask him if he would accept. He didn’t. She didn’t know where to go. She had no friends here.
Walking back across the street, she felt tears begin to well in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. When she reached the bench, she noticed someone sitting at the other end. He had smooth brown skin and was very cute. He looked like he could be in his early twenties. Even though he was sitting down, she could tell he was tall, probably around six feet. They briefly made eye contact as she sat down.
Not really knowing what to do now, she turned and looked in his direction. Deep in thought, she wasn’t paying attention when he spoke, but noticed his lips moving.
“What?” she said.
“I said, I seen you slam the phone down. I was —— ”
“Look,” she yelled, cutting him off, “I don’t know you, so don’t be watching me.”
“Aight, but I was just tryna help your stuck-up ass out,” he said. Clearly pissed off, he got up and walked out to the curb, looking out for the bus.
Joy looked at his back, feeling bad about having snapped at him. “Hey,” she called out.
He didn’t answer. After a moment, he turned around and faced her, staring into her eyes without saying a word.
“Look, I’m sorry I snapped at you. Rough night, you know?” she explained, giving her most sincere smile.
He tilted his head a little to the left and continued to look at her, as if in deep thought. “Aight, it’s cool, shawty,” he said calmly.
She stood up and held out her hand. “Friends?”
“Friends,” he replied, taking her hand and giving up a sexy smile, which made her quickly try and think of Josh. He then sat back down, this time right next to her. She moved over slightly, though not so much that he noticed. “So, what are you doing out here this time of the night? Even though this is Mt. Airy, you shouldn’t be alone,” he said, with what appeared to be a look of concern on his face.
“Well, I can’t be home right now, and I couldn’t get in touch with my boyfriend,” she said, looking across the street at the pay phone. She wondered what time it was. It couldn’t be later than eleven-thirty. When she was leaving the house, she had caught a glimpse of the clock. It had been almost a quarter after eleven. She figured she had only been here about fifteen minutes.
“I’m sorry to hear that. What’s ya name, by the way? I’m Kevin.”
“Joy.”
The bus was coming, but she had no intention of getting on it. She just watched as it approached. Kevin didn’t make an attempt to get up either. The bus passed right by them and quickly turned the corner. Kevin looked at her but didn’t say anything. She quietly wondered why he didn’t get on the bus.
“So, did you want to use my phone?” he offered, pulling out a black razor.
She looked at him for a moment, unable to hide her surprise. She then reached out and took the phone, dialing Josh’s number almost before she had even taken the phone all the way out his hand. On her first attempt, she got his voicemail message after three rings. A little frustrated, she hung up and dialed again.
“Yeah, who dis?” a female answered this time.
“It’s Joy. Kim?” she asked, thinking it was Josh’s little sister, who sometimes answered his phone.
“No. Why you calling my man phone?” the female said angrily.
“Maybe there’s some mistake. I was trying to reach Josh,” Joy said, tears burning her eyes as she tried to hold them in. She got up and walked a little ways so that Kevin wouldn’t hear.
“Josh!” she heard the girl yell in the background. “Do you know someone named Joy?”
“No, I don’t know that bitch,” Joy heard Josh say, and then laugh.
Joy could hold it in no longer. She doubled over in pain. Pain shot through her heart, and the lump in her throat threatened to choke her. She took deep breaths, one after the other, letting out a scream of anguish. She couldn’t believe this was happening. Four years of her life she had spent with this dude. Never before had she felt so much pain. Now down on her knees, she held the phone tightly to her ear. The girl was now screaming at Josh. Kevin ran over to her and slowly pulled her to her feet, keeping his arm planted firmly around her waist to support her. Helping her walk, he sat her down on the bench and knelt in front of her.
“If you don’t know her,” the girl continued in the background, “then how is she calling your phone, talking ’bout can she speak to you? I’m gonna get to the bottom of this shit. Hello? You still there?” the girl asked Joy.
“Yeah,” she answered, her voice hoarse from screaming, her head lowered. Kevin placed his hand under her chin and lifted it up. Looking into her eyes, he mouthed, “Hang up.” Joy nodded but made no move to hang up.
“Hello?” the girl yelled again.
“I have to go,” Joy said, handing Kevin the phone, which he closed. He sat back on the bench next to her and
held her hand as she cried. Neither said anything for a long time, then Kevin’s phone started vibrating. He looked down and frowned. Joy looked down as well, recognizing Josh’s number. Kevin moved to put his phone in his pocket, when Joy stopped him. He seemed to know and reluctantly gave her the phone.
“Josh?” she said into the phone.
“Yeah,” he answered, his voice low.
“What’s going on?” she asked, her voice cracking.
“I’m sorry that happened. I was going to tell you, but with everything that was going on wit’ chu … ” He paused. “You know, with you moving away.”
“Who the fuck was that who answered your phone?” Her anger was rising, taking place of the hurt she felt.
“Her name is Danielle. I met her three months ago, right before you left. I moved in with her … ”
“You what?” she screamed.
“ … because my mom threw me out after she found weed in my room.”
“Whateva! You played me in front of that girl; it’s clear you never gave a fuck about me.”
“Who phone you got, anyway? I don’t recognize the number. It’s probably some nigga you fucking. So let go of that bullshit you talking. I did what I had to do. Now I’m gonna have to hear her mouth for coming outside to talk to you.”
Joy lowered the phone from her ear and just stared at it, unable to believe what he had been saying. She turned and looked at Kevin, who was looking back at her blankly. Without saying anything, she passed the phone back to him. This time he turned it off and put it back in his pocket. She wondered why he, a stranger, would help her, when Josh, who she had known for the last four years, would turn his back on her. Again they sat quietly, looking out at the street.
“Why didn’t you get on the bus?” she asked, suddenly suspicious.
“To be honest, I don’t know. I didn’t want to leave you here and I didn’t think that you was waiting for the bus, because you never looked for it once. Also, you didn’t bother to move when it was coming, so neither did I,” he said, smiling, like it was a normal thing to do.
“I don’t know why you are being nice to me, but I hope it’s not because you want something from me, because you’re not going to get nothing. Thank you for your help, but I’m fine now,” she said, trying to make herself believe her words. Her eyes hurt. She was all cried out. Her heart hurt, too, and she knew an aspirin wouldn’t help this.
“Here you go again, being stuck up. I was only trying to help you. I don’t know you, but I hope everything works out for you.” He got up and started to walk away, then turned, walking back towards her.
“Maybe I should walk you home, being that it’s after midnight. I’ll even give you my phone to hold while we walk, to ease your mind,” he said, taking his phone out and turning it back on.
“Okay, thank you,” Joy said, taking the phone and holding it tight in her hand.
They walked silently until they reached the bottom of the stairs leading to her front door. Joy gave Kevin back his phone. He turned and started to walk away, but Joy grabbed the sleeve of his jacket and stopped him in his tracks. Slowly, he turned around to face her. She stepped closer and put her arms around him, her head fitting perfectly under his chin. At first he didn’t hug her back, then all of a sudden his arms were tightly around her. They hugged for a second longer before she pulled away and started up the stairs. He called out to her and she came back. He handed her a card. Printed on it was the name of a business, ‘Kevin’s PhotoShop”, and contact information. She took the card and smiled, then turned back and ran up the stairs, opening the door at the top just enough to squeeze through. Looking back to see if Kevin had left, she pushed the door. It creaked loudly. She released the breath she was holding when she didn’t hear anything. Kevin was still there, but turned and began walking towards the bus stop once she had closed the door.
She tiptoed up the stairs. Once she reached her bedroom, she fell on her bed and cried. If those closest to her didn’t give a damn about her, then she wouldn’t give a damn about them. This was her last thought before her eyes grew too heavy to keep open any longer. She glanced at the clock a final time. It was almost one.
Chapter Two
The next day, as usual, Joy woke up to her mother screaming at her father. She opened her bedroom door a crack so she could hear. Her mother was standing at the top of the stairs, with her back to Joy. Her father was at the bottom of the stairs.
“I hate you,” Barbara yelled, pointing downward at her husband. “You ruined my life, you bastard.”
“Calm down,” he said quietly, “you need to lower your voice before you wake up Joy.”
Joy’s father had a very strange temperament. When he was angry, he would become very calm, and then before you could even blink, he’d turn and start acting crazy.
“Don’t tell me to lower my voice. I know why you want me to come downstairs,” she said with a smug look, like she knew something he didn’t.
“Barbara, what the hell are you talking about?” he asked, irritation evident in his voice.
“I know that if I use these stairs I will be dead by the time I reach the second from the last step,” she said, her voice sounding strange, like she was in a faraway place.
“What? I’m leaving for work, you crazy-ass bitch. Don’t call my office every half hour, like yesterday, with your crazy shit.” With that, he turned and walked towards the kitchen.
“Michael, you asshole, I told you that someone was coming to the house to get me. I could feel it, and you just kept hanging up on me,” she screamed hysterically. Receiving no reply, after a few minutes she finally walked backwards to her room, keeping her eyes on the staircase. When only a few inches away from her bedroom door, she turned and ran inside, slamming the door behind her.
Joy listened to the whole thing. She hated her mother for being crazy, and her father for not getting her the help she needed. Ever since she could remember, her mother had always said and done the most off the wall things. Once, when Joy was six, she saw her mother fill up a glass full of toilet water and drink it. When she saw Joy watching, she filled up another glass and tried to give it to her. Joy ran screaming to her father, but all he did was take Joy to her room and sit her in front of the TV. A few seconds later, she had heard them arguing, which only seemed to make her mother crazier.
When Joy turned seven, for her birthday, her mother told her she had bought her a kitten. She told Joy that she had to be good at school all day and she would get it when she got home. Joy became excited at the prospect of having her own kitten. She never had any problems at school anyway, so behaving herself for a day would be a piece of cake. When school was over, she couldn’t wait for her friend’s mom to hurry up and drop her off. As soon as she walked in her house, she began searching for her mother. She found her in the kitchen, kneeling on the floor, blowing kisses and making funny sounds while moving her hand back and forth. But Joy didn’t see anything in front of her. Joy watched her mother for a minute then asked where her kitten was. Her mother looked up for the first time since Joy had walked in, her eyes oddly wide, and said, “Right here, silly, don’t you see her?”
At only seven years of age, Joy knew her mother wasn’t like the mothers of her friends at school.
Leaning up against the door, tears fell from Joy’s eyes. Her throat hurt from trying to hold in the sobs. She swallowed hard, glancing at the clock by her bed. It was only eight-thirty. One day left to the weekend. Joy knew she couldn’t endure the day at school, with all those jealous-ass girls rolling their eyes at her. Hurriedly, she went to her closet to find something to wear. She wanted to dress down. She settled for an all black Rocawear sweat suit that hugged her butt snugly and was just a tiny bit loose around her thick legs. As she walked to the bathroom connected to her room, she knew exactly what would be on her agenda that day.
Feeling only slightly better after a shower, Joy was dressed in no time and on her way out the door. She glanced at her parents’ bedroom door
for a split second but kept on moving. She walked towards the bus stop, scanning the area to see if Kevin was around.
His image popped in her head momentarily, and she allowed herself a small smile as she thought about how nice he had been the evening before. Right there and then she knew where she would end up. As soon as she looked down the street, she saw the bus coming. After swiping her Transpass, she walked all the way to the back and sat down. After a while, she looked out the window to make sure where she was, then closed her eyes. When she opened them again a girl was looking at her, but quickly turned away when caught. Seconds later, she was staring again. They made eye contact, both of them realizing at the same time that they knew each other. A smile broke out on Joy’s face as she got up and moved closer to Tanya.
“Hey, girl,” Tanya said, smiling.
“Wassup?” said Joy, happy to see someone she knew. The last time she had seen Tanya was on the day she moved. They had lived in the same apartment building back in New York. They hadn’t been the best of friends but had talked from time to time. Tanya was twenty-two, with three kids by three different dudes, all a year apart. Only one of her kids lived with her; the other two lived with their fathers.
“Nothing. I moved here two weeks ago with some nigga I met.”
“Oh? What happened? I thought you was staying with your baby’s father?” Joy asked, confused.
“Yeah, I was, but that nigga got some other bitch pregnant,” she said, clearly still bitter about it.
“Where’s Lil’ D? I haven’t seen him in a minute,” Joy said, referring to Tanya’s three-year-old son.
“I left his little bad ass with his daddy and his new bitch that he had the nerve to move in the day after I left,” she said, her voice becoming louder. People turned to look at them. “What the fuck ya’ll looking at?” she said loudly to the people looking in their direction. She then turned back to Joy. “So, wassup wit’ you and Josh?”
“We broke up. I called his phone yesterday and some girl picked up, talking ’bout why was I calling her man. Then he had the nerve to call me back, talking ’bout how he’s living wit’ her because his mom threw him out. He acted like he care more for her than me, so fuck him,” Joy said, with anger in her voice and tears in her eyes.
Nookie (Nookie Series) Page 1
