A Staten Island Love Letter- The Forgotten Borough

by Jahquel J.

  “You were dating before me,” he countered.

  “Yes, dating, not fucking.”

  “Language,” I told them both. “I don’t know or care who the baby daddy is. Having sex on school property is not okay and both of your parents will be notified. Go home, the both of you,” I decided to let them both go.

  I didn’t have time to play teen Maury and my nail lady had said she could squeeze me in. I put both files into my purse and locked up everything before leaving. While getting into my car, I saw both Kyle and Kiss arguing by his car. Then, he pulled off and left her standing there. The school was up in the hills with houses spread out. There wasn’t any bus that ran around here. She stood there looking hurt, frustrated and ready to give up.

  “Kiss! Come on!” I called to her and she hesitantly walked over to me. When she approached my car, she didn’t know what to do.

  “Yes?”

  “Get in the car. I saw asshole Kyle left you,” I replied and got into the car. She got in the car and strapped her seatbelt on.

  “He’s just pissed,” she tried to explain.

  “Doesn’t give him the right to treat you like that. If you allow it now, he’ll continue to do it when you’re older.

  “I never slept with anyone besides him,” she tried to convince me. “He likes to act like the baby isn’t his because his parents will kill him.”

  “You don’t have to tell me that. I know how strict his parents are and I also know how racist his parents are too,” I made sure to mention that to her.

  “They’re not racist,” she started defending him again. I didn’t even think she realized how much she was defending him.

  “Has he introduced you to his parents? When’s the last time you’ve been to their mansion?” She didn’t have an answer because Kyle hadn’t done neither of the things I mentioned.

  Kiss was someone to fuck and have fun with. She wasn’t meant for him to bring him to show his parents. While she thought Emma was her real friend, she wasn’t. Emma was dating Kyle behind her back and his parents recognized her as Kyle’s girlfriend. Staten Island had a lot of minorities, but it also had a lot of racism. When I was offered this job, I debated if I even wanted to be bothered with a bunch of snobby, over privileged brats who drove to school in better cars than I had.

  “He’s going to introduce me when I tell them about the baby.”

  “Kiss, you’re a straight A student. You’re smarter than the lies he’s telling you,” I sighed as I dug into my purse to look at her address.

  “I need my baby to have both a mother and father. My uncle will kick me out when he finds out.”

  “Wait, so your uncle doesn’t know you’re pregnant? What about your mother?”

  “She died of lung disease,” she informed.

  “I’m so sorry, Kiss.”

  “It’s fine. She died when I was really young.”

  “And your uncle’s name is?”

  “Roshon,” she replied. The name sounded familiar to me, but I couldn’t place a face to it.

  “Telling your uncle isn’t the worst thing in the world. I’m sure he’ll be pissed, but he won’t toss you out there to the wolves.”

  “You don’t know my uncle. He would be pissed if he knew I was pregnant and hid it from him. I’m keeping it a secret until I give birth, then I’ll figure something out.”

  “How far along are you?”

  “Seven months.”

  “So, you have two months to try and get your affairs in order. Where do you work?”

  “My uncle doesn’t want me working. He just wants me to get good grades.”

  “Okay, so you don’t have a job. How are you leaving when you have the baby? It takes money to raise a baby,” I questioned. “Kiss, I’m not saying that you can’t. My older sister was a teen mother and she had twins. I’m just saying it’s harder than you’re thinking. Speak to your uncle and see what he says, don’t try and do everything on your own.”

  “You don’t know my uncle. He’s not going to be happy about this,” she tried for the second time to convince me that her uncle wouldn’t like the idea of her bring pregnant.

  “Of course he’s not going to be happy about it. His teenage niece is pregnant.”

  “As far as health care, what have you been doing?”

  “Taking prenatal vitamins I got from CVS,” she shrugged and I slapped my forehead. “I saw it on google and grabbed some as soon as I found out.”

  “You’re pregnant and need health care,” I sighed. “There’s things that can be happening in your body to your baby and you wouldn’t know.” I shook my head and ignored Todd’s call.

  We arrived at Kiss’ home and I was amazed at the house. It was a single-family home and beautiful with a marble driveway. There was a Mercedes jeep parked out front. Kiss sat in my front seat nervous as shit.

  “It’s like pulling a band aid off a cut.”

  “Those hurt.”

  “Yes, but they also remind us that we’re alive,” I giggled and got out of the car. “Take deep breaths and remember that your uncle loves you.”

  Kiss let us into the house and the décor was equally impressive for a male to own this house. “Ro, can you come here?”

  “One sec… I’m beating Love’s ass in call of duty!” he hollered back.

  “It’s really serious,” she replied.

  Almost instantly he appeared in the foyer and that’s when I locked eyes with him. Why didn’t all the clues she gave me add up for me? Roshon Mooney. His sister had died a few years back and he had to raise his sisters. He lived in Arlington with us and then moved a year after his sister died. Nobody heard from him or his nieces after that. I’m sure some people had, but I wasn’t checking for him.

  “Justice McGurry,” he smirked and walked over to me and wrapped me into a bear hug. His hug made me melt into his muscular arms.

  “Hey Priest, how are you? Long time no see,” I smiled. “Your home is beautiful.” I added the compliment. Everyone in the hood used to call him Priest. I never understood why or how he got the nickname, but it stuck, and everyone used it.

  “Appreciate it. What you doing with Kiss?” he was confused.

  “I’m her new honors English teacher,” I explained, and he nodded his head. “We were supposed to sit down and conference next week since she transfer to my class.”

  “That’s right. Kiss, why you look like you’re about to take a shit?” he laughed. “Come in, no need to stand in the foyer,” he welcomed me further into his house.

  “I just really need to speak to you,” she replied barely above a whisper and near tears.

  “Let me leav—”

  “No, can you stay?” she held onto my arm and I allowed her to hold onto me. This poor child needed all the support that she could get. Lisa, my nail lady would be pissed with me bailing on my appointment, but this seemed to be more important to me.

  “What’s going on?” he grew more concerned.

  “I’m so sorry, Ro. I swear I didn’t mean for it to happen,” Kiss sobbed while speaking in broken sentences. The confusion was written all over Priest’s face. I could tell he didn’t play when it came to his nieces. He built them this beautiful life, which I’m sure cost some lives and other illegal things.

  “What are you talking about, Kiss?” he questioned. Kiss didn’t say another word. She lifted her white button-down shirt and revealed her swollen stomach. Her stomach was very small for her to be seven months, but the size of her stomach and the protruding belly button made it evident that she was indeed pregnant. “What the fuck? You’re pregnant?” Priest raised his voice. He slammed his hand down on the granite countertop and started at Kiss with fire in his eyes.

  “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” she apologized over and over again. The girl was shaking in fear. “It just… happened,” she continued to sob.

  “A period just happens, a cold just happens, fucking doesn’t just happen!” he continued to yell. His yell was scary and as a grown w
oman I was scared to speak up. Clearing my voice, his eyes shot over at me. “Don’t even fix your fucking lips to tell me what the fuck I should do with my child!” he roared.

  I didn’t know what to do or say. Just like Kiss, I was scared to speak or even look into his fiery eyes. “I’m keeping my baby, Ro. I can go and pack my bags and leave if you want,” she finally spoke up as she gripped my hand tighter. “Ms. McGurry is allowing me to stay with her for a few days,” she volunteered me.

  “Uh, I did—”

  “We need time to cool down and figure out how we’re going to move forward,” she cut me off and continued talking while Priest stared at the both of us like we were the devil.

  “I don’t fucking know her,” he replied.

  “It’s either her house or the shelter. I’m not staying under this roof tonight,” Kiss stood strong on her word.

  I could tell he had a million thoughts running through his head and staring at Kiss and her stomach wasn’t going to help him sort them out. “She can stay with me. You know me and my family, I’ll make sure she’s safe. You can come by whenever you want,” I tried to comfort him.

  Kiss quickly ran past me and headed upstairs to get some clothing. I didn’t know how I went from teaching to now taking in a pregnant teen so her uncle wouldn’t knock her ass out. I stood there not knowing what to do with my hands. Priest had always intimidated me. I always had a crush on him, but I knew that he was way out of my league. When I was younger, I had so much confidence. No one could tell me that I wasn’t God’s best gift to earth. After being in a relationship with a man that found ways to break down your confidence, I would give my last to bring back the old me.

  “You can sit. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come out my face like that to you,” he apologized and went into the cabinet to pull out some liquor.

  “No, you’re angry and had every right. I shouldn’t have tried to jump into business that wasn’t mine.”

  “Nah, it’s never okay for a man to speak to a woman the way that I just spoke to you. I apologize for the way that I spoke to you and it will never happen again,” he stared me right in my eyes as he said each word. Chills made their way up my spine with the intense stare we engaged in.

  He poured some dark liquor into a glass and took it back, then poured another and did the same. “She’s really a good kid that made a mistake.”

  “A stupid mistake. She can’t go to Princeton with no damn baby,” he vented more to himself than me. With Kiss’s grades, she could very well get into any Ivy League school that she wanted to.

  “Don’t limit your child or speak doubt into her life. Why can’t she go to college? Because she’s pregnant? More than anything, she’s going to need you and your support. That girl is scared and has to battle this alone.”

  I could tell he was letting what I had just said marinate before he spoke. Even if he didn’t say anything, I felt good that I had said what needed to be said. Sure, it would be ten times harder for Kiss to be a parent and go to college, still, that didn’t mean that she couldn’t get it done. There were plenty of single teenage mothers that got shit done, despite having a baby that depended on them.

  “Don’t speak doubt into your child’s life,” he repeated. “I like that.” He had finally smiled for the first time since Kiss lifted her shirt up.

  Kiss came back downstairs with a packed duffle bag in her hand. “She hasn’t received any medical attention, so you may want to call your physician and get her seen,” I warned him.

  As much as I wanted to tell him about Kiss having sex in the gym, right now wasn’t the time to add more shit onto his plate. He flipped with her revealing her pregnancy, he might slap the taste out of her mouth if I told him what I had caught her doing earlier.

  “I’ll get on that right now.”

  “Don’t feel bad. She’s a scared pregnant teen. Tonight, she can sleep in my guest bedroom and tomorrow you can come pick her up,” I assured him.

  If Kiss stayed here all night, I could tell that they would spend the entire night arguing. Right now, that wasn’t what she needed. They both needed a night to gain a clear head and then tackle this in the morning.

  “Kiss, I love you,” Priest pulled her into a hug, and she allowed him to hug her. I could tell she was still processing this and trying to make sense of her secret being out in the open.

  “Have a good night,” I smiled and opened the front door. “Kiss, come on,” I called to her as we headed to the car.

  The ride to my apartment was quiet and I could tell she had a million thoughts flying through her head. I continued to hum along to the music that played through my Pandora account. I pulled into my assigned parking spot and grabbed my bags out from the back. Kiss followed behind me clutching her purse.

  “It’s not your house, but it’s not that bad,” I laughed.

  Me and Todd shared a small two-bedroom apartment in South Beach. An old woman and man used to own it before someone bought it and converted the two-family home into four apartments. I was so excited when I found the apartment in a decent area. South Beach projects was two blocks away, but for the most part I loved where I lived. When I first moved in, Freedom came and decorated my entire place as an housewarming gift. When I closed my front door at the end of the day I loved being in the comfort of my own home. Well, that is until Todd came in bringing down the energy of the apartment. His car wasn’t parked outside, so I knew he had to have gone to work. I silently thank God that he wasn’t here, and Kiss didn’t have to meet him. He would be gone on a 72-hour tour.

  “Your apartment is gorgeous!” Kiss exclaimed soon as I let us into the apartment. “Is lavender your favorite color?”

  “It is,” I replied as I looked through the mail sitting on the counter. Nothing but bill after bill was in the mail. “Make yourself at home. Can I offer you something to drink?” I asked her.

  “No, I’m fine. Just tired and my feet hurt.” She took a pair of Gucci sneakers off and placed them neatly beside my coffee table.

  “Have you felt your baby kick yet?”

  “Yes, a bunch of times. I think it’s a girl.”

  “Well, your uncle will make an appointment and you can find out if you’re actually carrying a baby girl.” I smiled weakly. “I know you’re probably tired… you can go lay down in the guestroom and I’ll run to the grocery store and make us some dinner.”

  “Thank you.” I showed her to the bedroom; she sat on the bed and stared at me. “You live here alone?”

  “No, I live with my boyfriend.”

  “Aren’t you too old to have a boyfriend? Shouldn’t you be married with some kids or something?”

  “I’m twenty-eight and trust I’ve been there and done that,” I sighed. “Get some rest and stop calling people old. The years will fly by quick, especially with a baby.”

  The subject about kids always hit a soft spot with me. At twenty-eight years old I had the career, but also thought I’d be married and have children to come home to by now. It wasn’t like I hadn’t tried to have children, I had. The one time I got pregnant, I carried to five months and miscarried. The pain of having to abort a child that was nearly full term sucked everything out of me.

  What hurt the most was that Todd blamed me because of my weight. He said that I couldn’t carry the baby to full term because of all the weight I had gained. Instead of consoling me, he accused me and made me feel like shit because of it. The sad part was that I never had the chance to tell my family about the pregnancy. I closed the bathroom door, washed my face, and then went to change clothes to head to the grocery store.

  I heard banging and jumped out of my sleep. Jumping out the bed, I grabbed my robe and opened my bedroom door. Kiss peeked out the creek of the guest bedroom door with a worried expression on her face. I eased my way up to the front door and looked through the peep hole. I calmed down when I realized that it was just Todd causing a commotion because he forgot his key.

  “Go on back to sleep, Kiss. It’s my b
oyfriend,” I told her.

  “Dang, he messing with my beauty sleep and stuff,” she yawned and closed the room door back.

  I unlocked and opened the door for Todd. He charged in, not bothering to thank me for getting out of the bed on Sunday morning to let him. “It take you that long to come open the door?”

  “I was asleep, Todd. Why are you here?”

  “I forgot my boots,” he replied. “Why you didn’t answer your phone last night, I called?” He had the nerve to ask.

  I was so tired of him asking questions about why I didn’t do stuff, yet when I asked him, he never wanted to answer my questions. “I was tired and had a long day. Keep it down, babe. I have my student staying over.”

  “Student? Why the fuck is your student staying over?” he questioned as I headed back to the bedroom. I just wanted to climb back in bed and be grateful that I didn’t have to wake up early.

  I sighed. “It’s too long of a story.”

  “I want to fucking know.”

  “She’s pregnant and it was an issue with she and her uncle. I’m just helping her out. Her mom is dead, and she needs someone, you know?” I yawned and climbed back into the bed.

  “When the fuck did we start running a shelter? You need to start minding your fucking business. She’s pregnant, so what?” he lectured me like he always did. I watched as he grabbed his boots and some T-shirts out of the closet.

  “What did you expect me to do? She’s a child that needs a woman’s guidance.”

  “And what guidance are you going to give her? You couldn’t even bring your own baby into the world, how the fuck you gonna help her with hers?”

  “Wow, Todd. That was real hurtful to say. You know I feel about the baby we lost,” I said, barely above a whisper.

  Even with me whispering it, he still heard me loud and clear. “And? How you think it makes me feel when I have to tell my mama we’re working on a baby. It’s a lot to do with your damn weight. I read that shit somewhere,” he reminded me of my weight again. “And stop having company without asking me first. I live here too,” he made sure to add. I wasn’t so sure he lived here. He was gone when he was working or out with his friend, so he was never home. Then, I never received any rent from him when the first of the month came.