by Ni'cola
“How can I help you,” the lady asked, appearing disgruntled.
“Hello,” I said slowly. “Are you Christine?’
Hesitantly, she paused before glaring up at me.
“Do I know you?” she asked, her body language changing to hostile.
“No, you do not know me, but you do know my husband, James,” I replied matter of factly.
“Husband?” The look of total shock spread over her entire face.
“Yes ma’am. May we talk inside?” I said, shifting my weight from one side to the other.
I didn’t feel too comfortable standing at the door, especially not with the news I was about to deliver.
“No, we may not!” she said. “My grandbaby is lying down, and I do not want her exposed to too many folks with this virus going around.”
“Oh my God! There really is a baby! Is Harper her mother?” I asked.
The mention of her daughter’s name made Christine’s face turn beet red.
“Where the fuck is James? And how do you know about my daughter and granddaughter?” she asked.
I handed her the envelope and tried my hardest to not explode.
You bitch! I wanted to scream in her face, but I was doing my best to keep my composure. It was her fault that my husband was never home with his family. I was standing there, justifying myself to this trailer trash ass bitch! It was her fault that my life was crumbling around me, including my finances.
Slowly, she opened the envelope and pulled out the pile of papers that were inside. She started with her NV Energy bill, followed by James’ death certificate, pictures of Harper, and some printouts of text messages.
“James is dead?” she exclaimed, grasping her throat. “What happened? When! Where!”
She stepped back and opened the door all the way, finally letting me in. Following her, I closed the door behind me. The living room appeared dark and damp.
There, asleep on the couch, nestled in a blanket with a pillow beside her to prevent her from falling to the ground was the chunkiest baby I had ever seen.
Even in this dimly lit room, I could see how beautiful she was!
Christine was leaned against the wall, lost in the documents. I sat down in the chair next to the baby and just stared at her. Even in her sleep, she looked just like the girl in those pictures – red skin, hair, and all. If everything was true, she was my son’s sister. I still debated with myself about if I was ever going to tell him.
“James died in a car accident. He was on his way to take you to the hospital when Harper was in labor, according to those text messages,” I said.
“That long ago? No wonder he didn’t call anymore! I thought it was because I told him that I knew what he did,” Christine responded.
Silently, I nodded my head, yes.
“Did you get to the notes I printed?” Quickly, she started fumbling through the documents.
“Did you know the notes from an iPhone could be pulled up in your email? That’s how I found all the information out about Harper. According to his notes, he was high one night and thought your daughter was me. According to him, there was a sexual encounter between the two of them.” I stated all of this slowly. It was so hard spouting these words out loud, but it had to be said. “According to his notes, he didn’t intentionally rape her. He was hallucinating and thought he was having sex with me. Since it happened, it had been driving him crazy up until the day he died.”
I told her everything I knew or had found out that pertained to her and her daughter. When I got to the part about how James had a life insurance policy on the side for Harper, Christine was in utter shock!
My husband loved that little girl all up until the day he died and wanted the best for her. It took me months to be able to do this. After going through all of the pictures and notes in his phone, I learned that he didn’t really care about Christine. It was his infatuation with this little girl that kept him around. If he could have had it his way, he would have brought her home to us a long time ago, but sometimes, life was not that easy.
I stood abruptly. I had been there long enough. I needed to get out of there. I was watching Christine cry and couldn’t help myself from constantly staring at that baby. It all made me want to cry too, and the walls felt as if they were closing in around me.
“The last page of that packet is the information for Harper’s life insurance. She can cash it out once she turns 21. The card attached is his lawyer’s. Contact him for more information.”
I didn’t give her a chance to say anything else to me. I quickly opened the front door and left.
It took all of me to go to that woman’s home, but now that I’ve done it, maybe my mind could relax. Finally, maybe I could get some rest and find some peace of my own.
Clyde
“See, man! Look at her. Shorty is bad!” I said.
Stone and I were sitting in my office, sipping on cognac. I sent him the link, but he said he couldn’t open it. He had said something about not having a digital footprint if something happens.
I had been a fan of Red SunShyne for a few weeks now, and I had to admit baby girl was very entertaining. We sat online for hours, and she would act out scenes that the highest bidder requested. Not only was she beautiful, but Red prided herself on being a good listener and true to her word. For every fan I referred to her, she did whatever I asked for free. I even knocked down the balance her mother owed.
Stone was a friend of mine that used to move major drugs all over Vegas. He had since graduated from pushing pills to pushing girls, the younger, and the better. I figured being in the business he was in, he had a bunch of cliental he could refer to Red. Maybe he could get a sweet deal like she gave me.
I knew that she was older than he liked. His girls usually started around the age of eleven or twelve, but it didn’t hurt to ask. I was running out of folks to share her with and was starting to get desperate.
I looked across the table, trying to read Stone’s face, but he was expressionless and cold. When we were young, they nicknamed him “Stone Cold” because no matter what was going on, he never showed any emotion.
“What do you think?” I asked, lighting my cigar. “Do you think you got any folks that may like her? If so, I have a referral code for them to use to see her at a discounted price.”
I left out the part about how she could track that the referral came from me. You can never tell dudes everything because they could in turn cut me out of the deal. He could have her set him up with his own code. In the streets, you had to think it all the way through and be smarter than the average bear.
Stone finished off his drink with one gulp. He stood up, dapping my elbow with his.
“Send that link to Denise, so she can set up the account for me. Once she is done, I’ll be in touch. Thanks, man. Good looking out.”
Once he was gone, I couldn’t stop smiling! Now that Stone was onboard, I’d never have to pay. I smiled as if I had just won the lottery and took another sip of my drink.
Christine
Christine. I am sorry that I hurt your daughter. I am so sorry.
When I woke up from my dream, my body was shaking. Ever since James’ wife came by, I couldn’t stop thinking and dreaming about him. I assumed that he was not contacting me because I stood up to him, had showed him my power. Now, I knew the truth. James had died trying to right the wrongs he had caused my family, and it haunted me every night.
I got out of bed and headed downstairs to grab a bottle of water. Usually, I had a hard time keeping my fucking mouth shut, but I didn’t tell Harper anything.
She knew too damn much because of me and my big mouth. I told her everything. She had to grow up so much faster because of my choices and mistakes. I hated it. Harper knew when I was on drugs, and she knew when I was working the streets. Ever since the birth of Laura, I had been using her as motivation to be different. I know I fucked up with Harper, but maybe I could make up for it by how we raised this baby.
She was inn
ocent, and I wanted to keep her like that. It wasn’t until I laid my eyes on my beautiful grandbaby that I realized why my daddy felt the way he did about Harper. He was trying to right his wrongs and correct the shortcomings he had had with me through Harper. That was totally what I wanted to do with Laura. She was not going to know any of my issues, unless it was in a teaching situation. This baby is going to make it.
I walked past Harper’s room and heard voices coming through the door. I froze.
“You like that, Daddy?” I heard my daughter ask.
Who the hell is she talking too? I wondered. And with my grandbaby in there with her?
“Yes, Red, just like that!” I heard a grown man’s voice respond.
Does she have someone in there?
After years in the sex industry, I knew exactly what those words meant, and I would be damned if that girl was going to go down the same path I went down. She would not allow men to take advantage of her.
When I pushed the door open, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. The baby was fast asleep in her bassinet next to the bed. Harper was standing in front of a laptop, playing with herself. There was a man, who appeared to be older than me on the screen, coaching her and jacking off.
Where the hell did this laptop even come from? And how was she able to be on the internet? We don’t have Wi-Fi!
The pair were so wrapped up in each other, they didn’t realize that I was standing there. It didn’t take long for the dude to please himself and ejaculate all over the place.
“Oh, Red! I needed that baby,” he replied, hooping and heaving.
“I am glad she was able to assist!” I said, startling the pair.
“Twan, I –I am going to call you back. My nanny just got here. See you later,” Harper said, slamming the laptop shut.
“Mamma! Why are you coming into my room without knocking?” she asked.
I stood in my spot still in disbelief. She had the nerve to holler at me. How did this happen? When did it happen? I thought. I knew that with everything that had happened to Harper this past year, she had become jaded and a little closed off. I thought it was just her adjustment to motherhood.
I knew that we were struggling, but I was doing the best I could, so that Harper wouldn’t have to do this! I wanted my daughter to meet a man who could make me feel something other than contempt or lust. I didn’t want her selling her pussy via video chat! I knew that the world was changing, but Harper was different. She was so much better than this!
“What did you just say to me?” I asked in a calm, but stern tone. “I don’t think I heard you correctly.”
Harper backed up towards the bed, never breaking my gaze.
She wrapped a robe around herself, and sat down next to the baby.
“I am making me some money, Mamma.” she responded matter-of-factly.
I moved to stand in front of her and placed my hands on my hips. “Girl! You know what I have been through to make some money? First, it starts off easy like this, but it always escalates to shit you can’t control! What about your future, Harper? What about Laura?”
Harper’s eyes pierced through me and responded in a cool, collected tone, “I am not you, Mamma.”
“I have been doing this for months now, Mamma, and these dudes love me. I have money saved up to buy me a car, so I can stop walking with Laura in her stroller. I have it all mapped out, Mamma. So, you are right. I am thinking of my future. One of my clients gave me this computer and paid for the mobile hotspot, so I wouldn’t have to work from my phone. He –”
“Wait, what? One of your clients? These dudes know where you live? Where you and your baby rest your heads?” I asked. I laugh4d out loud and started pacing.
“I am not crazy, Mamma. All of them don’t know where I live, only Stone. He is different, Mamma. He doesn’t want me to do this anymore, but if I am going to do it, he wanted to help me at least succeed. So, yeah, he came by here to drop off the computer and the hotspot. He is so beautiful, Mamma, and charming. Whenever we talk, he pays me to just listen. He cares about me, Mamma, for real.”
“Girl, you are dumb as hell!” I exclaimed. “Don’t nobody that you meet while selling pussy cares about you. They care about the service that you are providing, baby! Not you! How old is this clown, Harper? Why the hell would he want to save you? That fool is grooming you, dummy! You have a baby to think about, little girl, and I will be damned if you make the same mistakes I did. If you are going to stay here, you will be returning this laptop and get a real job. You are not going to be a HOE, HARPER! DO YOU HEAR ME?”
“I AM NOT A HOE, MAMMA! THAT IS YOU!” Harper pushed me so hard that I flew into the wall.
“I am not selling my pussy. I am selling a service. You are just jealous, Mamma, that no one wanted you! They only wanted your pussy!” he spat at me with her chest heaving.
“Stone told me that you would try to keep me from him. He said that you were jealous that I was different. He told me that you were the enemy, leaving me in jail and choosing James over me. He said that the only reason you were so happy to take care of Laura now is because she was James’ baby. It was something you were never able to give him no matter how hard you tried. He said that I shouldn’t even be fucking with you, all the while I constantly defended you. But he was right! You are jealous of me! Bitch, I am not you!” she yelled.
Harper grabbed her phone and called someone as she ran down the stairs.
“Yes, I am okay,” I heard her say. “You were right. Come get me. I can’t stay here anymore.”
Quickly, I grabbed Laura, clutching her to me with all my might. If Harper was going to leave, then so be it, but I would be damned if she took this baby with her.
Harper came back into the room and chuckled at me. She began gathering her things.
“You wanted a baby for James so badly, Mamma. You can have her. Stone told me you would try to hold her hostage. Hell! I shouldn’t be taking care of a baby that came from a man who raped me – your man at that. So, fuck James; fuck Laura; and Mamma, most of all, fuck you.”
Harper rushed out of the room with only a bag, that laptop, and her phone. She left me and the baby alone, never even kissing her good-bye.
Harper
I could feel the pounding of my heart beating in my ears as I sat on the curb, waiting for Stone to pick me up. I had been sitting there for well over two hours, trying to get my thoughts together about what exactly it was that I came to do. Part of me wanted to turn back around and go back into the house. I wanted to pick up my baby and lay with her, but I thought I went too far with Mamma.
Think. Think. Think girl! What if this dude doesn’t come to pick me up? Where am I going to go? What am I going to do?
Mamma had come to the door twice, hollering my name but I ignored her.
That was over an hour and a half ago. After all the bullshit I witnessed her go through with these creeps she called men, I had to stand my ground – pull up or shut up. I wanted her to hurt as much as I did. That lady had hurt me!
She had walked in on James raping me and never did anything to protect me. That was the last straw for me! Then, not only did she not protect me, she allowed me to go jail and left me there.
When she came to the hospital and apologized, I thought I was good, but deep down, I wasn’t. I just compartmentalized those feelings, like I did everything else. I was always making excuses for her.
That was until I found that envelope about James. I don’t know where she got the information from, but that lady didn’t even have the nerve to hide it! She just left it on her dresser in her room for the world to see. The worst part is that she could have gotten away with all of it if she had just left out Laura’s shot records for me, like I asked. She made a big deal of being the one to hold onto all of our important papers, and that was not the problem. I just wished she hid that envelope, like she did everything else.
After reading the contents of the envelope, I had mixed feelings. First, I was elated to see that
James was dead, but that elation went away once I read his printed text messages. He had written so many paragraphs about me. He talked about how he wished he could take me from Mamma, how he loved me so much. He said the only reason he stuck around was to protect me.
Those messages left me with mixed feelings. The entire time I knew James, I thought of him as my dad. He was caring and nurturing. He provided for me as best as he could. So, when he raped me...
MY GOD! I INSTANTLY HATED HIM!
It was wild to find out that he was the reason my mamma even came to the hospital when I had my baby and that he had confessed to her of what he did to me! According to Mamma, she was the reason he was no longer around. She just left out the part that she watched him rape me.
That was it. That was the icing on the cake for me. My mamma kept getting chances on top of chances to make things better with me, but she didn’t care.
Stone was right. When I had Laura, it made her feel like she was on top of the world because she had a piece of James. After I read those messages, I couldn’t even lie. I started looking at Laura differently. I started having this uncomfortable feeling of jealousy for my own daughter. My mamma never took her time with me, but she was the best grandma in the world to Laura.
At first, I was confident that it was because Laura gave her a second chance with me, but after talking it out with Stone, he gave me another perspective. I even gave mamma an opportunity tonight to apologize for James and the policy I found, but she didn’t say anything about it! She just sat hopped up, making sure she grabbed that baby. Well, since Mamma loved Laura so much, she could have her!
I was going to prove everyone wrong! I was going to show everybody that I was worth something. I WAS GOING TO BE THE TRIUMPHANT ONE! I was going to be the one to have my cake and eat it too.
“I heard somebody needs a ride?” asked a voice.
Without even looking up, I smiled, knowing that I finally had a chance to escape. The sound of Stone’s music made me happy, as I gathered my things and stood up.