by Ni'cola
“Well, as much as I love to hear a parent has been getting better, sometimes, they did too little, and their responses were too late for how far gone they pushed their kids,” II responded sarcastically.
I caught my tone and apologized for being rude.
“Thank you so much for the information” I said to her. “I am just frustrated by the entire situation. Her mom is not the only one to blame. There are a lot of folks who dropped the ball in regard to this child... including me. I am going to book a flight to come out there in the morning. At least we found her!”
I texted my daughter, Diamond, and gave her a brief explanation of what was going on. I told her I would have to come down to visit her the following weekend and canceled our plans.
I rushed around my house, pulling on a pair of jeans and a “God is Dope” sweatshirt. I threw some things in a duffel bag and mentally prepared myself.
My shoulders heaved when I finally sat down at my desk to find a flight.
“Dear Lord in heaven, please watch over Harper,” I whispered a quick prayer as I looked for flights.
Epilogue
Buzzzzzzz. The alarm rang out as my cell door opened up. I placed my hands behind my back and waited until the guard nodded her approval for me to step out.
“You have a visitor,” the officer informed, nudging for me to move.
Mamma had been here every week with Laura. She was actually being a great support system, trying to convince me that everything was going to be okay. This time, however, it was different. I was being charged with third degree murder as an adult and the sentencing had a minimum of 20 years!
Where does that leave me with Laura? I wondered almost every night. Does that leave her with my mamma? Will this case make my mamma relapse? Will my daughter even know me or care to know me once I’m released?
There were so many things running through my head every night as I laid in bed. Once I got to the visitation room, I was shocked to see who was sitting there. It was Ms. Ni’cola!
I had started ignoring her calls when I moved back in with my mamma. I knew she wouldn’t understand my decisions. My life was complicated. I was too ashamed to tell her that even though she did so much for me to get out and start my life over again, I went back to my mom.
If she knew that I was here, she knew about the charges. How was I going to explain all of this to her? How would I make her understand that I was not a bad person?
“Peace, Queen!” she said softly and smiled at me. “How are you doing?”
Her smile was the same, but her eyes looked tired.
“Pumpkin, I’ve been looking all over for you,” she said. “I kept calling you. I thought you had me blocked. You stopped posting on social media. Did I do something to upset you? What happened, Harper?”
Just like always, Ms. Ni’cola’s voice was so soothing and caring. I sat there for only a second, rocking back and forth. I crossed and uncrossed my arms in front of me.
I took in a deep breath and just let it all out. I told her everything. Never interrupting, she listened silently with tears streaming down her face.
Once I finished, I sighed and looked her dead in the eyes. “Now that I’ve told you everything, Ms. Ni’cola, can you tell me this?”
I sat up straight in the chair and she nodded at me. “Of course,” she replied. “You can ask me anything.”
Barely over a whisper, I asked, “What was I supposed to do?”
Meet Ni’cola Mitchell
L’Oréal Paris 2019 Women of worth Ni’cola Mitchell, Founder of Girls Who Brunch Tour, is a
Best-Selling Author who made the Forbes List as a Change Maker in 2019 and Black Enterprise 2015 as one of the 5-Follow Worthy Bloggers to Watch. Through her independent publishing company NCM Books, Ni’cola published numerous titles which have been featured on various best-selling lists throughout the country. Much of her work revolves around complex relationship issues and Mitchell’s compulsive desire to see women overcome challenges.
Ni’cola is the owner of Strategic Connections Plus a start-up business consulting firm that facilitates the growth of small business. She has penned 17 novels, published 125 titles, and has helped over 1k authors and independent publishers publish their books successfully.
Ni’cola has also received the 2020 George H. W. Bush’s Daily Points of Light Award and the 2020 Civility for the Girl Child Initiative Honoree. As a victim of domestic violence, Ni’cola Mitchell understood first-hand how at-risk youth are significantly less likely to successfully transition into adulthood due to a lack of resources and opportunity. Her own past led her to create Girls Who Brunch, a non-profit that combats this cultural epidemic by addressing low-income communities, and sponsoring girls in foster care, as well as sex trade victims and teen mothers.
Through mentorship, workshops, STEAM training, and panel facilitations, Girls Who Brunch teaches different ways of thinking that ultimately enables at-risk girls to succeed and flourish. Through her work with Girls Who Brunch, she has positively impacted and equipped over 25K girls nationwide on ground and virtually.
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Top 5 National Resources for Girls
Suicide Prevention https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
Stop Bulling
https://www.stopbullying.gov
Pregnancy Assistance
https://optionline.org/
Rape and sexual abuse Hotline
https://www.rainn.org/
Human Trafficking Prevention
https://humantraffickinghotline.org/