Twist of Faith

by Kelly A. Purcell

  5

  The Viper Strikes

  Sherry was sitting at the dining table writing furiously when Alex came home from school. Alex walked in and dropped her bag on a chair in the living room with more force than was necessary, but Sherry was too absorbed in whatever it is she was scribbling to acknowledge her. Alex walked by her and opened the refrigerator and stood there for about ten seconds, drumming her fingers on the door before she slammed it shut.

  Sherry jumped, “What happen to yuh now?” she asked in annoyance.

  “You need to shop.”

  She walked over to sit on the couch in the living room and picked up the remote.

  “Don’t even bother,” said her mother coming into the room.”

  Alex looked up at her, “not the T.V too,” she whined.

  Sherry shrugged, she picked up an envelope and shoved some money into it, folded the paper she was writing on and shoved both items into a larger one, Alex watched her with narrowed eyes.

  “Things real bad now child, since I stop work at the store... Alex sat up suddenly, “What? Did they fire you?” she asked angrily, ready to take up the case.

  “No they can’t fire me, I just leave,” Sherry replied with a toss of her weave.

  “You what!” Alex exclaimed, she slapped her forehead with the palm of her hand and fell back against the cushions.

  Sherry got up and joined her on the couch, “well yes, I don’t like working there nuh, the place small and hot and on top of that I could not have understand what them Syrian and them does be saying…”

  “But mom you only started working there last month, Ms. Bryan went out of her way to get you that job.”

  “Yes well I don’t like it, Miss Bryan self is a ole hypocrite yes, I don’t know why I even let she help me in the first place.”

  Alex rolled her eyes, why did her mother have to be so proud and difficult? This all felt familiar and it was not merely a feeling of déjà vu, because this did happen before, several times before to be exact.

  “So what now, you don t have more to say. All the talk you like to talk, you get quiet now.

  Alex glanced up at Sherry from the corner of her eyes, rudely pouting her lips.

  “Watch fix you face eh before a fix it with a slap,” Sherry warned, her eyes slanted at her daughter.

  Alex exhaled and shook her head, “So what are you going to do about it? Are we supposed to starve until you get a job or are you just gonna find some poor guy to feel obliged to do it all for you?”

  That was all it took. Without another second to waste Sherry’s palm was against Alex’s face – the impact of it turned her head to the other side, and knocked her teeth together; her head felt like it was a bell tower.

  “You don’t have no respect eh, I warn you already Alexis,” she shook a finger at Alex’s still turned face, got up and walked away.

  Alex remained frozen, until she heard Sherry’s bedroom door shut and the click of the lock. Then she let out the breath she was holding, feeling the lump in her throat and the hot sting of the slap on her cheek. She clenched her jaw as she felt the low grumble in her stomach, her mind went back to Nicka’s left over chicken sandwich that she d turned down after school, and she groaned. Maybe it was okay to feel sorry for herself this time.

  Sunday morning Alex woke up at about a quarter to eight, she looked over at her glow in the dark watch on the box beside her bed, next to the framed photo of her and her father, both perpetually beaming like there wasn’t a worry in the world. She got up and went out to the kitchen, hoping that by some miracle she could whisk up something to eat. All she’d had to sustain her since Friday was a box of fruit loops and a loaf of bread that Michael had tossed on her bed. She had not seen him since but no one else seemed to notice.

  As she lifted her hand to open the overhead cupboard, she heard a crashing sound coming from inside the bathroom.

  The bathroom door was ajar and Alex could hear the low muffled groaning inside; she pushed it open and stepped in. Her mother hunched over her knees at the foot of the face basin, the plastic cabinet scattered on the floor. She turned a pale face towards Alex.

  “What’s wrong with you?” Alex asked, moving closer to her.

  Seeing her mother like that frightened her, which was surprising, considering she was still mad about the slap and Sherry’s irresponsibility. They never had much of a relationship in the first place, not since that faithful moment in their past. So why was there this uneasy feeling in her stomach? She stooped down next to her mother and touched her shoulder as gently as she could.

  Sherry did not respond, instead she was shaking her head slowly; Alex persisted.

  “Did you eat something bad? What can I get you?”

  Sherry took a moment to catch her breath, when she looked up at her, beads of sweat were tumbling down her forehead and her lips were pale and parched looking.

  “Gosh child,” Sherry said hoarsely, “I think me sugar high...” and she reached up and gripped the edge of the sink, lowering her head and shutting her eyes tightly.

  Sherry was diabetic, and as she’d reminded Alex on several occasions, it was Alex who’d almost killed her with it when she was giving birth. Alex had never seen her this sick, she linked this to the lack of supplies in the house, along with Sherry’s careless diet; it was so easy to forget that she was.

  “Where’s your medicine? Did you take it?” Alex asked, as she led her by the arm to sit on the edge of the shower wall.

  Sherry shook her head, “Oh gosh, stop asking me all this question nuh... water ah want,” she looked up at Alex pleadingly. Alex could understand why Sherry hated how sickness made her dependant.

  “I’ll be right back.”

  Alex returned with a glass of water and handed it to her; Sherry took it with trembling hands and after tossing back some pills, drank it thirstily. She then handed the empty glass back to her and stretched out her arm toward her so Alex could help her to her feet.

  “I good,” said Sherry hoarsely, “Just take me to me room,” she instructed.

  Sherry wasn’t right, because by evening she was worse and to Alex’s surprise a shiny blue Sedan pulled up in the yard and Ryan marched up to the door.

  “Where is she?” he asked boldly stepping through the front door.

  “Bedroom,” Alex replied.

  He knew exactly where Sherry’s room was.

  “Where are you going with her?” Alex demanded, when he emerged with Sherry leaning on him.

  “To the hospital.”

  “Now?

  He turned and glared at her, “yes now, are you coming?”

  Alex looked over at Michael with a panicked look, he shrugged.

  “Don’t look at me, I’m scared of hospitals.”

  Alex bit her bottom lip and wrung her hands, watching as Ryan helped Sherry out the door, and with a decisive toss of her head, hurried out after them.

  As Alex had suspected, Sherry’s had lost control of her blood sugar as a result of her unhealthy diet. She stood silently in the corner of the room, watching Ryan lean over Sherry, gently scolding her for her carelessness. He was quite distraught over her sickness and hadn’t left her side since they’d arrived, but Alex was wary of all of them.

  She’d learned the hard way how true traits were often hidden until they found an outlet to be revealed, that outlet was usually her. She shoved her hand in the pocket of her jeans and sighed, in her hurry she’d forgotten to take the flick knife. Since Antonio, she’d never left home without it, she even had it on her at school, where it was against the rules and where she was an officer assigned to uphold the rules. But she’d grown to understand the importance of exceptions.

  “Sherry darling, you gave me a scare there...” Ryan was saying.

  Sherry smiled up at him weakly, “I’m fine,” she whispered.

  He shook his head and leaned down to kiss her fore head, “you have to
be more careful, if you’re so diabetic you need to ensure you’re always eating right. I don’t know how you intend to do that with no job, why didn’t you tell me how bad things were at home Baby…”

  Alex flinched, how did he know about that? Maybe they were more serious than she thought. She leaned in closer but didn’t say a word, it seemed they had forgotten she was there.

  “I’ll get a job soon Ryan, as soon as I get out of here...”

  “Nonsense,” he interrupted, frowning down at her, “Darling, I know this is kind of soon but... move in with me?”

  Sherry looked up at him with wide eyes and Alex gasped, but they couldn’t hear her above the wailing patient behind the curtain.

  He lifted her hand and kissed it, “It’s the perfect arrangement, we’ll be able to see each other all the time, and I’ll be able to ensure that you eat right and stay healthy,” he explained excitedly.

  “Oh Ry, you know if it was just us I would say yes real quick – but I have children...”

  “It doesn’t matter Sher, I have children too.”

  Alex’s eyes grew even wider now.

  “Mike and Nikki are old enough to be on their own,” he continued, “and if Nikki is such a trouble to you it might be wise to separate yourself from her, and Alex – well Alex just doesn’t have a choice in the matter, then again she’ll be fine with it. What teenager wouldn’t want to move out of that shack of yours.”

  Sherry laughed weakly, “Ryan you really don’t know Alex, she stubborn just like she father. She would always give me a hard time you know”

  “Am not worried about Alex babe, if this is what you want it’s up to you, not her,” Sherry sighed and leaned back against the pillows, “I’ll talk to her.”

  “No Sherry, you’ll tell her.”

 

  Alex eased behind the curtain into the hallway, a look of horror on her face. She stood in the midst of the fussing and hurried atmosphere and everything seemed to bend out of shape. In one moment one man could change the course of her entire life with one ridiculous proposal. Her only hope now was Sherry’s inability to commit. She pressed her hand against her tumultuous stomach and swallowed hard.

  “Hey, there you are!”

  She turned around to find a smiling Ryan looking at her.

  “They’re gonna keep your mom over night, so I better get you home,” he said, “Come on.”

  Alex just stared at him, he spoke and all she could hear was the hissing of a viper, the vicious growl of the pit bull that would tear her life apart, and all she wanted to do was scream at him.

  “Before I take you home I could take you out for a bite to eat,” he said when she finally fell into step with him.

  She shook her head, “no thanks,” she replied curtly.

  He looked at her quizzically, “okay... then let’s go pick up some groceries,” he persisted.

  “What makes you think I want anything from you,” she snapped, glaring at him.

  “Whatever then… brat,” he muttered and stomped out ahead of her.

 

  The next day Alex went to school with a serious belly ache, she linked it to the strange tasting porridge her neighbour had so willingly offered. If she did not get something satisfying to eat soon she felt she would most definitely collapse.

  Nicka took care of her though, she had carried a thermos of hot chocolate just for Alex and made sure to bring extra lunch.

  “Maybe you should come live with me for a while, my mother wouldn’t let you leave without putting some fat on them bones,” Nicka crooned, topping it off with a dramatically evil chuckle.

  Alex smiled “It’s a thought, only my mother would kick up a storm. For a lady who is hardly ever home she sure does mind when we aren’t.”

  They were sitting outside the class on a bench that was used for eating, writing up some lab work they had due the following day. They were silent for a moment each absorbed in their work, until Nicka started to chuckle to herself. Alex looked up at her quizzically.

  “What’s so funny?” she asked.

  “I still can’t get over Mr. Thomas and your mother!”

  Alex chuckled, “it is kinda ridiculous huh?

  “Do you think she might really be interested?” Nicka asked.

  Alex shrugged “if it were some other time, I think she might’ve considered it. But mom has always been monogamous and right now she’s seeing this guy who’s supposed to be a real something.”

  “Is he cute? I know your mom has good taste” Nicka winked mischievously and Alex turned up her lips in disgust.

  “That is all you ever think about.”

  Nicka shrugged, “Is there anything else?” she opened her eyes wide, appearing more serious than she was.

  “Apparently not,” Alex replied.

  They giggled at their own foolishness.

  “Oh yeah, what did your mom say about the science scholarship?” Nicka asked, her eyes still trained on her book.

  Alex shrugged, “what I knew she’d say. No, we don’t have money for registration and she’s not sending me off to some white man school so far from home.”

  Nicka sighed in exasperation, shaking her head from side to side, “You know I really don’t get your mother at all and how can she be so racist, you’re half white! How do you do it? Why are you not crazy?”

  “Because...” Alex lifted her head and stared at the wall adjacent to them, “as William Arthur Ward puts it, we can throw stones, complain about them, stumble on them, climb over them, or build with them,” she turned to face her friend.

  “In other words Nicka, there are many ways to deal with a problem, and I’ve decided that going crazy isn’t going to be one of them, so help me God.”

  Nicka started to make a face but found herself nodding. Choosing, this one time not to make fun of her friend’s over achieving outlook on life.

  When Alex got home that evening, the first thing she did was to go into the kitchen and open the refrigerator, a ritual she had developed since she knew there was none.

  “Oh my God!” she exclaimed with a broad smile. Feeling like a lost soul who’d found water in the middle of the desert.

  “You’re welcome,” came the low rumble of the voice she’d decided to despise.

  Ryan was standing near the dining table with his hands shoved deep in his pocket, an overconfident smile splitting his face.

  “Mr. Hubbard – I mean uh Ryan,” she shifted her weight uncomfortably; “You bought the groceries?”

  Ryan shrugged “I take care of my woman,” he smiled again.

  Alex narrowed her eyes; she couldn’t decide whether she should be grateful or disturbed. No matter how often she had seen it done, it never failed to amaze her how quickly her mother could get a man to provide for her. Sherry could very well be the Grenadian version of a Geisha.

  “Thanks... I think,” Alex said abruptly and walked past him.

  Ryan appeared to be a well off guy, the way he dressed, talked, walked; what he drove, everything about him said money. Alex was no car expert but she did not need to be, to notice that the new expensive looking car, parked out front was a completely different one to the one he had the day before.

  “So how’s school going Lexi?” he asked trailing after her as she walked to the couch.

  “School’s okay,” she replied uneasily. She wished he wouldn’t follow her so and what did he just call her? No one had ever associated that short version of her name to her.

  She plopped down onto the couch and reached for the remote, as she did so she remembered her conversation with Nicka. She turned to look at him, taking in his features.

  He was a broad shouldered man, with dark brown skin and big dark eyes on a chiselled face. He was not very handsome but he had this sureness about him that she was sure made up for all his physical shortcomings.

  “So what form are you in now?” he asked, settling down bes
ide her on the couch.

  “Fifth,” she replied.

  “Wow, so you’re heading into exams soon then. Next year is it?”

  Alex nodded, “yup, starting in May,” she replied.

  “Well don’t you worry, things are gonna start to look up around here.”

  “I know what you’re trying to do Ryan,” she looked over at him, “it’s not gonna work,” she said, as she switched on the television, completely shutting him out. She did not mean to be rude but groceries or no, she had pledged not to fraternize with her mother’s boyfriends.