Last Bitch Standing

by Deja King

  "Genesis, I've been strong all my life. I didn't have a choice, if only to avoid becoming a statistic. The life I was born into was one where being nothing was expected. When I married Supreme and had Aaliyah, she was supposed to have everything I was denied growing up: a loving father, beautiful home, and a mother who protected her. I got the first two right, but I've failed miserably with the last one."

  "Precious, this isn't your fault. You had no control over what Maya did, or that girl who was driving the car Aaliyah was in."

  "Then why do I feel responsible?"

  "Because you're a mother, and that's your child. It's called `love' and it's the most powerful tool we have as parents. So, hold onto that love and use it to fight for Aaliyah. It's easy to give into the pain and feel defeated, but for the sake of your daughter and husband, don't do it."

  As I soaked in Genesis' words of wisdom. We both jumped in shock due to the loud interruption, courtesy of Supreme and Nico. They were having a heated exchange, which had escalated to a shoving match, and then Supreme threw a punch that landed on Nico's upper right jaw, and Nico returned the favor.

  "Would the two of you stop!" I belted, pissed the fuck off that they would behave like immature little boys on the playground in the middle of such a major crisis.

  Before shit got any further out of hand, Genesis was able to break them apart. "Nico, chill. This ain't the time or place for this bullshit." Genesis pulled Nico away, taking him to the other side of the waiting area.

  "Supreme, our daughter is in there fighting for her life, and you want to fight with Nico! What the hell is wrong with you?"

  "He shouldn't be here! I'm sick and tired that every time I turn around this motherfucker wants to be up in your face."

  "That's not what's going on right now. He was there when the accident happened. Of course he's gonna want to make sure that Aaliyah is okay, just like Genesis. I understand the two of you don't like each other, but I don't need this shit right now, and neither does Aaliyah. She needs all of our prayers while she's in surgery fighting for her life."

  "I know, baby. I'm sorry," Supreme said, embracing me tightly as I closed my eyes, giving in to the calmness of the moment. I felt so safe in his arms, as if he could protect me from anything.

  That moment of calmness didn't last long, because when I opened my eyes I saw Quentin Jacobs walk in. I broke free from Supreme to confront him. "What the hell are you doing here? You need to leave, now!"

  "Precious!" Genesis stated in a hardened tone as if he knew he was my voice of reason.

  "I wanted to see how my daughter and granddaughter were doing."

  When those words came out of Quentin's mouth, it made me want to vomit. "Why don't you go check on Maya? She's the only daughter that needs you!"

  "You're also my daughter. You both need me."

  "I can't take anymore of this Maury Povich bullshit! This is public property. If you want to stay in this hospital, so be it. But stay the hell away from me and my family."

  "I'll respect your wishes, but here, please take this." Quentin extended an envelope to me.

  "I don't want nothing from you."

  "It's not from me. It's a letter Ms. Duncan left for you. Ricky said you never came by to pick it up, and he wanted to give it to you."

  I snatched the envelope from Quentin and stormed off with Supreme, refusing to bring any added stress on myself. I had to stay strong and focused for Aaliyah. I would figure out how to deal with Quentin Jacobs after Supreme and I got over this hurdle with our daughter.

  When I sat down, I thought back to the funeral and Ricky telling me that Ms. Duncan had left something for me. Nico and I had to rush back to Philly, so I never had a chance to stop by her house and pick it up. With so much drama going on, I had honestly forgotten. I opened the envelope to what were the last words Ms. Duncan wanted me to hear from her.

  Dear Precious:

  As you read this letter, please know that I'm now at peace and in a better place. When I found out I had cancer, I cried every day and night for over a reek. The doctor told me it was too late to get any treatment, and that I )rasgoing to die. Those words cut me like a knife. I didn't want to die. I felt like only in the last couple of years I had truly began to live and appreciate life, and to norm) have it taken from me was a heartbreaking reality. But once I prayed about it, had several conversations with God and accepted it, I then began a new journey in my life. I wanted to free myself of secrets that had been so heavy in my heart. And that's why I'm writing this letter to you.

  Precious, you know you were always special to me. As feisty as you leas, I could always see that sparkle in your eyes, a sweetness and gentleness that-you rarely revealed. I knew a lot of that had to do with all the struggles-Yon had to endure at such a young age. But youve grown to be such a beautiful woman, and I'm so proud of you. Please believe that.

  And now you have your own family, and you know how important it is for a child to have both their mother and father in their lives. I truly believe that a great deal of your pain came from never knowing who your father was. And that's why I ve decided to tellyou. I know you re grown non but I have to believe that the saying, `Better late than never" applies here.

  Your mother knew he was your daddy, but for her own personal reasons, she never wanted him or-Yon to knon Unfortunately, she's no longer here to answer any of those questions, but your father is very much alive. After reading this letter, if you decide you want him to be a part of your life, my brother, Kicky knows how to contact him. Your father is a man named 'Quentin Jacobs. If you ever want to understand who you are, talk to that man, because he is truly one of a kind, just like you.

  Love Always,

  Ms. Duncan

  Before I could even let myself go through the emotions of what I was feeling after reading Ms. Duncan's letter, I saw Dr. Katz approaching.

  "Mr. and Mrs. Mills," Dr. Katz said, keeping his voiced composed.

  "How is she?" both me and Supreme asked at the same time.

  "We were able to stabilize your daughter, but she's still in critical condition. Aaliyah has lost a massive amount of blood and is going to need a blood transfusion."

  I swallowed hard as my heart sank, realizing that even though the surgery went fine, Aaliyah wasn't in the clear yet. I saw Nico, Genesis and Quentin walk near us so they could hear what Dr. Katz was saying. Having Genesis and Nico by my side did seem to give me more strength, and I totally needed it.

  "So what's next, Doctor?" Supreme questioned.

  "I'm going to be very straight with you. African American Blacks in the United States have a disproportionately large number of individuals with rare blood types unique to race. Those who need a blood transfusion require an exact match of certain blood traits with their own, statistically, because these traits are inherited. A patient's most likely match is another family member. Unfortunately, over seventy-percent of African American Blacks can not find a blood type within their own family. The reason I gave you the long-winded background information on this is because not only does your daughter have those odds working against her, but she also has a rare blood type of AB-negative. Do either one of you know your blood type?"

  "I don't," I stated.

  "Neither do I," Supreme admitted too.

  "We can perform a test and get that information very quickly. But just in case neither one of you are a match, we've already begun searching our database, but I would recommend you contact any family members who might be a match. Your daughter's life depends on it."

  "Take the blood test, do whatever you have to do because my daughter will survive. I put that on everything I love," I promised...

  r C~~(!G~CGPi

  The Future

  Aaliyah

  "I-Ti!" I waved at the security guard as I entered the palatial estate. I then blew him a kiss and a flirtatious wink. I couldn't help myself, he was outrageously sexy. I knew the shit made him uncomfortable, because he knew my dad would have his ass even though he wasn't
doing anything wrong. It was all me. But my dad wouldn't care. In his eyes, his precious Aaliyah could do no wrong.

  I parked the new sports car my dad got me for my birthday behind one of his fleet of vehicles. He had the silver drop top specially designed to my liking, and I adored him for it. "Where is my daddy?" I asked one of the maids when I walked in.

  "He's in his office, Ms. Aaliayah."

  "Thanks, Maria. And would you prepare my lunch? I'll be eating outside by the pool."

  "Of course, Ms. Aaliayah."

  I gave her a gracious smile and hurried off to see my dad.

  "Daddy!" I started calling out before even making it down the hallway. I always did that. It was my way of preparing him for my arrival. When I got to his office, the door was open and he was sitting behind his desk, wrapping up a phone conversation.

  "There's my princess!" he said, coming from behind his desk to give me a hug. "How's your day been going?"

  "I went to the spa and got a manicure and pedicure. You know, the typical stuff I do during the summer when school is out. But I better enjoy it while I can, since school starts back in a couple of weeks. This summer flew by. Hold up, let me get that. It's Mom calling," I said, answering my cell. "Hey, Mother, what's going on?"

  "Just checking up on you. What are you doing?"

  "Standing here talking to Daddy."

  "Put your father on the phone. I need to ask him something."

  "Mom wants to speak to you," I said, handing him my cell.

  "Precious, how are you?"

  "Good, and you?"

  "Everything is going very well."

  "That's good to hear, but I wouldn't expect anything different."

  "So, what can I do for you?"

  "We're having a huge back to school party for Aaliyah and all her classmates, since it's her senior year. I wanted to see if you would be able to attend. You know how much she would enjoy that."

  "How would your husband feel?"

  "Nico, don't start. You know Supreme would want Aaliyah to be happy, and you being there would do that, so he's fine with it."

  "Just asking. Didn't want to ruin Aaliyah's party because Supreme would have a problem with me being there."

  "Must we have this conversation every time I speak with you? Supreme accepted years ago that you're Aaliyah's biological dad, but he is also a father to her too. So, I'll see you next month."

  "Precious, how are you really?"

  "Nico, I have to go."

  "You haven't answered my question."

  "We agreed not to do this anymore. And you wonder why Supreme has a problem with you. It has nothing to do with your relationship with Aaliyah, it's because he feels ivve re still in a relationship."

  "We are. It is called `co-parenting'."

  "Goodbye, Nico. Enjoy the rest of the summer with your daughter."

  "Mother didn't have anything else to say to me?" I questioned, taking my phone from my dad.

  "No, she had to take another call, but she said she'll call you back later on." Before I could find out why my mother ended her call so abruptly I got a pleasant surprise.

  "How's my favorite niece?"

  "Uncle Genesis, I didn't even know you were here!" I smiled, giving him a hug. "Did Amir come with you?"

  "Yes, he's out by the pool."

  "I have so much to talk to him about. I'll see you both later. Bye, Daddy. Bye, Uncle Genesis." I gave them my signature rich-girl-next-door smile, and rushed off to find Amir.

  Uncle Genesis was like an uncle to me, but Amir definitely wasn't like a cousin. He was way too stunning for me to ever put him in that category. He was the spitting image of his daddy, and every time I laid eyes on him, I was thankful we weren't related by blood, only by association. Unfortunately, Amir didn't see it that way. But I considered that to be a small obstacle, nothing to stress over too much. I mean, with every passing month I was blossoming more and more into a certified banger. There was only so much self-control any young, hormone crazy, boy could have. Eventually, I would catch Amir at a weak moment, and whisper the right thing in hs ear. Then, all that "we're cousins" shit would be out the window.

  "Amir, baby, what is up?" I greeted him, extra bubbly and interrupting him in the middle of some text message he was typing.

  "What's good with you?"

  "A whole lot. I have a proposition for you. Are you down for making a lot of money?"

  "Aaliyah, what are you talking about? We have money and a lot of it."

  "No, our fathers' have a lot of money. I think it's time we start making our own. Are you in or what?"

  "Like my father always says, when people come to him with a business proposition, speak... make me want to open my wallet."

  "Well, baby, I'm not asking you to open your wallet. You follow my rules, I guarantee you, I'ma put money in it."

  Once I gave Amir my signature rich-girl-next-door smile, I knew I would close the deal.

  O'ne

  z Xiller Is horn

  Philly, 1993

  "Please, Daquan, don't hit me again!" the young mother screamed, covering her face in defense mode. She hurriedly pushed herself away from her predator, sliding her body on the cold hardwood floor.

  "Bitch, get yo' ass back over here!" he barked, grabbing her matted black hair and dragging her into the kitchen. He reached for the hot skillet from the top of the oven, and you could hear the oil popping underneath the fried chicken his wife had been cooking right before he came home. "Didn't I tell you to have my food ready on the table when I came home?"

  "I... I... I was almost finished, but you came home early," Teresa stuttered, "Ouch!" she yelled as her neck damn near snapped when Daquan gripped her hair even tighter.

  "I don't want to hear your fuckin' excuses. That's what yo' problem is. You so damn hard headed and neva want to listen. But like they say, a hard head make fo' a soft ass. You gon' learn to listen to me."

  "Please, please, Daquan, don't do this! Let me finish frying your chicken and I'll never do this again. Your food will be ready and on the table everyday on time. I promise!"

  "I'm tired of hearing your damn excuses."

  "Bang!" was all you heard as the hot skillet came crashing down on Teresa's head. The hot oil splashed up in the air, and if Daquan hadn't moved forward and turned his head, his face would've been saturated with the grease.

  But Teresa wasn't so lucky, as the burning oil grazed her hands, as they were protecting her face and part of her thigh.

  After belting out in pain from the grease, she then noticed blood trickling down from the open gash on the side of her forehead. But it didn't stop there. Daquan then put the skillet down and began kicking Teresa in her ribs and back like she was a diseased infected dog that had just bitten him.

  "Yo', Pops, leave moms alone! Why you always got to do this? It ain't never no peace when you come in this house." Genesis stood in the kitchen entrance with his fists clenched and panting like a bull. He had grown sick and tired of watching his father beat his mother down almost every single day. At the age of eleven he had seen his mother receive more ass whippings than hugs or any indication of love.

  "Boy, who the fuck you talkin' to? You betta get yo' ass back in your room and stay the hell outta of grown people's business."

  "Genesis, listen to your father. I'll be alright. Now go back to your room," his mother pleaded.

  Genesis just stood there unable to move, watching his mother and feeling helpless. The blood was now covering her white nightgown and she was covering her midsection, obviously in pain trying to protect the baby that was growing inside of her. He was in a trance, not knowing what to do to make the madness stop. But he was quickly brought back to reality when he felt his jaw almost crack from the punch his father landed on the side of his face.

  "I ain't gon' tell you again. Get yo' ass back in your room! And don't come out until I tell you to! Now go!" Daquan didn't even wait to let his only son go back to his room. He immediately went over to Teresa and pick
ed up where he left off, punishing her body with punches and kicks. He seemed oblivious to the fact that not only was he killing her, but also he was killing his unborn child right before his son's eyes.

  A tear streamed down Genesis's face as he tried to reflect on one happy time he had with his dad, but he went blank. There were no happy times. From the first moment he could remember, his dad was a monster.

  All Genesis remembered starting from the age of three was the constant beat downs his mother endured for no reason. If his dad's clothes weren't ironed just right, then a blow to the face. If the volume of the television was too loud, then a jab here. And, God forbid, if the small, two-bedroom apartment in the drug-infested building they lived in wasn't spotless, a nuclear bomb would explode in the form of Daquan. But the crazy part was, no matter how clean their apartment was or how good the food was cooked and his clothes being ironed just right, it was never good enough. Daquan would bust in the door, drunk or high, full of anger, ready to take out all his frustration out on his wife. The dead end jobs, being broke, living in the drug infested and violent prone city of Philadelphia had turned the already troubled man into poison to his whole family.

  "Daddy, leave my mom alone," Genesis said in a calm, unemotional tone. Daquan kept striking Teresa as if he didn't hear his son. "I'm not gonna to tell you again. Leave my mom alone." This time Daquan heard his son's warning but seemed unfazed.

  "I guess that swollen jaw wasn't enough for you. You dying to get that ass beat." Daquan looked down at a now black and blue Teresa who seemed to be about to take her last breath. "You keep yo' ass right here, while I teach our son a lesson." Teresa reached her hand out with the little strength she had left trying to save her son. But she quickly realized it was too late. The sins of the parents had now falling upon their child.

  "Get away from my mother. I want you to leave and don't ever come back."