3
“Wow, I didn’t expect you to be cooking. You been holed up in that room since you moved in.” My aunt was ten years younger than my mother and ten years older than me. For a family of black sheep she’d been the darkest. My mother had been the first person in her family to go to college, and even after she got pregnant with me she still managed to graduate on time. She gave me a pretty good life without much input from her family, until she died. She made a point to keep them out of my life since most of my relatives had gone to “camp,” which was how they referred to prison life.
A couple of years ago my mother reconnected with her younger, wilder sister. Kim had been strung out on crack and worked at a strip club, and it wasn’t hard to figure out that she had done a lot more than that to support her habit. She too had spent time in camp, came back to Brooklyn, and started to repair the damage to her life. I knew it wasn’t easy but after my mom got sick Kim stepped up, taking care of both of us. She promised my mother than she would stay clean but I could tell it was hard, especially living so close to the crack infestation. She attended twelve-step meetings almost every day to keep her strong and sober.
“You get your homework done?” she grilled me. Even though she had never finished school she made it her mission to make sure I went to college. “Preston’s on his way over. You want anything from the store?” she asked me, being sweet.
Ugh! If there was one thing I hated more than living in the projects it had to be Kim’s new boyfriend, Preston. He reminded me of one of those snakes, always looking for the right moment to pounce on me. He didn’t think I noticed the way his eyes always found some shit to do in my direction but of course I did. Why my aunt liked him I had no idea, but I couldn’t come in here and make problems so I usually made a point to be somewhere else when he showed up. He worked as a security guard at a department store in Manhattan but he acted like he was police chief or something. It took a certain kind of person to need a job that gave them power over other people. Well, he was one of those people. I’d just finished cooking dinner when I heard the door.
“Hey, Gabby.” Preston let himself into the apartment. I made a mental note that this asshole now had a key. Before he could reach where I was standing my aunt came out of her bedroom all excited to see Mr. Nothing.
“Hi. I’m gonna go into my room. Let you two have some privacy. I have some reading to do for homework,” I lied.
“Stay and eat with us,” Preston insisted. “Tell us what you’ve been up to.”
“Yeah, honey, join us,” my aunt chimed in.
The last thing I wanted was to sit with this jerk as he leered at me every time my aunt turned her head. My phone rang, saving me from having to plead my case.
“Hey,” I spoke into the phone. “Hold on. I have to take this,” I said as I excused myself.
“Does she have a boyfriend? ’Cause she seems too young to date.” He gave my aunt his fake paternal concern. Like he needed to be all up in my business.
“No, she’s a good girl. I don’t think she’s even thinking about boys yet.”
“Good,” the asshole added. “But I’m starting to think she don’t like me. It’s making me feel uncomfortable coming around.” It was the last thing I heard before going in my room and closing the door.
Maddie and I used to talk every night but lately she’d been checking up on me more than usual. “Hey, girl,” I gushed into the phone.
“Whoa, who the hell took over my best friend? Who is this?” she joked.
“It’s me. I’m good.”
“And who is Damon Braithwaite and can I please get one?”
“Well since he doesn’t have a twin I’m gonna have to say no.”
“Oh my God. You met a guy?”
“Yes!” I screamed out, giggling into the phone just as my door swung wide open.
“Gab, come join us for dinner.” My aunt stood there hand on her hip. She didn’t make it sound like a request.
“Maddie, I’ll call you back.” I hung up, feeling like a trapped animal as I followed her into the dining area and sat down.
“So glad you changed your mind.” Preston tried to act like he hadn’t made this happen. I fixed on a fake-ass smile.
“Yeah, I want the two people I love the most to get to know each other better.” Kim was so busy grinning up in his face she didn’t notice he hadn’t taken his eyes off me.
“Your aunt and I are thinking of taking it to the next level,” he boasted.
“Oh, you proposed?” I smiled as his beady eyes got all nervous darting around the room.
“Nah, that’s the next next level. The two of you need a man to take care of you.” He sounded all Joe Smooth but even if my aunt didn’t I had his number and it was wrong. When I turned fourteen a friend’s uncle gave us alcohol and tried to get us into a threesome. Ugh! Men!
“So you gonna let him move in here without getting married?” I chastised my aunt, who actually had the nerve to look shocked.
“Baby, we could use the help.”
“I’m only here for six months at the most. Can’t you wait until then?” I pleaded with her.
“Baby girl, don’t I deserve to be happy?’
“If it’s so real what difference is six months?”
“We’re the adults and you’re the child. You don’t get a vote,” he said in a threatening voice.
I jumped up and stormed into my room. I was pissed and just wanted to be left alone. But of course that too proved impossible.
“Hey, baby girl.” Preston opened my door without bothering to knock. “I know you been through a lot lately so I’m gonna excuse your bad attitude this time. We just need to get to know each other a little better. You’ll see that I’ll be real good to you and to your aunt.” He came over to the bed and stared down at me.
“Gabby, the nicer you are to me the nicer I can be to you.” He turned and walked out, leaving my door wide open.