Chapter 59

I woke up to a bright light lighting the back of my eyelids. I opened my eyes slowly as I heard, “Morning.”

I was groggy, and I had no idea where I was.

The panic hit, and I thought it was Mr. Lopez. I jumped up and saw a little lady with her black hair pulled back into a little ponytail. She was dark skinned and skinny.

“You can’t sleep all day. Come on, let’s get something in your stomach.”

It was a demand.

She walked out the door. My duffle was at the edge of the bed, and I began to remember where I was.

I actually fell asleep.

I found the bathroom then the kitchen from the humming. I felt so strange walking around this woman’s house.

The house smelled good. She cooked eggs and bacon. I stood awkwardly in the doorway.

“Sit down,” she said washing dishes.

I sat.

“Don’t be shy, girl… eat. Yo’ brother use to act like he lived here, always up in my ‘frigerator...”

She knew Free, I thought. Duh. She was AJ’s grandma.

I started on the eggs.

“I sent King to school. I told him we’d be okay.”

I kept eating as she cleaned and talked.

“So your May’s grandbaby, poor thing,” she said.

She knew my grandma, too.

“You know me and May grew up together? Right over there on Clark.”

I was silent.

“I ain’t seen her in twenty years until I saw the papers. I’m MaMaw.”

She broke off what she was saying and introduced herself. I almost missed it, but mouth full of eggs I quickly said, “Scheyenne.”

“I didn’t even know Lee had a daughter. Maybe I did,” she was drying her hands.

She knew my mom. I wouldn’t have been surprised if she knew my father and grandpa, too. My father? I forced myself not to think of it, besides she didn’t know my mom had a daughter. Hell, she probably didn’t know about Poppa.

She said she ain’t spoke with G-dub in twenty years, Free wasn’t even thought of the last time she spoke to G-dub, so she probably knew what I knew to be a lie. And that was that my dad died of a stroke.

“Okay now you finish eating and then put that in the sink I’ll wash it later, just make sure you rinse it off. And after that come get me I’ll be getting you some clean sheets and show you where everything is. Do you need any female things?” She was eyeing me, and I shook my head. “You do have your period don’t you?”

I nodded staring down at my plate. After a few minutes of silence I said, “Yes, but I have stuff.”

Though I felt sorta, I don’t know, I guess embarrassed by her question, I also felt warm and welcomed. She knew my family, so I felt she was practically family.

She nodded and then left me to finish my food.

I found MaMaw in the room I’d slept in making the bed.

“I put some hangers in the closet, you can put your stuff in the drawers,” she said folding the top down on the comforter like they do in hotels. “Gonna ‘head baby, I’m gonna go tend to my garden, the towels are in the hall closet do you need a toothbrush?” she spoke in a continuous sentence.

I did need a toothbrush since I’d forgotten mine. I nodded.

“Okay the toothbrushes are in that same hall closet. You gonna get cleaned up I need to go to the grocery store and I’m gonna need your help, can you drive? How old are you?”

I was shaking my head as I responded, “I’ll be sixteen in June.”

“Oh okay, you still a baby, you still in school?”

I shook my head. I wasn’t going back. I mean for what? So they could find me and send me back to Mr. Lopez?

“You finished?”

I nodded. It technically wasn’t a lie. I was done.

“Well hurry up, I want to get this done. I usually wait for King, but you can help me.”

I went to take a shower, and I was feeling more and more comfortable around MaMaw. She was nothing like G-dub, yet she made me smile and think about her.

I found Vicky’s phone in my pocket. It was on silent. I had over twenty missed calls and text messages. Three were from people calling Vicky and the rest from her home phone number.

I’d forgot to call her. I dialed the number as I looked around the bathroom. It looked like it belonged to an old woman. It had that plastic-on-the-sofa feel. I thought maybe Vicky was at school though she said she’d wait by the phone until I called.

I imagined Vicky sitting by the phone going crazy and decided to press the send button. I was scared Mr. Lopez would answer. If it was Mr. Lopez, I could always hang up. I didn’t think he knew I had Vicky’s phone.

“Shi,” the voice said on the second ring. “Shi, is that you? Are you okay?”

I sighed and leaned against the door closing my eyes.

“Hey.”

“Where are you?”

“I’m okay.”

“Where are you Shi?”

I don’t know why I wouldn’t tell Vicky where I was. I wanted to tell her where I was, but I didn’t; I couldn’t.

“I’m still in the Town. I’m at a friend’s.”

Vicky sighed, “Fuck, Shi. You had me worried sick.”

“I’m sorry I fell asleep and I-”

“Oh, well I’m happy you got some sleep,” Vicky said and the sarcasm was not missed.

I heard the attitude and instantly I felt bad.

I could picture her up all night waiting by the phone and calling her phone and no one answering. I was gonna ask why she wasn’t at school, but that’d be a dumb question, which there is such a thing as.

“Where are you? When can I see you? I miss you, girl.”

“Um,” I had no idea. “Let me call you back. I have a few things to take care of and then I’ll meet you somewhere.”

“What do I tell my dad?”

To get help, I thought and so badly wanted to say.

I stopped myself from saying, ‘I doubt he’d care’ and said, “I don’t know, just think of something, Vicky.”

“And Dr. Richards?”

“You called her?”

“No, but I was one digit away,” she said.

I nodded and tried to calm down.

Dr. Richards is not exactly who I needed on my ass. I had no idea what I was going to tell her. But whatever it was it would have to be good.

“Make up something if she calls-”

“What?”

“I don’t know.”

“Scheyenne! Look, I cannot cover for you if I don’t know what’s going on. Now are you going to tell me why you ran away?”

I couldn’t.

“Vick, give me some time, and I swear I’ll tell you.”

She sighed, “I’m going to go get some sleep. Shi, call me when you need something… Anything.”