I widen my eyes at the man standing before us. “Dad?” Jim and I call in unison. I look at Trey who raises his brow at me and shifts his confused gaze to Greg or if you prefer Joe. He is my father. My dead-beat father and I wonder why he changed his name. So he is the man behind my suffering? I know he was when I was a kid but here we are. I'm grown up yet he still made me suffer. I lost my baby because of him. Because of the shameless man standing before us, who I hate with my whole being.“Wait.” Trey is so confused. “Greg is your dad?”“Nope.” Jim is quick to deny.“Come on Jim. You know I am.” I don’t know whether I should call him Greg, Joe or dad. I'm so confused.“Isa?” he calls stepping towards me. I step back and Trey holds me steadily.“Don’t call my name. You have no right!” I snap at him and look around. I notice Abel approaching us.“I have been looking for you Isa. I miss my daughter.”“Maybe you are talking about a different daughter. All you did was make our lives mis
“No!” I scream as I hear another bang. I can’t see what is happening but I know that my dad is back from his drinking spree. I hear a groan and shut my eyes trying not to think about what is happening. That’s my mum and I know she has been hit by my drunk dad. It’s the life I have to live each and every day. The life of poverty, an unstable family, a drunkard for a father, an abusive father; it’s just a family full of domestic violence. “Stop it Joe.” My mum screams in pain making me spring out of the cupboard to go and rescue her. This is where I hide every time he gets home drunk. I am scared of him. “Stop dad.” I beg trying to pull him off my mother but he grabs me and hurls me across the small room making me scream in pain. “Are you okay Isa?” mum is already on my side pulling me to her. “He hurt me.” I say amidst sobs. “You hurt our daughter Joe.” She says softly, careful not to sound reprimanding. She knows what is going to happen if she chooses to go that direction.
I crouch on the bed tightening the old quilt around my body. It’s cold. It’s fucking cold and it’s raining. To make the matters worse, my roof is leaking and part of my bed is filled with water.I can’t sleep anymore. I turn on the bed and a cold pierces my whole body.Damn! How did I get here? How did I sign up for this? Why all this?No good meals apart from when there are leftovers at the club I work at. That is when I’m on shift. I started working recently so I’m yet to make enough money to look for a decent place and meal.This life sucks.My whole life sucks and if there is one person I’m blaming for this is my dad. He is now in my past but the dark moments keep coming back to me.I don’t know where he is. I haven’t set my eyes on him for the past fourteen years. To be precise, I haven’t seen him since that day in our collapsing house. Since that day he stabbed momma.I don’t want to go there. It makes me nostalgic so I will focus on the present.I fumble with my phone and sn
I sit directly opposite him and see him shivering. His head is bowed down so that I can't see his face. Looking at his hand, there is a deep cut which is filled with dried blood. His hands look dirty and so do his clothes. His hair is unkempt as if he was planning on doing dreadlocks.He looks like he is in distress. Having come from the streets, I know how it is to be in such a situation.“Hey.” This is just to start our conversation.“Hey.” He doesn’t look up but there is something warm with his voice. Something that sounds familiar. Something that makes me want to talk to him the whole day. Reach out to him and probably help him. No matter how broke I’m, I can try to help him.“Need anything?”“A glass of water please.” He still doesn’t look at me. I don’t know whether I'm being paranoid or he just sounds familiar.“Anything else?”“No.”“Bringing your water.” I give him one last look and walk to the counter. If he doesn’t buy anything, they will have him thrown out and it’s not wh
Stone is nowhere to be seen when I wake up. I groan in frustration and slump on the bed again. It’s so hard to help him and I’m done doing that. I just met him today so I don’t understand why I’m inclined to help him.I reach for my backpack and take out my 'Moby Dick.’ This is what is supposed to keep me busy until in the evening. I’m doing night shift today.Fuck!I can’t concentrate. I keep thinking about Stone and whether he is safe. What is he up to out there? Where is he? I thought we agreed he should stay at my place and I will help him get a job?I toss the novel into the backpack and decide to take a shower. Maybe I should head for Lex early today. I might bump into him. I might make extra money too.I settle for baggy blue rugged jeans and a white T-shirt. The pair of canvas doesn’t change because it’s the only one I have. I toss a joint into the backpack and leave the house. I decide to walk. Maybe I will bump into him somewhere in the streets.He reminds me of Jim. That’s
“I'm not a whore.” I snort glaring at him.“No one said you are.”“Paying me for sex insinuates that.”“Just wanna feel how a tomboy tastes like.”“If you don’t need anything else, I will leave.” He is starting to irritate me.“I need something else tomboy.”“I’m Frankie sir. It’s on my tag.” I say showing him the name tag.“I know. I can see that.” Some nerve he has.“Good.” I turn to leave.“Not done asking for what I need.”“What!” I snap turning to look at him. I shouldn’t be rude at the customers but this one is really getting on my nerves. I’m trying to be nice to him.Yeah. This is me being nice. When I decide to explode I will be fired so I rather play it cool.“No way to talk to customers. I want you tomboy. Just one round and we will be done.”“I’m not doing that.” I turn to leave again.“Bring me water.” I shut my eyes trying not to snap at him. I open them, calm this time round and give him a smile.“Right away.”I walk to the counter and take a sharp breathe. He is so e
Frankie.” Sera is still calling after me.”“Stay here.” I tell her and run after Stone who is really fast. I feel the need to protect him so I won’t let the mob hurt him.“What the hell Stone?” I shout after him.“Fuck! Just go away.” He shouts still running. I’m now closing in on him.“No way.” I grab his hand when I catch up with him. “Follow me.” I run towards an abandoned alley with him trailing behind me.“What the fuck is wrong with you?” I ask once I’m sure no one is following us.“Needed some cash tomboy. The lady was careless with her phone and I had to take it.”We are now leaning against the wall, breathing fast.“So you are going to sell it?”“Yap. That’s what we do.” He says and looks at the distant.“You need to stop this.”“You ain’t my momma.” He snaps.“I have saved your ass you fucker. You should be grateful.” I snap back at him.“Thank you but I don’t need you to take care of me.”“You do.” I take my cap off and hand it to him. “Here. You will be less noticeable.”“
He gives me a kiss and pulls out, lying next to me. He pulls me to him and kisses my hair, something that comes as a surprise. I didn’t expect it.“So tomboy, tell me about yourself.”“I'm not telling you anything.”“You don’t want to or you have nothing to say.”“Both options apply. I don’t know your name so you are not supposed to know anything about me.” I unwrap myself from him and walk to the bathroom to freshen up.“You can’t know my name.” He shouts from the bed.“You can’t know about me either .” I shout back trying to straighten my hair. Damn! It’s hard and doesn’t work. I groan and walk back to the room. His eyes don’t leave mine as I dig out a comb from my backpack.“You amaze me.”“Do I now?”“Very. You have nice hair and a very nice body. Why do you cover it with a cap? Why do you cover your body with these baggy jeans ?” he asks gesturing at my clothes.“Because I want to. Because it’s what satisfies me.” I answer not daring to look at him.“You are one hell of a myst