Chapter 6

Kamara's POV

I have never felt this suffocated in my entire life. Nothing seems to be working. We have spent four days out of the week. Dad has been discharged from the hospital and only returned to become depressed. It would have been much better if he stayed back. Like a raging bull, I have stormed everywhere that seems like the best option to get the money. We have no family members to run to. 

Every time I look at my siblings, I try not to imagine the horror they would be subjected to if we end up on the streets. Atlanta isn't a friendly place for the homeless. You would have to be as rugged as it is to cope. Throwing my head to the back, I tapped my feet anxiously on the hard floor. Searching my head for any kind of solution that I can come up with. My younger siblings have gone to stay with Chantelle's mum until I get to sort out whatever this is. 

I felt mum's shadow over me. “Kamara?” She called out softly. 

I haven't talked to her and my dad since that day. I don't know what to say to them. As much as I try to think it's not their fault, it boils down to them again. They could have just sold half of the property or told me about it. There wouldn't have been a need to borrow from that evil man. We would have asked Sofia's mum for guidance. With the house gone, there is still no guaranty that our debt has been paid for. 

“Please, mum. Not now.” I mumbled, turning my back to her. 

“Can you not be like this, please? I know what your father did isn't something to be proud of. But you are making him sorrowful by refusing to talk to him.” She said. 

Inhaling sharply, I sucked my teeth. “What would you have me do, mum? I am so lost it's driving me crazy. Do you know how frustrated I am right now? I'm three days, we would all be on the streets fighting to get a space to sleep in the homeless shelters. Going from this to that sure wasn't what I pictured towards the end of my school year.” 

She kept mute, staring down at her feet. I promise talking back at her isn't something I would do. I am just not in the best of mood to feel sorry right now. “I have about two thousand dollars in my savings. Do you think that can get us a place to stay for the next two months? By then your father and I would get something doing.” 

My shoulders stiffened as the tears rushed to my eyes all of a sudden. “Just hold back on the thought until I get back, please.” I begged, heading out of the room. 

Dad was seated in the living room staring blankly at the wall. Fixing my face, I stepped out of the house, feeling the nice air bite at my skin in a hostile manner. There has to be a way out, even the scariest of men have been negotiated with. Why then is it so difficult to come to terms with the Mafia? To think, if he agrees to my offer, my family and I will be practically indebted to him for the next decade of our lives. I thought people like them do enjoy this sort of things the most? 

Now I have affirmed that the movies tell the greatest lies. Ruffling my hair, I bent down, trying hard to think of something or anything. When it did strike me, my heart felt like it would rip out of its cage. That can't be my only option. But at the same time, I am left with no choice. What worse can come out of it? I will just have to try and see. He might be compassionate for today. Taking out my phone from my pocket, I texted Chantelle quickly and flagged a taxi down to the apartment we share. 

“You can't be thinking of that right now. How does that make any sense to you?” Chantelle nagged as she followed behind me. 

I ignored her and kept searching through my pile of clothes for something nice to wear or better still attractive enough to pull in any man of my choice. Especially Rodriguez. The mere thought of him feels like bile on my tongue. 

“Kamara!” Chantelle bellowed. 

“What?” I yelled back. “what would you have me do now? With a saving of two thousand dollars, where do you think that would lead a family of six? With my siblings' tuition money gone and nothing to take money from. It won't be long before they have to ditch high school to work. If talking to the grossest man I have ever met in my life cuts the deal to save my family. Then so be it.” 

“Have you gone mad? Rodriguez would want you in return. There is no other way to play around it. Even if he is good-looking, that man doesn't deserve to breathe in the same space as you. He reeks of trouble.” 

Rodriguez owns a chain of clubs and bars that are doing quite well. He did inherit the spoils from his father, who chose to retire a bit early to travel the world, but handles it quite well. I had met him in my sophomore year, he was in his finals then and had been controlling the businesses at the time. Rumor has it, he lynches anyone who questions him to death and their bodies fed to his dog. Not like I ever saw something like that. But his attitude is enough for him to be accused of something like that. He would come to the campus with his minions in expensive cars and throw money around to woo every girl they desired. 

He and his friends are also known to throw the nest parties. None of their activities ever interests me. It's just rare to not hear their gossips everywhere you go. One day, it turned out he was taking a class that I was in again, just like that he got hooked and kept following me around, frustrating the shit out of me. Promising to do everything I want. Give me a luxurious life as long as I agree to be his girl. His proposal sounded like a farce to me and I hate men like him who think the world revolves around them. 

My insistence made him headstrong, and he went as far as getting my contact from one of my course mates just to bug me. I didn't flinch still, he could be good-looking for all I care it still wasn't going to move me. I never heard from him after his finals. But sometimes on nights when he gets drunk, he sends me an entire page confessing his love and cursing me out at the same time. However, the time is different now, and I think I will really like to hear him out as long as he helps me in return. 

“Don't get me wrong, Chantelle. I am only going there to negotiate with him and to not appear desperate, I won't be calling him. I will just head to the bar he mostly visits and act like our meeting was all just a coincidence. Furthermore, I don't have to give myself to him, it would only make him lord over me and I might end up not getting the money. I know how these things work. I just need to get into his head and make him see why it's necessary to help me.” 

Chantelle didn't look convinced at all, and it scared me. I actually don't have an exact plan in my head. I only hope it will work itself out by the time I get to the club. 

“You are my best friend, Kamara. I can't lie to you. I know how desperate you are, and I wish so bad that I can be of help. But these route is the lion's den, and you will end up getting trapped. Please. Let's think of another way to handle this.” 

Fixing my jaw, I turned to her with a straight face. “There is no other way, Chan. This is the only way out. Stop talking and help me find a dress.” I said. That kept her shut, and I hope I don't come back with regrets.