Keeping Secrets (Completed)

One

Alonzo Flemington

My clock struck 7 AM and I was already dressed and ready for the day. From my window, I could see every move that took place in my hood, the sun was barely up and these young guys were already out; husting. I smirked to myself and took a drag from my joint before taking another look in Nya's room, watching her stir in her bed. I blew the smoke out the window quickly and put it out in my ash tray. I sprayed myself with the axe spray that sat on my night stand and walked over to her room. "You okay mama?" I ran my hand over her forehead, realizing that she was struggling in her sleep. It took her a while before she finally began to open her eyes for me.

"It was a nightmare daddy." she whispered to me. I opened her window curtain to get some light in and pulled her onto my lap. "It's okay daddy's here." She nodded against my chest and stuck her thumb back into her mouth. I rocked her in my arms until I heard her let out a low snore. I gently placed her back into her bed and tucked her in before tip toeing out.

I walked into the living room to see my mom passed out on the couch, she held an empty whiskey bottle in her arms and had a few beer cans alongside the couch. I sighed loud enough for her to twitch in her sleep, but by the looks of it she was too gone to be up anytime soon. I started cleaning up the bear bottles and tossed a blanket over her body to keep her warm.

I got into the kitchen and the bottles out, before washing my hands and beginning to make Nya some cereal for breakfast. I had to get everything done on time today. My lawyer had told me about this new program at the centre that was starting up today and I heard it would be a good referral for me to get into medical school. I had worked hard to make up some of my missing credits and this was exactly what I needed to give my application an extra boost. If everything goes as scheduled I should be back at the community centre just in time.
I washed up a bowl from the stack of dirty plates in the sink and dried it off with a cloth. I poured her favorite; Lucky Charms into the bowl and opened up the fridge to get her some milk. The fridge was near empty, all we had in there was a soggy cucumber, orange juice, a case of beer and mayonnaise. I slammed the door of the fridge shut and looked over as my mom jumped up from her sleep. "Lonzo!" she yelled, rubbing her forehead.

"Didn't I give you money to the groceries yesterday?"

"No!" she threw the blanket off of her and stumbled trying to get her feet "you didn't give me any money."

"Mom, I put money in your hand and asked you to buy groceries. What do you mean no?"

"I don't remember that Lonzo... If you did, don't you think there would be groceries in the fridge?" she coughed her loud smokers cough into her arm and walked over to me in the kitchen.

"What did you do with the money I gave you mom!"

"You didn't give me any money Alonzo! What are you not understanding?"

"Mom!" I slapped my hand against the counter and her eyes shot wide open "where the hell is the money I gave you yesterday?"

The look on her face showed that she was startled, she shook her head as she walked over to her jean jacket that hung on a chair of our dining room table. My mom reached into her pocket and pulled out a couple bills before turning around and throwing it at me. "There you go!"

I felt the anger in me begin to build up but I had to suppress it because I knew it was the alcohol in her that was causing her to act this way. I bent down and picked up the money she had thrown, counting it as I picked it up. "This is 25 dollar where is the rest of it?"

"I don't know Alonzo, I have a headache right now. I don't have time to deal with this today."

"This money was given to you so I could feed my 4-year-old daughter and you choose to go out and spend it on your addictions?"