Short Stories

Alone ...

"Where are you going?", he asked. "Anywhere that isn't here", she said....Tonya walked away from her brother crying. She was done and just couldn't take the abuse anymore. She was finally 18 years old and was able to be on her own. She walked until she found a motel so she could rent a room. When she got there, the person asked her for ID and she did what she was asked. He gave her the room key and told her to enjoy her stay. Tonya went to her room and unpacked her bag. She grabbed a towel, took a shower and made herself comfortable. She laid down and decided to get some sleep but she couldn't. She kept tossing and turning thinking about her mother and her mother's boyfriend, Rodney. She couldn't believe her mother allowed him to do what he wanted to do and just not say anything. "How can you put your boyfriend before your kids?", she thought. She decided to never deal with her mother again after today. She hated that she left her brother but she didn't want to be there anymore. Rodney was going to get his, one way or another. All this thinking finally put her to sleep.
The next day, Tonya took a shower, brushed her teeth and decided to look for a job. She needed money and a beter place to stay, a motel room wasn't cutting it. She didn't have any family members or friends to call. She saw a 'help wanted' sign in the window of McDonald's and decided to ask the manager if she could help and how. The manager said yes but only if she was able to show him exactly what she could do. Tonya washed dishes, worked at the cash register, cleaned the restaurant and was also great with customer service. The manager liked what he saw and hired her on the spot. He even gave her some extra shifts after she explained her situation. Everytime pay day came around, she would put money aside for her new apartment . While she was working there, she made a new friend, Michelle. Michelle was a little older than Tonya and lived with her dad. They would talk and make jokes about the customers. Michelle noticed Tonya didn't really talk about her family. Everytime she asked about them, Tonya would change the subject. "Hey, how come you don't like talking about your family?", Michelle asked her. "There's really nothing nice to say about them. I don't consider them family except my twin brother", Tonya answered. "Why's that?", Michelle asked. Tonya hesitated for a little. She never told anyone outside of her family about what's been happening to her starting when she was a child. She was a bit nervous. "It's okay, you don't have to tell me if you're not comfortable", Michelle said to her. She saw how stuck she looked. Tonya took another minute to speak. It was time for their break. "It's okay, come sit with me and I'll tell you", Tonya replied. "When I was 5, my mother's boyfriend, Rodney, came in my room and touched me inappropriately. Since I was only 5, I couldn't tell my mom because it wouldn't be believable and because of that, he kept doing it. When I got older, I finally told my mom what was happening. I thought she would believe me but instead, she got mad at me and would tell me that I'm jealous that she has a boyfriend and I don't. It went from sexual abuse to him putting his hands on me. I would go yo school with bruises and my teachers would constantly question me about them. I couldn't tell them what was going on because it would only make it worse. I would tell them that I fell but that didn't help either because they would call my mom and tell her about the bruises. Then I would have to hear her mouth and get whooped because she thought I was telling them something. After the other day, the abuse stopped because I left. I couldn't take it anymore. I had to leave my twin brother behind because he didn't want to come with me. They're probably abusing him now. They're both going to deal with karma", Tonya said with tears in her eyes. Michelle pulled Tonya closer and embraced her then told her, "I'm sorry you had to go through with that, I'm glad you left and best believe God will handle it himself. You can always stay with my dad and I if you want". Tonya wiped her tears, smiled and said back, "Okay, I would love that. Thank you so much". Their break was over and they went back to work. For the rest of their work, they laughed and talked. Tonya got her clothes that she had at the motel and made her way to Michelle's house. Michelle's dad, Mr. Daunte Jones, made them dinner. Michelle told her dad about Tonya's situation and he welcomed her into his home with open arms and also told her, "We got you and if you ever need anything, just let me know". Tonya was definitely grateful. Mr. Jones took care of her like she was his own. She did everything she could to help out around the house. She worked, cleaned, brought groceries, etc. She missed her brother. One day, she went to Mr. Jones and asked, "Um, can you do me a huge favor?". "Sure what is it?", he asked. "Can you take me to see my brother?", she asked him. "Of course. Come on", he told her. They both got dressed and got in the car and made their way to her mom's house. When they arrived at her mom's house, she saw Rodney and her twin on the front porch. "Where the hell have you been? Who's this stranger on my porch?", Rodney asked. "This isnt even your house, this is my mom's house. Where I've been is none of your business. Anyways, Carlos, are you okay? Have you been eating? How's school?", she responded and asked her brother. Carlos hugged his sister but before he was able to answer his sister, Rodney said, "Little girl, everything you do is my business especially since I'm the one that takes care of this family. Watch how you talk to me!", he yelled. "You don't take care of anybody. You're a lazy bum and just use my mother for her money", Tonya replied back. Rodney was tired of her mouth and got up. He walked towards Tonya and as soon as he was about to hit her, Mr Jones pushed him. "What do you think you're doing? If you thought you were going to put your hands on her while I'm standing here, you thought wrong", Mr. Jones said. "Who are you?", Rodney asked. "I'm someone that actually cares about her, that's all you need to know", Mr. Jones answered. Rodney got angry some more and made an attempt to hit Mr. Jones. Mr. Jones must've felt it and threw a punch at him. He must've hit him real hard because he fell on the floor. "Are you okay?", Mr. Jones asked Tonya. "Yes I am", she answered him. "Carlos, come with me. You'll be better with me. Mommy doesn't want you here, I know you see that. All she wants to do is abuse you like she did me. She's allowing her boyfriend to take control. She cares more about him then she does us. They're going to keep it up as long as you're here", Tonya told her brother. "Okay", Carlos answered his sister. Carlos went inside to get his clothes. POW! A gunshot went off. Everyone looked around to see who had the gun and who was hit. It was Rodney who had the gun. No one saw take out a gun so they were a bit confused. It was Mr. Jones who was shot in his chest. Once he hit the floor, tears came running down Tonya's face and she kneeled down by Mr. Jones' side. "Please don't leave me! Your family is all I have", she sobbed. Mr. Jones couldn't speak back to her. He could only stare into her eyes. "You could live with me", Rodney said to Tonya laughing. "Noo, I hate you! Why would you do that?", she screamed. "You don't have a choice now missy. He's dead and you have nowhere else to go", Rodney replied. Tonya sobbed some more because he was right. She couldn't stay in a motel forever with her brother. How was she going to tell Michelle? What was she supposed to do now?.....