Do it Again

Part 13

-Essence-

I stopped going to church a couple months after Ty had started hitting me. I was tired of having everyone in my business. And if I needed help i knew just how the conversation would go.

***

"Baby take those sunglasses off in the house of the Lord."

"I...I can't."

"Well, why not sweetheart, it's disrespectful to him. You don't wanna disrespect he who has done so much for you and your fa-"

"Okay."

And then I'd take them off to look down in shame. The nosey old church lady would gently grab my chin and turn my face to her. I would be fighting tears.

"Chile what happened to ya face?"

"I fell."

She would press her lips together, tilt her head and inspect the rest of me.

"Is that boy layin his hands on you?"

When I didn't answer she would say:

"Well chile just pray on it. We're all God's children-even that monster. I promise you he hears you girl just get down and pray. You know even the devil was a cilld o'God don't ya know? Hmm my Lord. Don't make no sense. Don't make no sense..."

And she would go on and on until I tuned her out just like the women before her, whose only solution was to pray. Yeah right. The only time I was on my knees was when Ty knocked the wind out of me or he wanted me to...you know.

***

Andrea: Essence!

She was shaking me and snapping her fingers in my face. I guess I must have zoned out.

Me: huh?

Andrea: I been callin your name for a hot ass minute

Me: My bad girl, my mind was somewhere else

Andrea: Obviously...you good?

She sat down on the couch and looked at me, but I wouldn't meet her eyes. She was a soldier and i was just some wimp that let herself get pregnant by some dude I thought I loved that used me as a punching bag. Andrea bit her lip.

Andrea: One time Will hit me

Me: What?!

Andrea: Yep, wopped me right here

She traced her left cheek. I couldn't believe this shit-that he hit her and that they were still together.

Me: What you do?

Andrea: to make him hit me?

Me: No..well yeah...but no after he hit you

Andrea: Well this is when we first started dating, and I smoked the last of his kush. Real good shit too. I ain't know him well enough to know he was gon hit me-but shit, he ain't know me well enough to know I was gon pop his ass.

Andrea laughed and my eyes got big.

Me: No you didn't!

Andrea: Yep aimed right for the chest

Me: huh?

Andrea: but i missed and it went in his arm. Ask him to show it to you some time, he never took it out. My man is a straight gangsta baby.

Me: Yall crazy girl

Andrea shook her head and got serious.

Andrea: No, yall are crazy. He never hit me again, and i never smoked his stuff again. We have an agreement, like a democracy. Y'all got a dictatorship and guess which side you on baby girl. You need to overthrow the government. I hate seeing you like this girl.

Tears started forming in her eyes which made my eyes water too. My friend, my friend. She goes from happy, to mad, to thug, to sad. I swear she bipolar, shizophrenic, got multiple personalities or something. Or maybe her ass is just plain crazy. Nah she wasn't my friend, that was my sister.