Family Lies

Donna

"Aye, aye, aye!" I came down the stairs clapping my hands to wake my nieces Domonique and Sahari. Sahari sat up with her eyes closed and her face all pinched up and whined, "Mama please." I laughed. "Y'all got to get up, come on now. Nique you got to help me get these kids fed and go to work and Sahari you got class in a couple hours. Get this mattress down in the basement, the boys is already up. Come on," I continued clapping on my way to the kitchen. I was getting the grits down from the cabinet when somebody said, "I can help you cook breakfast." I turned around to see Tré up and dressed already with her makeup done and her hair pressed and all. "Well good morning. Why you up so early honey? The sun barely touched the sky."

"I got used to being up early when I was takin' care of the kids. It's been a few months since they came to stay here but you know they say old habits die hard."

"Well I could use a hand." With the help of the newest addition to my seemingly ever expanding family, I whipped up the same breakfast I made every day during the school week- grits, eggs, bacon and I left the bread out because they asses could make toast themselves if they wanted. Once that was taken care of I went back into the living room to find Sahari and Dominique still asleep.

"Aye!" I kicked that mattress so hard they both jumped awake. "Ight now. I let y'all sleep in, don't make me have to tell y'all to get up and get this bed out my livin' room again. Gone now." I sat on the couch and turned on the news as they got up. Tré sat at the bottom of the stairs filing away at her nails and I looked over at her in awe realizing she looked just like my sister. "Come here Tré baby." I waved her over and she got up to sit beside me on the arm of the couch. I dug in my bra to pull out the bus fare I promised her along with the spare key to the front door.

"Here. You got to work after school today?" She simply nodded her head yes. "You gone start using your words girl. You almost grown. And make sure you come straight home after you get off, understood? Gone, take it."

"Aunt Donna you don't have to give me bus fare. I can get around. And are you sure you want me to have a key?"

I side eyed her. "You got some shady friends or somethin'?" I thought I saw Tré almost laugh. "No it's nothin' like that... I just ain't never had a key to nowhere before." I rolled my eyes in disappointment.

"My sister never gave you a key to her house?" Tré shook her head again and huffed when she realized her persistent silence was starting to irritate me. "Once Blaze, Nique and Sahari left, her and True was the only folks with keys to that house. When I asked her why I couldn't have one when he did she said because I wasn't givin' her no money- which was a bold face lie. I always fed the girls. Fed them before I'd feed myself most the time. Tell you the truth auntie, Dollie just don't like me much."

I took Tré's hand and placed the key and the money in her palm before wrapping her fingers around it. "I know I can't apologize for her but I'm sorry. For that and whatever else her crazy ass put you through. I promise she wanna love you but she just don't even know how to love herself no more. But I love you enough for the both of us. This right here is ours... and as long as you respect it and respect me that key is yours. Alright?"

She nodded while smiling down at it. "Thank you."

"You welcome. I'll have a keychain for you when you get home so you don't lose it. Can you do me a favor and see if Nique woke the kids up? If not, could you do it for me?"

"Yes ma'am."

Tré ran up the stairs and I took a deep sigh.

Noon

"Hell! I meant to call Dot." I rushed in the house with Jam and two hands full of grocery bags and headed straight for the dining room. When I got there I grabbed the house phone and sat in my spot at the table dialing away. It seemed like the phone rang forever before my little sister finally answered.