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"Grandpa? Did you take your medicine?" Semajé emerged from his back room cladded in his work clothes, boots in hand. He walked through the threshold of the living room and dropped his boots on the floor, causing a loud thud.
His grandfather briefly took his attention away from the TV and turned back around. A Sanford and Son marathon was running, and he didn't want to miss anything, even though he'd seen every episode from season one to the last.
"Yes, Majé." Grandpa Joe grumbled and snuggled more into his throw blanket that was wrapped around him.
"You cold? Do you want another blanket or do I need to turn the heat up?" Semajé asked frantically and started moving around the living room quickly. He wrapped another blanket around Joe, which resulted in him slapping his hand in Majé's face.
"Stop boy, I'm fine. Where's my granddaughter? You can't leave her in the back while I'm up here."
Joe asked about his one-year-old great-granddaughter, Journi. She was the result of a drunken one night stand and a definite surprise. Nevertheless, Semajé loves her with everything in him. It sucks that little Journí will never experience a mother's love.
Once Journi was born, her mother found Semajé's whereabouts and left her on his doorstep. Honestly, Majé wasn't in any shape to be a parent. His life didn't fit a baby, but he made it work. It was difficult for him to make ends meet while caring for his ailing grandfather and working dead-end jobs. And once a newborn was added into the picture, it was a huge adjustment.
"She's fine. Sienna should be over an hour after I leave. Would you feel more comfortable with her in the front?"
Grandpa Joe nodded his head, causing Semajé to head to the back. He pushed his door open and walked towards the crib in the corner. He shook his head and reached down and scooped Journi up. She stirred in her sleep and started to whine. Majé quickly pushed her binky back in her mouth. He swaddled her so she wouldn't be cold.
"We're going to get out of here soon, mamas, real soon." Semajé whispered and kissed her forehead. He walked back to the front and sat her in the couch's corner.
"Alright Paw, I'm about to leave before I miss the bus. Tell Sienna there's a note on the fridge for her. Do you need anything before I go?"
"Water."
Semajé walked into the kitchen, grabbed a cup from the cupboard, and turned the faucet on. He let it run for a few minutes before filling the cup halfway. He grabbed his lunch bag before returning to the front and placed the cup on his Paw's side table that was adjacent to his recliner. Semajé stuffed his feet inside his boots and grabbed his black skull cap, pulling it over his head. Pulling his coat from off the couch, he pushed his arms through and zipped it up to his face, ready to face the cold. "Alright, Paw."
Semajé shuffled out the door and locked it behind him. Trotting down the stairs, his boots hit the concrete one at a time. Stuffing one hand in the pocket of his coat, Majé made his way towards the bus stop. He peaked at his watch, hoping he hadn't missed the bus. He leaned up against the pole and looked around.
Semajé stood at around 5'9–5'10 with a medium build. He was brown-skinned, almost identical to caramel. It was soft and smooth, with a natural glow. He sported a low fade with waves. When Journi was added into the picture, his extra money that went towards his personal needs was x'd out of the equation. Instead of spending an extra twenty dollars every two to three weeks on a haircut, he took matters into his own hands and started cutting his own hair.
Semajé and his grandfather weren't always bad off. For as long as he could remember, it was always him and his Paw. Semajé's parents were nonexistent. They left Majé with his grandfather and dropped off the face of the earth. Growing up, things were good until Grandpa Joe got sick.
Grandpa Joe worked at a warehouse and did everything in his power to raise a God-fearing man. Joe said if he was going to do anything, he was going to raise Majé right. Joe didn't want his grandson to be another statistic, so he did everything he could to not let that happen.
Around Majé's junior year of high school, he had to drop out and take care of his grandpa. Joe passed out one day at work and underlying conditions were discovered, resulting in his termination from his job. Majé took matters into his own hands and worked three jobs to take care of himself and his grandpa. It was rough, but he made it work.
Now 23 with his GED, Majé has high hopes on getting his family out of poverty.
Seeing the bus coming up. He pushed up off the pole and pulled his bus pass from his pocket. The bus pulled in front of him, once the doors opened, he stepped on and swiped his pass. "Hey Majé."
He licked his lips and shot the driver a small smile. "Hey, Ms. Lucy."
He walked further into the bus and sat three seats from the front door. It was three o'clock in the evening and the temperature was dropping. Putting the dense air at a chilly sixty degrees. As the bus moved along the road, Majé looked and stared out of the window.
He took in his home. He shook his head at the single mothers pushing strollers and carrying groceries. Frowning, he saw two little kids with barely any clothing on, walking down the sidewalk barefooted. Next was a homeless man pushing a shopping cart with bags of cans.
He bit his lip and shook his head. "I'm going to help my people one way or another. Shit has got to change." Semajé spoke to himself as he relaxed into his seat.
Coming up on his stop, he stood up and pulled the string. Ms. Lucy brought the bus to a halt, and Majé stepped out of the backdoor. He blew into his hands and rubbed them together. Taking a short walk Semajé arrived at his workplace, Southend, the same place his Paw worked for thirty years.
The warehouse was divided into four. You had the packaging area. You had the unloading and loading area. And the last area was the security area. It was more of a warehouse that housed and serviced major companies. Majé's job description included loading and unloading the trucks.
"Another day, another dollar, I guess." He looked up at the sign on the warehouse and shook his head. He blew out a breath, pushing the door open and walked inside. Majé made his way to the locker room and stuffed his lunch bag inside. He made his way to the break room to clock in and made his way towards the loading dock.
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