Going Under

"It's like a jungle, sometimes it makes me wonder how I keep from going under..."
_K.Michelle, Going Under

PRELUDE⚓

"I told you to watch her!" Keresa paced the room.

"I was watching her retarded ass." Grandma Nadine rubbed her wrinkled fingers on her forehead. "Watch her ya damn self you wun have this problem."

"Mama, I told you she ain't slow she's just a child that gets into things. That's why I told you to keep an eye on her." Keresa stopped pacing the floor and scooped Mahogany's small body into her arms.

"Call the ambulance!" Keresa yelled to her mother still holding Mahogany's burned body.

"Mama you're hurting me." Mahogany groaned.

Her arm and back was burned badly. Moments ago her grandma Nadine had left her home alone for 10 minutes to run to the store to play her daily lottery. By her being only 4 years old, she shouldn't have been left unattended. When she returned Mahogany was rolling around on the floor in flames. Luckily she just had burns on her back and a few on her arms.

Curious Mahogany had decided that she wanted to spray the gas heater in the living room with air freshener so she sprayed the furnace and then turned the knob.

She was smart enough to know that when she saw the flames coming towards her to move but she wasn't quick enough. Upon attempting to flee, the fire caught on to her back and one of her arms.

Grandma Nadine watched with her arms crossed and shook her head. Keresa had just gotten back from God knows where.

She ran into the bathroom to retrieve a bowl of water and dumped it unto her burning child's body.

"Go right ahead and call the ambulance. DFCS gone take her." Grandma Nadine snarled.

Keresa was confused to what to do with her child. She laid her gently on a pillow that rested on the floor.

"What in the hell am I supposed to do?" Keresa questioned holding her hands out.

"I don't know. I never had to go through this shit with you. You wasn't  retarded."

"Mama, please stop with that shit. She ain't retarded."

"It don't look too bad." Grandma Nadine lifted her shirt, which was sticking to her back.

"Owww! You're hurting me Grandma." Mahogany cried out in agony.

"Chile just hush up! Didn't nobody tell you to go and set yoself on fire." Grandma Nadine disregarded her plea to stop and pulled the shirt over her head.

"Go get that Aloe Vera plant out of that dining room." She turned her focus to Keresa.

Keresa nodded nervously and ran out of the living room.

"You know betta than to run through my house!" Grandma Nadine strained her voice.

Keresa was 18 with a 4 year old. She didn't know much about raising a child. Then to top it off she hated to leave Mahogany with her mother. Nadine was a very abusive woman. Keresa knew that for a fact.

That was the only place she could leave her baby. She didn't have anywhere near enough to send her to daycare.

Keresa raced back into the living room.