I was standing in front of the mirror at Mrs. Loretta's house, my dads neighbor. Today was my dads funeral, he died three days ago.
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DCFS was kind enough to let me stay with someone I know these last days but after today I don't know what's going to happen to me.
"You ready Malaya?" Mrs. Loretta asked me, "yes ma'am" I responded "let's get going then" she said and we got in her car.
while we were driving I took the time to think about everything. After my grandma died I'll never forget the conversation I had with my dad.
He told me that I had two siblings, their names were Kevin and Keisha. I was shocked because I never met them.
He told me how he didn't get along with their mother and she drove him away. He told me I never met them because their mom was a crackhead and didn't take care of them good.
When he said that it made sense why so many times he wasn't there to pick me up like he said he would , or random boy clothes I'd find at his house.
I was a bit angry when I first found out, but I couldn't think about it too much, all that was on my mind was my grandma.
Maybe the family who fosters me will let me visit her grave every once in a while. "You ready to go in baby?" Mrs. Loretta asked, I realized we were at the funeral.
I didn't respond I just got out the car. The funeral home looked nice, and there was a lot more people than I expected. It wasn't a whole that many, but for it to only have been me, my dad, and grandma it was a lot to me.
we walked inside and and almost everyone was seated already. "Who are all these people" I asked, "Friends, distant relatives, and old girlfriends" Mrs. Loretta said.
"go ahead baby, the family sits in the first row" she said. I looked at the front row and saw a girl who looked a few years older than me, and a boy around my age. That must be them I thought to myself.
I walked to the front pew and took a seat, I saw the dark skinned boy look at me like I was crazy. "This row reserved for immediate family" he spoke.
I opened my mouth to respond but one of the women did it for me, "Kev be quiet and let her sit" The woman said. "But ma-" "But ma nothing" she said turning her head back to the front of the chapel.
The funeral director went to the front of the room and started to speak, I tuned out what he was saying and was trapped in my thoughts.
I'm sitting next to my siblings, do they know? What will I say to them when this is over? Will they even believe me?
I snapped out of it when I saw everyone getting up, it was time to view the body. I got up standing behind the girl.
Slowly the line of people looked at my dad and walked away, some of them in tears. I felt as if none of them earned the right to cry.
