Mama's Little Girls

seven

Jadah Knowles
7 May 2019
Keri's Apartment

My sisters and I sat in our mother's apartment. None of us wanted to be here, but the dumb law meant we had to stay with this woman.

We hadn't seen her in 6 months before seeing her at our grandmother's funeral. Now she wanted to be 'Mommy of the Year'.

I looked over to Akira comforting Raiya, who'd been crying since we got here. I wish I could cry as much as her.

We wouldn't be here if I hadn't started the dumb fire. I was just trying to heat something up for us to eat, but momma's place confused me and I messed with the wrong switches.

"You know how you working my man's nerve with that whining?" Mom addressed Raiya as she sobbed. "You think I'm gonna let you come in between me and my man with all that mess? You gon' stop that."

I just stared at her. She didn't care about us at all, so I didn't understand why she was fighting to hard to take us from our momma.

Raiya folded her arms. "I want my momma."

"Well, you ain't going back to your momma!" Our mother yelled.

"Why?" Raiya pressed.

"Because I said so, that's why." She responded. "You gon stay right here with me."

That made Raiya start crying again.

"Raiya, you gon' stop that whining." That woman said. "You know what, Yaya? Get in there." She pointed to the room we'd been staying in. "Get in there!"

I crossed my arms and slightly sank into the couch. My baby sister stood and left the living room, heading to where she'd been sent.

"You ain't going back to yo momma. Now you get in there until you figure that out." By the end of her sentence, she'd landed a hard smack on Raiya's hip, which only made her cry harder.

I shook my head, unable to speak. The fact she was smoking a cigarette bothered me even more.

"Akira, go in there with her. Go talk to your sister."

Akira looked at me for reassurance and I just nodded. She stood and went to find Raiya.

I made sure she was ok before looking at the woman in front of me.

"I gotta tell you something, now, y'all better be glad I know Jesus." She said to me, taking a puff from her cigarette. "Y'all get on my nerves."

I sighed, trying to ignore her.

When she stood up and started walking over to sit beside me, I couldn't. "Now, you know, baby, you old enough to understand some things. All right?"

I scrunched my face when she blew out a breath because all I could smell was smoke.

"Now...you ain't just gon' be sitting around here living off of me. You got that?"

"I'm 12." I murmured, not paying her mind.

"Aye, look at me while I'm talking to you." My attention stayed on the coffee table in front of me until she abruptly grabbed me by my jaw. "Look at me!" She gritted.

"Ugh!" I groaned and she gripped my jaw tight.

"Don't you dare not look at me." Our eyes met and she let me go. "It's time for you to start your own hustle."

I instantly shook my head in disagreement.

"No, no, no—"

"No!" I said, looking away from her.