For the next 10 years, Josiah and Alaina lived with Abuela. She instilled morals and values into them and raised them to be honorable individuals. She even taught them Spanish, or at least attempted to. That's how they decided they would call her Abuela. Alaina picked up quickly, but Josiah being the rebellious soul he was, refused to learn.
Alaina didn't struggle adjusting to her new lifestyle with Abuela as much as Josiah did. It was challenging for him to allow Abuela to take on the parenting role and accept that she was in charge. He was used to doing what he wanted but Abuela was very strict and wasted no time setting firm limits and boundaries. Josiah constantly tested the limits and Abuela always let him fall on his face before she saved him.
Late one night, when Josiah was 14, he and his football teammates were walking home from school. They had gotten into some mess during class so coach made them practice longer.
As he and his friends were walking, they approached an old building that appeared to be abandoned. During the day, when they walked home, it seemed empty but at night, it was a different story.
There were small crowds of people standing around, scratching their arms and talking amongst each other, erratically. They all looked homeless, tired, and dirty.
"Watch out, here comes a crackhead bitch," one of his teammates warned.
"Hey handsome," a frail lady approached them. "Let me show you a good time in exchange for a few dollars. I'll show you how real women like to be fucked," she explicitly stated.
"Nah! Don't nobody want that crackhead pussy of yours! Get the fuck out of here!" Another teammate said.
Something was familiar about the woman.
It was her eyes.
She had Alaina's eyes.
Josiah and the woman made eye contact.
"Baby?" The lady reached for Josiah.
He snatched his arm away before she could touch him.
"Baby, it's me, mommy!" She explained as she moved closer.
Josiah walked past her, avoiding her touch. His friends followed his lead. Before he got too far down the street he turned around and yelled to her, "My mother's dead!"
It hurt Josiah to his core to see his mother like that and he finally understood what was going on all these years. Growing up, Abuela told him and Alaina that his mother went away because she was sick and needed help getting better. Now he knew, her sickness was her addiction but she didn't seem to be getting better.
He so desperately wanted to talk to her. He had so many questions to ask her but he refused to let his friends know he had a crackhead for a mother. He was silent and in deep thought for the rest of the walk home.
When Josiah got home that night, he went straight to his room, locked the door behind him, and blasted music out of his stereo. Abuela and Alaina knew not to bother him. Josiah cried himself to sleep that night.
For the next month or two, Josiah would sneak out the house late at night to go look for his mother but he never had any luck finding her. One night when he came back from his search, Abuela was waiting on the couch for him. When he walked through the door, the living room was dimly lit and Abuela was sitting on the couch with a worried look on her face.
