Little Roof Jumpers

Chapter 27 The FBI Is Knocking

I never knew what Willy did with the cocaine in the trunk of the car, I didn't want to. He had another interest now. Willy wanted to move again. Always to a bigger and better place we couldn't afford. He never wanted to stay in one place for long. I was content to stay in our government duplex until I could figure out how to get a job and pay for a sitter. Moving was going to get us evicted again.

We moved to a house two blocks form my parents and paid full rent, no subsidy. Willy now worked days and I thought just maybe he could watch the kids if I went to work at night. McDonalds was the only place I could find a flexible schedule. Working until one in the morning and getting up with kids at six was harder than I thought. By the time you get home and wind down its after 3:00 AM, I hated the hours. When Brooks and Penelope woke up they had dirty feet and hands. Willy had not given them a bath before bed. Stuff like that drove me nuts. I liked the kids to have a routine they were a whole lot happier when they knew what to expect. Taking a bath before bed was part of our daily routine along with our favorite, "story time."

Since we lived so close to my parents the kids and I walked over to see mom often before naptime. One day we had walked over to see mom and she told me strange cars pulled up behind her when she parked on the side of their house and she thought she was being followed. This sounded strange to me but Mark's wife's family liked drugs and mom and I thought it probably had something to do with them. Mom or I either one gave a thought to the strange cars having anything to do with Willy. We probably should have, I think there were a lot of things that Willy did while we were married that I will ever know and that's okay, I don't want too.

Mark married Carrie Main a girl from the north end of town, Her dad had been a drug dealer in the 1970's at least that is what Carrie's dad told my brother. Carrie's mom was a drug addict. My mom told us that Mrs. Main would call her once in a while and say strange things like, "I have your son and I will have your husband too." Mom also told me Mrs. Main had called my dads work and said similar things to dad's secretaries. Mrs. Main went to the hospital using my mom's name, my parents found out when they received the medical bill.

I felt bad for my mom she was such a nice person, I wanted to help her she told me many times she was trapped. What she meant was, she couldn't get away from Mark and I and our familiar problems. My younger brother Wayne was showing signs of irresponsibility in college and that hurt my parents. They had said since Wayne was a young boy he was their Golden Boy, Wayne was the one that would make them proud, he was going to do it all. Somehow I had to figure out how to be respectable, I had to get educated. That is what I kept telling myself, mom and I talked about it all the time once in a while I would ask mom, "could you just watch the kids for a few hours a day so I could go back to school?" Annie I can't it isn't fair to your dad and I, we raised you kids, you have to do it on your own." I understood what she was saying but if she would just help a little I could get educated even just a little so I could get a job other than fast food.

Ever since I married Willy when I would have a day off or after I quit working, during the week, I went to see my mother. Staying in my own home without a phone or cable TV and not much in the cupboards was something I tried hard not to do. Ashley was eight or nine months old and I was still trying to figure a way out. Maybe when she turned two or three she will be old enough for day care and I could find a real job.

Brooks, Penelope and I were just getting in the car one afternoon when Dill parked in our driveway. When he got out of his van he was carrying a brown paper bag. Willy had been acting more aggressive than usual lately and now I knew why. Dill and Willy weren't friends there was only one reason he would drop by.