Dark Waters (SLOW UPDATES)

7

Happy mothers day :)
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I sat at the kitchen table with the dog in my lap with all the lights off in the apartment. Usually I'd be on the bus to work but I'm sittin here waitin for Dennis to get home.

My body wakes me up at five in the mornin so naturally I couldn't go back to sleep. I went to check on Dennis to ask him what he wanted for breakfast but his bed was untouched. I told James and he told me when he gets here for me not to be to hard on him; but he can't say anythin now since he's miles away at work.

The door knob twisted and turned and Dennis' tall lanky ass crept in the door slowly. I cleared my throat and he dropped all the stuff in his hands.

I reached up and pulled the metal string that turned the light on over the table so the room with dimly lit.

"Where you comin from?"

"I left a book here, I'm just comin to get it before I'm late for school."

"Bullshit. Shit yo'ass down." He picked his stuff up and sat his things on the table before sittin. "You supposed to be home at what time?"

"Ten o'clock."

"Correct. At ten o'clock where were you?"

"At Jacky's house with the boys workin on our science project for Mrs. Fields." He pointed to the large white piece of cardboard with pictures and writin all over it.

"I know Jacky's mama didn't let you stay at her house past nine. Where'd you go after?" I rubbed New York's back as he laid across my lap tryin ta keep myself calm.

"On the way home me and Harold went down to the diner down the street since it was the two for one special goin on."

"So you mean to tell me you spent the last nine hours at the diner?"

He didn't respond.

"Interesting...." I squinted my eyes to get a good look at him. "Them ain't the clothes you had on the last time I saw you." I put the dog down gently and stood up. "You think I'm stupid don't you?" I smacked upside head as hard as I could. "You was out stealin again?!"

"No, I swear-"

"Shut up!" He jumped at the sound of my voice. "Don't lie. You stealin from these white folks again?" Like before he was quite as kept. I grabbed his jaw and made him look at me. "Answer me."

"Yes." He said quietly.

I took my hand from his face and used it to slap him.

"Are you out of your mind? You promised me Dennis! You promised you'd keep your hands on your own shit and off these white people's property. Did you get caught? Cause if someone followed you here to this apartment building I'm gonna beat you like you ain't blood to me."

"No! No one followed me. I made sure to take a different way home each time." He held his face lookin down at the floor.

"Look at me before I smack you silly." I shook my head in disappointment. "What you take? Diamonds like the last time? Gold? Silver? Money?"

"I didn't do the taking. I got us in the house and Harold went and got everythin and I stayed outside as look out."

"Dennis...." I couldn't even finish my sentence.

Y'all don't know how much strength God has given me. If I could shake with anger I would. He does the most stupidest shit and thinks he won't get caught.

The first few times I ain't catch em but I was always suspicious since he started coming home later and later each day. When I did I was tired of walkin past his room and seein the pig pin he was livin in. So I cleaned his room and found all kinds of shit in the back of his closet. Pearl necklaces, watches, gold, jewlery, and some of the biggest diamonds I'd ever seen. I asked him how he got them when he came home. He gave me all these stories but they sounded foolish. He said people just "gave him the stuff"... I didn't know I had the word 'fool' branded across my forehead. I beat his ass up and around the apartment till Dennis finally told me he was stealin. I made his ass get all that shit and I personally walked him to every house he stole from. I let them cuss him out and most let him off with a slap on the wrist. He stole from rich and poor. Not to justify his actions but if you gone take from somebody take from someone who can replace what you stole.

The other times I caught him his teacher sent me a letter concernin all these absences he had. Then, just like this mornin, I caught his ass sneakin in through the fire escape window as I got up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. To my knowledge that was the last time he'd been out stealin and I made him promise to stop or I'd beat his ass. Now here he is startin the shit all over again.

"Did you ever stop stealin? Or you just promise me so I wouldn't break your scrawny ass into pieces?"

"I did stop stealin.... I just started bein look out." He sayin that like that makes everythin better.

"You guilty by association. Do you know why mama and daddy moved us out here to New York?"

"To work?"

"No. You do some shit like that where they're at and your hands would be missing. They'd cut your finger tips off. They'd hang your black and shiny ass up in a tree with your wrists and ankles tied so you can't escape. Just because they moved us somewhere safer don't mean that can't happen here. Some white man is just waitin for a ignorant lil negro just like you ta kidnap and take you back ta the south where they could be beat you ta death."

"They can't do that. That's illegal."

"Oh yes they can." I sat back down in my seat. "Your lil stealin adventures can lead to ya death and I don't have the mental state to deal with that. A young girl, about your age, at my job was killed over bath water the other day. You know what the police said?" He shook his head. "It was self defense. The girl I take care of, Victoria, hit her in the head till she was dead because her bath water wasn't hot enough. Stuffed her ass in a linen closet and wasn't gone tell no body but she told me. You see Dennis... That can happen to you. Them white people gone tired of you and ya lil friends stealin they shit.... They'll probably wait for ya like I did and slit your damn throat right there in the middle of their house. The police will come, your killer will cry, and the police will claim self defense and James and I are left with no Dennis. Next time you decide to steal.... I'm sendin you back to go live with mama and daddy. You go ahead and try to steal some shit in a place like Louisiana. I'll be makin a long trip down south for your funeral. Try that shit again Dennis, please do it. Cause I'll pack your bags for you and pack you food for the trip." I stood up and went to the refrigerator to start myself some well deserved breakfast. "You go ahead and get in the shower. You got school in thirty minutes, you don't wanna be late."

He stood up from the table and walked to his bedroom slowly.

"Put a move on it you don't got all damn day. Just because I ain't beat your ass don't mean I'm in the mood to play games with you." He picked up his steps and went into his room and closed the door.

I shook my head and cracked a egg in a bowl. "He gone make me start smokin again." I said lookin down at New York who sat next to my feet.

I'm not playin with that boy anymore. Next time he decides to take something that don't belong to him I'll be buyin him a one way train ticket for Louisiana because I can't take it anymore. He end up takin the wrong thing from the wrong people and a angry mob comes and follows him here and they kill everybody in this buildin trynna get to him.... I'm not havin that.

I'm not gone keep livin my life in fear for somebody who don't give a a damn about they self. Dennis better watch his ass cause I'm not watchin his any longer.

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