Shine Bright Like Diamond.

20: What's Stoppin' Me?

Diamond POV ( Diamond's mom in MM)

"Aagh!" I groaned tryina' sit up only to find out we had spent the night we got beat up. My vision was better now buh I felt my body was in pieces. My mouth tasted of blood, my body was swollen and purple. I felt my left eye and it was swollen. Then I felt Akiylah move beside me. She was sleepin' peacefully. Lookin' at her now, I wondered what future was there for her seein' all this violence and gettin' beat up by her own grandmother. I can't stand seein' gettin' hurt again. I just can't. Ion know what she might do to her the next time besides the bruises she had just given her on her body. I felt tears in my eyes which made my left eye worsen.

"Aaahh!" I winced holdin' back my tears since it was hurtin' my eye. It was as if I had dropped salty water on my eye.
"Mama, are you okay?" Akiylah sprang up with worry. She had a cut on her one of her eyebrows.
"Oh my baby, am so sorry that you have to go through all this because of me. Am so sorry".
''Its okay mama. I still got you". She said smilin'
"Yea, you've got me and I ain't lettin' this happen to you no more. We leavin' this house and right now". I said firmly buh her face went blank.
"Bu-but what about Taffy, grandma...where would we go?" I still can't believe after all her grandma did to her, she's still thinkin' 'bout her.

"Honey, I understand buh it was grandma who tried to hurt... Ion want that. Besides, we can go live at Danny and Freya's. There, Taffy could come visit us, you'd still go to your daycare and I believe you'd be more happier there. I wantchu to be safe, okay?" It looked as if she thought 'bout it for a while a nodded lightly.
"Okay mama. So far as am with you, am happy mama." She said happily and hugged me.
"That's ma baby. I ain't goin' no where withoutchu baby. Its me and you, no one else". I whispered and kiss her. Slowly, I stood up and got upstairs with my suitcase. The place was in a mess so I quickly took a painful bath coz the soap lather kept stingin' my bruises. When it all over and feelin' fresh, I wore a loose jeans and vest but later threw in a hoodie. I tied my hair into a pony tail buh later decided to let it down to hide my black swollen eye.

Akiylah had gone to Taffy's room since most o' her things are with Taffy. When I went to check up on her, she had already freshen up.
"Wow, look who's already a grown woman". I said proudly. She was dressed in a floral dress with a petty coat and her sandal.
"Taffy has been teachin' me a lot. She says I've got be smart coz that's what a real woman should do." Taffy sure has been groomin' her. I took hold of her brush and brushed her hair. It was long and beautiful.
"You baby, you beautiful''.
"Just like my mama". She looked at me from the mirror smilin'. How I wish I could badly say it was true buh it was nah possible. Even my present state proves it with this black swollen eye.
"How I wish that was true baby buh it ain't true. You got your looks from your aunt and grandpa buh nah from me. I mean look at me." I smiled sadly. She turned to with a serious face.
"It doesn't matter mama, you beautiful as always and am proud to say it at school. "
"Awww ma baby. Thank you". I do love how confident and strong she is. Thank God she wasn't like me, worthless and weak. How pathetic.

I prepared a cereal for her and tided up the place. Once I was done, we hailed a cab takin' us to my workplace.
"My Gawd! Did you get beat up again?! Ha! You deserve it fatty. Hm! How pathetic you can be". Louisiana laughed hard as I entered through the back door nah wantin' the customers to see or anyone buh ion know why it Louisiana of all the people.
"Hey Charles, come see the ugly duckling. You gon' laugh damn hard!" She called up and immediately, Charles came makin' matters worse. I just ignored them and entered.
"Don't laugh at my mama." Akiylah yelled out kickin' Charles at the very wrong place. He groaned badly.
"You little devil..." He muttered in pain. Louisiana just gasped. I pulled her inside
"Akiylah baby, you should never do that again. It is wrong to hit people. Okay maybe?'' She nodded.
"Okay mama buh he was makin' fun of you. But did you see his face?" She wrapped her tiny hand around her mouth and giggled hard. I couldn't help buh laugh out loudly.