All For You

39

Ameenah

"I notice the little boy in these pictures around the house. Is he the little brother Symone was talking about?" I asked Mama Nita as I helped her make dinner in the kitchen. She was almost finished so she turned the stove off and let the food sit.

"Yeah that's my little grandbaby" she replied as a look of hurt flashed through her eyes.

"How did he..wait I shouldn't even ask that. I'm so sorry" I spoke quickly.

"No its okay, its been some time, it still hurts but I just take it day by day. He was the smartest six year old I've ever came across when he died I felt like the world lost someone amazing, someone who would've made a difference"

"Their mother was strung out on drugs badly and she owed a lot people a lot of money. I told that girl not to let any of them damn dealers know where my house was. She led them over here so many times and when they came looking for her they shot up the place" she shook her head.

"Oh my goodness" I frowned.

"I was getting ready to take him to the park, I thought he ran in his room so I continued getting ready" she continued. I put my hand on her and gave it a squeeze, you could tell it hurt her to retell this day.

"You don't have to keep going" I assured her.

"No its fine, I was walking downstairs calling him when dozens of shots were fired into the house, I dropped down because I had been hit in my legs and my arm. I kept yelling for Reginald but he didn't respond. I figured maybe he was in his room hiding so I picked myself up after the shooting stopped I went to his room but he wasn't there"

"Where Symone and Toni there?" I asked.

"No they were at school, Reggie had an early day that day so he came home way before them. I panicked when I didn't find him so I ran outside and.." she stopped and grabbed and paper towel covering her face. I gave her hand another squeeze as a few tears slipped out my eyes.

"His little body was face down on the porch, his toys were in a pile near the door so I could tell he was bringing them inside so nobody would steal them. His back was turned so he didn't see them coming. I should've made sure he was in the house" she cried.

"Its not your fault Mama" I hugged her tightly and rocked her in my arms.

"He had to suffer, they shot him in his head and his chest but he didn't die instantly."

"Did they ever find out who did it?" I frowned wiping my tears.

"Nope no leads up to this day and their mother is too damn scared to give up any possible names. I love my kids but I don't know how they turned out the way they did. I tried raising them differently from how I was raised, my parents were strict and liked to keep me in the house so when I left home I was wild"

"That's how my father is, I broke my back to please him but my best was never good enough for him and my mother just stood around like she had no backbone"

"She let that man control her most of her life and there's nothing I could do about it. When they first started dating I warned her, then she got pregnant with you, I told her to move back in with me and raise you until she's back on her feet but she ran back to him. He convinced her that I was no good and that she shouldn't raise you around me. She let you visit sometimes when you were younger and she saw Ahmeer. He knew who she was and he cried every time she left and took you and not him" she shook her head.

"Why didn't she raise Ahmeer?" I asked.

"Your father didn't want to raise a child that wasn't his so she left Ahmeer here"

"Who was his father?"

"Only your mother knows the answer to that, that boy grew up thinking he wasn't loved enough. I had no idea Symone and Toni were his, I always wondered why Regina and Sandra had a bad falling out. I know he's your father but all he done is caused drama and problems in the family. Only good thing he ever did was give me my grand babies" she pinched my cheeks.

"Is it bad that I never want to talk to him again?" I asked.

"Baby we don't pick our parents, he's still your father at the end of the day"

"Yeah I know but he disowned me and that hurt me. I feel like their are people out here that do so much wrong but their parents still support them. He's never supported anything I wanted to do"

"Your father didn't have the best upbringing either, that's not an excuse for how he's treated you but he's a result of his environment. Yes he became successful money wise but he's messed up from his home life" she revealed. I never heard stories about my father or my mothers upbringing so I was curious. They always made it seem like their life was perfect and they had no problems.

"My dad never told me about his family, I just always assumed everyone was dead. I didn't know you existed until a few months ago"

"Your father was the oldest of eight kids. His father your grandfather was a great hard working man, it was your grandmother who was the problem"

"What was she like?" I asked.

"That woman was so evil, I think she's still living but in a home, when he was younger he would come around to play with the other kids and he had cigarette burns all over his body. She abused all those kids everyday for no reason, after your grandfather died she went crazy"

"How did he die?"

"I think she had something to do with it but only the lord knows. After his death though things got worst, I noticed your father coming around with black eyes and he always looked like he was starving so I always have him and his siblings food. They came to my house a lot and that's how your mom and him became friends. I didn't mind them hanging out but it became a problem when she got older" I was completely shocked my the information I was finding out about my father and this family. What my dad went through was no excuse for how treated me but it all made sense now.

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Thoughts?