Ones Trust

Part 1

Micheals pov 

When I pick Kalah up from school, she actin all weird and shit. I mean  she the one that called my cell this morning and told me she needed to talk. Then all the way to her place it’s like she wanna say something but don’t know how to tell me. So we just walk without saying a whole lot, which is alright ’cause I got a lot on my mind anyway.

Kalah  live in the Lincolnwood Houses. I don’t mind walking her all this way ’cause this place is still like my home even though we moved from here a couple years ago. Back in the day, these eight buildings was my whole world. I used to do some stupid shit ’round here with my boys. But I don’t hardly get to hang with them dudes no more. Not like I used to.

Matter of fact, I don’t even get to see Kalah  everyday no more. Our buildings used to be right cross the parking lot from each other. Now I gotta take two trains just to see her.

When we get to her building, I don’t really wanna go upstairs  cause I know her moms don’t work on Fridays, and she gonna be there making sure me and kalah don’t do nothing. I mean  her moms is cool and everything. She always cooking stuff for me and sending me home with all kinds of food for my family  but I know she only doing it ’cause she feel sorry for us.

When we get upstairs, not only is her moms there, but her pops is there too. He sitting at the kitchen table eating pork chops and rice like he live there. Like he ain’t walk out on them a couple years ago. Kalah  moms is cleaning up the kitchen and watching some shopping show on TV. “Hi, Micheal ” she say. “How’s everything? Your family hanging in there?”

Yeah, Ms. Jenkins (I say). We doing okay. Hi Mr. Jenkins.

He kinda wave at me, a mouth full of food. Asshole. A couple weeks ago I walked Kalah  home and we heard him and her moms going at it in the bedroom all loud and shit. Then  when he was done he just up and left like that was all he wanted. That and some good food.

“You hungry?  Ms. Jenkins ask me. But before I can even answer  she putting a ton of rice on a plate for me.

“Eat,” Kalah  tell me. “I wanna change my clothes.” She go to this Catholic school and gotta wear this blue uniform with this short plaid skirt. It’s so goddamn sexy, but she hate it and can never wait to change outta it.

I’m so hungry I just sit there and eat the pork chop in like two bites, then wolf the rice down like I ain’t never ate nothing before. Meanwhile, Ms. Jenkins is just talking on and on ’bout how me and my family need to stay close and keep our faith in God strong while we going through hard times. I nod every couple minutes so she think I’m really listening, but to be honest, I’m really tired of everyone saying that. Like they know what we going through.

Kalah  come outta her bedroom in sweatpants and a T-shirt. No matter what she wear, she still look cute as hell. She got a real pretty face, and even though she only five foot  she got a bangin little body. And she only 17.

Kalah  tell her moms ’bout some weekend trip she wanna take with her school in March to go look at some Black colleges down south. “Slow down, girl,” Ms. Jenkins tell her, pouring the pork chop oil from the frying pan into a old Maxwell House can. “You only a 11th. You don’t have to think about college for a couple of years.”

Kalah  roll her eyes.

Mr. Jenkins sit back in his chair like he all full and satisfied. “Bonquesa,” he say to Ms. Jenkins, looking at his watch, “you still want me to fix that VCR in your bedroom? I got a little time before my shift starts.”

Me and Kalah  look at each other like this guy think he slick.

Ms. Jenkins tell him okay, then they go into the bedroom and close the door.

“Your pops is a real playa,” I tell Kalah.

“I don’t wanna talk about it,” she say. “It’s disgusting.” We go in her room and lock the door. Another thing I like ’bout Kalah is that she still like a little girl. Her room is all decorated with posters of them little pretty-boy singers, and she still got stuffed animals and shit. Two seconds later she pulling her T-shirt over her head and I’m kissing her and feeling her up. Then she go over to this little tiny statue of St. Mary she got on the shelf over her bed and turn it ’round so it face the wall. She do this every time she ’bout to do some nasty shit, so St. Mary can’t see her. I can’t help but smile ’cause I never expect nothing on a Friday, so it’s a good thing her pops is there to keep her moms busy.

kalah  is still a virgin and she ain’t giving it up ’til she married. She don’t even let me put my hand in her panties or nothing. But she do like blowing me. I’m the only guy she ever did it to  but she real good at it. She know how to take care of me.

When we done we go back out to the living room so her moms don’t know what we just did. They still in the bedroom  but we can’t hear nothing this time. So we just chillin sitting on the couch watching Rugrats TV leaning against each other. She got her hands in my hair, rubbing my head When kalah dozes off And her phone goes off