Obstacles | Keith Powers |

war for you

Keith

time skip[two months later]
At around 9:30 pm, I arrived back home from doing a drop. When I pulled up in the driveway, I saw Kalani sitting on the porch. I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion and got out the car, walking up to her.

"Why are you out here at this time of night?" I asked her, folding my arms across my chest. She looked up at me and then looked away.

"Mommy's doing it again.." She said, quietly. I already knew what she was talking about and I sighed.

"So why didn't you just go over Ms. Jackie's instead of sitting out here?" I asked her.

"Because I didn't want too." She shrugged.

"Alright, whatever. Come on." I said, holding out my hand. She took it and got up as we walked inside the house.

I saw our mother right in the living room, snorting her life away. I shook my head and clenched my jaw as I covered Kalani's eyes and led her to her room.

"Get some sleep, I'll take care of Mommy." I told her. She nodded and I kissed her forehead.

"I love you, brother." She whispered, falling asleep.

"I love you too, sister." I smiled.

Leaving the room and walking into the living room. I stood right in front of my mom. I opened the water bottle that was in my hand and squeezed it, letting the water fall on her and the cocaine.

"What the fuck!" She yelled, wiping the water from her face. She looked up at me with a mean mug.

"Don't you dare, do that again! You see I'm busy!" She yelled at me, gesturing towards the table where the cocaine was. I rolled my eyes at her nonsense.

"Busy snorting your fucking life away, you dumb ass crackhead!" I yelled back. She slapped me and I held my cheek, looking at her.

"You will respect me! I am your mother!" She yelled, pointing at me.

That struck a whole nerve. For the past 10 years, she hasn't been acting like my mother. When she was pregnant with Kalani by some unknown ass nigga and still managed to get high nearly everyday, causing Kalani to be premature. The countless days and nights Kalani was forced to stay in the hospital and how my mother never even asked to touch or see her once, yet she has the nerve to claim she's my mother. She's damn lucky Kalani doesn't have any mental or health problems. All my track meets and Kalani's dance recitals she missed, yet she managed to still claim her mother title. That track meet she came to a couple weeks ago was the first in 2 years. She missed Kalani's dance performance the week after, but you damn right I was there and seated first row. So for her to even dare utter those words to me, made me do the unthinkable.... cry.

"ACT LIKE IT!" I yelled, a tear rolling down my face. I wiped it away and grabbed my phone, storming out of the house. I walked down the street and decided to make a call.

"Hello?" Her sleepy voice answered.

"I need you." I said as another tear fell on my cheek.

"I'm on my way."

-

She pulled up at the bus stop I was at and rolled down her window. I opened the passenger door and got in.

"What happened?" She asked me. I stayed silent, not wanting to talk about it at that moment. She noticed and kept quiet. Jasmine reached over and held my hand.

Pulling up at the same spot we were at, she turned the car off and looked at me.

"Do you want to talk now?" She asked me softly. I looked at her and nodded.

"Jasmine... my mom is going to end up killing herself and Kalani could end up getting taken away from me. I wouldn't be able to live with myself knowing she was taken away and put into the system. Those kids always have it worse. I don't want that to happen, Jasmine, I don't." I ranted as more tears fell from my eyes. She leaned over and pulled me into her arms as I leaned my face in the crook of her neck as more tears involuntarily spilled out of my eyes.

"We won't let that happen. Kalani isn't going anywhere. I promise."

Sometimes I wonder why God decided to give me a life like this. I know the saying goes; 'God gives his hardest battles to his toughest soldiers' but at times I don't always feel so tough. We just sat there for a moment reflecting on everything.

"You okay to go home now?" She asked me. I sighed and nodded.

-

"Thank you Jasmine. I'll see you at school tomorrow." I told her as we stood on my porch. She nodded and smiled.

"Bye Keith. Make sure you call me if anything." She said. I nodded. I wrapped my arms around her in a hug and she hugged back before walking back to the car.

It's new, having someone there for me.

fin.

This was a filler chapter..❤️