Concrete Rose (Norminah)

Three

Standing with my back against the brick wall I took a deep breath exhaling watching my breath creative a soft smoke effect with the cold December air.

Smirking I did it again reminding myself of my younger childhood days when a couple of my friends and I use to do that due to the fact that it looked like we were smoking. Looking down the sidewalk I saw a few kids running around laughing. Closing my eyes I thought about how I use to do the same exact thing.

Listening to the group of guys that were standing beside me bust out into laughter I shuffled a little. Feeling one of them tug at my arm causing me to slightly open my eyes just to see someone standing in front of me. I reached my hand a little further into my fitted Nike tech sweats and pulled out the best product on the block.

I gave the fiend that was standing before me a hand shake exchanging my blow for his money. He smiled like I just handed him a pot of gold and went on about his way.

Closing my eyes again I heard an all to familiar voice. Starting to feel her presence in front of me I didn't even bother to move. Growing tired of feeling her hard gaze I finally opened my eyes And seen just who I knew it was.

Out of all people it was my mother shaking my head at her I closed my eyes again. She use to be so beautiful now she just a washed up junkie. Not to long ago she met this guy name Nate. Boy I tell ya he was one of the smoothest cleanest drug heads out here.

You wouldn't even know he was on that shit unless you seen it with you're own eyes, At first my mother wouldn't give him the time nor day but when she finally did. She ended up falling madly in love with him. They say love will make you do some crazy things and I believe it because soon after they got together he dragged my mother right down to the bottom with him.

Now she right here in my face about to make me do something I hated doing. Finally opening my eyes again she still stood in front of me looking like last week. The only thing decent on her was her hair. She always told me that a woman's hair is her crown. To bad hers fell along time ago

" Baby girl don't ignore me you know what I want " she spoke reaching for my arm causing me to snatch it away before she could even touch me.

" Go home get away from here " I spoke catching everybody's attention since I wasn't the biggest talker. I'm all about getting the job done and going home.

" Come on baby girl you really gonna see ya momma out here begging and pleading just give me what I need so I can go " I just stood there watching her trying to figure out where did she go wrong, shit where did I go wrong here I am a seventeen year old female on the corner with guys who tried their best to be with me.

Unlike them I ain't gotta be here my father left us well off. But I loved the rush and the independence. My father blood flowed through me so freely and I loved it, I knew the streets better then half of these guys. They jumped off the porch for the material aspect I did it for the hell of it.

Just standing there looking at her I couldn't help but think back on how I couldn't stay from up under my mother. I was one of those kids that would sit in the bathroom with her talking up a storm acting like her shit didn't stink.

Then it didn't but now was a different story.

One of the guys that was standing by me finally broke the silence among us.

" Yo DJ is that really ya momma " I just looked at him then at her.

" Nah she just some sick ass dope fiend that use to watch me when I was little back when she was clean believe it or not " still looking at her I felt the pain in her eyes as I stood there and lied. I couldn't tell these dirty ass dudes that this was my mother.