Ups and Downs: Can't Run From Pain

3.

"You are the dream that saved my life. You are the reason I survived."

8 months later...

KAYLA

" Get your ass in there den! And when you go in labor lay yo ass there in pain! Stupid hoe! " my dad snaps throwing my mom in the room with us. We only have been seeing her on 1 day a month. It's been about 9 months since we've been out of school my dad doesn't even bother getting us homeschooled or anything. He just does the norm and pay the teachers off for us to get promoted to the next grade. " Momma what happened! " I ask watching her cry. " it's all my fault. I've been nagging your daddy to let y'all go or at least let me see y'all more often. I can't stay in here I have 4 more days until my due. I just can't. " She cries.

" It's gone be alright ma we just gotta find a way out " Ken says bringing my mom into his arms. My mom sits there a while like she's deep in thought as tears now slowly run down her face. " When are you aloud to use the bathroom? " My mom asks. " In the morning or night sometimes in the afternoon when they're nice " I answer. " Does the bathroom have a mirror? " She asks. I slowly nod my head. " Y'all have a toothbrush? " My mom asks. I slowly nod my head. " What are you up to momma? " Ken asks. " Don't worry bout it. Do y'all call them up here or some? How do y'all get their attention? " She asks " We don't and we can't " Ken tell her. " We have to wait until they come to us, if they don't come down tonight they'll be down here tomorrow morning. " I tell her. " Fine get some rest in " She says looking around. " What? " Ken asks. " Where are y'all bed at? " She asks. " we sleep on the ground. " Ken tell her. My mom mouth drops as she breaks down crying.

...

NEXT MORNING...

The door swings open making a loud bag against the wall. The light switch flicks on as my dad appears. " Here " He slurs. Throwing the keys at my face drawing blood from my lip. " What are these to? " I mumble. " The bathroom dumbass...I'm com-coming back down toni-t-tonight to get them. Have your fucking baths...bitches " He says trying to walk straight before hitting the wall and busting his butt. He gets up and walks out before slamming the steel door close making my mom and brother jump out of their sleep.

" What was that? " My mom asks rubbing her eyes. " Daddy just gave me the keys " I tell her holding them up. She groans while rubbing her back. " Ken, help me up " My mom says. He does as said. " Keys " My mom demands holding her hands out. I get up off the ground and hand them to her.

She walks off in he direction of the bathroom with me and Ken following behind her. She unlocks the bathroom door and goes directly to the mirror. She looks at herself while fixing her hair before punching the mirror into pieces. " momma what the fuck! " Ken curses in fear. She smacks him in the back of his head with he hand she didn't use to punch the mirror. "Stop cussing " She growls. " Momma you have blood everywhere " I mumble looking down at my fingers. " Get me a wet towel " She says.

She takes my toothbrush and picks up a piece of glass from the mirror. She start cutting and shaving the bristles off the toothbrush with the piece off the mirror the best she could. It took her 30 minutes before she got all the bristles off and now I'm watching her a cut a slit in the toothbrush. "Momma what are you doing?" Ken asks. " Making a shank " She says totally focusing on her toothbrush. She slides a piece of mirror into the slit she made in my toothbrush. She goes to the steal cover window with screws on them. She starts unscrewing them with the shank. I gotta say for my dad to put screws on a window in a basement that's meant to trap people in is pretty dumb. Why didn't he put bolts or something in it instead of screw. How stupid could he be.

My mom throws the steal shield down revealing a wooden nailed down shield. Well I guess thinks things through a little. But if you can through a steal shield you can get through a wooden door or window or shield or whatever you wanna call it. She starts sawing through it. " Ken go look out for us " My mom says. It took her 2 hours to get through the wooden door, window, steal or whatever you call it. She throws the pieces of wood down. Cutting threw a window screen and lifting the window up revealing the sun, I haven't seen in 8 months. Wow!

I run out the bathroom and to Ken. " She got the window open! " I exclaim. He smiles wide running into the bathroom as we walk in on my mom rubbing blood off her hands.

She looks out the window. " Come on climb out, we're on ground level " She says closing the door. She locks it with the keys and picks me up helping me out the window. I land on my knees. I stand up dusting them off. We're in the middle of nowhere I can tell by the dirty broke down road and nothing but tall grass and crops. I watch as Ken climbs out helping my pregnant mom down.

She walks down to the end of the brick wall and peek around the corner. She motions for us to come here. We walk up to her. " They in there fucking the strippers we gone cut through the grass watch out for snakes " My mom says. We start going through he grass. " When y'all see a stop sign turn left " She says. " How do you know where to go? " Ken asks.
" Your low down daddy took me to the hospital for my check ups " She answers. He slowly nods his head. " Ma stop sign right there " Ken says pointing at a rusted out stop sign.

It feels like it's been an hour since we've been walking. We see an airport and it says 30 minutes away. "Momma I can't walk anymore"
I say breathing hard. "Shut up girl, I'm pregnant and I'm still going come on!" She snaps on me. I guess it's her pregnancy hormones that's making her so grouchy.

" Is this the airport that we were at last time " Ken asks. She nods her head as she pulls stacks of money out her big jogger pants. "We have enough to get to Cali on air" She says.

...

My mom bribed the people to get us on the plane so now some family won't be having fun in their hotel or whatever they was coming for. I watch as we land in California's air port.

We've loaded off the plane now we're waiting on my mom to get some talking to my Auntie to come get us. We've did we've finally did it. And my dad cannot stop us. This my dream come true. I'm so proud of my mom thinking things through in how to get us out.

I watch as a lady that looks like she in her mid-thirties with caramel skin, and long feathered hair rush to us and embrace my mom with a big hug. "You still have my money that was sent to you?" My mom asks. "Yes I haven't touched not one bit of it I swear" The lady answers my mom. "Is this our Auntie?" Ken asks. "Yes, this is your Aunt Jackie, Jackie this is my oldest child his name is Ken" My mom introduces our Aunt Jackie to Ken. "And this is Kayla my youngest" Mom says. Aunt Jackie gives me a big hug. "Well it doesn't look like she's the youngest, you having about her child by him?" Auntie Hackie frown at my mom. "That's what I said" Ken says to Aunt Jackie earning a strong slap in the face from my mom. " Stay out of grown folks business" She tells him. He holds his cheek with a shocked look on his face as tears roam through his eyes. "So what happened? And why you smell like dat" Aunt Jackie says covering her nose. "I'll tell you later" My mom says looking down at her hands.

...

We entering my Aunt Jackie's house. It's way much more smaller than our house. But hey I'm not complaining I'll take any house any day that doesn't have my dad in it. Plus he house has stairs so I guess you could call it mild size. There's a gate a the front also. "Y'all go take y'all a bath" My mom demands. "Your suitcases are up in your rooms" Aunt Jackie tells us. "Where are our rooms?" Ken asks. "Oh lemme get Joseph to show y'all" Aunt Jackie says. "Joseph! Come here!" Aunt Jackie calls out. "What ma?" This dude that looks in his teen age, with light skin and his hair in a big ponytail says with an attitude. "Show them where their rooms are and this is your Aunt Kina, and your cousins Ken and Kayla" My Aunt Jackie introduces us. " Aww..he's so cute with a lot of hair. This boy has more hair then Ken" My mom says laughing as she hugs Joseph. Ken rolls his eyes. "Hey, I guess" he says mugging my mom. "Aye bruh, who you mugging like dat?" Ken says I'm an angered tone. "You pussy!" Joseph snaps. Ken throws a punch a Joseph's jaw making him rock back. The start throwing punches going heads up. "Oh My Gosh! Get them!" My mom screams with tears in her eyes as Joseph slams Ken on the floor. My Auntie breaks their fight up before punching Joseph in the mouth. " Ma what the fuck?!" Joseph screams. "Watch your fucking mouth!" Auntie Jackie yells at him getting in his face as he breath heavily. He blows and then storms upstairs. "I swear I can't stand him sometimes sorry Ken you alright?" Aunt Jackie asks as she helps Ken up off the floor. Ken yanks away and storms upstairs. "Boy snatch away from her again go take a bath and get your ass to sleep! Change them shitty ass clothes too!" My mom yells.

This is going to be a long night.

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