Mr. Tan

Chapter 7: It Gets Worse

 It's was now December, not the first part of December, but after Christmas. I was on winter break from school. It was two days after Christmas and the weather outside was cold, dreary and rainy. Mamma and Clyde went to a Christmas party on Christmas night. On that night I was feeling really horny so I called Rashaad to come over for another romp in the bed. I was still without a period and I was throwing up much more almost every day. I tried my best to keep it a secret from my mamma because she was starting to get suspicious and Clyde yelled at me more now than ever. It was 9:00 in the morning and I couldn't get back to sleep so I just laid in my bed reading a comic book and listening to blues music on my portable CD player. Mamma and Clyde were still asleep. I remember when Grandma Eden had the most elaborate Christmas dinners when she was still alive. Weeks before Christmas we would spend hours decorating the house and setting up the Christmas tree in the family room. Every Christmas morning I'd wake up to the smell of her homemade breakfast and mugs of hot coco. I would get Christmas gifts while I presented her with her with my homemade Christmas cards and ornaments. She loved them and would cherish them like they were priceless artifacts. In the evenings she would invite people from our church, close friends, and neighbors over for a feast of honey baked ham, brisket, mashed potatoes, orange glazed carrots, and all kinds of delicious things. Thinking of my Grandma gave me the sudden urge to cry. I miss her Christmas carols and special holiday treats such as her homemade fudge, peanut brittle, and sugar cookies. Everyone that knew my grandma ragged about her sweet potato pie. Grandma did everything she could to get to know me, and what was most important is the fact that she did. She knew my favorite color is pink, my favorite food was BBQ chicken, I loved peaches, canned or fresh. She knew my habits, teachers at school, my grades, even my blood type. She even knew the truth about my real daddy. When I was 12 years old she sat me down and told me what I was so curious about. I was so curious as to know how come my skin was so light, my eyes green instead of brown like most black folks, how come my hair was damn near blonde. She said my real daddy was white, and he didn't run off, grandma chased him off. Grandma chased him off cause he was no more fit to raise me then Julian was. Plus Grandma said that my real daddy had an insatiable appetite for black girls and that her daughter wasn't the only one he messed around with. Yes, he came from the hills of Eastern Kentucky and stuck his thing in any Ebony girl that would have him. She said he was a smooth talker and made my mamma believe that she was the only one for him and that he didn't loved nobody else. Rumor has it is that he had sex with his host family's 13 year old daughter. 

 I asked Grandma what did he look like. She said that he was tall with blonde hair and green eyes, like mine. He was muscular and played football for Cleveland High. Grandma even told me that he had a temper like a bear and would often get into fights and despite the fact that he was underage he would often go to bars and taverns and drink. As for Julian, she said that her and my mamma never had a good relationship. Julian had always been so headstrong and loose as early as 11. She said no matter how much she would try and talk to her, take her to church, whip her, nothing got thru. I must have cried myself back to sleep because I woke up with mamma standing over my bed with a look of concern on her face.

"C'mon, Alexis, wake up", she said sternly.

I yawned and sat straight up in my bed.

 "Get outta bed cause today I am taking you to the clinic to get checked out", she said scooting my blanket back.