A P R I L 1 9 9 5,
S E T T I N G| Chicago Illinois
"Wait! Wait, hold the bus!" Mary Tremaine yells while waving her hand for the bus. "Come on, Bar!" She yelled to her son who was running behind her. Once she got the the bus, she thanked the driver for waiting as her two kids found a seat in the back. Mary sighed and sat down sitting the grocery bags she had in her hand beside her. She just finished working an eight hour shift at the Sudz laundromat and she barely made it on time to get her kids after heading to the grocery store for something to eat for tonight.
"Mommy." Mary looked down at her seven year old son Baron who had called her name. "Yes?"
"What are we eating tonight?"
"How about some of mommy's famous vegetable soup?"
"Yay!" After getting off the bus, it was getting dark and walking down the streets of Chicago, Mary held her kids hand firmly. Diamonte and Baron was close in age, only a year apart. Mary was doing her best to raise them being a single mother. Getting pregnant at nineteen with Diamonte wasn't her plan but an abortion was something Mary didn't believe in. When her mother found out she was pregnant she was kicked out and since Diamonte's father was still living with his mother, Mary had no one to turn to but her grandma. But, her grandma suffered from heart problems and before Mary could even think, her grandma died and she was alone in the streets with two kids. At first it was staying with some friends and working a bunch of dead in jobs because it wasn't a lot she could do since she didn't have her high school diploma or a support system. Mary still didn't give up, even though they lived in a one bedroom apartment she did everything in her power to make sure her kids had everything they needed. Even though sometimes they didn't always have what they wanted. It was times they spent in the dark, times without food and Mary wasn't proud of it.
Walking into her apartment building she was stopped by her landlord, Mr. Clark. "Aye, Mary." Sighing Mary looked down at her eight year old Daughter, Diamonte. "Here, go open the door." Mary gave her daughter the key and she started walking up the stairs with her brother behind her carrying the bags.
"How are you David?"
"I'm fine, it's the thirteenth. Where's my money Mary?"
"Look I just need one more week, I get paid in a few days and I'll have all of it okay? Please, I just need one week."
"You're two weeks late, you're always late with the rent and I've tried to be nice because of your kids but I got people to answer to, and I need my money." Mr. Clark walked away, Mary knew she didn't have long until they were going to get kicked out and that was her biggest nightmare. Opening the door to her apartment, she took off her shoes and smiled as she watched Diamonte help Bar with his homework.
Grabbing the can out of the cabinet, Mary started cooking and Diamonte watched her closely. "Mom.. Are we going to get put out?" Diamonte asked standing by her mom. Mary put the can down, and bent down to Diamonte's level. "Mommy is going to do everything in her power to make sure that won't happen."
After dinner, Mary tuck them both into bed once they said they're prayers. Sitting down in the kitchen, Mary took out all her bills. Everything was marked past due, and it made her cry. Sucking up her pride she picked up her phone only to hear beeping on the other line. That caused her breakdown, she knew crying wasn't going to fix anything but she needed to let it out. Hearing her mom crying in the other room, Diamonte got out of her bed.
Diamonte took one of the paper towels from the roll and handed it to her mom. Mary smiled and wiped her tears. "It's okay, Mommy. We'll be Alright."
The next morning, Diamonte and Baron got off the bus that dropped them off two corners away from their school and Mary went to work. At the laundromat she clocked in then started getting her cleaning cart ready. In walked her coworker Francis who then clocked in and went to give Mary a hug. "What's wrong girl?" Francis could tell Mary was a little off with the distraught look on her face.
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General Fiction"I remember who she was to me, I remember everything that she did for us that you didn't. My mother was my superhero because she had to be, and to me, she was the best. Everyday I think about her, and I think about what life could've been with her i...
