Nyla Bridges has dedicated her entire life to becoming the best FBI agent the agency has seen. Working twice as hard because she's a woman... a black woman... to show that she is just as capable, if not more, than her predominantly white, male colle...
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I shut off the engine to the car and stepped out. I shut the door and the locks automatically enabled. I ran my hand down my face and footed for Jay's building. The block was occupied with kids waiting to catch the public bus along with men and women commuting to work. I knocked on the door and Sydney soon answered. I furrowed my eyebrows as I eyed her busted lip, the black eye, and the prominent bruising on her cheek.
She lowered her head and stood behind the door while I walked through. Before I could say anything to Sydney my nine month old niece, Jelani, was crawling full speed in my direction, slobbering and smiling, showing off the four teeth in her mouth. I smiled and walked towards her, "what's up, tink," I bent down and picked her up. I tickled her pot belly and kissed her cheek as I cut my eye to Sydney.
Jelani doesn't understand what's going on, but she does know her mother's face, it's one of the first things a child learns. The way that Sydney looks right now isn't the familiar face that Lani is used to and the bottom line is that no child should ever see their mother bruised and battered at the hands of their father or any man. "This is what you want her to equate love to? If he could so easily beat your ass in a public setting then that means he has been doing this behind closed doors, yeah?"
She shook her head, "he doesn't do this all the time. I knew he was going though some things when I decided to lie and dress inappropriately so it's my fault."
"Your fault," I frowned up. "So if Lani lies about her whereabouts and wears something revealing you think it's okay for a man to put his hands on her because he's going through something?"
"No," she removed her eyes from mine and looked at the floor. "Then why do you think it's okay for him to do that to you? You don't think she's watching what goes on? At this age her brain is a sponge. She's soaking up every bit of the toxic shit that surrounds her. Do you want her to think that it's okay for a man to lay hands on her?"
"N-" she tensed up and I turned my head to see Jay standing in the hallway. "So this is what we're doing," he walked further into the living room. "I don't come into your household stepping on your toes. Why are you coming in here stepping on mine?" I walked towards Sydney and handed her the baby, "get her diaper bag ready. I want to take her with me for a couple of hours. Inform your mother I'll drop Lani off this evening along with a token of my gratitude for keeping her until your face heals, yeah?" Sydney looked over at Jay.
"You better not fucking move," Jay spat. "That's my muthafuckin' daughter, not his. You called him to my house, Syd?" She shook her head and her eyes began to well up with tears, "n-no, I swear."
