A Kept Woman {Sample}

Chapter 1: Priority Number One

23 months later 

        Kimi went to pick up Ethan from daycare when she left the library, and he grinned, running into her arms when he saw her. "Mommy!"

        "Hey, my littlecherub," she pecked his lips as she picked him up. "Go put your coat on so we can go, baby."

        He ran to his cubby and got his belongings together as she signed him out. It was dark out earlier, but that was fine. She just watched her back and kept her son close to her.

        Kimi was a single mother, and no one in her family let her forget it, either. No matter how hard she worked. She had even moved into her own place, just she and her baby now. 

        It wasn't the best neighborhood; but it was hers. It wasn't in the slums, but she was just barely out of reach of the hard knock blocks. 

        Still, she couldn't seem to avoid the judgment of her family. Her mother often stopped by under the guise of bringing her some leftover dinner. Then she would ask how the girl even fed her baby. She was surprised she was even still in school instead of dropping out. She was often reminded of what a letdown she had become three years ago.

        Every time her mother stopped by, Kimi debated on letting her in or not, but the truth was, the putdowns did come with some assistance. She let her mother in every time and listened to her talk about how much everyone had their faith in her being the one to do it right. How she had lost her chance at scholarships with giving up sports and letting her academics slip through her fingers. She fucked up.  

        Ethan came to her with his coat and backpack, and she zipped it up to the chin, helping him put on his hat and gloves.

        "You all ready to go, munchkin?"

        He nodded and she took his hand, leading him out into the cold. She wished she had a car.

        As she was walking, she noticed a car slowing down, and she picked Ethan up, prepared to run if that need arose. She hated having to walk at night,especially with her child.

        "Hey, do you need a ride?" She recognized the voice, and she turned around and saw Harvey.

        Immediately, her erratic heartbeat slowed down. She looked into her baby's cold face and accepted the ride.

        She climbed into the backseat with her son. "Thank you, Harvey," she said gratefully.

          "It's no problem. Who's the little fella?"

        "This is my son, Ethan. Ethan, say hi to Mommy's friend, Harvey."

        "Hi," Ethan greeted.

        Harvey turned in the seat and extended his hand. "Hi, little guy. How old are you?"

        "Four. How old are you?"

        "Forty-three," Harvey responded with a chuckle.

        "Oh. That's a lot. My mama is twenty-one."

        Ethan loved running around telling people his mother's age. Fortunately, she didn't care. He would need to stop that when he got older. Just keep people guessing.

        "Is she?" Harvey asked, entertaining the boy.

        "Yeah,that’s a lot, too."