The Crow & The Sparrow

Chapter Two: Hangman's Joke

Today was Kele's sixteenth birthday, a girl should be excited about her sweet sixteen. Tons of gifts, all she could want for a birthday present is hers if she asks. All young Kay's ever wanted is to be treated as an equal member of the family. Twelve of her different familial members are distant, or their relationship is strained, or worse estranged. Some disappeared like her parental grandpa Jeffrey Hudson Sisika.

Others died from freak accidents, like her parental cousin Sherry Noble Jean. Didn't even turn twenty, the night of her nineteenth birthday. She was someone everyone in the family loved dearly. Young, sweet, gone before her time. Her father loved using her memory to express disdain towards Kay.

Saying things like, 'Sherry wouldn't dress like that!', 'Sherry would never be late.', 'Sherry wouldn't talk back.' just to put Kele in an embarrassing position. To her father no matter what she did, it was case for criticism. Even breathing a curtain way gave him ammo to go off. Her mother did the best she could to curb his anger most days but there was only so much you could do about his anger. Unless you could bring Sherry back, he didn't want to hear it.

Let's just say she wasn't looking forward to later that night when the party was gonna be. Social but friendless, at least in a true sense, no one she knew from school was going to be there. Her father made sure any friends she did have would be 'taken' care of. Pushing them all away by saying some out of pocket thing that drove them to leave. A select cousin, Nancy, was everything father described in Sherry only; she did talk back to him many times in defense of Kay.

Father never dared to raise his voice towards her, given her appearance was just like Sherry. Her older sister by a couple years. Four of her uncles were the same closeness, protecting her where they could. Obviously her mother came to her rescue too many times to count. Then there was her maternal grandmother Deborah who stopped her father from throwing a glass at her head.

Which made it less horrible to show up for dinner. Taima would spend as much time away from the family till the ones she wanted to see showed. Also to avoid trouble at the dinner table when they weren't present. Throwing off the blankets while trying to ignore all the thoughts of dread that filled her mind. Just get dressed and worry about those things later.

To clear her head of the negative thoughts that swam inside it, she quickly got dressed. Grabbing a sparkly purple long sleeve shirt, long black ripped jeans, black star covered knee high tights, and her favorite brown leather combat boots. Going to the bathroom, the clothes in hand. Kay then placed the items on the toilet lid while she began cleaning up her appearance. Picking up her black paddle brush she took out the three strand braid.

Brushing out her long fawn hair till it was silky waves. Her attention turned to her breath, putting the brush down to trade for a toothbrush. Brushing her teeth, and washing her face last. She finally slides on her pair of brown leather combat boots that her grandma Deborah bought for her on her fifteenth from a thrift shop. The only one really in town, Gideon's pawn shop.

Guy was a known weasel and it took threatening him to get it to a decent price. Lacing them up swiftly, Kele went off to the street to go to the same place to look for a record. A record by the band Hangman's Joke. They struck a cord inside her soul and she fell for the music they played. Pushing the door inward, the small bell binged, alerting Gideon of her presence.

"What can I help you with?" The shop owner questioned, a cigarette in his teeth and his gruff annoyed voice.

"Just looking, where do you keep the music records?" Tia's sweet voice contrasted his gravelly voice, he took a drag off his half done cig.

"Over there near the door, on the right. You have eyes, why not use them?" Gid sassed, adjusting the death stick in his mouth.

"I don't work here." The teen returned in kind, not phased by the keeper's behavior towards a young kid.

Striding over to the large wooden crate, her small caramel tanned fingers glided over the endless record labels. The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and Lady Soul. Classics. Where is Hangman's Joke, they should be in here somewhere. Reaching the near back, a familiar label appeared.

A smile cracked its way up her pink lips, slipping it out, and carrying it to the front. Gideon's cigarette had gone out, but the smoke lingered in the air, making her lungs burn at the smell. The record slapped onto the glass counter, making the angry pawn man notice her standing in front of him.

"Is this all?" Deon questioned, with a bit of irritation.

"Yes, this is all I came here for." Tiama opened her coin purse and got out the exact change.

"$2.44." The man stated, "Here." the coins dropped into his ring covered fingers.

"Don't come back soon." Gideon huffed, lighting another death stick and placing it in the corner of his nasty mouth.

Picking up the record, Ke carried it outside and was staring at the cover. Not paying attention to those around her, hitting a young man who was too not looking. A loud ouch echoed around, they both got knocked backwards to the ground. He had been speed walking and she had been as well. Quickly brushing off the record that had fallen to the wet and dirty ground.

Not even mad about the boy had run into her, way more upset about almost breaking her new record.