Dark Beauty

Chapter 3: Missing You.

Friday

May 22nd, 1995

11:56 a.m.

*More hours later.*

" Alright, ma'am, here's your destination." The cab driver said.

"How much do I owe you, sir?" The lady asked.

"Thirty dollars and twenty-five cents." The driver answered.

   The lady shook her head okay and reached into her bra. She pulled out a wad of money, searched through it, and handed the man two $20 bills. "Keep the change." She grabbed her bags and stepped out of the car. She waved bye to the cab driver and then looked up at the house in front of her.

"Hey ma'am." a neighbor greeted. "How are you?" they asked.

"I'm fine." The lady answered. "Just here to see my son and his family." She replied. She smiled at the neighbor and then headed up the path to the two-story house. Once she was in front of the door, she sat her bags down and reached inside a glass pot. She pulled out the spare key. As she went to open the door, she noticed that it was cracked a little. She stood there, puzzled for a moment. She sat the key back in the pot and rushed inside the house, forgetting her bags outside.

   The house was dark. The lady quietly and slowly searched around for the light switch. Once she found it, she flicked it on, and the scene in front of her made her mouth drop. The front room was a mess. Broken glass and flipped furniture decorated the place, something she wasn't used to seeing. "Jeremiah!" she yelled. "Kodeni!" she said as she walked carefully through the mess. "Lord, my goodness." She whispered to herself as she surveyed the mess in her son's house. "What in the hell happened?" "' Miah!" she yelled a second time after no response the first time.

  By this point, the lady was at the bottom of the steps. She looked up to the semi-dark landing at the top of the steps. "Miah!" she yelled. By this point, she was worried but hesitant to go upstairs. From the looks of downstairs, she could only imagine what the upstairs looked like. The downstairs looked like it had been ransacked. It was apparent that there was a fight, but if there were any survivors, it wasn't clear; and the fact that her son or daughter in law wasn't answering, she was afraid the worse had happened. Gathering the courage, she grabbed the bat, laid on the first step, and slowly headed up the steps.

   Once she was at the top, she paused for a second. To her surprise, the upstairs was fine. At this point, she was confused but still cautious. Grandma King approached her granddaughter's room first. The door was cracked, so she peered inside. It was evident that she hadn't been there. The lady sighed. She was relieved to know that her grandchild might be okay. She continued down the hall slowly while still gripping the bat, ready to knock someone's head off. As she grew closer to her son's room, she could hear light murmurs. She paused for a moment, trying to recognize the voice.

   She continued down the hall towards their room. At this point, she was standing outside the door. It was cracked open, and she could hear the voice a little clearer. She gripped the bat tighter and pushed the door open with her elbow. Once the person was in clear view, she dropped the bat and sighed. "' Miah." She said as she rolled her eyes. He didn't answer. "So you gonna act like you didn't hear me, boy?" she questioned. "I know you can hear me, boy. Turn around when I'm talking to you," she said.