HARDAWAY | trilogy

V3 - Chapter Four.

𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐖𝐍 𝐖𝐀𝐓𝐒𝐎𝐍

I rushed across the walnut hardwood floors in my yellow North Face slides while brushing my teeth and maneuvering through the cardboard boxes that are scrawled on in black sharpie marker and constant thumping on the front door. Giving a quick glance through the peephole, I seen who stood on the other side and unlocked the cylinder deadbolt before pulling the door open. I got her attention from fixing the young boy and girl light jackets with her hair messily in a ponytail.

The mother of my two youngsters. Addison Stone. She once had the most beautiful mocha brown skin, but due to her recent addiction, her tone faded. Addison was fairly small — in height and weight — with wild, uncombed hair. Around the spring season of 2012 she delivered our fraternal twins Aurora and Nashawn who stood with her.

"Hi daddy!" The twins engulfed me around my waist.

"Hey. What up wit y'all heads man?" I asked as I eyed her timeworn ponytail twist and his uncut hair.

"Mommy didn't do them," Nashawn shrugged.

"I can tell. Go wake yo sister while I talk to yo moms right quick."

Both of them nodded and bolted further into the duplex. I gestured for Addison to come in while I footed to the half-bathroom to finish my oral hygiene. When I walk back into the living room filled with cardboard boxes Addison looked around, scratching her arm.

"I told you drop em off after I finished moving."

"It was best to do now," her croaky voice slipped from her voice-box. "And I feel they should live with you — rest of the summer at least."

"Not that I have a problem with housing my kids, but what up wit you?"

"I'm finally going to rehab," she enlightened.

For a while she been battling with a pill addiction, but that didn't take away from her being a good mother. But lately, the addiction has been running her dry financially and physically. Addison has never been one to ask around for money and I've been hearing that she have been. Plus she's never allowed herself to look the way she looks now. She's a girly girl and loved to upkeep her appearance along with the twins. Recently, she's been lacking on that.

"You said that before Addison."

"I'm serious this time Nashawn," she expressed. "I look and feel a mess. I'm not even myself anymore and I can't help it. I need to get sober for the twins but also myself. So... my parents are sending me to a rehab facility in Florida."

"Florida? Why there?"

"They have one of the top drug rehab facility there and my parents want me to be far away from here to get myself together."

I understood she wanted to get herself together and I nodded.

"When you leaving?"

"Today; now."

I nodded, "I got them. Get yo head right cause you better than this."

Her eyes watered as she nodded. "I'm gonna call every day."

"I know. Go get you together."