Free Game

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Brownfields, Louisiana

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Nyema stood close behind her sister on the porch of her old childhood home in the typical Brownfields heat patiently waiting for their mom to get the front door open. The whole ride over Nyema felt a little more relaxed watching all of the familiar places go by. She got to be at peace for a second, not watching her back, but watching the world fly past her for the first time in years. It was more comfortable than she expected, but ever since they've pulled into the drive way and she's seen that her father indeed made it home before them, she was nervous. More nervous than she could ever admit.

Just as their front door finally opened, she felt Nyla's soft hand reach back, and grab hers. It was her sisters way of assuring her that she was right there with her just as she was all those years of them growing up. Upon entering the house she couldn't believe the way it looked. Their house was very old school all the time she grew up, brown wood everywhere, terrible squeaky wooden floor boards, and ugly popcorn ceilings. The house she just walked into though was something out of Home Goods; completely redone and not even remotely what she expected from her parents.

"Woah." She whispered.

Nyla turned her head hearing her surprised sister and just laughed, thinking back to her first time back in the house after their parents remodeling.

"I know right? they got in their Property Brothers bag."

"Nyla Hush!" Their mother called over her shoulder.

The girls both giggled as they further followed their mother through the house to the back of it where Nyema could remember their father's den used to be. As they rounded the corner she realized it was still just that, just remodeled and revamped to resemble a lavish office space. And just across the room sat her tall, bulky father. Glasses still at the bridge of his nose, and head still full of grey hair just as the day she remembered before going for her court date. That day was one she would never forget because it was one of the reasons she didn't think her, and her fathers relationship would ever be mended.

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"You just gone sit there? They might haul me off to fucking prison today, and you just gone sit there?" She yelled.

Nyema couldn't believe that her father would sit right in front of her face almost with no emotion. He sat in his desk chair just looking over the papers in front of him while his oldest daughter stood in front of him crying her eyes out, and pleading that he would come to the court with her. She was mere hours away from being sentenced and her father wasn't giving her an ounce of remorse.

"Yea, I am going to sit here, I'm not going to be caught dead sitting in a court room waiting for my daughters sentencing Nyema. You did this and now you gotta face God and all them people and take your punishment on your own."

"Are you serious?" 

"Yea," Her father nodded, finally lifting his head from his papers to glance at her tear stained face and then back to his work disgusted with the sight of the child he thought he raised better. "You wanted to be grown so be grown and handle your own stuff Nyema."

"Grown? You think I wanted to be grown? I wanted to be fucking seen!" She hollered just as her mother came into the den, and grabbed Nyema's arm trying to drag her out the room, but Nyema wasn't done speaking her truth.  "You don't see me or Nyla as anything but something to parade around to prove your a family man for that wack ass church! But you know what I'm good. If this is the last time you see me I hope you know I'll be praying that you never find peace with yourself."