Fighting for Farrah

Chapter 1

Loud pounding woke Wes in alarm, his heart thudded in panicked unison with the door. "Wes, who is that? You think it's the police?" said Farrah. Wes struggled to free himself from the tentacles of blankets before he stood. The dark room hid Farrah from view. Wes grabbed his phone and shined the dim light in search for her. Farrah stood in his doorway. His finger touched his lips and his eyes folded together hushing her. Farrah nodded. They both fell silent. Thud, thud, the door trembled.

"Hawneez hopen di door. Eetz Mommy." The accent, sluggish tone, and purr of her words told him it was their mother, and she was high. Wes' eyes opened in alert.

"What the hell," he whispered, snatching the bat from under his bed. "Farrah hide under here, don't come out."

"But it's Mom," she said running for the door.

"No Farrah!"

Wes ran out of the room as Farrah's hands scrambled to maneuver the locks. The door pushed inward knocking Farrah backwards.

"Farrah," her mother said in her native way, sounding more like Far-Raw than Fair-Uh. A tall thickset man pushed Sabeen into the living room then kicked the door shut behind him.

"Where is it Bean?" said the man.

Sabeen kissed every inch of Farrah's face before she looked up to answer the man.

"Whar eez Wes hawnee."

"I'm right here," he said lowering his voice. He gripped the wooden slugger slung over his shoulder. The streetlights bled into the room through the blinds and Wes stepped into the light.

"Wesley, I've meezed you. I've been beezy and..."

"Busy? Being gone for a year is not busy. Busy is not leaving your kids to fend for themselves. Busy is not stealing everything valuable we own, even Dad's medal..."

"Kid you need to shut your mouth before I shut it for you," said the large man.

Sabeen turned to the man. She stroked his arm as if she were soothing a kitten. "Let me please," she said. "Wes, my friend needs mawney. I owe heem, so I need to pay now. I need my checks, the secor-reety checks."

"What? Mom how do you think we live or eat? Really you think you can just walk in and take the only money we have?"

"The mawney eez mine, eet comes to my name. Not yours. That eez my mawney." The sweetness left her voice; her demanding tone thickened her accent.

Farrah stepped away from her mother. Wes' eyes roamed between Farrah and the man. He watched Farrah wipe Sabeen's kisses from her face as if covered in sour milk.

"Mom, you just," words choked in her throat "want money?" Farrah said as her eyes puddled.

"No Farrah, I want to see you, but I need to pay my friend."

The man stepped in closer. Wes stepped in between Farrah and Sabeen. Pushing Farrah behind himself, he gripped the bat, ready to swing.

The man's eyes rolled, and he sighed "you said there would be money here Bean, there aint no money."

"Yes, mawney. Checks."

"Next check doesn't come for 3 weeks," Wes said.

The mans' hand raised and then slammed into Sabeen's face. The smack was louder than the thud of her body hitting the floor. "You're a lying whore," said the man. "When the bitch wakes up, you tell her she still owes."

"Get the hell out of my house!" Wes said forming the words from a deep throated growl.

"Kid I'm done with that whore, you aint got shit I need." The man's chest swelled, his upper body lunged at Wes. Jumping back, Wes prepared the bat. A snicker came from the man whose feet never moved. "You're a joke kid," he said as he turned and left the apartment.