Raunchy 2 (94 page)

HARMONY
FAMILY AFFAIR

We didn’t know what to say to each other. So I kept looking at the spread before me. The pancakes, sausage, eggs and grits looked pretty against the plate set I didn’t even know we owned. The mahogany dining room was filled with delicious breakfast food along with fresh fruits and juices yet no one was eating.

“Everything looks nice, Ramona.” I said forking my food. “Thank you for cooking.
“It’s not a problem.” She smiled. “I’m the only one who cooks back home. I love it though. It’s very relaxing.”
“Well I deem you my personal cook while you’re here!” I said.
Everyone cleared their throats. Had I said the wrong thing? “We’ll see.” She said.
“You know this plate and silverware set are family heirlooms.” Laura said. “Mama left them here thinking you might appreciate them.” She scooped out food and placed it on Irma’s plate. Then she dished her own plate.
“I didn’t even know it was here.” I looked at them and then down at my food. They didn’t seem to be happy about my response.
“I bet Mama, will use them now,” Jayden said looking at me and then at them. “They’re beautiful.”
I guess everybody was thinking the same thing, how was all of this shit gonna pan out. It was me, Irma, my sisters Laura and Ramona and Jayden. Although it was mostly silent in the dining room, the main thing heard was Irma’s repeat hacking cough. It was irritating and I wished either she shut the fuck up, or roll over and die already.
“Are you okay, grandma?” Jayden asked looking up from her pancakes. “I mean, can I get you anything?”
She smiled, covered her mouth with a bloodstained tissue and said, “It feels so good to hear you call me grandma. You seem like you turned out to be a very beautiful, respectful young lady.” Then she turned to me. “Harmony, you did really good with her.”
“Thanks.” I shrugged.
I could feel Jayden’s eyes on me but she didn’t say anything. “Do you have a boyfriend?” Irma asked Jayden.
“No. I don’t really believe in that kind of stuff.”
“What, you got a girlfriend?” Ramona questioned.
“Aunt Ramona, no!” She said shaking her head. “That’s so nasty. I’m just trying to focus on my life and school.”
“Why don’t you believe in boyfriends?” Laura said as she soaked a white paper towel into a glass of cold water and pat Irma’s forehead. “You’re so beautiful.”
“Thank you.” She smiled. “But I think love is scary. And I don’t want to feel vulnerable to another person.”
“Why?” Laura asked.
“I don’t know the kind of person it would make me. I just wanna focus on making money and doing well in school. I’m having trouble with that school stuff though.”
Irma looked at her lovingly and said, “I’m sorry to hear that, Jayden. I really am. Because when you love someone, as much as I loved your grandfather, your mother’s father, life can be so great.” She paused rubbing my hand softly before I snatched it away. “I’m sorry, Harmony. I just wanted to touch you.”
“I’m not ready for that.” I told her. “You gotta give me some time before you push yourself on me like that.”
Ramona and Laura looked at each other and shook their heads.
“I understand,” she coughed again. “But Jayden, give love a chance at some time in your life. It’ll break down barriers.”
“Maybe.” Jayden said playing with the food on her plate.
“Where is Madjesty?” Irma asked as Laura rubbed her back. “I was kinda hoping to get to know her too.”
I called Madjesty five times this morning and she didn’t return my calls. I was getting sick of her shit and needed a way to break her down.
“She comes and goes as she pleases.” I said. “But she should be here soon.”
“You allow that?”
“There ain’t much I can do about it right now. I’m just getting my health back to normal. I’ll get a handle of her soon.”
“Don’t loose her into the streets, Harmony. Because once you do, you’ll never get her back.”
Just when she said that Madjesty came inside the house with her crew. “Mama, I’m home!” she said sarcastically.
They were loud and I could tell that even though it was early in the morning, they were drunk. Madjesty walked up to the table and without asking, grabbed a piece of bacon off a tray along with a pancake. She folded the food and stuffed it in her mouth then squeezed syrup in it. She stared at me while chewing and it was obvious that she was trying to work my nerves as her friends hung around the table like vultures.
“Don’t just stand there,” Madjesty said to them. “Grab some food. I told you Jayden called me and said that they were cooking.” Then she looked at me again. “You don’t mind if my friends eat now do you, mama?”
I felt like strangling her. After everything they’d done to me she’d bring them into my house again.
“Of course you don’t mind.” She continued. “You wanted me home so here I am.” Then she looked at her friends. “Eat up, fellas and Sugar!”
“Man, I ain’t wanna just eat they shit without asking!” Kid said.
“Mad said we could!” Krazy replied.
“Nigga, wasn’t nobody talking to you,” Wokie said slapping him in the face, afterwards laughing.
Before I knew it Madjesty, Kid, Krazy and Wokie were slap boxing around the dining room table. I was so embarrassed I felt like executing each one of them at gunpoint. Irma and everyone else just stared at them with their mouths open.
“Ya’ll over there acting all stupid. But I’m eating.” Sugar said grabbing some food.
Following suit, all of them grabbed food off the plates and stuffed them into their mouths.
“Madjesty, why didn’t you and your friends wash your hands first?” I asked trying to remember my ultimate plan included being patient with this bitch.
“’Cause I ain’t want to,” she said. Then she turned to Irma. “What’s up, Grandma? You still alive?”
“Madjesty!” Jayden screamed. “What is wrong with you?”
“Nothing.” She smirked. “I’m just here to change some clothes and grab something to eat. I’m bout to roll back out and leave ya’ll to it.” Then she paused. “But don’t worry, mama. I know I got to sleep here at night for the evil social worker you keep talking about gets me. I don’t want you not to get your welfare check.”
“Are these children drunk?” Irma asked me.
“Yeah, grandma,” Madjesty smirked. “We drunk then a mothafucka.” They all laughed. She turned to her crew and said, “Let’s go to my room.”
Her friends all waved at me and I could tell by the looks in their eyes that they wondered what my plans were for them. I remembered everything they did to me. Everything. Out of all of them I remember Wokie the most.
I stood up. “Wokie, come talk to me in the kitchen. Alone.”
He held onto the banister and looked up the steps at Mad. “Go see what she wants.” Mad said. “And then come upstairs.”
Wokie came back down the stairs and we walked into the kitchen. I poured myself some orange juice and leaned against the counter for support. “How are you, Wokie?”
“Mam, I really am sorry for how I acted…”
“You mean you really are sorry for how you fucked me?”
“Yes. I…I thought it was cool.”
I stepped closer to him and grabbed his balls tightly. “Well it wasn’t cool and now I own you. And anything I need you to do, I don’t care how big or small, you better be at my beckon call before I tell the police about your little act. Do you understand me?”
“Yes, mam.” He said softly. “But can you please let my balls go, it hurts.”
I finally released him and he held himself between his legs. “That’s the fucking point.” Then I wiped my hands on the jeans I was wearing because I could tell he’d been drinking but not washing his ass. “You can leave now, but remember what I said.”
When he disappeared upstairs, I went back into the dining room and standing by the table was the electrician. I didn’t even hear the doorbell ring. Madjesty must’ve left the door open as usual when she came home. I was about to be angry when I remembered that her keeping the door open was how the caseworker was able to find me alive.
“Mam, I’m here for my money. And I’m not leaving without it.”
I sighed. “And I said I didn’t have it when you called earlier.”
He was getting on my nerves about this shit. All he did was install some fucking secret cameras in specific areas in the house. To make matters worse he was blackmailing me by threatening to hang around my house and tell my kids about where they were hidden. I tried getting the money from Jace the moment he told me he’d tell, but Jace never answered his calls. And the time he’d called before that, he wanted to speak to Madjesty instead of Jayden and he sounded pretty upset. Jayden didn’t even speak to him and that was odd because over time the two grew very close.
“Well you not having my money is not acceptable.”
“You can’t take what I don’t have!” I told him. “Give me some more time and I’ll get it for you though.”
“Either give me my shit now, or I’m undoing my work.”
“Harmony, what’s going on?” Irma asked.
If things couldn’t get any worse, Katherine Sheers, the caseworker from the department of Child Services walked into the house. Everything was happening at a fucked up time.
“The door was open,” she smiled. “And after the last incident with your life being in jeopardy, I decided to let myself in.”
“Who are these people?” Ramona asked.
“Everyone this is my electrician and this is our caseworker.”
Everyone looked at the electrician and the caseworker wondering what I would do next.
The electrician smiled slyly and said, “You sure you don’t wanna give me my money?”
“Anybody got two hundred dollars on them?” I asked desperately. The last thing I needed was him opening his mouth now.
“Go get my purse, Ramona.” Irma said. Ramona gave me a look but returned with her purse. She handed me the money. “Don’t worry about giving me the money back.”
“Thanks, Irma.”
I handed the money to the electrician and he left.
Bastard!
When he closed the door Katherine said, “I’m here to check on the kids.”
I turned toward Irma, Ramona and Laura and said, “You mind if I talk to her alone.”
“Of course not,” Irma said. “We’ll be upstairs.”
Then I looked at Jayden. “Go get your sister.”
Irma, Ramona and Laura left the dining room and ten minutes later Madjesty came down the steps.
“Well, well, well,” Katherine said. “I haven’t seen you in weeks, Madjesty. How is it going?”
Madjesty tugged at her baseball cap, pulling it further over her eyes. “Cool.”
“How is school?”
“Cool.”
“Okay, that’s good to hear.” She said. “Because your principal called me and said that someone implied that you were responsible for what happened to your mother. And I know that couldn’t be the case correct?”
Madjesty looked at me. “Oh…naw.” She looked back at her. “Who told her that?”
“I believe she said some lady name Ursula Givens. You know her?”
Madjesty looked mad. “Naw. I don’t.”
“Well as long as you’re doing well in school and everything is okay here.” Then she looked at Jayden. “What about you?”
“School is fine.”
“Great. Great.” She paused. “Well everything appears to be in order here, Ms. Phillips, but I’ll be getting records on their attendance and academics later.”
“Well…they just started going back. Things might not be perfect yet.”
“As long as we see effort, that’s all we ask for.” She smiled. Then she clapped her hands. “Well, let me be going. I’m sorry to have ruined your breakfast.” She walked toward the door.
“Mrs. Sheers,” Madjesty said, stopping her from leaving.
My heart thumped in my chest. What was she about to say?
“Yes.”
“What happens if things aren’t good? In school I mean.”
“Then we’ll have to look into the situation further. And if things aren’t right, we’ll have to put you in a home where things will get better.” She smiled one last time and said, “Well, good afternoon. Enjoy the rest of your day.”
When she left I looked at my kids.
“You see how serious shit is?” I asked. “We have to work together, girls. We have to.”
“Why?” Madjesty laughed. “I don’t give a fuck about them taking me away from here. All I’ll do is run away.”
“But I care, Madjesty.” Jayden said. “I want us to stay together.”
“And I do too.” I said.
Madjesty laughed in our faces and said, “My friends are upstairs. I’ll get up with ya’ll later.”
Jayden ran off crying and too be honest I was glad because after that shit, I needed to go to the liquor store to cash my welfare check and get some Vodka. The shit with my electrician and caseworker was too heavy.
The only thing was, since Jace wasn’t over the house fussing over Jayden, I didn’t have access to a car and had to walk to the bus stop. So I grabbed my house keys, my jacket and took the hike down the street. It’s funny, even when I was a kid I never caught a bus. I was going to have to come up on some money soon because this shit wasn’t working.
Once the bus came, and dropped me off a block from my destination, I walked up the street. Then I went to the store, cashed my check and grabbed two bottles of vodka that could fit in my purse. Not even out the door yet, I twisted the top off of one of them and downed over half of the bottle. Fuck! That shit feels so good. Once outside I was almost to the bus stop when I saw a familiar face pull up on me as I was finishing off the first bottle.
“Harmony Phillips? Is that you?”
“Yes.” I said taking the bottle from my mouth and putting the top back on. “Who are you?”
“Oh my God! I can’t believe it.” She said pulling up in front of me in a black Navigator. “Get in.”
“Who are you?” I said putting the mostly empty bottle of vodka in my purse.
“It’s me, Mrs. Duncan. Your high school teacher.”
I frowned because I did not feel like listening or talking to this bitch because she was always in my business. “I really got somewhere to be, Mrs. Duncan.” Then I stood in front of the bus stop and looked anxiously down the street.
“Harmony, you’re at a bus stop.” She persisted as a few cars honked behind her, wishing she’d just drive away.
“I know where I am and like I said, I’m fine.”
“Please. It’ll be my pleasure.” Looking at the pile up of cars behind her for whatever reason, I decided to get into her truck.
“Thank you,” I said smacking my tongue as I eased into the front seat.
“No problem.” She turned the air on higher. “So, are you going to the wedding?”
“What wedding?”
“The young lady who was in your class is getting married today. Ebony.” She paused. I hadn’t seen Ebony since she snatched her princess earrings out of my ears. “She’s marrying a doctor and they have a beautiful home in Virginia.”
My heart sank. This bitch was doing well and outside of my mansion, I didn’t have shit to show for my journey in life.
“Ebony and I aren’t friends anymore.”
“That’s such a shame.” She said looking me over.
“You can tell her I said hi, though.”
“I will.” She paused. “Where are we going?” I gave her my address and she keyed it into her navigation system. “Ebony’s a lawyer now, you know? She’s doing really well for herself because she stuck with school.”
I rolled my eyes. “Isn’t that the Beez Sha-Neez?”
“What?” She frowned.
“I said that’s good.” I rolled my eyes again and yawned.