Sang
Aisha, age 14


CRINK ! It was the sound of the champagne glass that had just flown past my face, across the kitchen and into the wall, shattering and crumpling, making noises as it collided into the wall and fell onto the floor, as a result of Mother’s rage.

“I’ve had it with you!” Mother yelled with tears in her eyes and her veins thrusting through her forehead.

“Am I really the problem, mom!” AJ said as he’d just dodged the glass that could’ve possibly taken off the side of his face. “I don’t bother you – I mind my own business! – and I should be the one that’s had it with everybody around here.”

“Adam Montgomeri Jr! If you don’t get the h--- out of my house right now, I’m going to – by all means – MAKE YOU GET OUT AND NEVER COME BACK!” Mother yelled with fire in her eyes. She was about ten feet across from one side of the kitchen away from AJ, as he was on the side closest to the entrance of the kitchen and a few steps away from the arch that opened to the hallway leading toward the door. I’d seen mother mad like this before . . .but never to this extent. Mother was leaned over the counter and was digging her
y nails into the ridges of the tiling of the countertop. I stood in our guest dining room about a good fifteen feet away from them both, I stayed protected by a wall next to an archway which was closest to Mother’s side of the kitchen, and I was behind her.

“MAKE ME!” he said as an act of being tough. But I can see it in his eyes, and hear it around his words, that he was scared. And neither I nor he knew what to expect from Mother at this point. But she had every right and every reason to be angered and upset. For AJ has been giving Mother the worst of dealings ever since Father left. And I guess this was it for AJ. He’d best run. I chuckled in my thoughts but I, too, was scared. Usually in times like this, I stand and watch Mother and AJ go back and forward which each other, usually until one of them runs out of breath or until the other gives up. It’s been this way for three years, now. But this time was different. I knew mother was angry . .I could . . .feel her energy . . . and her vibe was totally throwing me off. . . and at the time. . .I didn’t know why it seemed to affect me as much as it did, for I, too felt the tension of Mother’s anger and AJ’s fear boiling throughout my veins. I remember the day so well.

Mother turned and looked at me with those

red eyes. “Aisha, go call 911.”

“Why—?” I almost asked but she cut me off abruptly.

“PICK UP THE D--- PHONE AND CALL 911, I SAID!”

And all I remember is following mother’s orders as hastily as I could. I ran toward the hallway leading from the kitchen where the phone was. I picked up the receiver and dialed 911. I didn’t know what was going on. Why had mother asked me to call emergency?

“Hello, Haywood Police Department, how may I help you?”

POW! It was the sound of a . . .and hearing my brother’s cry. . .and the sound of his body hitting against the wall and then the floor. . .that made me drop the receiver.

“Hello, is anybody there?”

And again. Another
shot.

I’ll never forget. How horrifying it was. The site of my mother and brother lying on the kitchen floor, covered in
.

I’ll never forget.

Never.

Joy
Aisha, age 6


I was walking alongside Daddy in the beautiful sight of the afternoon sunset with my bare feet against the sand and my eyes squinted against the sunset. I was about six years old at the time. And back then, everything seemed to be so happy for us. We seemed to act like a family. It was just Daddy, Mother, and my 10 year old brother, AJ, and I. It was like we were the perfect family. As if nothing in the world could go wrong between us because of the peaceful moments we often shared.

“Daddy,” I said, looking up at him with eyes of innocence.

“Yes, sweetheart?” He said sweetly, looking back down at me.

I looked ahead as we kept on walking and I could see AJ and my cousin, Chaz, playing tag and running around freely into the ocean. “You know how it’s always you, mommy, AJ and I, right?”

“Yes,”

“And you know we’re a good family and everything and I love all of you, right?”

“Yes, Aisha.”

I looked back up at him and smiled brightly. “I just want you to know, that you’re my fave or it daddy in the whole wide world.”

He chuckled at my mispronunciation of the word and stopped to pick me up. He carried me on his neck. After a few moments of silence, “You know what, Aisha?” he said warmly.

“Yes, Daddy?”

“You’re my most favorite daughter in the whole world, and that will never change, sunshine.”

I smiled so uncontrollably. “Yay!” I cheered as we continued to walk along the beach into the setting sun. “Daddy?” I started.

“Yes, Aisha?”

“Promise me you’ll always me my Daddy.” I said looking down into his brown hair as he held my arms around his neck.

“I promise, sweetheart. I’ll always be your daddy and that will never change.”

“Forever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever?”

He chuckled again. “Yes, sweetie. Forever and always, I will be Daddy.”

“Okay, just checkin’.” I smiled.

“But why are you asking me this, why is that you think I won’t always be Daddy?”

I didn’t respond.

“Aisha?”

“Um, today Kennedy said that her daddy left her and her mommy and that her mommy said that her daddy wasn’t going to be her daddy, anymore.”

“Oh, sweetie. It’s okay. I’m sure Kennedy is just having a misunderstanding.”

“But Daddy, why did her daddy leave her and her mommy?”

“That’s something I can’t answer, sweetheart, things just happen.”

I could hear mother calling for Daddy and I in the distance.

“Aw, do we have to go, now?” I said disappointed.

“That’s what mommy says, and it’s getting late. It’ll be your bedtime in a couple of hours.”

“Okay.” Daddy said turning around and I lazily rested my chin on the top of his head. “Daddy?”

“Yes, sunshine?”

“Promise me you’ll never leave me and Mommy and AJ.” I said sleepily.

“Darling,” he said putting me down and looking me in my eyes. “I will never leave you, as long as the sky is blue, and the grass is green,”

“and the sun shine’s down on you and me.” We both finished and smiled brightly.

“I will never leave you, or Mommy, or AJ. Ever.”

“Pinky swear?” I said cutely as I put up my small hand and stuck out my pinky.

“Pinky swear.” He said linking his big pinky into my small pinky.

That moment was the best moment of my life.
“Aisha! Adam! AJ! Chaz!” Mother called. “Let’s GO!” she hollered and I could make out her cupping her hands around her mouth in the distance.

In the van AJ and Chaz had made their way to the back seat, and Daddy was strapping me in my booster. I was very tired and half sleep. He looked at me and smiled warmly, linked his pinky into mine again and kissed my hand. “I love you, sweetheart, and I always will.” He whispered as I drifted off to sleep.
I’ll never forget his words. They repeated throughout my dreams and for years to come, reminded me of how much Daddy loved me.


Sueur
Adam Jr., age 12


“Where is that boy!” Mother shouted as she stomped past my room for about the hundredth time, it’d seem. She was in an uncontrollable rage and this wasn’t the first time she’d been like this. I didn’t know why Mother had been getting so upset lately.
When I first saw her like this, I was scared. But AJ pulled me into a closet and comforted me and told me that everything was going to be okay. And that whenever Mother got like this, it was because Ms. Childress, the annoying ol’ lady that lived next door, upset her again. But that was a year ago. And since then, this had always been AJ’s reason for Mother and Daddy yelling at each other.
But what was the reason, now? Because AJ was nowhere to be found…And nowhere to protect me.
“D--- it, Lucky! Why can’t you just calm down a bit, I’m sure AJ is fine and he’d never run off to make you upset on purpose.”
“Why would he run off in the first place? Aren’t I a good mother?!”
I was in my room with the door shut, under my covers, scared and the only thing to comfort me was my teddy bear, Benji, and the glow of my mermaid nightlight coming up the wall that I stared at.
“Yes, Baby. You’re the perfect mother that anyone could ever ask for,” I heard Daddy say.
“Where did I go wrong?!” Mother said ignoring Daddy. “What did I do?! I take care and raise him the best I can!” Mother yelled and I squeezed Benji tighter.
I hope AJ is okay… I kept thinking over and over again.
“Get a hold of yourself!” Daddy shouted. “The madder you get the more worried you become and—“ Mother caught off Daddy.

“It’s 10 pm and our son is nowhere to be found! Why shouldn’t I be worried?!”

“Well,” I heard Daddy say come followed by a smack, which sounded like Mother slapping him. “D--- you, woman!”

“ME?! ME?! IS IT REALLY ME?! It’s my fault, that our son has ran away! It’s my fault because you might get laid off! It’s my fault that we don’t have as much money as we used to! –Too bad I don’t have a job and it’s my fault that I choose to be the typical stay at home wife–! It’s my fault that we can’t pay for Aisha’s dance lessons anymore! It’s my fault that our bills are overdue! It’s my fault that I had to drink that champagne that one night only because you insisted, and now it’s my fault that I have to lug this baby around! It’s my fault that we may not be able to see our children go to college! It’s my fault that our baby may not get the full privileges of being a child because it’s MY FAULT that she’ll have a lowdown inconsiderate father! And now it’s my fault that I’m worried sick about my son—OUR SON! Why shouldn’t I be? Oh, I guess that’s my fault, too!”

“Look, Baby!” Daddy pleaded, but I heard the smack again.

“Don’t say a word! Go call the police and get a search party started on my son! Now!” she yelled and I could hear Daddy’s footsteps trail off toward the other side of the house.

Outside my door, I could hear Mother crying and shrieking in what seemed to be the worst pain of her life. I’ve heard mother cry before, but not like this.

But AJ hasn’t been seen since his football practice and he was supposed to be picking me up for dance, and he never showed up.
I wonder what he’s gotten into, now. As soon as that thought crossed my mind, Mother burst through my door and quickly came to me and put her arms around me crying, kissing me, telling me that everything would be okay, and that she was sorry I had to hear her and Daddy yell.
“AJ is fine, okay. You stay still, and go to sleep, okay, pumpkin?” she said tucking me in my covers. “I see you have Benji with you. And Benji says that everything will be alright,” she said trying to calm me down. “I love you,” she kissed my forehead. “If you go to sleep tonight, I promise you’ll see your brother in the morning.”
“Yes, mamn.” I responded with worry in my eyes.
“Good night, sweetheart.” She said as she nervously and hastily returned back into the hallway shutting my door only to leave a
, which was not done intentionally.
“WELL?!” I could hear everything clearer, now and heard every word said.
I gazed into Benji’s eyes and squeezed him close as the tears ran down my face and onto my teddy bear. I couldn’t bare anymore of Mother and Daddy’s yelling. so I cried my eight year old heart to sleep with the sounds of police series ringing in my ears and Mother’s crying as Daddy was talking to police officers.

I was in the kitchen with Daddy and he was cooking up a meal, and I was sitting at the counter coloring a picture of Scooby Doo. I could hear the sound of the stove sizzling,
ling and popping in front of me and the sound of AJ and Chaz playing video
in the background.
“Mmm, it smells yummy in here,” Mother said as she walked in the kitchen and gave Daddy a kiss on the cheek. She was rubbing her belly. My baby new sister was in there and Mother says she’s been in her stomach for 6 months now and it was why her belly was so big.
Mother is beautiful woman. She has long, curly, brown hair and beautiful green eyes. Before she got pregnant, she was short and petite to say she’d had two children. Her name is Lucky Montgomeri. But before she met Daddy and got married, she was a
named Lucky Fantigo. Every now and then she’ll tell us stories about her fame and how it was to live such a fascinating life, back then. I admire Mother so much and when I grow up I want to be just like her, I always thought.
Daddy is tall and has short, dark brown hair which is always so soft and fluffy. His eyes were hazel and whenever he looks at you, he smiles with his eyes, and that has always made me happy. I love Daddy with all my heart and he’s always been there to call me his little pumpkin or his little sunshine.
AJ on the other hand, was 12 and rambunctious. He has pimples all over his face and is saying things about how hot the
s at his school are. And he always talks about his
friend. Which is gross because boys have cooties. AJ and I are close to say he’s four years older than I. We fight sometimes and yell at each other, but usually by the end of the day we were back to being best friends.
“Aisha,” mother said looking at me, still rubbing her belly.

I starred over at her and looked into her eyes. “Mamn?”

“You need to put that away. Dinner is almost ready.”

“Yes, mamn. Look Mother! I colored a picture just for you and Daddy!” I said excitedly as I held up my picture with both hands and gave it to Mother.

“It’s such a pretty picture.” She said sticking the picture on the refrigerator with a flower magnet. “Will you be able to teach Ande how to color pretty pictures like that?” She asked looking at me, still rubbing her belly.

“Yes, mamn! I can’t wait, Ande and I are going to have so much fun! And I am going to be the best big sister she’ll ever have!” I exclaimed. Ande is named after my grandfather Andy, who past a few months before.

“It’s a good thing you’re the only big sister she’ll ever have, that way you won’t have any competition.” Daddy said looking at me smiling. “I’m so glad you’re excited, Aisha.”

“Chaz, my sister just called and said that she is on her way to pick you up, so you need to get ready to go.” Mother called to the living room.

“Yes, Aunt Lucky.” I heard him say back.

I gathered my colors in a bunch and put them in my box, and got down from the counter to go put my box back in my room. As I turned out of the kitchen, I passed AJ and Chaz in the living room and they were wrapping up
controllers and putting disks in boxes. I could hear Chaz joke to AJ, “don’t you make me have to go looking for you again, you dweeb. I’m holding you responsible to not need for a couple of hours.” He said referring to what had taken place about two months ago. They laughed. As AJ bunch Chaz in the arm.

“Watch your mouth, goldy locks!” AJ said referring to Chaz’s shoulder length hair. “I ain’t going anywhere. Besides, I had every reason to be late that night.”

“Haha, why? Did you have Kimberly in the back of some room our something?”

“Man, no. She was too scared.”

“Why, I mean it’s not like you’re going to hurt or anything.”

“All I wanted to do was kiss her, but she chickened out.”

“Never made out before?”

“I guess not.”

“But where were you guys?”

“In some park. It was really boring, and we’d just decided to leave school that day and hang out.”

“Man, you had my mom so scared. She was yelling at the police ‘If you don’t find my nephew, I’m going to neuter you all, free of charge!” Chaz said mimicking my Aunt Lacy.