She lay there with her eyes close, the house is never quiet, but it was quiet, the police was at the door and no one wanted to say anything. of course they would come to our house, she lived upstairs. mama was talking to po po, everyone knew, don’t talk to the cops. period. no argument, no debating the pros in that.
No, I haven’t seen her, yes you can talk to my kids.
The police looked at her, its like he saw everything, there is nothing you can say to get out of this, ran through her mind, nothing. just tell them what happened her mind said again. she knew she wasn’t smarter than them, this is what they did, put people in jail. Never mind she was just defending herself.
hey the cute one said, I am officer Boudreaux and this is my partner officer Simmons, really said what happened to yall’s friend.
she wasn’t our friend, my brother answered
but she lived upstairs, y’all must have run into each other, played together a time or two? he asked
she was mean and like to take stuff, my brother Neil said
LINEAL, don’t say shit like that! Lurly hissed at him, looking at him like she wanted to choke the spit out his mouth. Will she be alright? Lrly asked the officer
We’re not sure yet, we just need to found out how this happened.
well duh, Lurly said, I just asked if the lil girl was okay.
maam, I understand, but we can’t give details,
any way, he didn’t mean nothin by that, she said to the officer.
its true ma, he said arguing
boy, shut up.
no, Ms.
Price, Ms. Price, Lurly answered
No, Ms. Price, its good for him to speak his truth. this is hard enough without us shutting down those who may be affected the most when something like this happens.
k , Lurly said, actually understanding and accepting his reasoning
officer Boudreaux brought his attention back to Neil, so, she was mean uh? what she do to you?
she took my money, Leneil at 6 years old was the most self sufficient lil boi, he never went hungry and for 6 had more swag than B sometimes. Lurly, you r’member, you said go tell her mama, that lady don’t care.
office Simmons stepped up, where were you today Neil? he asked
I been playing basketball in the big court Neil answered without pause
all day
since I woke up
what time was that
I don’t know, I woke up
and then you went to go play basketball? Officer Simmons said or asked, it was hard to tell
yeah, I just said that
okay, and the rest of you.
man, this that dumb shit, Brosch said, first off that’s a lil girl, no one in here would have touched her period. I know her whole damn family and I pay no more attention to her than I do my lil sister. tossing his head in my direction
Bro, be cool
no, I won’t,
Brosch would get all of us put in jail, he always had to speak up, for once she wanted him to, he would get rid of them before they asked her anything. her luck was on, she was praying to the guy she hear mama ask to pay a bill when its due and she broke. She had her fingers cross under her butt as she was sitting on her hands.
look, we all feel bad that it happened, but it wasn’t us. you said it yourself she lives upstairs. why would one of us do it, for what? he asd like it was just unbelievable
how old are you son? officer Boudreaux asked Brosch
15
you speak like you much older , bu that’s not much older than our victim, where you and her talking maybe and things got out of hand?
what type of bullshit is that Lurly said, I don’t know what you think you might be going there, but if I was you, I would back up and go down a different fucking street. Are you accusing my son of something? OFFICER, lurly asked all in one breath I know our rights, and not that I have to say that right now in this situation, just the fact, that none of us did it. if you want to continue to ask us questions, go ahead, but the answers won’t change. it is what it is, they all hang out around the project in some form or fashion, they ain’t going to know accurate times. they aren’t allowed to sit in peoples houses, and they can’t sit in my house dirtying it up all damn day and eating everything up.
So, How you expect them to know the time. they know , she said, looking at me, Neil and Mario to be in my house soon as the sum go down, I have 5 I consider grown, only 1 1/2 of them live here.
1 1/2 office Simmons repeated?
yes, one daughter her and baby daddy always breaking up, so she move in and out of here like a fucking elevator.
oh, he chuckled
and Neil added, if you think us three get away with trying to come in here past 11, don’t,
She will literally sit by the door and talk to you all night but she won’t open it
he said looking at Lurly, remembering when she locked him out, cause he thought he was a man.
I don’t know what you looking at me for, I told you men don’t live with their mamas, Lurly said defiantly
officer Boudreaux laughed a little, okay, but we need to know if any of you saw her today.
I saw her going down the steps this morning, I answered
he honed on me, what time was that?
I don’t know. I was sitting in the window
sitting in the window?not understanding
in the hallway, I sit in the window,
outside?
yes,
did she say anything to you? he asked
yes, she asked if I had a stetion card, I answered
a what? he asked
a rope, stetion card. to play rope, she had said I could turn for her
extension card is what she is trying to say, Brosch answered
ohh, to play jump rope, okay, so did y’all play?
no, we don’t have no phone
Then what did she do.
she said, we don’t never have nothing and went down the stairs.
did you see which way she headed,
I see her go that way, she started pointing towards Florida ave, where the canal sat and the tracks next to the canal. She felt as if she was about to tell on herself.
okay, was she with anyone
no, I didn’t see nobody
no one else said anything. the office spoke to Lurly a few more minutes then left, she ran off the sofa to the bedroom, she had to pee so baddd!, as she sat there she breath so fast and so hard. she squeezed her eyes shut to stop the tears that threatened to come out. she had to leave. she remember people saw them. she knew they knew. she knew they knew she lied. a knock on the door.
Im in here, she yelled
I know Brosch said, you finished,
almost
hurry up
okay
she finished and flushed and went to wash her hands, soon as she turned on the water, Brosch open the door.
you couldn’t wait a few more minutes? I asked, annoyed he would just open the door
we have to talk, I saw you with her, heading by the tracks, why did you lie.
I didn’t go with her, I turned around
you lying? he said getting closer in my face, as he was at least 4 inches taller than her, she backed off a little, normally she wouldn’t, which was stupid because he notice too. YOUU..UU DID THIS!!! He yelled
NO! I didn’t, I didn’t go with her.
What the fuck is wrong with you, you know you going to jail right,
B I started,
NO, NO, I can believe it ,you are a fucking psycho, he sat on the end of the tub
you going to tell on me, she gave up, she knew he knew, he practically raised her, he knew her every move
you really did this, he hung his head low
she was about to beat me up, I hit her first and when she fell I just couldn’t stop.
you never can. he looked at me like he saw something different
B,
NO, I’m not going to tel on you, but you better not say anything.
what if she is dead though?
so, don’t say shit, I just lied to the stupid ass police. and I didn’t know I was lying, but I did.
thanks B
its still fucked up.
I know
he left the bathroom, she shut the door behind him, there wasn’t a lock on it, she took some breaths and look at her self in the mirror, she looked different. she wasn’t the same person. what else was she capable of, that look B gave her, made her want to see what he saw. she didn’t. she just saw herself. she could wear a mask. no one would ever know how she look. she would look different to everyone. Her mind was racing with what she saw. what did she see? she saw nothing. she saw someone who wasn’t seen at all, until they went unseen. Her mind started talking to her again, stupid ass, you shouldn’t have told him, hes going to tell someone, then you will be in jail where you belong. I should be in jail. I should leave. there it was again, she had more than one reason to run away now. she was scared as shit, even more scared than laying in bed. well, not really, she admittedly took it back, this felt like that. this felt like she had no control. She was a little girl, she knew what that meant, she was suppose to be sweet and nice. She was suppose to stay with her hair comb, take baths everyday, and wear their own underwear. Well, she was none of those things, not only did she see a small child, she saw her hair unkempt, sticking and up every where, she saw the big stripe shirt she had own, that swallowed her body like a moo moo, she hardly wore shoes and her feet where always dirty and she kept stumping her toe, which hurt like a bitch. she was cute underneath the poor, she saw sad almond shape brown eyes. skin the color of honey, duh her name. a perky nose that Lurly always say I get from her, and lips that didn’t match, lower lip to big and hung low, but that was more due to the fact when she was about 3 she jumped off the bed and bust her face according to Lurly. Teeth went right through her bottom lip. She kept looking in the mirror. who was she seeing? she kept asking herself that, who do you see? she answered the mirror, I’m me, just me. I don’t know who that is yet. I know I’m no victim, they called twee. She left the mirror and walked outside and set in the window.
Short Stories