CHAPTER 2

I sit directly opposite him and see him shivering. His head is bowed down so that I can't see his face. Looking at his hand, there is a deep cut which is filled with dried blood. His hands look dirty and so do his clothes. His hair is unkempt as if he was planning on doing dreadlocks.

He looks like he is in distress. Having come from the streets, I know how it is to be in such a situation.

“Hey.” This is just to start our conversation.

“Hey.” He doesn’t look up but there is something warm with his voice. Something that sounds familiar. Something that makes me want to talk to him the whole day. Reach out to him and probably help him. No matter how broke I’m, I can try to help him.

“Need anything?”

“A glass of water please.” He still doesn’t look at me. I don’t know whether I'm being paranoid or he just sounds familiar.

“Anything else?”

“No.”

“Bringing your water.” I give him one last look and walk to the counter. If he doesn’t buy anything, they will have him thrown out and it’s not what I want. I feel for him. I know how he feels. I can relate.

“What’s up with your guy?” Tim asks.

“He needs water. Pour me some please.”

“You know that’s not how we operate here Frankie. He should buy a drink or we should have him thrown out.”

“Just pour me the fucking water Tim. Will sort the drink after he is okay.”

“Sure about this?”

“Yes.”

“Cool.” He shrugs and pours some water into a glass. He hands it to me giving me a suspicious look but I ignore him and walk to my guy.

“Here.” I place the glass before him and he gulps the water down without looking at me. 

“Thanks.” He raises his face to look at me and a sudden resemblance to someone I know hits me.

Whom?

Jim?

I haven’t seen Jim since he ran to the streets when we were little. Even after I joined the streets, I didn’t set my eyes on him even once. Been wondering whether he went to another town. 

Jim?

No.

Surely, I can’t recognize him when we are this grown but there is this force pulling me towards him. The force where I want to take him to my place and take care of him.

Yeah.

With the little I have.

“Jim?” I find myself calling this name.

“Jim? I ain’t no Jim.” He looks nervous and turns the empty glass upside down tapping it continuously. It’s irritating but I don’t say anything.

“Sorry. I thought you were someone I know.” I look around and see Tim giving me a warning look.

He shrugs and starts stamping his foot as well as tapping the glass. It’s annoying so I take the glass from him and stand.

“Anything else?”

“Nope.”

“Okay.” I turn to leave and turn to look at him abruptly. His blue eyes are trained on me and the same pull is there. “Are you sure you don’t need anything else?”

“Nope. I’m good girl.” He talks in the slang accent. It’s understandable. It happens to me most of the time.

“What’s your name?”

“Stone.” He answers and stands to leave without saying goodbye.

Strange. Very strange.

Stone should be a street name.

He is stone not Jim. He surely should have recognized the name Jim so it means one thing. He is not Jim. He is someone else but still?

Anyway. I brush it off my mind and continue with my work.

Okay. I lied. It doesn’t seem to escape my mind and it is made worse when my shift is over. 

I walk out of the Lex bar and bump into Stone. He moves a bit to let me pass but the urge to stop and talk to him overshadows me.

“What’s up?” I lean against the wall and look around.

“Nothing.” He takes a long swig of his cigarette and looks at me.

“You ain’t allowed to smoke here. You can get arrested.”

“I don’t give a shit.” He places one foot against the wall and takes another swig. 

There is no telling the ghetto kids anything. I know because I’m one.

“Do you have a place to stay? You can crush at my place. It’s a small box.”

Really Frankie? Inviting a stranger to your place?

That’s my subconscious at work.

Come on. It’s not like there is anything to steal there.

I have these conversations with my subconscious every time.

What if he kills you?

Get the fuck out of my mind.

I shrug her off and look at Stone waiting for the answer.

“Nope. Waiting for my guys.” It’s a final say so I shrug and walk away. 

I take the bus this time round and find myself drifting off.

*******

She is still on the cold floor. No matter how hard I shake her she doesn’t respond. Hellen, our neighbour tries it too but shakes her head giving me an apologetic look.

“Wake up momma.” I shake her for what feels like the hundredth time but there is no response. Her hands feel weak and cold.

“let’s go Isa.” A neighbor pulls me from my mother’s body.

“No. I want momma.” I try to struggle but to no avail. He is too strong for me.

“Call an ambulance.” I hear a neighbor say.

“No. It’s too late.”

Wait.

Too late for what?

What does that mean?

“We can save her.” Another one says.

“No. She is gone. She is dead.”

What?

What do they mean by dead?

She can’t be dead.

Momma can’t be dead.

“Nooooo!” I scream trying to free myself from the neighbours grip.

“Take Isa outside.” I hear another neighbour say. The voices are many and I don’t know which belongs to who. My mind is fuzzy and I can only see blurred visions but there is one image I can see so clearly. 

My mother’s lifeless body on the cold floor.

She is dead. 

People die and don’t come back so it means I’m never seeing her again. I’m alone in the world. Me against this world that is not worth living in.

With a dead mother, a father who is a murderer and a brother who is somewhere in the streets, alive or dead. I can’t be sure. I hate my life.

“Nooo!” I scream again and feel strong hands carrying me outside our small house.

“It’s okay Isa.” A voice says and I can’t comprehend who it is. I don’t know who it is. That’s all off my mind.

“The ambulance is here.” Another voice says.

“Where is your father?” one of them asks.

I just shrug. I have no energy to respond. All I can feel are tears pooling in my eyes and I just let them flow freely. 

I see mum being wheeled into an ambulance in a stretcher and scream.

 ************

“Shawty.” I feel someone shaking me.

“No. It can’t be.” I shake them off me.

“Wake up Tomboy.” I’m shaken hard and when I open my eyes, Stone is staring down at me. I look around and shut my eyes. 

I am in a bus and I drifted to sleep. Stone is here.

How did he get here?

“You good?” his voice makes me open my eyes again.

“Yap. A bad dream.” I rub my eyes and look outside.

“Getting off in the next street.” I stand but he blocks my way.

“Not alone.”

“Meaning?”

“Let me take you home. It’s not safe here.” He says trying to take my backpack but I grab it from him. My backpack is my life.

“Ain’t stealing from you. No shit to steal from you Tomboy.” He says rudely leading me off the bus.