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"the hell is your problem" my mama nudged me making me look at her mugging.
"no, the fuck is yo problem?" i said in my head looking at her like she's crazy.
"what are you talking about now" i groaned out. she literally picked arguments with me the whole ride here.
"you haven't shed a tear since we got here, we've been sitting in this emergency room all night." she said looking me up and down before looking away crying still.
"i guess i forgot to cry" i said in more of a mumble crossing my arms looking away laying back on my grandma.
"Mandy stop acting like that." tootie slightly mugged sitting across from me.
"shut up Tootie" i mugged her back.
"you the reason daddy got shot anyways, if you weren't hanging around those boys from the south side." she smirked a little with tears still rolling down her cheeks.
"how you just gone blame something like that on me" i argued sitting up.
"it's true." she argued back.
"i cant believe you blame me for something like this." i looked her up and down. "i hate you" i said in more of a mumble.
"i hate you, can't believe i tried to be nice to you." she sniffled.
"i can't believe it either- matter of fact i don't" i sat up straight. "you been setting me up, just say it."
"Mandy be quiet" my mom snapped.
"no mama, let her talk. cause obviously she got so much to say now."Tootie said making everybody look at me. "you always whining for attention, well you got it now."
"tootie please" i rolled my eyes.
"everything that happened to you happened because of you , stop playing victim cause grandma can't save you." she continued.
"as long as there's breath in my body i'll be there to my manny pooh's defense, everytime." my grandma kissed my forehead smiling hugging me tighter.
"mama i never understood why you spoil that child rotten like that." my mom groaned out then rubbed her temples.
"you and john treat her so terrible i have to-"
"oh mama please, we don't treat that girl no kind of way. we love Mandy, but she's not going to do what she wants to do, not in my house" my mom said getting louder.
"that's why she likes being at grandmas house because she lets her do whatever she wants to do even talk to that boy that she's probably pregnant by again." tootie chimed in.
"the same boy you introduced me to, the one who's initials you have tattooed on yo thigh? him?" i asked raising a brow.
"tootie i know you lien" my auntie Monae said joining us sitting next to india.
"this not about tootie though, it's about how you just disrespected my husband and your father as like he's nothing" my mom said trying her hardest not to cry while tootie hugged her.
"i'm sorry i'm tired of faking it." i huffed out making tootie look at me with her eyes widened.
"Manny shut up don't say nothing." Tootie tried silencing me.
"why not ?" i asked with teary eyes. "scared everybody gone find out the perfect family not so perfect?"
"Mandy i'm not playing , shut up" tootie scolded with all seriousness.
"what is she talking about?" i heard someone mumble.
"tell them tootie." i put her on the spot.
"Manny you trippin, ion know what you talkin bout" she said making me scrunch my face up.
"you lying Miracle " i said letting tears fall getting loud with her.
"Mandy please ! shut up, stop talking right now" she said.
"you know exactly what daddy used to do to us when we were little, that's why we were so close as kids. i guess we bonded off of pain" i said in more of a mumble sniffling making everybody gasp.
tootie palmed her face giving me threatening looks.
"he did what to you guys when y'all were little?" my grandma asked while her chest heaved up and down a little.
"tootie tell them!" i urged. "tell them how daddy used to sneak in our room and touch on us, back when he had that bad drinking problem. when mama left us alone"
tootie just stared on and off looking nervous. her face told it all but i know she's scared to admit it, i just don't know why.
"mama don't even entertain that child, Manny is a liar !" my mom semi yelled making my eyes tear up again.
"tootie say something!" i said looking at her as she started to cry.
"well tootie?" my auntie asked as the spotlight was put on tootie.
"i don't know what she's talking about." tootie mumbled wiping her eyes as my mom shot her a quick threatening look.
i'm guessing nobody saw that...
"you won't talk about my husband that why while he's in that room fighting for his life." my mom scolded.
"y'all don't have to worry about me ever again" i got up leaving out with my grandma behind me.
typical, i should've known tootie wouldn't have my back in there cause when has she ever?
"Manny" my grandma called out catching up to me.
"they called me a liar abuela, why would i lie about something like that?" i asked crying some more.
"i believe you baby, and no matter how hard they try to leave it in the dark it'll come to the light eventually." she hugged me as we began to leave walking to the car.
my dad had a bad addiction years ago, i was like 7, tootie was 8. he would always come home drunk, hit my mama, and tootie sometimes too cause she would always try to take up for my mom. i was so scared to intervene so i would just watch from upstairs.
but one time my mama went away, i was 10 at the time. she told us she was going to get help, because she needed it. and she left us with my dad, so instead of him hitting her every night he came home, he targeted us now.
i guess when my father changed his life around, gave up drinking, the drugs, got my mom back and became a pastor everybody deleted the old memories of him.
