The Crossfire | Revised | Sample

i | 3 | the c o m p e n s a t i o n

❝ THE COMPENSATION ❞
───── ⋆⋅🌹⋅⋆ ─────

───── ⋆⋅Chayanne⋅⋆ ─────

|| Saturday. . .

The morning, Mama did wake up before me. Doh she up ina age, she hawty bad. Soon as she wake up, she wuda try mek likkle tea fi arself and a likkle sum fi eat. Afterwards, she wuda usually start do some work round the house.

Mi did need fi get up and go join her, mi just cudn find e strength ina me. Wa happen yesterday wudn stop flash cross mi mind. Even now, mi cuda still feel the chilling fear a flow through mi veins. Mi cudn rid the scary thoughts seh Mama wuda neva know wa happen to me if dem did kill and fling mi body ina gully. . .

So, instead, mi just lay dung and listen to the news she did a play pon e radio ina the living room. Poor thing nav e slightest clue wa nearly reach ar one grand baby-

Jumping outta the bed before me get too lost ina mi thoughts, mi walk pass Mama ina the hallway a sweep.

"Morning, Mama."

"Grand baby."

Mi stop walk and slightly turn fi face ar. She did stop sweep and have ar two likkle hand dem a rest pon top a the broom. Looking straight pon me, she seh, "Yu come in late last night?"

Mi look weh from ar, fraid she cuda somehow see through the lie weh me did ago tell ar. "Mi did dung a Chezzy late." Not waiting for an answer, me go lock up ina the bathroom.

Sighing, me tek in me appearance ina the mirror. Despite how the aftermath a the incident cause me likkle seventeen-year-old self fi look like me a thirty wid nuff pickney and bill fi pay, me wuda neva lie seh Mommy and ar sperm donor neva mek a pretty piece a black baby.

Me a did waa good looking girl according to most people. Mi eye dem normally bright pon mi heart-shaped face. Mi full lips pull into waa thin line as me tek notice a mi hair. Usually, it did silky smooth and fall just below mi shoulder, where mi prefer fi get it cut. Now, the black tresses did knot up, desperately needing combing.

Pon the bright side, it wudn tek long fi mi tame it - mi did get mi hair from Mommy, whofa entire side a the family Indian. Anytime people see me, dem seh me a the carbon copy a her. Apparently, me thief Mommy whole face and nav e slightest trace a mi wukliss Pupa ina me, except maybe him dark complexion cause Mommy was a really light brown.

As mi start brush mi teeth, mi hear Mama call out to me from somewhere ina the house. "Chayanne, mi a go rest mi eye dem likkle bit."

"Arite, Mama."

When me done in deso, mi did mek it my point a duty fi ensure seh the house spick and spang by the time Mama fi wake up. Mi neva like clean if me neva have to, but anything weh cuda serve as a distraction right now a did sum me wuda happily do.

Besides, e house a neva nun too big like Chezzy own or nun too fancy like some a the house dem ina Green Bay scheme weh mi live. Wi house did average: a one story with the basic necessities of two bedroom, waa living room wid waa dining table, waa kitchen and waa bathroom.

Mi neva shame a weh mi come from, no. But mi neva like invite people over if mi cudan help it - mi neva waa people look pon me nor Mama like we a poor thing. We mek do wid wa we have, and dat enough fi me. Soon as me graduate and get a good job, me a give Mama all she want and more.