the devil wears ivy park

the barrier

onika examined his little outfit; her grandpa loved dressing him up like a little man. he wore suspenders and khaki pants. he allowed him to wear his converse but his shirt was a white button down. he rarely ever complained; so grandpa just kept doing it.

luka continuously poking her cheeks knocked her out of her thoughts. his eyebrows were furrowed; he didn't look all that happy. onika allowed him to do whatever he wanted for these last few minutes.

he suddenly stopped and his pout increased; he puffed out his cheeks and onika could see a light pink tint developing in them.

"why you leaving me?" he asked in a small voice; it broke onikas heart. she didn't wanna leave her little guy. "i don't wanna, beebee." she said calling him his favorite nickname. he whined lightly.

he turned his head so he laid it upon onikas breast; she could hear his little sniffles and she had to look up to prevent her own tears from falling. she looked down and gently grabbed his face so it faces hers.

onika could see tears forming his eyes; and onika wanted to get rid of them. luka was only 3 years old. he didn't understand why he lived with his grandpa—and why his mother never a
saw him.

or why one of his aunts were in this hospital.

onika let out a low sigh before she turned to the very quiet girl next to her.

zuri.

she sat with her arms crossed and her hair in her classic afro. she hadn't said a word since they arrived and onika knew that was her way of showcasing how upset she was. she never spoke when she was angry enough.

the woman felt so bad—onika was the only real motherly figure in their life and she was leaving.  she was considering just dropping all of this and staying for the two of them. but she knew she had better opportunities for a job in new york. and she already had an apartment.

she looked into lukas teary eyes as he blinked every now and then. releasing a few. she glanced back at zuri who's head was down and she could see her subtly brushing tears from her face.

it made her heart shake. "I gonna be back—i swear. i'm not leaving you guys—not forever." she clarified and lukas bottom lip began to quiver. zuri stayed quiet.

she held his cheek in her hand and caressed it; she glanced over to zuri and she leaned in to whisper;

"you can call me every single day if you'd like. i'll try my best to respond. and when i'm situated you can come over—i'll even buy you a ticket." she said and zuri glanced up at her for the first time.

she had tears in the corner of her eyes but she could see she was trying not to cry. she was older than luka by a few years. she'll be turning 10 in just a few months.

"i'll be there for your birthday Z." onika whispered; it wasn't just a statement it was a promise. zuri took those seriously. she held up her pinky and onika immediately linked hers as well.

"you better." the younger girl muttered and onika chuckled; her attitude would be the death of her. she could see a hint of a smile threatening to spread across zuris lips.

she heard luka mumble; "I wuv' you."  her heart swelled and she gave him a kiss on his forehead. "I love you too, baby." she said and she could tell he was still devastated. his cheeks continued to wetten.

she held him; rocking him back and forth. she hoped he'd be okay with her gone. she closed her eyes and let him embrace her. she snuk her pinky back into z's and she felt the younger girl squeeze it.

she tried not to cry; she'd miss her bubba and z.

just then she heard her flight being announced and she slowly opened her eyes. she looked down at luka to see his eyes full of tears again; like he knew. she glanced over to Z who refused to look her in the eyes. she sighed and picked luka up as she stood up; her grandpa and Z followed.