Hotline Bling

Chapter 10

*Unknown Location*

"Fuck'em. You can't find him, kill her instead." King said to his group of follower's. He didn't trust any of them but he found it convenient to have a group of dumbass's do his bidding.

"You sure? She got kids though." King's right hand man Tony said with a frown.

King light a freshly rolled blunt, took a long swift hit and blew a perfect 'O' into the air before speaking.

"Nigga, does it look like I care? Kill them too. Do you see any mercy or remorse on my face?" King spat.

Tony raised his hands high, "Ai'ight boss, I got you."

Tony directed a few guys out before turning his attention back toward King.

King watched him for a moment, blowing white smoke into the air, "How's it going with Essence? She still any good in bed?"

Tony shrugged his shoulders though he couldn't hide the smirk on his lips. "She's the best I've ever been with."

King laughed, choking on his puff. "Don't let her pussy distract you. You know what you supposed to be doing. Get it done and prove to me that your loyalty really lie with me."

Tony grinned big, greed in his eyes. "You know I ain't gone let you down."

"Whatever, I don't know nothing. Talk ain't shit. Its actions that move me. Now stop wasting my time and hop to it."

Tony nodded before heading for the door. He had no real beef with Essence, he honestly enjoyed sexin' her but she was his ticket to something better. She was his ticket to toting real money and being respected around these streets. And though he had capped a few people, those people had all been nameless faces. He sighed, it was a shame, he thought. But, he shrugged, she wouldn't be missed. No one would even notice that she was gone...people came up missing all the time.

Essence scrubbed the kitchen sink, her hand aching from hours of cleaning. She sighed, stopping to roll her stiff shoulders. This is what her day had consisted of. She had been cleaning for hours on end and still it felt as if she hadn't cleaned enough. She threw the soapy scrub brush into its bucket. She had had enough for today. She ran her hands down her pant leg, drying them off absentmindedly. She glanced at the clock that sat above the stove and frowned. Her peace would soon be over. Mona, her foster mother, usually slept the morning away. It was nearly one o'clock and around this time she should be waking up from her drunken stupor. Essence never could understand how she managed to wake up after indulging in so much alcohol. But it was obviously beyond her power.

She pulled the pony tail holder from her wrist and began to stuff her stubborn curls into a puff. She knew what was coming and she was bracing herself for it. She opened the fridge, pulling out the eggs and bacon that she had paid for with the last of her pay check. She had spent the majority of her paycheck on her new uniform and school supplies. Mona could not be counted on to buy her anything, she had learned that had a young age. As she gathered the salt and pepper she thought back on a distant memory that seemed not so long ago.

She had been eleven years old at the time. She had been the biggest loner in her whole sixth grade class. Her clothes had been three sizes too big and covered in stains. Her natural hair had been the least fashionable thing back then, as all the other girls in her grade had had relaxers and pretty braids. Her hair had been all over the place and matted to her head, her shoes had been the very definition of holy. The little sac with Mickey Mouse's face on it had been a sorry excuse for a book bag. There were never any actual supplies in it. It had merely been for show.

She could still remember the cruel words tossed at her every day for her lack of the finer things. One day in particular stood out better than the rest. It had been during recess and as always she had opted out of actually playing anything...she had hid herself behind the stairs leading to the gym connector. There she had sat and thought, reflecting, even at the ripe age of eleven, on her life and how it was so obvious that she wasn't receiving the same love that the others around her were.

She had never truly cared about materialistic things...how poor she was didn't matter to her. All she had ever wanted was love. Affection. Soft kisses on the cheek, warm hugs and a meaningful 'I love you.' But some things just weren't meant to be. A group of her classmates had found her hiding spot that day. They had crowded around her, poking and prodding at her already fragile self-esteem. It continued on for most of recess until she had begun to cry and wail, only to be rescued by her teacher.

Mr. Williams had been a kind older man with a soft smile and a gentle voice. He had been in his sixties at the time and he had rescued her with the grace of a real knight in shining pantsuit. He had consoled her and told her to stay after school. She had stayed and to her surprise he had taken her to his home, introducing her to his wife who had showered her with her first experience of love and affection. They had feed her dinner, filled her empty book bag with supplies and gladly given her their daughter's old clothes. She had protested but they had merely told her that their daughter was much too big to fit the clothes now.

That had been the first time anyone had ever been kind to her. That had been the first time that she had ever been shown genuine love. That had been the day she had decided to never feel so weak...so pitiful again. She had done odd jobs around the neighborhood for money, fending for herself as best she could until she was old enough for a real job. She had forged Mona's signature onto the worker's permit and had been working ever since.

And on days when she felt tired and over run she would think back on that day. The day her tears had dried on her cheeks. The last day she had ever truly cried for herself. She hadn't cried in years. She had shed tears after being beaten but she hadn't actually cried...she had so much pent up emotion in her, emotion that she refused to release.

She was not the weak, scared, desperate child she had once been. She sighed, pulling herself out of her thoughts. She grabbed a bowl and cracked open a few eggs, adding salt and pepper to the bowl before stirring it. She opened the cabinet and pulled out a skillet, placing it on the stove and turning the burner on. She poured the eggs onto the skillet and began to cook breakfast in earnest. After everything was done she sat the plate on the kitchen table and filled a glass with milk. She glanced up at the clock just as it struck one thirty. The sound of heavy footsteps and clothes rustled sounded down the hallway as Mona made her to the kitchen.

"You good for something I guess." Mona murmured before sitting at the table and going face first into the plate. She wore a long night gown that revealed her large bosom, her breast barely contained in the flimsy knock-off silk. On her head was a silk hair wrap that hung on her head haphazardly. She reeked of alcohol and strong smelling perfume. Her brown skin surprisingly blemish free, contradictory to the amount of toxins she constantly took in.

She exhaled, holding in the angry words that threatened to break forth. "I guess I am."

Mona stopped eating, giving Essence the death glare.

"Little girl, didn't nobody ask you to talk back. That's what's wrong with ya lil' wanna be grown ass. You always got something to say. It ain't never too early for me to beat yo' ass. You ain't grown! I am!" Mona spat at her, pieces of chewed of eggs and bacon flying all over the place.

Essence scowled in disgust, jumping back.

"Do you understand me?" Mona screamed at her.

Essence stayed quiet, staring at Mona with angry eyes. Mona raised a brow, standing up slowly. "I said, do you understand me?"

A part of Essence wanted to stay silent but she knew better than that. "I understand."

Mona made an angry sound similar to a dog growling deep within her throat before sitting back down. She began to eat again but stopped, tossing her fork onto the table. "You done spoiled my appetite."

She stood, picking up the plate and throwing it at Essence. Essence dodged the plate. The plate hit the wall with a crash, smashing into pieces and falling at her feet. Eggs and bacon littered around her feet and in her hair.

"Clean it up!" Mona snapped as she slapped the glass of milk onto the floor before staggering into the living room where she grabbed for one of the many bottles of alcohol that sat littered around the living room.

The glass lay shattered on the kitchen floor, milk mixing in with the eggs and bacon beneath her feet.

*Comment, like and share!*