Fatima= Fah-ti- ma
Bubba=buh-buh
"Fatima!" Fatima's dad yelled causing her to jump up from her seat at the table where she was finishing her homework, she ran and hugged the tall man she called bubba, "how's my little girl today?" He said putting his briefcase on the couch, "it was so fun bubba, me, mama and Pablo went to get candy" Fatima exclaimed loudly, she was always cheery, the pink rose tint on her cheeks never leaving her nine year old face as the sight of her hard working father made her the happiest lil girl in the world.
"There goes your beautiful mother and your brother" her dad dad said and and kissed his pregnant wife, he hugged his oldest son, as he set Fatima down and hugged her mom, the happiest family in the world she thought looking at her parents.
Little did she know, it wouldn't last forever
Present
"Get out of here" Fatima's father yelled towards her mother, Fatima sat in her room, holding her younger brother,Rafael,he was busy watching blues clues on her phone, he had no idea what was going on, he was a lucky one.
She set her brother on her bed, he looked up at her and he frowned "Mama" he said and put the phone beside him, he reached out for her. His lip quivering as if he was gonna cry, her eyes widened at the name mama. "Hey, it's okay" she said soothing his sorrow, she put the phone back in his lap and kissed his forehead.
She left the room, slowly clicking it shut, she creeped down stairs to where her parents were, she stood against the railing looking at her parents argue, her dad was clearly frustrated with her mother's spending habits.
"We are in debt Melina, we're going to go broke" her dad yelled, "it's not that much" Fatima's mother said nonchalantly as she checked her iPhone X, Fatima's dad snatched the phone out of her mother's hands.
He chucked it on the couch , "I want a divorce" he screamed, tears formed in Fatima's eyes, "bubba?"She said and her dad did a double take to look at his sad daughter, "sweetie, please go upstairs" he said, his eyes softening at the sight of his Daughter in tears, she shook her head, "I'm tired of the fighting, Rafael just called me mama, cause you haven't been there"Fatima said locking eyes with her mom, "I'm tired of you bring this family down" Fatima said, her voice cracking at the end of her sentence, her mother rolled her eyes at her now 13 year old daughter, "do you not care that your own son doesn't know who you are?" Fatima said, she walked down the stairs, standing next to her mother.
"You disrespectful bitch! How dare you judge my parenting, you've never raised a child in your life" her mother yelled, her hand raising at Fatima, she didn't flinch at all, "Pablo and I raised Rafael! You did nothing to contribute except push him out of your body" Fatima yelled "We have sacrificed so much for our little brother than you ever did for this family" Fatima was now sobbing, "after Lenny, You Changed mom, you didn't leave the bedroom for weeks, Pablo and I were alone, He had to take care of himself and me while dad was working for us, you took everything! You took my childhood away, Pablo had to learn how to cook at 8 or he and I would starve, he gave up college for us"Fatima cried out, her dad's heart clenching at what went on when he wasn't around, "you need to leave, you have no place here anymore" my dad said crossing his arms, "I don't care where you go as long as it's not here" her dad said as Fatima's mom grabbed her bag and left out the door not looking back at the family she just ruined.
Fatima's older brother came downstairs with his little brother wrapped around his waist, he set the two year old down, he ran to Fatima, she picked him up, everyone looked at Pablo as he slipped on his shoes.
"I gotta go" he said and left the out house, Fatima looked at her little brother and her dad, she felt so alone in the house now.
Pablo was never like this, when Pablo was growing up, he fell out of his straight A path ,relying on the streets to float him through his life, when he was fifteen he got his first tattoo, it was a gang sign, his sister worried constantly about his behavior, he was arrested for a armed robbery when he was fifteen , he got his second tattoo of a gang when he was sixteen, when he was seventeen he went to prison for assault with a deadly weapon, his eighteenth birthday, he spent his birthdays behind bars for the last three years.
That's where he met spooky, they both got out together, Spooky was in prison for 6 years but managed to get out on good behavior, her stress levels were higher than normal, her depression was kicking her in the ass, it was taking a mental strain on her. She couldn't let people see her like that, her dad always told her to be strong and not show weakness, so that's what she did she concealed all of her problems and focused on other people's feelings.
"Tima it's late, can you please take your brother upstairs?" Her dad asked and caressed his daughter's wet cheek, she nodded walking back upstairs with her brother on her hip.
