Borrowed Time

Prologue: The End Of The Beginning

"If this is the way things are going to be, then I'll just ask Pops if I could move back in with him," Tarik said to me, shrugging his shoulders. He was so angry, so tense.

And I hated seeing him that way. Like me, he was kindhearted. Meaning he wasn't one to even get angry easily, but when he did, it was hell. That's why I suggested we'd get out of the house to take this walk. Now, it was rather later in the night than we both anticipated, but hey—he needed to calm down. He needed a moment to breathe.

"No, no," I said back, moving my head from side to side. No matter how he felt about my household, I was not going to allow him to go back to his father's. "I'd rather you be homeless than to ever live with him again. Like, seriously."

Tarik sighed, his face reddened. "I'm just saying, this is the third time this week Aunt Joy and I have gotten into it." He then looked at me with uncertainty holding onto his pupils. "And I ain't trying to be a problem for y'all, I'm really not."

He was right. I didn't know what it was that kept him and Joy apart, but we needed to get to the bottom of it, immediately. The way their souls clashed wasn't healthy, it wasn't admirable. But I kept praying that God would see things through, that He'd mend whatever was broken between them.
"Look, I will have a conversation with Joy, alright?" I stopped my feet right where they were, facing the boy. In my voice, reassurance echoed. He too stopped his feet, giving to me his focus. "And you will never be a problem for me, you know that. Why would you even—"

But, before I could finish releasing my words, the sound of a nearing siren halted them. Tarik and I both faced the direction of which the noise rang, watching as a police car grew within our presences. It stopped right before us, parking along the sidewalk.

The officer inside rolled the window down, giving access to his face. He was Caucasian, with brown hair and green pigmented eyes.
"Is there a reason you two are out this late?" The man viewed us from head to toe, seeming rather intrigued.

"Yes, Officer," I replied, motioning between myself and Tarik. "We were just taking a walk, that's all."

The policeman held up his left wrist and pointed at it with the index finger of his right hand, gesturing the time. "You do realize how late it is, don't you?"

My head moved up and down, giving direct eye contact to the man. "I do. We both do. We just had bit of a rough night, Officer, and needed some fresh air. We were actually on our way back to—"

"You don't know how to use your tongue, boy?" The officer cut me off, just as he had done prior to his arrival. He then looked over in Tarik's direction, awaiting a response. Negligently, he disregarded what I had to say.

Tentatively, Tarik shot his eyes upon mine, then back onto the policeman's. He had no idea as to why he was being questioned and frankly, neither did I. He was a minor, all questions should've been asked to me.
"Yes, sir," Tarik replied, feeling his heart race. I hated the fear he had to endure while in the presence of authority. It just wasn't fair—that fear. Because I knew he was not the first nor last black life that held that fear.

For a second time, the officer allowed his eyes to roam both myself and Tarik, growing suspicious. He cut off the engine of the car, opened the door and removed himself from it. "You two got some kind of identification on you?" He then grew closer to us, pointing his finger within our direction.

I reminded the man that we were just taking a walk to gain some air, and that all of our belongings were back at our home. But, yet again, he didn't care for what I had to say. It seemed as if he wanted for Tarik in a way that I couldn't quite describe.

The policeman ordered for Tarik to lean upon his car's hood, so that he could implement some type of searching. What he was looking for, neither myself nor Tarik knew. The man was already told our belongings weren't within us. So, what was he really hoping to find?

After browsing for absolutely nothing, he then gathered the handcuffs upon his belt and began to place them around Tarik's wrists.
"I'm gonna have to take you in for questioning. As of this moment, you are under—"

"Excuse me?!" I was furious. I wanted to blow up, to curse at him how I was taught not to. But I just didn't understand, I didn't. "You're arresting him for what?! He didn't even do anything! And by the way he's only seventeen, he is not an adult!"

My poor Tarik. His eyes were watering, his face was stuck. He was so confused, so taken aback. Nothing quite like this had ever happened to him before, I always tried to make sure of that. So it burned me that it was happening now.

"Ma'am," the officer spoke toward me, speaking sternly. "You need to calm down." He pointed at Tarik. "I only need to take him in for questioning and then—"

But for a second time, I impeded his words. "But for what though?! You're not telling me why, and I need to know why!" Mhm. My blood was boiling. "He is a child, sir!"

"Y'know what," the man locked his eyes with mine, showing me the malice that stood within him. "I told you once already to calm down." He then placed his right hand upon the gun stationed on his hip. "And I won't tell you again."

A|N:
thoughts?
all chapters will be in Toni's POV