Domonique "Ace" Kalvin Young
December 31st, 2010
"Dom, I'm hungry." Six-year-old Aaliyah whined to her older brother Domonique
Domonique put down his Nintendo 3ds that his mother got him for his 12th birthday this year and gave his little sister his full attention as she stood in the doorway of his room staring at him.
"Make you a peanut butter and jelly sandwich Liyah."
"We ain't got no more bread, or jelly." She quickly shot back
Domonique shook his head; his mother took care of him and his sister by herself with no help from nobody. She didn't graduate high school, so she didn't have a good paying job. She worked at a waffle house not too far from the section 8 apartment that they were staying in and she was making just enough for them to get by.
"Well, fix you some cereal." He thought of the next best thing
"We ain't got no milk Dom!" Aaliyah started to whine calling him by his nickname
Domonique ran his hand over his face before sighing loudly and getting up from his bed.
"Alright girl, calm down." He walked to his room door "Lemme see what I can find" He walks down the hallway with his little sister following right behind him
When he entered the small kitchen, he cut on the lights which took a second to flicker on and opened the refrigerator. Just like Aaliyah said, there was no milk let alone anything else in the fridge except for some week-old spaghetti leftovers and a pack of hot dogs. He opened the freezer to see that it was completely empty.
"Damnit" He cussed silently to himself
He looked through the cabinets and only found one pack of ramen noodles left.
"This will have to do." He said to himself as he pulled out a small pot and filled it with water
"When is mama coming home?" Aaliyah asked him as he put the pot on the stove, so the water could start boiling
"I don't know Liyah, she may be working a double tonight. It is New Year's Eve." Domonique answered
Aaliyah just nodded her head and sat down at the small table that sat in the corner of the kitchen. Domonique decided to cut up two hot dogs and fry them to go with the noodles for Aaliyah.
Within ten minutes the simple meal was finished, and he placed the hot bowl of noodles and hot dogs in front of his sister
"Say grace and eat up." He told her as he sat down in the chair across from her
Aaliyah did as she was told, and Domonique just watched her eat. He was hungry too, but he rather his little sister ate before he did. Domonique was very protective over Aaliyah, he would give his life so that she could live hers. He hated seeing his mother struggle to make ends meet for them, he felt like since he was the man of the house, he should be pulling some type of weight. At least have a job so he could help out with bills or at least put some groceries in the fridge, but who would hire a twelve-year-old?
Domonique's thoughts were interrupted when his mother Gina entered their small 2-bedroom apartment.
"Mommmmy!" Aaliyah yelled in excitement at the sight of her mother
"Hi my babies!" Gina smiled as she took off her coat and threw her purse on the run-down couch that sat in the living room
She walked into the kitchen and gave Aliyah a kiss on the cheek and Domonique a kiss on the forehead
"I thought you was working a double tonight ma?" Domonique asked his mother as she picked Aaliyah up and sat down in the chair with Aaliyah now sitting on her lap
"I thought so too, but we were slow tonight, so they sent me home." Gina replied with a shrug of her shoulders
Domonique nodded his head.
"What y'all in here eating?" Gina asked her children as she looked into Aaliyah's bowl
"Dom made me some noodles and hotdogs." Aaliyah announced proudly
"Oh yeah? Your big brother was looking after you huh?" Gina kissed Aaliyah's cheek once again before looking over at her son and mouthing the words "thank you"
Domonique nodded his head at his mother for the second time that night. Gina worked a lot which meant that she was barely home, so Dom was a big help to her when it came to watching Aaliyah and making sure she was fed or got her homework done on time. In a way he had taken on the role of being a parent.
"I love my babies so much." Gina expressed as she stood up from the table, allowing Aaliyah to have her seat back
Gina indeed did love her kids, that's why she worked so much to be able to provide for them. She wanted to give them everything they needed and wanted plus more and it made her sick to her stomach that she couldn't. She was doing the best she could for her son and daughter but she felt like her best wasn't enough.
"I love you too mommy." Aaliyah smiled at her mother
She was too young to really understand their financial situation, to her, Gina could do no wrong.
"That's my love bug." Gina beamed before looking over at her quiet son "Now what about you handsome? You don't love ya mama no more?"
Domonique made eye contact with her, "You know I love you ma." He smiled for the first time that night
Domonique loved his mother and sister so much that he would do anything for them, anything.
"I know that's right, both of my babies love me, that's all I need." Gina ranted with a smile, as she opened the refrigerator and noticed how empty it was making her heart drop
"Mama gotta get some groceries in here for y'all." She spoke quietly
Gina didn't get paid until a couple days after New Years day, she made tips here and there at Waffle house but it wasn't enough to get her kids a sufficient amount of food.
"Fuck." She mumbled to herself thinking of how she could come up with some quick money
Domonique noticed his mother in distress, "You alright ma?"
Gina put on a smile before turning around and responding to her son, "Yeah baby, I'm fine. I'm going to go lay down, your mama is tired."
Dom watched as his mother disappeared out of the kitchen. He sighed heavily before getting Aaliyah's attention.
"Once you finish your food, don't forget to wash your face, brush your teeth, and change into your pajamas."
"Okay Dom." She responded before finishing up her noodles
After making sure his little sister was good, Domonique left the kitchen and went back into his small bedroom. He threw on an old pair of Nikes and then slipped on his blue jean jacket. He then grabbed his Nintendo 3ds and the charger and walked out of his room.
"If mama asks, tell her I'll be back before the clock strikes 12." He told his little sister
He didn't wait for her to respond, he left the small apartment careful to not slam the door behind him.
Noah Adonis McCray
"Don't you think you need to slow down on all these beers Eric?" Keisha asked her alcoholic husband
"Don't you think you need to mind yo fucking business Keisha?" He smartly replied
"Eric, this is your fifth one tonight! You don't need any more alcohol in your system."
"Woman don't tell me what the fuck I need! Get the hell out of my face!" He yelled at her
Twelve-year-old Noah laid in his twin sized bed and sighed as he turned the volume up on the small box tv trying to drown out his bickering parents. He was used to his step father and mother going back and forth with one another, and he was preparing himself for what he knew was coming next.
"It's New Year's Eve, I don't know why she started with that man." He spoke out loud to himself
Noah knew his step father Eric was a heavy drinker and he knew how he got when he drank, mean and aggressive. His mother Keisha knew that too, which is why Noah didn't understand why she chose tonight of all nights to start picking with him.
"I'm throwing this shit away! I'm tired of you and all this damn drinking!" Keisha's small but stern voice echoed throughout their three-bedroom home
"Ma please don't." Noah whispered to himself
Although he was in his bedroom, he could still hear and visualize the argument that was taking place in the living room by his dysfunctional parents.
"Put my shit down!" Eric's voice boomed throughout the household
"Here we go." Noah said preparing himself to go save his mother once again
As he sat up on his bed, he heard footsteps walking from the living room and into the kitchen, he then heard beer bottles clinking together and a loud smash
"God, tell me she didn't." Noah pleaded shaking his head
"There! You want them, get them out the damn trash can!" His mother yelled
The household grew silent, too silent for Noah's comfort. As he was about to get up from his bed, he heard a loud smack and then a huge thud that made him freeze in his footsteps.
"You stupid bitch! You get on my damn nerves Keisha! Always fucking something up for me, I can't even enjoy some beers in my own got damn house cause of you! You make me sick!" Eric yelled down at his wife as she laid on the kitchen floor holding the side of her face where he had slapped her
"Fuck you Eric!" She retorted
Eric may have hit Keisha from time to time, but she damn sure wasn't no punk. If she had something to say, she would say it, no matter what the consequences would be. Her mother always told her that her big mouth would get her killed one day, today was not that day though.
"Fuck me huh?" Eric yelled as he bent down to slap Keisha again, this time with a little bit more force
Hearing his mother scream out in pain, Noah finally decided to leave his bedroom and walk into the living hell he called his home. When he reached the kitchen, he saw his mom laid out on the floor and his father kneeling over her.
"I should kill yo annoying ass, you ain't no good to me no way." Eric spoke down to his mother
"Leave her alone." Noah spoke up, his voice stern yet shaky
He watched as his step father slowly turned around and looked at him before chuckling.
"Who you think you is boy?" He asked standing up and walking over towards him
"You leave my baby alone Eric!" Keisha yelled as she struggled to get up from the floor
"Just leave her alone, man." Noah repeated himself this time a little more confident
He feared his step father, but he more so feared what he would do to his mother rather than what he would do to him.
"Just leave her alone man." Eric mimicked his step sons voice "You get on my fucking nerves too." He snickered
Eric kneeled down and was now face to face with Noah
"You always trying to save her, you think you superman or something?" He blew his budlight smelling breath into Noah's face
Noah was now face to face with the devil himself and he didn't know what to do or say.
"No, I just want you to stop hitting her." He still spoke strongly to let his step father know he wasn't scared of him even though deep down inside he was terrified
Before he knew it, Eric had slapped him so hard that his glasses flew off his face.
"My baby!" Keisha yelled as she ran over to her only child "Don't you fucking touch him Eric!"
"You a bitch just like your mother." Eric spoke down to him before leaving the kitchen
A few minutes later, Noah and Keisha heard the front door open and slam closed, and they sighed in relief at the fact that their abuser had left.
"You okay baby? Mama is so sorry." Keisha cooed at her son as she kissed all over his face and hugged him tightly
She felt bad enough that she couldn't protect herself but the fact that she couldn't protect her son from her monster ass husband tore her up inside.
"I'm fine ma." Noah spoke after processing what had just happened
"I'm sorry Noah, I shouldn't have let that happen. He just gets so angry when he drinks like that, but you know he didn't mean it right?" She looked into the eyes of her son, the son she adored and loved with all her heart
Noah didn't even bother to answer her question, he was annoyed that she was defending him and couldn't understand why. Instead of answering her question, he simply asked,
"Can you pass me my glasses?"
Keisha looked around on the kitchen floor and saw Noah's glasses a few feet away from them, she went over, got them and cleaned them off before placing them back on his face. Luckily, they weren't broken or cracked.
"Thanks." Noah adjusted his glasses to his liking
"I love you Noah." Keisha said to her son, not knowing what else to say
Noah sighed, "I love you too ma."
Noah did love his mother, in fact he loved her so much he was willing to put his life on the line just to save hers.
"That's my baby." She smiled at him
He didn't say anything, he just hugged her and went back to his room. Although Noah wanted to cry when he got to his room, he didn't. He put on his all black timberland boots, slipped a hoodie on over his head and then escaped out of his window and into the cold New Year's Eve night of Atlanta, Georgia.
Markell "MK" Kenneth Robinson
"Only 30 seconds left on the clock, the Lakers need two more points to win this championship game. Robinson is on the half court line, will he make the shot?"
Markell dribbled and bounced his basketball on the driveway in front of his house.
"He's been carrying the team on his back this whole season, if he makes this shot and wins the championship game, he'll most definitely get his ring and MVP award."
Markell bounced the ball a few more times before aiming it into the basket
SWOOSH.
"He shoots and he scores, and the crowd goes wilddddd." He cheered himself on
"Markell, mama said come eat!" De'Shawn, Markell's eight year old brother yelled from the porch interrupting Markell's fantasy game
Markell grabbed his basketball before walking onto the porch
"You've been out here for hours man." De'Shawn complained looking up at his older brother
"How imma make it into the NBA if I don't perfect my craft?" Markell asked
"I don't know." De'Shawn mumbled
He knew his older brother loved basketball and had dreams of making it into the NBA one day, but he sometimes wished that he would put the ball down and actually spend some time with him. It seemed as if basketball came first in 12 year old Markell's life.
"I don't know." Markell mimicked him "Come on man, lets eat." He says opening the front door letting his brother in first and then following behind him
"Y'all go wash your hands!" Their mother Angela yelled from the kitchen where she was finishing up the food "And Markell I hope you left that basketball outside on the porch." She warned him
Markell smirked, "Yes ma'am I did." He answered while looking at the ball in his hand
He quickly went back to the front door and sat his basketball in the rocking chair that sat on the porch. After doing so he washed his hands and joined his mother and brother at the table.
"This looks great ma." Markell complimented as he looked at his plate
His mother made fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, and corn on the cob. He loved his mothers crunchy fried chicken and couldn't wait to dig in.
"Thank you baby, lead us in prayer." She told him as the three of them joined hands
Markell nodded, "God thank you for this food we're about to receive, thank you for my mama and brother, thank for blessing me with the ability to dribble and shoot a basketball-"
"Don't you start Markell." Angela side eyed him
"My bad ma." He continued his prayer "And thank you for keeping us covered in your blood throughout this year, may you continue to do the same as we enter the New Year, amen."
"Amen." Angela and De'Shawn repeated after him
"I love my handsome boys." Angela smiled at them as they began to eat their dinner
They were her pride and joy, the only reasons she kept living after her husband and their father Kenneth passed away three years ago due to a sudden heart attack. He was her high school sweetheart and first everything, so when God called him home early, it broke her heart. He left her here to raise two boys who were spitting images of him. When she looked at them she saw her husband, it was scary at first but Angela began to find comfort in it.
"We love you too ma." Markell spoke for him and his brother in-between bites of chicken
She smiled once more before digging into her own food. Twenty minutes later the three of them were finished with their meal, full and content.
"Lemme get that for you." Markell grabbed his mother and brothers empty plates along with his and placed them into the kitchen sink
"De'Shawn, go get cleaned up for bed and make sure you brush your teeth. Every single tooth." Angela emphasized to her younger son
"I will mommy." De'Shawn agreed before getting up from the table and going upstairs
Angela watched as Markell started to wash the dishes that were in the sink
"What would I do without you?" She asked getting up and going over to the sink
Markell grinned, "I don't know ma, I'm just trying to help out around here. I know you've been working hard."
Angela nodded her head, she was a nurse at the emergency room in downtown Atlanta, the job could be very stressful and demanding, but the pay was good. Her late husband was a police officer, when he passed, he left some money for his wife and kids which Angela split into a trust fund for Markell and De'Shawn. They stayed in the four bedroom home that her husband had purchased after she gave birth to De'Shawn. Angela and her boys weren't rich but they weren't struggling either and she was grateful for that.
"I appreciate that sweetie." She kissed his cheek "Imma go lay down and rest my eyes"
"Alright ma." He nodded and continued to wash the dishes as his mother left the kitchen
It took Markell no more than ten minutes to clean up the kitchen and put away the leftovers. Once he was finished, he went into his room and put on his dark blue jacket. After that he checked on his mother and brother to see that they were both asleep, he went back into the kitchen and grabbed a plastic bag off the counter and left the house closing the front door quietly. He put his hood over his head before grabbing his basketball out the rocking chair and stepping off of the porch.
Jordan Gemini Walker
"Jamal, have you heard from mama?" Twelve year old Jordan asked his sixteen year old brother
Jamal stopped rolling his weed and looked up at his younger brother, "Nah, not since this morning, she may be working late or something I don't know."
"It's getting late." He looked at the clock that sat on the wall in the living room. "It's just about 10 ten o'clock now."
Jamal smacked his lips, "Like I just said Jordan I don't know where she is, you try calling her cell phone?" He continued to roll his blunt
"The house phone got turned off yesterday stupid." Jordan said getting annoyed with his nonchalant brother
He shrugged his shoulders, "Well I don't know what to tell you. It's New Year's Eve. She'll probably be home soon, now get out my face, you killing my vibe."
Jordan sucked his teeth before going down the hall and into the medium sized bedroom that he and Jamal shared, he sat down on his bed and sighed.
He hadn't seen his mother Tameka since earlier this morning and he was starting to get worried. Neither Jordan nor his brother knew where their mother worked, they just knew she always had money to pay the bills in the two bedroom apartment that they stayed in.
Jordan sighed before picking up the brand new keyboard piano that his mother got him for Christmas, he was teaching himself how to play it and he was learning fast. Jordan loved music, his mother always told him it's because all she did was listen to late 80s and 90s music when she was pregnant with him. She even once made the joke that he came out of the womb dancing. At the age of twelve Jordan could already hold a note singing and could out rap almost anybody. He wrote his own songs and raps even sometimes poetry, Jordan was an artist and he had dreams of making it into the music industry one day. He wanted to be somebody.
Jordan tried to play something on his piano but he couldn't focus, his mind kept wandering back to his mother and where she could be. He got out of his bed and put on his black vans and then his black coat. After doing so he walked out of the bedroom and down the hallway, into the living room, passing Jamal who was already high as a kite.
"Where you going?" He asked before clearing his throat
Jordan didn't even bother to answer, he opened the front door and slammed it closed making his exit known.
December 31st, 2010 11:00pm
"Dang so how much did you get for it?" Noah asked Domonique
"$115, at first he only offered me $100 but once he saw that I had the charger for it he threw in the fifteen dollars." Dom answered
"I can't believe you sold yo Nintendo, you love that game man." Noah commented
Domonique shrugged his shoulders, "Yeah but my mom needs this money. I'm tired of watching her struggle."
"I understand." Noah said empathically
"What the hell happened to the side of your face?" Dom questioned as he looked at Noah's cheek which was bright red
Noah shook his head not wanting to go into detail about the traumatic situation that occurred earlier in the evening. His friends knew about the abuse, but there wasn't much they could do.
"Don't ask questions you already know the answer to Dom."
Domonique sighed heavily in frustration before patting Noah on the back attempting to give him some sort of comfort. He didn't have any words to tell Noah, so they stood there in silence for a few minutes. Both boys minds were occupied with thoughts of their home environment.
"Man I can't find her anywhere, I asked the neighbors, looked around the bus stops, and even went to that lil coffee place she likes." Jordan's loud voice interrupted their silence
Noah and Domonique turned around to see Jordan and Markell walking up to them
"Relax J, she'll come up like Jamal said she's probably working." Markell says
"Wassup fellas." Noah greets them as they walk up to him and Dominique, they each dap one another up
They had all been close friends since the second grade, what made them even closer was the fact that their birthdays were all exactly one month apart from each other. Markell's was March 4th, Jordan's was April 4th, Dominique's was May 4th and Noah's was June 4th. When they found that out, they felt like they were destined to be friends.
"Jordan over here spazzing thinking his mom is missing." Markell said handing Domonique the bag he grabbed off his counter earlier
Dom peeked inside it and saw that there were three wrapped up plates and he could smell the aroma of the somewhat warm food. He grinned and nodded towards Markell who returned the gesture. Markell knew that Dom's mom sometimes struggled to put food on the table for him and his little sister, so he looked out for them when he could. Domonique was very appreciative of it too.
"Missing?" Noah questioned
"Yeah I haven't seen her since earlier today." Jordan clarified
"She may just be at work or something Jordan, relax." Domonique looked over at his friend
"Everybody keeps saying that, I don't even know where she works and something just don't feel right." Jordan rambled
He went and sat down on a bench, they were at the park that was exactly five minutes away from each one of their homes. The park was their favorite place to come and kick shit at for a while. When they were all together they were able to get away from their families and the hell of the households some of them called home.
Noah followed after Jordan, "Aye keep calm man, by the time you get back home, she'll be there and if not we can all go out looking for her. Four deep."
"Y'all would do that? It's cold as shit out here man and the weather temperature is only gonna get lower., it'll probably start snowing." Jordan stated
"So?" Markell came over to them "We boys, you know we gone always look out."
"Exactly." Domonique cosigned "We got yo back dawg."
Jordan smiled at his friends, they were all young but they had a solid ass friendship and he appreciated it.
"Thanks y'all."
They all nodded their heads not having to say anything. That's what made their friendship and bond so special. They could understand each other without having to speak all the time, their silence spoke volumes for one another.
"Man, I cant wait till we make it." Markell broke the silence and started bouncing his basketball, "Imma make into the pro's, Noah gone be some smart ass rich ass lawyer, Dom gone be the business man out the group, he gone have so many different restaurants and other establishments all throughout the South. And you, Jordan, you gone blow up man. We gone be with you at the BET awards when you get your first grammy." Markell said excitedly
All three of the boys smiled and nodded their heads as their friend spoke their dreams out into existence, all of them didn't come from much which made them humble and hungry. Humble because they knew what it was like not to have shit and hungry to get out into the world and become rich and successful.
"All facts." Noah agreed "We gone be able to put our mamas in big ass houses too."
"On God." Dom nodded his head, "We gone be living so good, these bad days won't even matter."
"Exactly." Jordan cosigned "The world is ours fellas, best believe we gone eat. Each and every one of us."
"You ain't lying." Markell spoke up as he continued to bounce his basketball "Let's make a pact."
"What kind of pact?" Noah asked
"A blood pact." Markell grinned as he dropped his ball and pulled out a small pocket knife
Each of them looked at one another and then at Markell,
"Bet." They all said at the same time
Markell was the first to make a small incision in the palm of his hand, then Domonique, then Noah, and lastly Jordan. Once they all cut themselves and blood was drawn, Markell spoke up again,
"We gotta promise to be there for each other no matter what happens in this crazy ass world. We gotta always have each other's backs, if one fight, we all fight, if one cries, we all cry, if one eats, we all eat. If one makes it, we all make it. We not gone let nothing or no one get in-between us, we brothers y'all. Blood Brothers." He stated as he shook hands with Domonique , and Noah and Jordan shook hands with each other. Then they all switched so that each one of their blood was swapped with one another.
"Blood brothers!" They all yelled in union before breaking out into laughter
That New Year's Eve night, Domonique, Noah, Markell, and Jordan all made a pact and promise to each other to always be there for one another no matter what the circumstances would be. Little did they know that life would throw multiple curve balls at them and their friendship, and they would soon find out that the pact they made would bind them together forever even when they didn't want it to.
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Hope you all enjoyed! There will be more to come, stay tuned! I will be releasing the first chapter on August 6th, my birthday!
Share this book with any and everybody who enjoys reading!
With love,
DPtheWRITER