*
I ran down my stairs straight to the door. I knew it was my oldest brother at the door and I had missed him so much. I slid past my mother to open the door.
“Bro!” I jumped on my older brother. I had not seen this guy in such a long time. We had spoken on the phone, but he was busy with work. Come to think of it, he had been a lot busier these past couple of months.
“What’s up little sis?” He replied coolly. I knew deep down inside he was screaming like a little girl. I moved back from the hug. My eyes fell on the young girl standing next to him. My smile slowly melted off my face.
“Who’s that?” I pointed at her. She looked no older but 2. I didn’t like the way she as clinging on his leg I didn’t like. She was too comfortable next to MY older brother.
“This is Charlotte.”
“Charlotte?” I questioned. I had never heard of a Charlotte before.
“Who does she belong to?” I asked. He simply smiled, picking up ‘Charlotte’ as he walked into the house.
“Where’s mum?” He asked walking into the living room. I didn’t have to answer, she was sitting in the living room. I heard her high voice as she greeted him.
“Joseph my King.” I rolled my eyes. What kind of physco greets her sons like that? The greeting I usually got was a ‘hi’ or ‘dinner will be ready in 10’. That’s what I got. I have never gotten a ‘Satiah, my Queen’.
“How have you been? I haven’t seen you since Satiah’s 17th!” Which was about 5 weeks ago. I was really unbothered about my birthday. I stayed in bed watching movies and did a bit of online shopping with the money I had gotten. Joseph was the one who had convinced me to go out with him. He bought me my first alcoholic drink. I went home in a fit of giggles, causing my mother and Joseph to have another argument (as usual), hence why she hadn’t seen him since. It seemed like there was no bad feelings though.
“Who’s this?” My mum asked now also realising the little girl that as in Josephs arms. “She’s cute.” My mum noted. I agreed, but she was too close to MY brother. “She better not be yours.” Mum said as a side comment. Joseph kissed his teeth ignoring her question. He walked a few steps over touching hands with Karl.
“You good bro?” Joseph said. The room felt so small with him in here. He just swallowed the whole room up, both with his deep voice and his height.
“I’m blessed man.” Karl replied. He moved to the side letting Joseph sit next to him. The ‘Charlotte’ creature crawled from Joseph onto Karl. I didn’t like Karl but he was MY brother. What was this thing? Why was she stealing my brother? When did we agree that I wanted to share them? I looked at her waiting to answer these burning questions.
“Sup Char?” Karl put his hand out. We all watched as she moved her hand to touch his. Joseph and Karl grinned. Karl kissed her and played with her whilst she sat on her lap. I took a seat next to my mum. I wanted questions on who this little girl was.
“Is she yours?” My mother asked Joseph.
“Bitch she might be.” He said under his breath shrugging. I sniggered covering my face. I looked up thinking I had calmed down. I hadn’t. I covered my face again taking deep breaths. When I regained some composure Charlotte was looking at me grinning and my mum was screwing me. I don’t know why both of them were looking at me. I didn’t like either of them.
My mum ignored him. “She looks like you.”
Joseph shrugged. He really wasn’t going to tell mum or me if she was his child. My mum was right though, she looked just like him. She looked like Karl and Paul too. The genes in my family were so strong, all the men looked exactly the same. I looked at the little girl intently. She really did look like she could belong to Joseph. I wouldn’t be surprised either. He wouldn’t tell my mum if she was just to get under her skin. I smiled though. It would be comical if she was his though.
“Charlotte, do you know who that is?” Joseph asked pointing at me. She had been staring at me for a long time anyway. She looked at Joseph then back at me. He repeated the question and this time she replied by shaking her head.
“That’s Satiah.”
“Sachia” She repeated. No b*tch, Sat-iah.
“Yeah. She’s your aunty.”
“So she’s yours then?” My mum interjected.
“Why don’t you show Charlotte the house Satiah?” I gave him a dirty look. He knew I didn’t want to be near this anti-Christ. “So then me and mum can talk?” I stood up reluctantly. I walked out the room waiting for her to follow me.
-
Charlotte sat on my bed watching me. I sat on my bed watching Charlotte. We sat there for 10 minutes in pure silence.
“How old are you?” I asked breaking the silence. She put up 2 fingers. So she was two. She pointed at me.
“I’m 17.” I replied simply.
“Who’s your daddy?” I asked.
“Daddy.” I sighed realising that ‘Daddy’ was simply Daddy to her. He didn’t have a name.
I tried a different approach. “Where is your daddy?” She pointed to the door.
“Is your daddy downstairs?” She nodded. I knew she was Joseph’s child.
The door knocked. I told the person that they can come in. Joseph walked in again swallowing the room. Charlottes face lit up. She ran off the bed and into Joseph. He picked her up. She rested her head on his chest.
“Is she yours?” He nodded.
“She’s two Joseph.” I said sighing. 2 years. That’s two birthdays, two Christmases, and how many other holidays and family events he had hidden her.
“I know sis. I’ve only known for a couple of months.”
“Months?”
“Yeah. Like 5, 6 months tops.”
“So 6 months you hid her?”
“I wasn’t hiding her. Her mother and I didn’t agree that she was mine, we had to do test and about 3 months ago it was verified.”
“So 3 months you’ve hidden her?”
“Satiah come on. Imagine finding out you have a daughter. I had missed a year and a half of her life. I stayed in my house with her weeks trying to make up lost time. I was selfish and I should have told you.” Joseph walked closer to me. I hated him for making me feel sorry for him. “Sorry.” I shrugged. “Do you forgive me?” He asked. I nodded. He hugged me. I breathed in his scent. I loved Joseph. I could never be angry my oldest brother.
“Did Karl know?” Joseph nodded. For some weird, weird reason, Karl and Joseph were close. They were brothers, but they were opposite on the personality spectrum.
“Char?” She raised her head to look up at her Dad. He smiled straight away. He adored her. The only other time that Joseph smiled so easily was when his girlfriend looked at him.
“Grandma wants to see you downstairs.” Joseph kissed her forehead. He kneeled down and allowed her to get of him. He opened the door for her. He watched her go down the stairs before turning to me.
Joseph took a seat next to me on my bed.
“Who’s her mum?” I asked.
“Some girl I messed around with in my last year of uni” I nodded. I wouldn’t know her.
“So the mum isn’t Indiana?” He shook his head. “Are you and her still together?” He shrugged.
“It’s really messed up sis. She’s really angry at me.” I nodded. “I don’t think she will forgive me. I don’t forgive me.” I nodded again. I didn’t know what to say. Joseph must have cheated on Indi when that girl got pregnant with Charlotte. He and Indi had been together since their first year of college.
“Enough about my depressing life.” He said chuckling. Joseph looked at me. I looked around awkwardly. I didn’t know why he was staring at me. And he was so close as well. What a freak.
“You’re hairs gotten so long now.” He said still looking at me. I blinked unsure what to say. Thank you for noticing that my hair is doing what everyone else’s hair is doing?
“You’re growing up to be a beautiful woman Satiah.” I shrugged. He simply smiled. My brother knew how I viewed how physically ‘beautiful’ I was. I was grateful he never pushed me to thank him for compliments or anything. He once told me that finding yourself beautiful was a personal journey. Internally, I thought I was borderline fabulous. I had an amazing music taste, hardworking and considerate (sometimes). Externally, physically, what I wanted to look like and what I looked like, were not the same thing.
“But seriously, last time I saw you you’re hair just went over your chest and now it’s closer to your belly button” Okay. He was slightly exaggerating, but indeed my hair had naturally grown to a good length.
“When am I going to meet that boyfriend of yours?”
“Which one?” I asked grinning cheekily.
“Rah, my lil sis got it like that?” He joked nudging me. I laughed pushing him back.
“I don’t have a boyfriend. Karl is crazy.” Karl was the annoying one who had opened the door that day that Jason (nearly) kissed me. “He caught me in an awkward position-“
“Eh. I don’t wanna hear it.”
“No, no. Not a sex position-“I tried to explain.
“Oh my” Joseph paused standing up. “I really don’t want to hear it ok.”
“There’s nothing to hear!” I tried to protest but he didn’t want to hear anything. He covered his ears walking out of my room. I kissed my teeth but smiled. I stayed in my room for a while staring at the wall. I was unaware I was even doing it as I had zoned out. When I was back on earth I went downstairs to see the anti-Christ again. I couldn’t believe I had a niece. I sat in the living room with the family. My Dad was still at work so it was only Karl, the anti-Christ, mum and Joseph.
The anti-Christ was watching her father. Joseph was texting on his phone. My mum was watching the anti-Christ with a small smile. Karl was watching me watch everyone. It was so weird. We sat there in stunned silence watching everything that Charlotte did. It was like an exhibit in a museum.
She suddenly turned her neck like they do in the horror movies to face me (ok, slight exaggeration. But if she had done it, I wouldn’t have been surprised).
“Sariah.” She said. “I’m hungry.”
Did I look like a chef? I can’t cook frogs and mice tails you witch. “You’re hungry? Ok. Come and eat me then.” I replied. Karl snickered and Joseph gave me a look.
“Sariah will make you anything you want.” He replied. He had a smirk on his face so I knew he wasn’t angry at me.
*
I woke quite happy. I thought everything last night was a dream. I believed it was a dream s I took a shower and changed. I believed it was a dream as I tied my hair into a bun and left the house. I believed it was a dream until Joseph sent me a text thanking for understanding everything that had happened last night.
That’s when it all crashed down.
I really did have a niece. I spent the whole journey to college thinking about her. I didn’t dislike her. I didn’t like her either though. She was just a shock. But then if she was a shock for me, I could only imagine how Joseph must have felt. I wonder how he found out as well. Did they do a pregnancy test of Jeremey Kyle? I need to call him tonight to answer my questions.
As I got off the bus and walked to college I smiled. Joseph had promised to be around a lot more now. He was thinking of getting a bigger flat, or even a house (if things with Indi worked out) as Char would be staying over a lot. That meant that I could visit him too escape my house more often.
“What are you thinking about?” Richard asked me in Art. My teacher (again) had left the class. She said that had gone to see the Gym teacher (who was admittedly beautiful) to check the predicted grades for someone in her form class. We all know the grade she was looking for was the D.
“Um.” I was in two minds about telling him. I looked at him peaceful face. I decided I could talk to him. “My brother turned up yesterday and told us that he had a daughter.”
“Congratulations!” Richard smiled. That was the reaction anyone would expect. Until I explained further.
“She’s two years old.”
“Oh.” I chuckled at how quickly his face changed.
“Yeah.” I nodded. I explained to him everything that had happened since he had knocked the door, up until him and Charlotte left the house in the early hours of the morning.
“It’s so crazy Richard. I don’t know a single thing about her. I don’t know when her birthday is, her favourite colour. I don’t even know what she likes to watch.” Richard raised his eyebrows.
“Wow.”
“Exactly.” I said shaking my head. “I’m kind of angry at him, but I think I understand why he kept quiet about it.” Richard did the weirdest thing. He looked at me and smiled. I ignored that and the butterflies that followed.
“What does she look like?”
“Well, her hair is picker than Blue Ivy’s.” Richard laughed. “That how I knew she had definitely been with my brother for a while. He doesn’t know a thing about hair.” Richard nodded.
“Your weaves nice though.”
“It’s not weave.” I explained. Richard smirked. He thought I was joking. I repeated what I said again with a smile on my face. I even pulled my hair to show him.
“Isit Rapunzel?” I giggled.
“Anyway.” I continued. “Even though she looks like a runaway slave. Joseph likes her so I guess she’s sticking around.” Richards head went back and he laughed. I laughed too. I couldn’t believe that I was genuinely making him laugh.
“That is you’re niece. You can’t be making such references about her.”
“She’s hasn’t been verified yet.”
“This isn’t Twitter Satiah.” I laughed again. But he nodded, he knew what I meant. He smiled at me again. This time I couldn’t ignore him or the butterflies.
“What?” He shook his head but he remained smiling. “What? Is there something on my face?” I asked becoming conscious of my face.
“Nothing honestly. I like hearing you talk, but you don’t talk often.” I tried to hide my shy smile.
“Are you coming to Levi’s next week?” I shook my head. Did he forget that it was my neighbour’s dog’s funeral? “Come with me.”
“Are you asking me or telling me?” I asked in a light tone. It was a genuine question, but I didn’t want to see rude about it.
“Asking.” He paused smiling. “Satiah, can you please accompany me to Levi’s Halloween party?” Why was he so confident? He said that looking me in the eye. I bet he could hear my heart beating. I was playing with a piece of string on the table unable to look at him. I took a deep breath trying to relax my beating heart. I nodded shyly. I think I did want to go with him. And he had asked nicely. I don’t know why I was explain my actions to myself. I can do what I want (I’m a grown ass woman)
“Really?” I looked up at Richard, why did he seem so shocked? I nodded again. He nodded too smiling. “Alright.”
*
“He inspires my inner serial killer.” I replied to Patrick’s comment about Jason. Her head went back and she erupted in laughter. We were currently sitting outside on one of the benches outside of the dinner hall. We had just come of Chemistry, we planned to go to the library but it was so packed. There was a retake exam and everyone was cramming last minute. I didn’t want to be weird and just disappear into the toilets so I agreed to get some food from the school café and sat with her.
She wasn’t bad company. Until Jason and one of his friends walked past. He pretend as if he hadn’t seen me and didn’t say anything. That’s when she made a comment about how Jason inspired her inner stripper.
“Uh-oh, what has he done now?” I shrugged. I didn’t know if I really wanted to tell her. She hadn’t given me a reason not to trust her, but on the other side she hadn’t given me a reason to trust her. But how is trust gained though?
“He’s just an idiot.” I shook my head rolling my eyes.
“Do you want to talk about it?” She asked cautiously
“It’s just like.” I sighed. I didn’t know how I was going to explain this without sounding really jealous. “He just acts one with me. And he’s like, ‘I don’t play games’” I imitated his deep voice. “But then I keep hearing that he’s acting like that with everything that moves.”
“Heard from who? People can lie.”
“It was reliable sources.” I was the one who had heard it, but I didn’t mention that.
“So basically you caught feelings that he didn’t catch?”
“I didn’t ‘catch feelings’.” Patrick gave me a knowing look.
“I’ll admit he made me feel some sort of way, yeah. But he didn’t make I didn’t ‘catch feelings’”
“So how exactly has been acting with other girls?”
“Like, he flirts with them, and he took some girl home and I went out with one of his friends. So the next day he’s being really rude to me about it and when I questioned him about the girl, he was like ‘she passed time.’” I gave Patrick the condensed version of what had happened. As much as I didn’t like Jason right now, I still didn’t want to spill his business.
“Rah.” Patrick said simply. “And how does he act with you?”
“He flirts, and he tries to kiss me. It’s so annoying.”
“Sorry Yonce.” Patrick said laughing. I kissed my teeth but I ended up laughing with her.
“Seriously though, I get you’re point. He shouldn’t have said he doesn’t play games, then play games.”
“Exactly!” I was glad I had told her. There was nothing better than someone agreeing with you.
“I actually can’t stand him at the moment.”
“I can’t stand him after hearing that.” I shrugged. I didn’t blame her. “But I can’t stand you either.”
How did this switch on me. “What?”
“You’re denying your feelings. You clearly feel ‘someway’ about him but you’re denying it.”
“I just admitted it!”
“To me yeah. Did you admit it to him?” I looked away. “Exactly. To be honest, if that was me. I wouldn’t put all my eggs in one bucket. If I feel like someone isn’t feeling me, then cool I’ll move on.”
“Then move on. Don’t get angry at me if ‘I don’t put all my eggs in one basket’”
“So you admit that you put some of your eggs in his basket?” I sighed. This is why I didn’t speak aloud about what I was thinking. I could never put my thought across properly.
“You admit that you wanted you’re eggs fertilised by Jason?” Patrick asked grinning. I waved her away with my hands.
“You’re the one who wants to get with him. Do you want his number?”
“Nah. That one is yours. I’ll take that Levi one.” I was going to do a sick face, but then again he did buy me sweets. He and I were in some way ‘friends’.
“I’ll give you his number one day.”
“Rah, sorry Yonce. I clearly need to bow down init?” I covered my face embarrassed. I didn’t meant to sound all arrogant or over confident. Patrick bought out her phone to check a message.
“While were here, you might as well give me your number.” I recited my number to her.
“You can text me tips on how to secure all these spices.” The bell went.
“Bye Patrick.”
“Later SpongeBob.” I chuckled walking towards my biology lesson. I was actually in a good mood. I think I liked Patrick. She was a nice funny person.
*
Bag down, books out and ready to learn. It was my favourite and last lesson of the day, Biology! I was the first to lesson, per usual. I heard Jason’s voice. I looked up at the doorway wondering why it wasn’t getting closer. I watched him as he spoke to a girl. A pretty girl I noted. One hand was in his pocket and the other was playing with his beard. Jason looked so great, just leaning there on the door casually talking to this girl. She was aware of him as well. Any small movement his body made she reacted to it. She said something that made Jason laugh. He looked even better laughing. He now had bot of his hands in his pockets. The girl caught me staring. I didn’t turn away though. I thought if I froze she would think I was looking at something past her. That didn’t work. Jason noted that she moved his attention away from him. He turned following her view to meet my eye. He looked at me for a while before turning back around to her. She said something to him, but kept looking back at me. What she said was clearly about me. He shrugged in response. He had changed. He was no longer leaning on the door. He was standing straight and he wasn’t laughing anymore. He tapped her shoulder then walked into the class. She watched him walk in the whole way.
By now I was started arranging my pens in my pencil case. I wanted to seem as if I were actually busy.
We were 36 minutes into the double lesson when Jason said the first thing to me. “Pass the glue.”
“Please?” I replied not looking up from the old exam paper we were meant to be going through.
“Pass the glue.” He repeated again not looking at me. I ignored him continuing my work. I even started bopping my head to my music.
“Bec, throw me you’re glue.” He shouted to her across the lab. I rolled my eyes. Of course he would pick Bec. As if he couldn’t just reach over and get the glue from our table. He was doing it on purpose. He wasn’t going to get a reaction out of me.
#ManLikeSariah #Levi’sHalloweenPartyNext #RichardsMakingMovements #manlike #solidgame #we’reStillGoingToHaveA #50ShadesofEllie #TeamTooLazyToSpellCheck #Don’tJudgeMeThough