"Kaliya Jefferson, please come to the nurses station. Kaliya Jefferson please come to the Nurses Station" I heard over the intercom. I sucked my teeth annoyed.
"What the hell they want now" I said to myself.
"Mr. Perry I'm leaving now. I will be back to give you your meds. Understand" I said super loud. Mr. Perry was a patient of mine and he was halfway deaf
"The war is over. Did you tell Sergeant Young the war is over? It's over. They killed everybody. So much blood. the water was red. But the war is over" Mr. Perry said. Mr. Perry was ninety-two years old, and a Veteran who had lost his mind. He was also suffering from Dementia. Everyday he lived in a new time period. Yesterday he was in the eighties, today he's in the Vietnam Era.
I rolled my eyes like whatever. I made my way to the nurses station. If you didn't know, I am a registered nurse, and a work in a private mental facility in the state of Virginia.
I rode the elevator down to the second floor where the nurses' station was.
"What's going on Gina" I said to the honey brown haired, hazel eyed woman behind the desk. She was the secretary.
"Phone call" she said handing me the phone.
Who the hell is calling me on my damn job? This better be hella important.
"Hello Kaliya Jefferson speaking" I said.
"Yes hello, Ms. Jefferson this is Dr. Thompson down at Virginia State Morgue, I'm sorry but I have terrible news. Your mother. Ms. Katie Jefferson has passed. Again I'm very sorry for your loss" Dr. Thompson said. I felt my heartbeat in my ears.
"What the hell you mean she died?" I said louder than intended. I saw Gina's eyes shoot up at me. I turned away from her.
"Yes ma'am I'm so sorry. But I also need you to come down, and positively identify her body" Dr. Thompson said.
"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" I said to myself.
"Ok what time" I said.
"We close at five so no later than five Ms. Jefferson" he said.
"Yeah yeah I'll be there" I said.
"Again I'm very sorry for your loss" Dr. Thompson said.
"Yeah me too. Bye" I said handing the phone back to Gina.
"You alright Kaliya" she asked.
"I'm cool" I said swallowing hard. I got off in about a hour or so. I finished my rounds. Passing out meds, checking patient's vital signs, keeping charts up to date. The whole nine. I loved my job sometime. Other times it was just a pain in the neck. Once I clocked out, and was in my car, I tried to hold it together.
But then I cracked like an egg that has been dropped. I cracked, and tears started to fall like never before. I can't believe this shit. My mama died, just up died like what the hell.
I started crying so hard, it became uncontrollable, and I was beyond hurt.
I hit my steering multiple times, and just screamed to the heavens like never before. After thirty to forty-five minutes, I got it together. I got a Kleenex and cleared my face. I can't believe she up and died on me. I put on my sunshades and pulled out my parking space.
I drove to the morgue. Once I parked, I went on in. Soon I was standing in a cold hallway in front of big window, waiting for the Dr. Thompson to pull back the sheets so I could see my mother. My dead mother.
He pulled back the sheets, and it was indeed my mother, and I almost cracked but I held it in. I looked at my mother, and her delicate face was cold, and still. Her eyes closed, she looked like she was sleep. My mother was a light skinned woman with golden brown hair, that was graying. She was in her sixties but she didn't have hardly any wrinkles. She looked young, like she could pass for forty for real. I nodded at him, and he covered her back up.
I signed some papers, and left. While I was in there, Dr. Thompson told me my mom from the looks of things probably died from natural causes. I couldn't figure though. She was only sixty-one. This was unbelievable, and even seeing my mom's dead body, didn't make shit anymore real.
I was told to go to The Department of Social Services, I had paperwork or something to fill out. This was some bullshit that's what the fuck it was. Bullshit.
I went down to Department of Social Services, and gave the lady at the front desk some papers that were given to me.
"Ms. Jefferson, if you will take a seat, Ms. Harrison will be right with you" she said politely. I nodded. I sat in the waiting room. This was some bullshit, how the hell that old bitty gonna up and die on me? I couldn't believe this.
I sat in the waiting room for a short while. Then a woman in a black business suit, with dark hair that was pinned back, and frameless glasses approached.
"Hi Ms. Jefferson" she said.
"Yeah that's me" I said.
"Good to meet you. I'm Yolanda Harrison, and I'm a social worker for your four nieces and nephews" she said.
I looked at her confused. What the hell her being a social worker to them damn brats gotta do wit me?
"Ok and?" I said.
"Follow me to my office we need to discuss a few things" Ms. Harrison said. I followed her to the back to her cubicle.
I looked around her office and she had a hundred different photos of a hundred different kids pinned on the wall of her cubicle with business letters, notes, and other things. Her office was cluttered like filled to the brim with all sorts of folders and what not.
I sat down in front of her desk.
"Ms. Jefferson, I understand your mother has passed, and I'm very sorry for your loss" she said.
"Yeah me too" I said.
"Yes but do you understand that your mother had full custody of all four of your nieces and nephews" she asked.
"I'm aware" I said.
"Well according to her will, she has left them to you" Ms. Harrison said. My jaw dropped, like it went through the damn floor.
"The hell? No she didn't! I need you to look over that again or something cause umm hell no. No ma'am! No way! No" I said not believing shit she said.
"You are Kaliya Jefferson correct" she said looking at me.
"Yeah but that don't mean a damn thing. Look here, I can't be taking care of no kids. Like they don't like me, I don't like them. So we stay away from each other cause like no" I said in disbelief.
"Your mother's dying wish was for you to take care of those kids" Ms. Harrison said.
Oh so she gonna hit me with that shit.
"They can't go nowhere else? Like ain't somebody else around" I said.
"It's either to you or to foster care" Ms. Harrison said. Damn! Damn! Damn!
This is messed up. She set this shit up. My goddamn mama set this up. She knew I don't like them damn kids. She knew this shit. And she gonna do this to me. Fucking wit my head beyond the grave. I bet that old bitty up in heaven laughing her goddamn ass off at this shit.
"Ms. Jefferson are you alright" the lady asked.
"Nah I'm not, but I will be though. Let's start the process or whatever. Can we make it quick cause I'm tired, it's been a long day and I wanna go home? Please" I said as calm as possible.
Ms. Harrison looked at me with sympathetic eyes.
"Sure Ms. Jefferson, sure" she said. I filled out a million papers, and Ms. harrison was very helpful, and patient with me. She told me all the rules, precautions, things I would have to do to maintain custody of my nieces and nephews. I left out that place two hours later, with a headache, broken heart, and alone.
I drove straight home. Tomorrow I would have to go pick up my nieces and nephews. Four of them. Let me give a little back history.
My name is as you may know Kaliya Jefferson. I'm twenty-six years old, and I'm a registered nurse. I have two older siblings, I'm the youngest. One older brother named Khalil, and a sister named Nikki. Khalil is 40, and Nikki is 35. My brother lives in California with his wife, and three children. We speak every now and again, but we ain't just real tight like that. I know if I ever just desperately need somebody to talk to or to just vent to, I can always call him. My sister Nikki though, that's a different fucking story. Nikki is well for one she a raging drug addict. She got a mean drug problem, been strung out every since she was nineteen. She also a mental case, Paranoid Schizophrenic. It's because of her and the history of mental illness in my family that I decided to be a mental health nurse. Her Schizophrenia was bad but when she got on drugs it was worst. She was crazy, and so out of touch with everything. I ain't seen her in awhile. When I'm downtown or in the hood, she may be walking around, or something. But most days, I don't know where she be.
I tried to help her on so many occasions. My mom definitely tried to help her. But she so far gone, it's just a crazy situation.
As I pulled up into my apartment complex, I sighed heavily. I parked my car, and cut off the ignition. I walked to my apartment on the bottom floor.
I went on in, and plopped on my couch. What a day I thought as I shook my head. I noticed the light on my house phone was blinking, notifying me that I had a few messages.
I reached over and pressed the button to play messages. One message from an old boyfriend whom I wanted nothing to do with. Another from bill collectors, and one from my brother. I listened to that one.
"Hey sis, this is Khalil, your brother" he said like I wouldn't know who he was.
Please call me as soon as you can" he said and hung up. I wondered did he know about my mom or was just checking in.
I picked up my house phone, and quickly dialed his number.
"Kaliya! Is it true" he said picking up on the first ring.
"Yeah she gone man" I said. I went ahead and said it cause I really didn't know how to say it so I just said it.
"Damn!"Khalil cried out. I waited for Khalil to cry for a few moments, and I heard his wife comforting him in the background. I sighed heavily cause I wasn't sure what to do, or just what to say. So I just waited.
"Kaliya baby girl you there" my brother said with a sniffle.
"I'm here" I said.
"You ok?" Khalil asked.
"I'm fine" I said calmly.
"Listen I'll be down there in like two days or so sis, I'm gonna help you plan everything, and get it all straightened out ok" he said.
Ok" I said.
"You sure you ok" he asked.
"I'm alright. Listen umm call me tomorrow, and let me know when you get here. I just got off work, and stuff, so I'm gonna just chill for a minute" I said.
"I understand sis, I'll call you. Love you" Khalil said.
"Love you too, I talk to you later" I said hanging up. Some days I just really didn't feel like being bothered. Damn.
So for the rest of the day, I soaked in a pool of my own sadness. I didn't eat, didn't sleep, I just sat there. I wasn't even sure if I was ready for this, but I would be.
The next day I went to work even though I didn't sleep. I was tired but nothing like a house full of crazies to wake you up. I guess Gina told everyone the morgue called for me, and because I got a thousand different condolences from everybody. My boss even got me a bouquet of red roses to express his condolences to me. I appreciated it, I did. Once I was off work, I headed to some foster house, to pick up my nieces and nephews. My heart raced, I wasn't sure how to take this. Like I said me and kids ain't never got along.
"Mama, please be with me" I said as I drove to the foster house. I met these kids on a few occasions. Like when I went and visited my mama and they was out of school. Most times when I visited, they was in school though I swear I wouldn't know these kids from a stranger on the street. That's terrible but it is what it is. I was beyond stressed at this point.
Once I was parked, I gathered the necessary papers and got out. My stomach filled with butterflies, and I felt like my head was spinning. The butterflies, and the dizziness was making me nauseous.
"Kaliya I need you to chill for me" I said to myself.
I walked in the foster house. Well it wasn't a house, like building, almost like a rehab or something. There was a front desk, a waiting area with a television, who's picture kept phasing in and out. And two big gray doors that closed off the main hallway I guess.
An older lady with gray short hair, and bifocals thicker and bigger than coke bottles. Her face had more wrinkles than jeans that had been crumpled up for weeks.
"Hello ma'am" I said approaching her.
"Yes, how can I help you" she said exposing her yellow set of choppers. Gross.
"Umm my name is Kaliya Jefferson, and I'm here to get my nieces and nephews" I said handing her the papers the social worker gave me.
"Yes ma'am may I see your state ID or driver's license please" she said.
I opened my wallet, and pulled out my driver's license. After that she made copies of my driver's license, and had me fill out a few papers. And then told me to wait, the children will be out shortly. I was nervous as hell now. I sat in the waiting area, and my foot was tapping like crazy. I clutched my hands together, cause they was shaking too. I need a cigarette. I often forget I quit smoking three months ago. But I was hard up for a hit of nicotine. I knew I should've kept wearing them damn patches. Shit.
A few minutes passed, and I heard the doors click open.
My heart damn near gave out from pounding so hard. I stood up quick.
I saw a White lady come out holding a real fat cute brown skinned baby, followed by two children. One was girl and the other a boy. The girl looked older than the boy. The girl had sandy brown hair, that was kinky, and curly, and she had a lot, it was long too. She had gray eyes, and she was so cute. She looked like she was about nine or ten. The boy who looked younger was the same color as the girl. He also had crazy curly hair, but his was a darker brown, and shorter, and he had the same eyes just one shade darker. He looked to be about five or six.
"Hi Ms. Jefferson" the White woman with auburn hair said.
"Yes hi" I said with a forced smile.
"Well it's so good to meet you. I'm Beth, and I fostered your nieces and nephews. I'm very sorry for the loss of your mother" she said.
"Thank you" I said.
"Well they're a joy to have. You won't regret this" she said looking at the babies.
"Oh these are mine" I said just now realizing it.
"Yes they are, all yours. This is Karlie, Charles, and this one is Camden" she said handing me the fat brown baby. He was so adorable. He was just so big. He looked like the other two just his eyes were hazel, and he was a baby maybe a toddler.
I then counted, and there were only three.
"Something wrong" Beth asked.
"Yes umm they're suppose to be four, I only see three" I said looking around.
"Oh yes, Ka'Diah, umm she'll be out here in a minute" Beth said. It was kind of weird. She was super excited about these three but when I mentioned the fourth one, she kind of clamped up. Her eyes softened, like the fourth one saddened her or something. Damn what was wrong with fourth one. The gray doors opened again, and out walked an older White lady with a tall slender bright skinned girl with the longest thickest curliest hair I had ever seen.
The girl looked to be a teenager, her eyes were a bright crystal clear gray.
She was smiling, and had a mouth full of metal braces. She smiled but when you looked at her, it was like she was in a different world.
You know how people look dazed or stuck in a daydream, that's how she looked.
I also noticed she had a leash around her wrist, that was connected to the older lady.
The lady took the leash from around her wrist, and handed it to Beth and Beth handed it to me.
I don't understand. What is this?" I said confused.
"This is your oldest niece Ka'Diah. She's fifteen years old. And she's mentally disabled. She wanders off a lot to keep her from getting lost, we keep her on this. Also it is used to strap her down at night, because she sleepwalks. When she was with your mother, she once slept walked almost eight miles away from home" Beth said.
You would think I would know this stuff, but I didn't. Like I said when I visited my mother, the kids were usually at school. But even when they were home, I never saw Ka'Diah. My mom always said she was at after school care or something.
"Good luck Ms. Jefferson. I hope you do well" she said. She said goodbye to the children and left me standing there. I wasn't ready for this. I didn't know I would have special needs child. Ok I worked with crazies all day long. But those people were literally crazy as hell. And they were adult crazies. I was use to dealing with Schizophrenics, Bipolar people, suicidal, depressed. Not this, not mental children. That's a whole different field. Nobody told me this, nobody prepared me for this.
"Aunty Kay, are you ok" Karlie asked looking at me with her gray eyes. This was too much.
"I'm not sure, but I will be though" I said. So the children got their bags, and we headed out. I had a baby in one hand, and Ka'Diah's strap in the other. I had to make two trips to the car. Thank God I had a truck, so everybody could fit. I strapped Camden's car seat in, and then him in it. I made sure the other kids were buckled in. I put Ka'Diah up front. I buckled her belt and got in myself. Less than a hour in, and I'm already overwhelmed.
"Aunty Kay" Karlie said as we rode.
"What" I said.
"Where are we going" she asked.
"Home, my place" I said.
She whispered something to her brother, and he whispered back. I ain't know what that was about. Charles whispered something else to Karlie.
"Aunty Kay" she said.
"Yes" I said.
"Can we go get Rocky?" Karlie said.
"Who is Rocky?" I asked.
"Our dog" Karlie said.
"A dog? What?" I said.
"Oh please Aunty Kay, he's in the backyard, and he probably hasn't eaten or had any water. Charles will cry if we don't, it's his best friend, and my favorite furry buddy. Oh please oh please" Karlie begged.
"Goddamn!" I said out loud. Charles gasped like I did something terrible. Karlie eyes widened, and she covered her mouth.
"What" I said.
"No bad words Aunty Kay. You're hurting our ears" Karlie fussed.
"Are you kidding me?" I sighed heavily. I can't deal with this. No, hell no!
I headed to my mom's house, I can't believe I was about to get a dog.
I pulled up in my mom's driveway. I was supposed to go see a lawyer tomorrow about what's to be done with her property and stuff. She didn't say much about it in her will. I pulled up to my mom's five bedroom, two story home. my mother's house was peach colored, her favorite color. She a beautiful rose garden out front, and she always kept her lawn neat and nicely cut. My mom had a green thumb, she could grow anything. She loved gardening, roses were her favorite. The kids jumped out quick, and I got out. I got Camden out his seat, and walked around to open the door for Ka'Diah.
She got out, and she had this soft smile on her face that seemed to never go away.
The kids went straight to the backyard, and I was surrounded by beautiful blooming floors, and I heard the bark of a ferocious sounding animal. I looked around quick.
"Rocky!" Charles screamed. and that was the first time I heard him talk since I had him.
Karlie and Charles, hugged the dog, and I looked to see. A humongous, brindle coated American Mastiff. He was bigger than the kids, but he was friendly. They hugged him, and he licked them, and wagged his tail like he was so thrilled to see them.
"Guys, just get the dog, and let's go" I said.
Hello" someone called.
I turned around and saw a woman coming into the yard through the gate.
She was brown skinned, long dark thick wavy hair, about five-seven. She was attractive, with a very pretty face, very fit. She wore dark blue jeans, and a short sleeved white blouse.
"Hello" I said.
She looked at me like "who are you?"
"Christina! Christina!" I heard the kids yell excitedly as they ran towards this woman.
"Hi guys, what's up" she said smiling brightly at them, and they hugged her like they were long lost relatives or something. At this point I was utterly confused.
Who is this Christina? And why are the kids so crazy about her?
I switched Camden from one arm to the other, this joker was heavy, and wearing me out. Then I realized, my arm was free, meaning Ka'Diah was no longer attached to me.
"Shit" I said looking around quick.
I looked around for her. My heart started to pound. Only a few hours in, and I'm already losing kids. This not gonna work.
"She's over there in the rose bush. The pink ones are her favorite" Christina said noticing my desperate look for Ka'Diah.
I looked over to the rose bush, and sure enough there was Ka'Diah. She was kneeled down and smiling affectionately at a rose she held ever so gently in her hand.
"Christina, this is my Aunty Kay. She got us today, and she has no idea what she's doing" Karlie said smartly.
I looked at her, damn she ain't have to bust me out like that. Kids are cruel.
Christina smiled, and damn she had a beautiful smile. But damn she was attractive. Damn I'm straight.
"Kay" Christina said to me.
"It's actually Kaliya but you can call me Kay" I said.
"Oh Ms. Katie's youngest daughter. I'm so sorry for your loss. She was a wonderful woman, and spoke highly of you" Christina said embracing me. Damn she smelled good, maybe it was the roses or that we were surrounded by flowers. Nah, she just smelled delicious. Again I'm straight.
"Umm thank you" I said pulling away. I was too emotionally vulnerable to be held right now.
"I helped your mom with the children a lot. They're wonderful kids they truly are" Christina said.
"Yeah so I'm told" I said.
"So you have full custody" Christina said.
"Yeah I do, I absolutely do" I said.
"Well Kaliya, if you need any help at all, you can call me for whatever reason. Be it with the kids, or just someone to talk to, call me" she said with the most sincere honest eyes I ever seen. Something in her eyes made me wanna to just fully and completely trust her with my life and everything. I mean it was just that real, she seemed so genuine. It was too much, I didn't know how to take it
"Karlie knows my number, right Karlie" Christina said smiling at Karlie.
"Yep Yep" Karlie said.
"Ok. Ok. Thank you Christina, for coming over, and everything. I appreciate it, I do. But we really kind of gotta go now." I said.
"But what we got to do?" Karlie said. Oh my gosh! Sometime I wish that little girl would just shut up. She was smart as a whip, and quick to lash out what so ever was on her mind. This not gonna work.
I took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
"Baby, sweetheart, honey child" I said trying so hard to keep my cool.
"Do this, go get the mutt, get your brother, and head to the car for me. Please and thank you. Please and thank you" I said holding it all in best I could.
"Do you need help right now" Christina said.
"No, I got it" I said shortly.
"You sure? I mean just let me help you get the kids to the car" Christina said.
"Really I think I got it" I said getting kind of irritated.
"All I wanna do is help you, nothing more" Christina said picking up on my irritation.
I see how this play right now. I bet you Christina the type chick to like help you even if you don't want help. I bet you can aggressively reject this chick, and she still, be there with that same smile, like "bitch I ain't leaving, so you better get use to me" Them the type chicks I hated. Stayed clear of them cause I didn't want their help. Maybe I needed it but I didn't want it.
Get way from round me. Aggressively affectionate people. You won't believe how many boyfriends I pushed away cause they got too close. They were perfect in every way, and I couldn't handle it. All this love, this affection. It was just too much. I been like that my whole life. I was unbelievably close to my dad. And he was the aggressively affectionate type, and my mother was like me. She ain't want nobody too close to her, but my father was persistent, and aggressively affectionate, and stood by her no matter how bitter she was. And it eventually wore her down.
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Learning To Love.This is the story that got the most votes. Everybody was like you gotta upload Learning to Love. So here it is, as requested. I hope you all enjoy it. To be completely honest, I'm nervous about this story. Something new, and it's not nearly as fast pace as my other stories are. Like this stories it takes a mninute to pop but it will I can guarantee that. So work with me, bear with me, cause I'm trying. So please please COMMENT COMMENT COMMENT! Tell me if you like it, if you will continue to read it. Where do you think it's going, where do you think should go. Just let me know.. Comments! Vote and Comment! Please and thank you so much for reading!