Reminder
This is a MUSIC-BASED BOOK so if you want the full experience of "Limelight" then please press the video and enjoy.
Summer of
1974
The daffodil colored taxi maintained its rest position as the traffic on the two way street prevented the raging drivers from getting to their destination.
Delilah had just opened her worn eyes at the sound of a loud man's horn, when she realized that they still remained in the same spot, on the long street of Downtown Bronx.
Delilah
I let out a small yawn and glanced around, pausing once realizing the warmth on my shoulder. My brother, Junior slept peacefully, his head resting on me and his snores light but still audible.
" Ma? " The tired voice of my older sister, Alyssa, spoke out of her sleep. "Ma? When are we gonna get there? We've been sitting here longer than the time it took us to get here from Dakota. " She complained, I glanced over to her with a smirk as she waited for mother's reply, Alyssa was a very impatient girl.
Junior shifted in his sleep before he mumbled. " If you were smart.. Dummy, You'd realize that she was sleep–which is exactly what I'm tryna do. " Alyssa flashed him a hard gaze.
" Shut up. " She nudged him.
" No you shut up. " He nudged her back.
" How about both of you shut up...can't sleep for five minutes without the two of you arguing. Why can't y'all be more like Honey? Quiet and calm." Our mother snapped from the passengers' seat causing them to become silent.
I just flashed them a teasing smirk at the mention of me before glaring out the window, taking in the new surroundings.
" Welcome to the Bronx... Enter At Your Own Risk! " Junior's voice escalated, reading the spray painted words under the welcome sign. " Ma? You sure it's safe here?"
Alyssa glared at him. " Chill out, You're so scaredy–"
" Scaredy? If wanting to live is considered being scary well then my last name is cat! "
" Lower your damn voice boy! You are scary." Mother butted in causing Alyssa to flash him a teasing smile. " Now, stop arguing like I said– Matter of fact just go to sleep–we'll be back moving in five minutes. " She huffed shifting in the passengers' seat.
~
That five minutes lasted for another hour before the cars began to move. Delilah was amused by the cheering individuals in the street and furthermore her brother who clapped along with them.
" Finally! " He exclaimed earning laughter once doing so.
" Mista? Is it always like this out here? " Delilah questioned causing the taxi driver to glance into the rearview at the unexpected sound of her voice.
The softness of it taking him back a bit.
"Ugh.. Yeah pretty much, in my opinion the worst transportation here is by car. Majority of the people take the subway to where they wanna go." He informed them. "Say where are you guys from again?"
" North Dakota. It took us quite a while to get here." Mrs.Smith smiled causing the driver to whistle.
" Yeah.. A long twenty-three hours." Junior muttered earning a sharp eye from his mother, he smiled innocently. "But it was all worth it Mama."
Delilah chuckled to herself as she continued to glare out the window at the tall apartment buildings until a faint familiar tune grabbed her attention. " Um, May you please turn the radio up sir? "
" No problem sweetie." The middled aged white man smiled and soon the sound of Rose Royce's Wishing On A Star filled the vehicle.
She felt her body relax at the sound of it–watching the clouds pass by in serene as the taxi cruised down the street.
...
Tall apartment buildings stood at each side of the street, small businesses close by advertising their company, and children playing along the side walk. It all intrigued Delilah as she smirked outside the window- inhaling the smell of fresh barbecue from the place labeled JQ's Rib Shack.
On the sidewalk a game of tag took place until one of the boys stopped, checking out the taxi.
" They're here! They're here!" He announced as he ran up the apartment steps.
Mrs.Smith let out a small chuckle once tipping the driver then they ventured from the car.
Junior's face then scrunching as he made his way to the trunk with the rest of them. " Who was that?" He glanced over to his mother for answers.
" Your cousin Damon, you two never got the chance to meet since y'all weren't even thought of back when your aunt and I lived here. I told her about you over the phone recently so I'm sure she told him a cousin his age would be moving in the apartment room across from them." She stated as they grabbed their bags from the trunk.
One by one they turned to the tall apartment building before them- the building that they'd now recognize as home.
It was awfully tall but only had five floors. Delilah found herself distracted by the children playing around the stoop and along the sidewalk, that was until a loud outburst caused her head to snap forward.
" Oh my goodness..Emily." A woman exclaimed with a broad smile as she opened the door. Junior nor Delilah had met her before and despite the fact that Alyssa had, she was too young to even consider remembering.
Emily returned the smile before she spoke in a more calmly manner." Dorthy, you grew up so much and your hair has as well, my goodness." Emily said, twisting her lips in a humorous manner. " Be honest, Is this a weave?"
Dorthy chuckled as she shook her head. " Of course not–" She began to say until her eyes converted over Emily's shoulder to see the three kids remaining there in utter confusion.
She gasped. " Alyssa? Is that my pretty baby? Last time I saw you—you were barely beginning to walk." She hugged her firmly making Alyssa's eyes bulge at the sudden loss of air.
" Oh my! He's so big! So handsome." She smiled pinching Junior's cheek. " I'm your Aunt Dorthy." She hugged him.
He flashed an awkward smile in attempts to hide the pain he felt in his right cheek. " Nice to finally meet you I heard a lottt about you." He dragged his word of emphasis.
" He's twelve now, They grow up fast huh." Emily gave a brittle smile before throwing a warning glare in his direction, but Dorthy didn't take notice, she was too busy glaring at Delilah who stood shyly in the background.
She slowly stepped forward with blinking eyes.
" Good.. god and you must be Delilah, my other beautiful niece."Aunt Dorthy smiled for the millionth time yet this one was even brighter as she reached out for a loving hug.
Delilah's body stiffened at the unexpected constriction, but soon her muscles relaxed before a soft grin supplanted her puzzled expression.
Dorthy reclined back to get a decent glimpse of her."Gorgeous just gorgeous. How old are you?" She set her soft hands on each side of Delilah's face.
" Fourteen. "
" And already this gorgeous? You better watch her."
Delilah laughed. " Thank you miss–"
"Aunt.. Auntie." Dorthy smiled causing Delilah to give her a soft one in return.
"Auntie." She redressed herself as they then headed up the concrete steps.
Inside, the walls were painted olive green with old fashioned, glass secured lights illuminating the hall.
They took the elevator to the fourth floor and walked a little down until they entered Aunt Dorothy's door, which led to the living room.
The living room and the dining room merged together through an open concept and in the dining room there was a set of double doors that led to the kitchen.
Delilah felt a sense of warmth inside of her especially once entering the nicely decorated dining area. Welcome signs, balloons, and a chocolate cake awaited them.
The Smiths smiled at the sight.
" What's all of this? " Their mother questioned to Dorthy.
She shrugged lightly. " Just a little welcoming dinner.. and a celebration for us reuniting–as sisters." She trailed off, blinking a few times before the faint thumping sound coming from down the hall caused her to smile widely. She then looked at her son who came down the hall ahead of them.
" Damon why don't you go get Devin from his room."
" That's not gonna happen but I'll try." He sighed attempting to turn around until she stopped him, her smile never fading.
Delilah easily noticed that about Aunt Dorthy, even when she first laid eyes on her. Dorthy's demeanor was calm, her eyes blinked excessively from time to time, and she couldn't help but notice how her smile never faded completely, only faltered a bit before she'd speak again.
This made Delilah curious, but to prevent coming off as rude she stopped her staring.
Dorthy remained silent with Damon's arm still in her grip, causing the three siblings to throw similar looks at each other.
" You know what, how about you take your cousins with you. Introduce them." She gestured with her hand slowly.
" Go on, Emily and I have some catching up to do." She said in a soft tone—as if speaking to a little child.
" Go.. now! " She snapped before her smile returned and the blinking began again, Damon's head dropped immediately as he turned on his heels.
" Yes ma'am...Right this way." He motioned as he led them down the hallway until they paused in front of the second door, decorated in do not enter or disturb signs.
Damon swung around to them with a slight smile. " I apologize in advance.. my brother is.. well he's. You'll see." He waved them off before creaking the door open with furrowed brows until they dropped at the sight of his brother.
Junior and Alyssa exchanged a similar look of curiosity at Damon's words before trailing in behind Delilah who was second to enter the room.
Devin's fro was the primary thing that grabbed Delilah's eye, other than the mess of a room he had.
The mess consisting of balled papers, void spray paint bottles, and dirty laundry. Delilah even spotted a few dishes with half eaten food stuck to them. It was nearly impossible to walk without stepping on anything.
The girls frowned at the sight.
" Yo Dev.." Damon called out to him throughout the silence of the room. " Dev." He called again as they approached him who had his back faced in their direction as he focused on his work.
Besides the room being a literal garbage can, the three all spotted something that they discovered fascinating. Delilah observed the Donna Summer posters, Junior nodded interestingly at the many records, and Alyssa eyed the artwork hanging on the wall.
" Devin, nigga I know you hear me, ain't that goddamn much wax in ya ear." Damon spat as he stood a few feet behind him. He sucked his teeth with wandering eyes until they landed on one of the many balled pieces of paper.
A smirk then appeared on his lips as he bent down to grab it. " Yo asshole.." He threw it, hitting Devin's thick fro.
And still, Devin managed to ignore him as he focused on the details of his drawing.
" Devin!" Damon yelled before throwing the nearest object.
The pillow hitting the back of Devin's head causing it to move forward, along with his drawing hand, and the jar of paint water that fell onto his time consuming artwork.
Damon's annoyed expression softened slightly before the expression of fear took over. " Oh shit."
" I'm gonna fucking kill you!" Devin exclaimed, snatching his brother up by the collar before he could move a muscle. " What did I tell you about coming in my room?" Devin gritted, shaking his brother viciously until realizing the presence of others.
" And who the hell are they?" He questioned, roughly releasing Damon from his hold.
Damon fixed his collar, glaring at him before he spoke with heavy breath. " Our cousins, Alyssa, Noah, and um." He turned around.
" Delilah." She nodded.
" Oh sorry ... and Delilah." He finished causing his brother to eye each and every one of them before gazing back to her.
" She doesn't look like a Smith and damn sure don't look like a Lovett."
" Well She is." Alyssa spat in Delilah's defense causing Devin to glare at her.
" Whatever... what do you want anyway, Crooks? "
" One, Mom told me to come get you because dinner is almost done and two, I told you to stop fucking calling me that." He whined earning an amused smirk from Devin as he sat back in his rolling chair.
" Tell her I'll be down later, I have to clean the mess you made. Not like I'll be missing out on nothing anyway." He gritted as he turned back around to his desk.
" Yeah whatever." Damon muttered as he about faced. " Come on, I'll show you all something worth seeing." He smirked leading them out of the room and into the hallway.
" Okay now that the worst part is over, you know almost witnessing me die at the hands of a hideous beast... I'll show you my room." He joked earning laughter from both Alyssa and Junior, Delilah, on the other hand, was too busy admiring the family pictures on the wall.
Damon allowed Alyssa and Junior to enter the room first, but he stopped once noticing Delilah who continued skimming over the many pictures.
" If you're wondering who that adorable baby is... well that's me. But if you're wondering what that thing is right next to me...Well you just met him." He shivered in disgust earning a chuckle from her.
He then motioned her to enter his room.
" Behold, the best room you'll ever lay eyes on." He proudly nodded his head with folded arms.
With lack of interest, Alyssa and Delilah glanced around at the many action figures ranging from small to life size, then the posters on the wall.
" Man, I can really rock with this– shit man.. You got the whole Amazing Spider-Man collection!"Junior exclaimed earning an eye roll from Alyssa.
" Here we go. " She mumbled up to the ceiling as she sat down on the bed while Delilah sat on the futon.
Damon nodded cockily. " Yeah, all except one." He sighed. Junior skimmed through them with scrunched eyebrows.
" Which one?"
" The Night Gwen.. Sons of bitches bought all of them the day it came out." He shook his head at the memory.
" The Night Gwen you say?" Junior gave a mischievous smirk as he reached inside one of his bags. " I got that for Christmas in 72' , I'll give it to you ...for the right price." He rubbed his fingers together earning a smirk from Damon.
" You know, I'm liking you already." He pointed.
" Yeah Yeah Yeah, I hate to ruin this adorable little moment but I'd like to sit these bags down somewhere instead of listening to this b.s."
" Wow wow wow listen here, this is not bullshit.. this is genius. Get that correct, and to think I felt kind of bad for letting you sit on my bed without warning." He folded his arms causing Alyssa to squeal in realization.
" You're sick!"
" Yup, I've been told...all the way down the hallway and to the left. Don't let the door hit ya! " He blurted, smiling once seeing that she gave him the finger on the way out.
He sighed as he looked over at Junior.
" Looks like we're one big happy family already."
...
Meanwhile in the kitchen Dorthy gently
removed the lasagna out the oven with focused eyes, watching the steam rise from the pan as she sat it down.
" Looks....Um good." Emily spoke into the quiet atmosphere in attempts to start another conversation besides the typical how have you been? and I miss you.
Dorthy smiled down at her work as she slowly removed the oven mitts. " Thank you..you know I've really been trying to get momma's recipes down packed...I think I did it this time."
She smiled to herself softly as she looked down at her dish, pride accompanying her happiness as she pictured her family enjoying her heartfelt meal.
" You know ... Delilah really seems like a sweet girl." Dorthy said suddenly.
Emily nodded with a smile. " She is, that's why she's my Honey. Always been a sweetheart since the day she became a Smith."
" Hm, I was shocked to hear from mother that you adopted...When did you adopt her again?"
" It wasn't too long after you left here. The night Noah and I lost our baby girl we got the news that someone– abandoned their newborn baby at the hospital. Left her in the waiting room. Noah thought the idea was crazy and that I was just acting out because of our baby, but when I looked at her I knew she was a blessing sent from God."
Dorthy smiled. " That's beautiful...and I'm sorry that I wasn't there for you-" She trailed off at the sight of Emily shaking her head.
" No apologies... You were experiencing your own journey in life. Plus we can start over, just put the past behind us, you know?"
Dorthy nodded slowly. " All these years, I forgot how much you remind me of mother." She smiled causing them to share a small chuckle.
" Anyways where's Noah? "
" Oh he went to visit his family...he said he'd be here by tomorrow night."
" Oh ...Okay... oh may you please help set the table?"
Emily nodded. " Of course, I know the kids are practically dying for a taste of some real food." She chuckled, reaching for a couple of plates before following her out of the doubled swing doors.
...
Delilah
" Boys are the epitome of disgusting!" Alyssa exclaimed in a rage as she laid in the bed of her choice, staring at the ceiling.
I laughed as I laid on my side, playing with the material of the furry pillow. " True but I thought we discovered that with Junior?" I mentioned causing us to share a short lived laugh that soon faded into silence.
" So how do you think it'll be living here?" I questioned, rolling onto my back.
" Hm, I don't even know Honey." She shook her head before laying on her side now. " But as you can see it's a lot to do, and there's a lot of kids in the neighborhood unlike in our old one."
I nodded. " Agreed. I'm not gonna lie I'll miss Tiffany, and Liliana."
" Girl I won't...not at all, especially Tiffany's annoying ass." She rolled her eyes causing my mouth to drop.
" I thought you said that was your home girl?"
Alyssa then rolled over on her stomach, her lips twisting as she checked her nails. " Yeah well that was before she decided to befriend Liliana and get with my ex. The keyword was–was."
I turned my head to eye my ridiculous sister.
" But didn't you give her permission to date him—"
" So! It was a test to see where her loyalty stood." Alyssa spat bitterly earning a giggle from me, she looked at me with narrowed eyes. " And what is so funny about this?"
" Alyssa come on, you said that you didn't give a rat's butt about him."
" A rat's ass girl.. just say ass damn. You're such a saint." She shook her head.
My mouth then opened in attempts to protest against her statement but the sudden opening of the door caught our attention.
" Dinner is ready girls." Our mother peeked through the door with her gracious smile.
I along with Alyssa perked up immediately at the sound of a meal, the road trip only consisting of snacks and fast food places.
My stomach growled slightly once I stood to my feet and even more when I walked down the hallway.
Once turning the corner I saw everyone at the table awaiting our arrival. I took my seat next to Alyssa as Junior and Damon chatted up about some comics that they couldn't wait to be released.
" Finally , I've been waiting on a home cooked meal." Alyssa whispered to me and I agreed wholeheartedly as we waited for dinner to be served.
Dorthy gently placed the pan down in the center of the table. " Dinner is served." She flashed a smile of satisfaction as she removed the top from the pan and just as she did so the conversations around the table suddenly subsided.
" What...is it?" Junior frowned causing mother to glare at him.
" My Famous Lasagna."
" Correct me if I'm wrong but that's not lasagna." Alyssa whispered over to me once again.
My face remained solemn as I tried not to reveal to Aunt Dorthy that I was disgusted– unlike the rest of the table.
Mother cleared her throat. " Um I-I can't wait to try it...I'm sure it taste just like mother's." She said as the rest of us caught on to her brittle smile.
Dorthy blinked a few times as she sat down, placing a napkin on her lap. " Well dig in." She gestured her hand causing everyone to snap from their stares and grab their forks.
I was the first to place a fork full into my mouth besides Dorthy, the rest of the table just seemed to anticipate on my reaction before trying it themselves.
I chewed slowly, the charred taste unpleasant to the mouth in every way and to my surprise everyone gradually began to place a fork full into their mouth, pausing immediately due to the taste I'm sure.
" So how is it?" She questioned earning swift nods and mumbles from everyone. " Good, I got one more surprise." She stood, brushing her hands off on her apron, first the back side then her palms.
Delilah had never seen someone who managed to do everything so calmly, the way she spoke and moved. It seemed as if her persona could make a person feel uncomfortable yet at ease in an unexplainable way.
They all watched, counting the seconds until she finally disappeared behind the door, and without an ounce of hesitation they immediately reached for napkins or their drinks.
Junior and Damon gargling dramatically until she reappeared from the doors with another pan. " Okay now I know that you'll love this, my famous banana pudding–" She said until their attention was taken from the door opening.
" I brought pizzas."
" Uncle Curtis! " The children exclaimed running up for a hug while Devin on the other hand ran ahead of them for the pizza boxes.
" Look how much my nieces and nephews missed me." He laughed as he managed to keep his balance.
Dorthy froze once placing the pudding on the table-waiting patiently until the children went off into the living room before confronting him.
" Curtis what are you doing? I didn't put my all in this home cooked meal for you to do something as stupid as this." She pointed towards the table earning a slight frown from him once he looked at the food.
He took a drag from his cig." Well you told me to buy pizzas–"
" Tomorrow ... I said tomorrow–" She trailed off once the cigarette smoke caught her attention and nothing ticked Dorthy off more than cigarettes.
" Curtis Lovett the third ... What did I say about smoking in my house? "
He took one last drag from his cig, chuckling at her blank expression.
" My fault, baby sis no need to get all hostile." He put his hands up in surrender, lowering the cigarette down into the ashtray on the end table.
Uncle Curtis was the oldest child, he recently moved back to the Bronx but before that he also lived in North Dakota up until two years ago for reasons unknown.
Dorthy couldn't help but watch as the children disregarded her meal for the pizza, her head converting downcast as she walked towards the table. Emily had already been there to assist her with putting the food away.
" I tried so hard." She mumbled as they entered the kitchen's doubled doors.
Emily placed the pot down on the stove before walking over to comfort her little sister. " It's okay, you know Curtis didn't mean to he just doesn't listen to details."
Dorthy shook her head in silence.
" How about we try again another time, I'll even help.. " Emily suggested but her sister just stood there, staring off into the distance.
Delilah
" I feel kinda bad for dissing her food like that..." I stated as I entered our temporary room once exiting the bathroom, my pajamas now hugged against me and my hair now wrapped in my scarf.
Alyssa chuckled as she swung the bath towel around her shoulder. " Shit I don't...I wasn't about to eat that brick hard, charcoaled stuff..." She shuddered.
" Man." I shook my head with a hardened expression. " I wonder how that banana pudding looked though. " I added causing both of us to eye each other before bursting with laughter.
" Whew thank god and all his angels for Uncle Curtis and that pizza." She joked with praying hands as she entered the bathroom across the hall.
...
" Okay I got a question. " Alyssa said suddenly.
We both had taken our showers and now laid comfortably on our beds, enjoying the chocolate cake which we assumed had to be store bought.
I nodded. " Go for it."
" Alright...Donna Summer or Diana Ross?"She quizzed causing my attention to stray far from the cake as I scowled her as if she had two heads.
" Really? Is there even a comparison? Donna Summer."
Alyssa chuckled. " Okay your turn. "
I thought for a moment. " Umm, The O' Jays or Kool & the Gang?"
Her mouth dropped immediately at my question. " Do I really have to choose? " I nodded and her head fell back. " ... The– Kool– Huh... God if I had and I mean had to choose then, Kool & the Gang." She groaned earning laughter from me as I put another fork full in my mouth.
" Alright, since you wanna play hard I got one for you. Donna Summer or Riva Love?"
My eyes nearly bulged out of my sockets. I loved and admired both of them. I couldn't even imagine choosing one over the other if I had to. I shook my head. " I refuse to choose."
" But you have to." She demanded causing me to cover my ears.
The door then opened revealing our mother who smiled at the sight of us " What you two girls still doing up? You know we start moving in when the truck gets here tomorrow." She peered at us.
Alyssa shrugged. " We were just getting ready to call it a night."
" Mmhm as loud as you girls are with a plate full of cake? " She smirked as she kissed her on the forehead before doing the same to me.
" We're waking up at eight so don't give me no lip in the morning. "She told us before closing the door.
Once we finished the cake and our silly game which resulted in me picking Riva Love, we called it a night.
Yet as the minutes went by, my eyes wouldn't allow themselves to stay closed. So I stared at the dark ceiling for awhile just in thought of what life had in store for us here in The Bronx.
A/N
Hello everyone, how was the first chapter of Limelight? Any predictions?