Chapter 6
peace graham
. . .
a couple of weeks later
“How are you liking your new job?” Amanda asked me as I tried my best to smooth out the wrinkles in my dress shirt. I should have ironed it, but I overslept and needed to be out of there in the next ten minutes.
“It’s been going pretty well. There’s a lot of paperwork and phone work involved, but I like it.”
I still couldn’t believe it had been two weeks since I started working for Dreaux. When he first offered me the job, I wanted to turn him down. Then I remembered that I needed the money.
“I’m happy for you, boo. I know you’ve had a rough time, but I promise things are going to look up for you soon enough.
” I appreciated the fact that Amanda always had a positive outlook on life, even when things weren’t going well.
She was a glass-half-full type of woman, and I needed that more than I ever realized.
“Damn it. Hey, do you think you could take Promise to daycare for me? I’m running late, and I won’t make it in time.” There was a daycare center in the building, but it was in the opposite direction from where I needed to go.
“Of course. Come on, baby girl. Let’s get you to daycare so mommy can get to work.” Promise liked Amanda, so she held her arms open for her to pick her up. Her big self needed to be walking on her own, but that was a fight for another day.
“Thank you, boo. I appreciate you. I’m gonna grab some chicken on the way home for us,” I called out, kissing Promise before locking the room up.
I prayed we would get a call soon for an apartment.
Now that I had proof of income, I hoped that would help speed up the process.
As grateful as I was for the help, I looked forward to having my own space.
The last few months of my life seemed like a blur to me.
It felt as if I had been running on autopilot since the baby shower debacle.
Raylee offered me a place to stay, but I refused to live with her.
They all had betrayed me, and I couldn’t trust anyone.
After she dropped Promise and me off at home, I packed our things, grabbed some money from Chop’s stash, and hit the road.
There was no particular destination in mind until I passed a sign that said Welcome to Jonah Hills.
A part of me thought maybe it was a sign from my momma to come back to the place where I was born. Either way, I needed a fresh start.
While living in a homeless shelter wasn’t ideal, I knew it wouldn’t be permanent. I had a car, a job, and a place to rest my head. Those were the things that mattered most.
I rushed down the highway like a racecar driver, praying I made it on time. The last thing I needed was to be late for a job I lucked up on. The moment I turned into the complex, I breathed a sigh of relief. Not only had I made it on time, but I didn’t see any signs of Dreaux’s Escalade.
Maliah, the property manager, told me that he only made an appearance once a week, and sometimes less, depending on his schedule. It made me feel a lot better because being around Dreaux made me nervous. Even in the moments when he wasn’t speaking, it felt as if he was watching me like a hawk.
“Good morning, beautiful. I brought coffee and donuts, so help yourself. I have a few tours to do today, so I’ll be in and out all day.” Maliah informed me.
“Sounds good. Thanks for the donuts and coffee. I was scrambling to get ready this morning, so I needed this.” I helped myself to a cup of coffee before heading over to my desk.
I felt a sense of pride seeing my name plaque on the desk.
Life had been hitting me from every corner, but it seemed as though things were finally starting to fall into place.
I spent the day answering calls and filing applications.
Maliah did most of the interviewing and apartment tours all day, so I was mostly by myself.
I appreciated the peace because it gave me time to think.
Payday was Friday, and I couldn’t contain my excitement.
I didn’t have any plans for the money other than treating Promise to a few new outfits and a nice dinner.
I planned to save as much money as I could so we could get out of the homeless shelter.
“Thank you for calling Davis Apartments. How can I help you today?”
“Aye, have you eaten yet?”
Butterflies filled my belly when I heard the sound of his voice come through the phone. I gathered myself so that I could remain professional.”
“Good afternoon, Mr. Davis. No, I haven’t eaten yet. My lunch isn’t for another hour.” Half of the day had already gone by, and time seemed to pass quickly.
“Alright, I’ve got a few stops to make, but I’m on the way. There’s something I need to holla at you about.”
“Okay.”
“It’s not anything bad. I wanted to get your opinion on something.”
“Well, I’ll be here.” I felt like an idiot, but he made me feel that way often. I heard him chuckle and hung up before I could embarrass myself any further. As soon as I hung up the phone, it rang again. When I answered, my heart sank when I heard crying on the other end.
“Peace. This is Reese from the daycare center. There has been an outbreak of hand, foot, and mouth disease amongst the children. There are at least five children who have contracted it, and two teachers who had to go home sick. We are going to have to close the daycare down and spend a couple of days disinfecting the rooms. Unfortunately, Promise’s teacher had to leave early, so I need all of the mothers to come pick up their babies. ”
I nodded my head as if she could see me, then told her that I was on my way. Maliah was still doing apartment tours, so I decided to reach out to Dreaux to let him know I would need to leave for the rest of the day.
“I’m about to be there in ten minutes.”
“Hey, that’s kind of why I’m calling. My daughter’s daycare called, and they are sending all of the kids home because a bunch of them are sick.
I have to go get Promise, and I’m not sure if I’ll be able to come back today since I won’t have a babysitter.
” I rushed out. Even though it was out of my control, I couldn’t help the guilty feelings I had because I was still new to the job.
The last thing I wanted was for him to think I wasn’t dedicated or reliable.
“What’s the address of the daycare?”
His question caught me off guard, and I paused before answering his question with one of my own.
“Why do—”
“Please don’t start that shit. I thought we were starting to trust each other.” He chuckled into the phone, sending electricity through my soul.
“I don’t know about all of that. We’re still in the beginning stages of trust.”
“Whatever. I asked because I’m already out and about. I can go grab her and then bring her to you since I have your food with me anyway.”
I gulped loudly at the mention of him picking Promise up from daycare.
Not only because he was somewhat of a stranger, but also because he would then know where we lived.
When I filled out my application, I used a random address.
It was bad enough that he knew I was desperate for money.
I wasn’t ready for him to know how bad off I truly was.
“No, you don’t need to do that. I have no problem getting her. Plus, they aren’t gonna release her to just anyone.” My hands were shaking as I paced the floor of my office.
“Why are you being so difficult? I’m trying to help, but you keep shutting me out. What’s up with that?”
“I never asked for your help. I don’t want you to feel like you’re obligated to do anything for me. This job is more than enough.” Tears welled in my eyes because I hated being in this predicament. Life had been giving me its ass to kiss, and it seemed as if it wasn’t letting up any time soon.
“Well, you’re on probation right now. I’m not saying that I don’t understand your situation, but this is a business. I’m offering you help so that you can keep your job and be able to provide for your baby girl.”
“Are you threatening me?” I blurted out, feeling a bunch of emotions hitting me all at once.
“Naw, I don’t operate that way. Well, at least not in this particular business.
What I’m saying is that this is a place of business, and you haven’t earned any PTO or benefits to call out so soon.
I told you we offer childcare services for those who need them, and they’re free.
Now, are you gonna give me the address or not?
” My eyes closed as I tried to come up with a valid excuse.
Unfortunately, there wasn’t one outside of the truth.
“She has to be in a car seat. It’s illegal to ride around with a child that small without them being secured in a seat.”
“Oh, that’s not a problem, I have a couple in my trunk.” My eyebrow raised, but before I could linger on it too long, he answered my unspoken question.
“I don’t have any kids, but my homies pop out babies like rabbits. Some of them use the daycare service I mentioned, so I do drop-offs from time to time. I keep them on hand because I don’t have time to be tracking folks down to exchange seats and shit.”
I giggled even though I was still full of nerves. Today had been such a good day, and I feared that it would soon come to an end.
“Alright. I’ll send you the address. I’ll let them know you’re coming.” I bit down on my bottom lip to keep the tears at bay because I knew he would judge me for my circumstances.
“Alright, bet. I might take baby girl for some ice cream before we come up there. Does she have any allergies? I don’t want to get anything that’s gonna fuck up her stomach.
She isn’t one of the kids who’s sick, right?
Do I need to stop somewhere to get her anything?
” Dreaux asked with urgency. I smiled because he sounded like a concerned parent.
“No, she’s not sick, and the only allergy she has is to peanuts.”