Wren
A COUPLE DAYS LATER
Purring stirred me from my slumber. My eyes slowly drifted open to the sun beaming through the pink curtains in my bedroom. Fur brushed against the side of my face. I reached over and gently stroked Smoke only for him to snap at me.
“Ouch!” I shoved him away from my face and sat up in bed. Looking over at the clock on my nightstand, it was going on six in the morning. I needed to get up so that I can fix me some breakfast and get ready for work.
Before I head to the library today, I’m supposed to stop by Tyree’s so he can take a look at the truck. I called him the day before but he wasn’t picking up the phone. The only way to get in touch with him is to pop up on him.
Smoke jumped down from my bed and slipped through the crack in my bedroom door and doorway.
Tossing the covers back, I threw my legs over the edge of the bed and lifted to my feet.
Soon as my feet touched the pink rug alongside my bed, I got on my tippy toes and reached my fingers toward the ceiling.
Leaning backward, my back popped and I straightened my posture.
My bare feet pad across the wooden floor to my bathroom.
I hit the light switch and stepped in front of my sink.
The pink tile cool underneath my feet, sending a sock to my brain to fully wake up.
I’d stayed up last night, reading a book and the bad decision was written all over my face with the bags underneath my eyes.
“I gotta stop staying up late with those books.”
But they do be good though.
I released a sigh and reached underneath the cabinet to grabbed my box of eye patches and removed a pack.
Ripping it open, I carefully placed them underneath my eyes and turned on the faucet.
Luna jumped up on the counter and walked directly in front of the mirror.
She was my black cat with these gorgeous blue eyes.
“Hey, girl,” I spoke and grabbed my floss. “Where’s Gremlin? Huh, girl?”
Gremlin was my third cat. He’s the one that I’ve had the longest. Also, the one who likes to stay to himself. He didn’t want anything to do with the others’ shenanigans.
After brushing my teeth, I went into the kitchen to fix my babies something to eat before making my breakfast. I grabbed their cat food out of the pantry and dumped it into their bowls, making sure to mix in their vitamins with it.
Gremlin hated taking his vitamins. I had to get smart about it and cover it with his food where he couldn’t see it.
Placing their bowls on the floor, I waited ’til they all ran in here to eat and then went over to the refrigerator.
A knock at the front door halted my hand midair.
No one was supposed to be here this time of morning.
I scurried toward my bedroom and grabbed my robe off the back of the bathroom door and slipped it over my shoulders.
As I sprinted down the hallway back toward the living room, the knocking grew stronger.
I tied my robe around my waist and stopped at the door. Heart skipping beats in my chest.
“Who is it?” I asked through the door.
“Open the door, Wren.” I gasped at the sound of Cassius’ voice. This man supposed to be in the hospital somewhere, not standing on my porch.
Maybe he was the one who sent me that text.
Ever since I left him up there, I had to battle with my heart to not go and check on him. I blocked him where he wouldn’t be able to reach out to me either. What he did to me was wrong. He broke my heart, and I didn’t want to hear anything that he had to say.
“Go away, Cassius,” I shot back, pressing my back against the door. My heart palpitated, and I knew that it wasn’t gon’ slow any time soon with him standing on the porch.
“C’mon, Wren. You know I love you. I’on know why you’re acting like this.”
“Are you serious?” I asked just above a whisper.
Apparently, it was loud enough, because he responded, “Yeah…you didn’t even bother to come and see me at the hospital.”
Okay, now he’s acting as if he doesn’t know what the hell is going on. Unlocking the door, I yanked it open and mugged him. “You seemed to have enough people up there with you. You didn’t need me.”
“What are you talking ’bout?”
“You’re really gon’ stand here and try to play me like I’m stupid? All those other females you had up there. I saw them with my own two eyes, Cassius.”
“C’mon, babe, those were just friends.”
“You’re nothing but a liar.” I pushed the door, and he stopped it with his foot.
“We’ve been through too much for you to be trying to give up on us now.”
“Cassius, we haven’t been through anything and that should’ve been a red flag. I don’t have time for this. I have to get ready for work. Please get off my porch.”
“Porch?” He chuckled and tossed his head back. “Bitch, this ain’t nothing but wood.” He stomped his foot to prove a point. “You live in a fucking trailer park.”
“Okay? And what point are you trying to make here?”
“You walk around here like you’re so fucking much and ain’t got shit to offer. You gon’ die in there alone with those fucking stank ass cats.”
“Bye, Cassius.” I slammed the door on his foot and he yanked it out the way.
Locking the door, I went back into the kitchen and fixed my breakfast with tears in my eyes.
The words that Cassius said to me, played over in my mind.
That alone let me know that he never really cared about me in the first place.
If he did, something like that wouldn’t have ever been able to leave his lips.
Once I finished my breakfast, I went into my bedroom to take a shower and get dressed.
I’d taken a shower the night before, but I’d been sweating in my sleep because I forgot to turn on my fan last night.
No matter what the weather was like outside, I slept with a fan on.
It was something that I’ve been doing ever since I was a teenager.
Stepping into the bathroom, I turned on the shower and removed my robe. Sticking my hand underneath the running water, I checked the temperature to make sure it was perfect before stripping out of my graphic t-shirt and panties and then stepping over into the tub.
My shower lasted a good thirty minutes. I got out and wrapped my towel around me and went over to the sink. My eye patches had dried up. I removed them and cleansed my face. After moisturizing, I went into my bedroom to find me something to put on.
The first outfit I came across is this dark green pants and vest set.
I paired it with a white button down and a black stripped tie.
This outfit is gon’ eat down once I have it on.
I wasn’t a fashionista by far, but I tried my best to put outfits together.
A lot of my clothes be having people side eyeing me, but I really don’t care.
I lotioned my body down with my Jergens and then got dressed.
Removing my scarf and bonnet from my head, my hair dropped to my bra strap, and I brushed it up into a ponytail.
My almond shaped nails combed through my bang, and I grabbed my lip gloss off the dresser and glided it over my lips.
Even though I’d bought it from the hair store, it was some of the best lip gloss I’d ever gotten.
My phone chimed. Picking it up from the nightstand, I checked it. There were a few emails, Facebook notifications and a message.
Unknown: Are you avoiding me? We still haven’t met up yet.
So that couldn’t have been Cassius that texted me the first time.
Me: Who is this?
Nibbling on my thumbnail, I stood there for a moment, waiting for them to respond and tell me who they were. Five minutes passed, and I figured they weren’t gon’ answer.
Knowing that I have to be at work in a couple hours, I grabbed my tote and headed for the kitchen. Opening the cabinet, I pulled out my Starbucks cup and filled it with ice and water.
“See you later, girl,” I told Luna as I headed for the front door.
Stepping outside, I hit the fob on my truck that was backed up by the porch.
Cassius was right, I did live in a trailer park.
It’s the best that I can do right now. The trailer is mine.
I don’t have to worry about anyone trying to put me out or anything.
Once I got further onto my feet, I plan on moving, but I’m not really in a rush right now.
The bills are affordable and I’m living below my means.
There’s so many people struggling, trying to keep up with society. Not me.
Hitting the fob on my truck, I climbed inside and started it up.
To my surprise, she started on the first try.
I sat there for a moment before pulling off and heading to Tyree’s house that’s located out in the hood.
I’ll never understand why he didn’t just move from out there.
Tyree still lives in the neighborhood where we grew up at.
It’s like the hood has some sort of hold on him.
Granted, I didn’t stay in the best place, but I severed ties with the hood a long time ago.
Turning onto Tyree’s street, I saw his truck parked in the grass up by the front door.
His grass was brown from him parking on the lawn so much.
Pulling into the driveway of his bricked home, I got out and walked across the lawn to the front door.
My shoe hit a glass bottle on the porch and it rolled. Michelob Ultra.
He’s back drinking again.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
I banged on the screen door. Tyree was an alcoholic. A couple years ago, he’d gotten sober. I’m not sure what could’ve triggered him to go back to drinking.
Tyree and I live different lives. My focus was on making a better life for myself, while he seems content with his. I love my brother to death, but I can’t force him to want better for himself.
“Tyree!” I yelled out his name after waiting for him to come to the door and he never did.
Boom! Boom!
“Tyree! Come on! I gotta go to work!”
The door creaked when he pulled it open. He rested his elbow against the frame as he stared at me through the screen door.
“What you doing here this time of morning?”
“The truck is acting up again.”
Sighing, he replied, “You and this damn truck. Unk told you that shit was gon’ be a problem when you begged him for it. You know Daddy ain’t take care of that shit.”
“I didn’t ask you for a lecture, Tyree. Are you gon’ take a look at it or not?”
“Give me a minute.”
I nodded, and he stepped away from the door.
Deep down, I felt like Tyree was jealous that I’d gotten the truck instead of him.
It wasn’t my fault. Daddy put in his will that when I turned sixteen, he wanted me to have the truck.
Uncle Trayvon didn’t want to give it to me.
I practically had to beg him for it just as Tyree said.
If it was my daddy’s last wishes, I don’t understand why he didn’t want to honor them.
It’s not like he was driving it anyway. That probably plays a part in why there was always something wrong with it.
He basically let it sit for fifteen years.
When I turned fifteen, I used to sneak the keys and take it for a joy ride. Ah, those were the times.
“What the hell is it doing now?” Tyree asked when he pushed the screen door open and stepped out onto the porch. He towered over me, standing at six feet.
“It’s not wanting to start sometimes. The other night I kept turning it over ’til it finally started.”
He tugged on his goatee and stared off into space. “Did you put it on a computer?”
“No.”
He tread down off the porch toward the truck. “Keys?”
“They’re still in it.”
Opening the door, he climbed into the driver’s seat, and the steering wheel pressed him in the chest. He frowned, and I snickered.
He knew better than to get in that truck without adjusting the seat.
According to Uncle Trayvon, I have my mama’s height.
She was short and tiny just like me. Tyree on the other hand was built like Daddy and looks just like he’d spit him out.
We were teenagers when I first realized how much he looked like him.
I couldn’t stomach looking at him sometimes.
My daddy was my world. I may have been young when he left here, but it fucked me up.
I missed out on so much growing up without a father.
Uncle Trayvon tried his best to be there for me, but it just wasn’t the same. A girl needs her father.
Tyree let the seat back and turned the key over. As if it knew that I was trying to get it looked at, it started straight up like it did back at the house.
“It seems fine to me.”
Reaching down, he popped the hood and got out. I stood back, observing him as he lifted the hood and took a look underneath. My knowledge about cars were scarce. If it was something wrong with it, I’m sure he’d be able to catch it.
“Everything looks fine to me,” he said and slammed the hood down.
“Are you sure?” My brows furrowed.
“Yeah.” He shrugged. “I’on know what else to tell you.”
I should’ve just gone to a shop just like Aria said.
Flipping my wrist, I checked my Apple Watch for the time. “Shit, I have to get to work. I’ll check in on you later.” I ran around the truck to the driver’s side and placed my right foot inside. “You gon’ tell me what got you back to drinking again,” I told him, and he waved me off.