Chapter Five

I could feel the confusion spreading across my face. "I know that Damon isn't your father. I also know that you were taking from your family when you were four.”

“How do you know that, I always thought it was just a dream. I thought Damon had found me lost in some back alley and raised me. If he didn’t find me, how did I get to him?” I asked with my voice shaking.

“He was dating your mother, and we have reasons to believe he killed her. I’m not supposed to tell you this, but you’ve been wronged all your life and the least I can do is tell you the truth.” There was an awkward pause. The only thing that could be heard was our breathing.

“Why would you hide this from me? I thought you were different then everybody else, but you’re not.” Tears started falling from my eyes.

“Do you want to meet them? I could introduce you as one of my friends.”  I thought about it before answering.

“Yes, but I’m going back to Damon, the man who raised me.”

“Ok, that’s understandable.” He made a few phone calls and I was scheduled to meet them the next day.

I slipped on a sun dress and my flip floss. I brushed my hair into a ponytail. My emotions were everywhere. “You look nervous.”

“I am, but I’m also excited.” I let out a small chuckle. I didn’t even know what they were like. I couldn’t remember anything about them.

The drive there was a silent one, but as soon as we pulled up the nerves went away. It was a five hour drive, one that was worth it. I looked up and found myself standing in an area rougher than the one I grew up in. Poverty was eminent.

“Come in.” I followed behind quietly. He knocked on the door and was greeted by a man who was at least six four.

“Josh, what’s up. Yo haven’t been here in a while. It’s like you left and never wanted to come by.”

“Sup, Ray. Where’s Anita?” She’s in the kitchen. A pregnant black woman stood in front of the stove. “Hey Anita, how’s it going?”

“I’m pregnant again, but besides that nothing.” She gave Josh a quick peck on the cheeks. “Who is this lovely lady standing behind you?”

“This is Tiana, but everybody calls her T.”

“I had a little sister everybody called T, but her name was Tiffany.” I could see a twinge of sadness tug at the corners of her eyes. “Well my name is Anita. The man at the door is Ryan, but we call him Ray. He’s my brother.”

“It’s not to meet you Anita.”

“Girl seat down somewhere and get comfortable.” I could feel the comfort soaking in. I listened to her talk. “Sorry for you to see us like this. It’s not normally like this, but with two kids and after burying my grandmother last year, times have been hard.  On top of that we are still looking for my sister.” She paused for a moment and let a tear slip. “You look so much like her. It’s like I’m looking at the grown up version of her. Let me show you a picture.” Anita went into a closet and pulled out a family picture. She pointed to a little girl sitting in a woman’s lap. “This is my sister and my mother. My mother died when my sister disappeared.”

“It’s like looking in a mirror.” I wanted to reach out and tell them who I was. Either way, I was going back to Damon when all of this was over. He was my father, and that’s all I ever knew.  A little girl and boy walked into the kitchen. 

“Hey momma, we going to the basketball court.” One looked like he could be in middle school, and the other in the fourth or fifth grade. I was an auntie.  

“It was so nice to meet you. Hopefully, we can spend more time together.” She hugged me and kissed me on the forehead.

“I know I keep saying this, but you look like an older version of my sister. It’s actually relieving.” I hugged her one more time before heading back to Virginia.

“Thank you for letting me meet them. It is such a relief to see them, but it can’t be. I’ll let them know who I am at some point, but I can’t be some ungrateful b***h and leave Damon. “

“He would sell you to any man on the street for money. I really don’t think he really cares.”

“You don’t know Damon the way I do. You have no clue who he is. And who are you to judge. It’s not like you are innocent. No one forced you to sleep with me the first time. You’re trying to be a hero, but you’re not.” I was frustrated, “he could’ve killed me after he killed my mom, but he didn’t. He took me in and loves me. To be honest, he didn’t start beating me until I stopped loving him back. Until I started being disrespectful to him. When I started feeling grown.” I let out a shaky breath, “he used to tell me I would never be like the other girls in the house because I was his princess and princesses don’t do that sort of thing. He wanted to give me the world.”

“But Damon killed your mom, he took you from your family, and made you sleep with me. I can’t possibly see why you would want to stay with him.”

“Clearly it was better for me to stay with him than them. I’ve made up my mind, and I don’t want to talk about it anymore.” The five hour drive back was anger filled. Neither one of us wanted to talk to the other. When he pulled up, Damon’s Escalade was parked in the front.

“Hey D, why are you here?”

“I got a phone call from a buddy up in Jersey, Camden to be exact. He said he saw a little girl that reminded him of Tiana who was with some other dude. What the f**k Josh?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Josh replied.

“T, come here.” Damon pulled me closer to him. “My daughter is only supposed to be with you, why the f**k did you take her up there for?”

“I wanted to introduce her to some friends of mine. I hadn’t been up there in a long time, and had gotten a phone call from a friend. I couldn’t leave her in the house alone, so I took her up there with me. I didn’t think you would have a problem with it.”

“She should always be in Virginia. The next time you leave the state, let me know first.”

“T is straightened back out, you can take her with you or she can finish out her last week it’s up to you two.”

“She can stay. I paid you for it.” He let me go, “I’ll see you next week and you be good.” I gave him a hug and a kiss before responding.

“Love you, and I’ll see you next week.” I watched him get back into his car. I waved goodbye before heading into the house behind Josh.

“He does care, I didn’t think he did.”

“What the f**k is your problem? Why are you so out to get him?”

“He destroyed my sister. He wooed her with drugs and money.”

“Who’s your sister?”

“Ebony,” he whispered.

“Ebony was a junkie before we met her. Damon took her in after I found her bleeding in the back alley way. She was high and somebody had raped her. She was out of her mind, but Damon took her in anyway. He fed her and let her stay there rent free. We didn’t kill her, she died of an overdose after meeting with one of her old boyfriends. We tried to find her family, but nobody answered our newspaper ad, so we ended up burying her ourselves.”

“I didn’t know that. We just knew she disappeared and the last person they saw her with was Damon.” He let out a shaky breath, “I’m sorry.”

“Everybody’s always sorry after they’ve done wrong. Ask me how I know.” I walked to my room and laid down in silence.