Posts
Excerpt from The Women of the Hill
Breaking Free
Rayne strolled through the door
and immediately sat in her favorite spot, on the floor in front of the
television and picked up the remote. She put the television's sound on mute and
turned to look at us. Holding her hand up to silence Tone'ya before she could
utter a word, Rayne swung her gaze to encompass us all before starting to
speak.
"Oprah's not on yet,"
She looked at her watch to check the time. “We have twenty minutes. I wanted to
tell you all of this before she does come on. I know we all have been waiting
for this particular show, I just have to tell you what happened last night. I
need some advice.”
"What?"
We all
shouted in different degrees of anticipation when after a few minutes of quiet,
she had added nothing. Rayne sat on the floor looking at us with a barrage of
constantly changing emotions fluttering across her face. Struggling through one
that looked like she was about to breakdown and one of anger she finally
settled with a belligerent glare.
"I know what you all think,
so don't yell. I went to see Shamel.”
She covered her face and hid her
head from the shower of cookies and candy wrappers that flew her way. Tone'ya
was the first to voice her opinion as usual.
"I thought we told you to
forget that bastard.”
"I know, I know. He said he
had something important to tell me and asked if I could meet him at Shorty's.”
"Did he pay for your
food?" I asked.
"Naw. As a matter of fact, we
never got around to ordering.”
"That's because he's a cheap
bastard."
“That's too good a title for him.”
Rayne moved her hand across her still flat stomach and sighed heavily.
"What did he want?"
Jenny leaned her elbow on the arm of the couch and rested her chin in her hand.
"What lie did he tell
you?"
Frankie glared at Tone'ya,
silently mouthing a few obscenities about her consistency in making blunt
comments.
"No matter what he said, you
think it through before you make any decisions.” Frankie advised Rayne.
Keeping her head down, Rayne
traced the pattern of the carpet with her fingernail as she dropped her
bombshell.
"Shamel wants me to have an
abortion.”
"You have got to be kidding.”
Jenny put her drink on the table leaned across it and tapped Rayne on her
downcast head.
"I'm not kidding at
all," She raised her head and turned to face Jenny.
“I can't believe the sorry bastard
would have the nerve to make such a suggestion.”
"I started to kill him on the spot.” Rayne, her anger
spurring her on raised both of her hand to silence us when we cheered and
applauded at her comment. “Let me tell you how it was. I had just given Shamey
his bath and was putting on his bedclothes when the telephone rang. Running
across the room, I tripped over a toy and almost fell. Catching myself by
grabbing the edge of the table, I managed to hit only my knee.” She pointed to
the large bruise right above the kneecap.
"Anyway,
when I picked up the receiver to put it to my ear I had just uttered a curse
word at the pain in my knee and Shamel thought I was talking to him so he
started cursing me before I could get another word out…
******
******
"Damn, Shamel watch your
mouth. I wasn't even talking to you. I had just hit my leg on the damn table as
I answered the phone. I didn't even know it was you on the telephone. If I had,
I wouldn't have answered.” She rubbed the offending appendage.
"Right Like you didn't
check the ID box.”
"Believe me I have no
reason to screen my calls. I know who is supposed to be calling here and any
one of them I would gladly talk with. You are the last person I expected to
ever call here.”
"You must be talkin about
those smart mouthed, dumb-assed Oprah watchin bitches.”
Rayne irritably reached for
Shamey's wet, squirming naked body and sat him on her bed.
"What do you want
Shamel?"
She snapped into the receiver pushing
the child's left arm through the sleeve of his pajama top a little rougher than
was necessary, succeeding in making him whimper. Angry with herself for taking
her irritation out on the child, she sighed heavily. Hugging Shamey close,
Rayne tickled his chubby tummy until he chuckled in glee.
"Is that my boy? Put him
on the phone.”
"No, damn it, Shamel.
Just tell me what you want. I have more important things I could be doing right
now, like cutting my toe nails or picking my nose.”
"Ha, you're so damn
funny. I need to talk to you.”
“Why? When?"
“Uhm, tonight. I'll tell you
why when I see you.”
"How are you going to see
me? Where's your wife? Are you bringing her along?"
"Don't worry about her. I
just need to talk to you about something.”
"Just tell me over the
phone. I don't want to be seen with you. My rep as a decent human being will be
shot to hell. Anyway, I just gave Shamey a bath.”
"Leave him with one of
your friends.”
"Hell no. The boy is my
child. I don't drop my responsibilities at a whim. Turn my back. Walk…"
"All right I get the
point. Damn. Bring him with you if you want. Meet me at Shorty's. We can sit at
one of the outdoor tables.”
"Why would I want Shamey
running outside in the dark and the cold? He just had a bath.”Rayne reiterated
in slow tones.
"Leave him in the damned
car. I don't care.” Rayne bristled at Shamel's uncaring tone of voice.
"I know you don't. You
talk as if my child is a bag of trash, worthless.”
"That's not how I meant
to sound. I just want to get this arrangement set so I can leave out of here.”
"Fine. Will this be the
last time I will ever have to talk to you?" Rayne clamped her lips on the
angry words.
"I hope so. Meet me there
in thirty minutes.”
Slowly replacing the receiver
to cut off the dial tone resounding in her ears, Rayne finished dressing the
child and slipped on her shoes. All the time berating herself for the way, she
jumped at Shamel's every beck and call. Well, not every beck and call. The
truth of the matter was that she had not seen or spoken to Shamel in the month
since he had told her of his marriage and she couldn't imagine what he could
possibly want. Ten minutes after snapping Shamey into his car seat, Rayne
pulled up to Shorty's drive-in burger joint. She found a slot as close as she
could to the picnic tables and threw the car into park.
Getting out of the car, she
closed the door softly before crossing in front of the car's hood and walking
to where Shamel sat smoking a cigarette. At least what she thought to be a
cigarette until she was closer and could smell the nauseating odor of the
marijuana.
"God, you stink. When the
hell did you start smoking that?"
"You want some?" He
stretched the butt out to her.
"Hell, naw" She put
her hand on her stomach and turned her back to him.
"Oh, that's right. You're
supposed to be pregnant, huh?"
"What's that supposed to
mean?" Rayne turned and searched Shamel's face. She lifted her shoulders
and shook her head in a questioning manner. He eyed her from head to toe and
took another drag of the marijuana. Staring at him curiously, she repeated her
question. “What are you trying to insinuate? You think I'm lying about being
pregnant. I wish I were. Having another child of yours is the last thing in
life I would want to talk about unless it was true. I wish I had no earthly
ties to you.”
"Forget it.”
Using the tips of his
moistened fingers to snuff out the glow of the butt, Shamel stuck it in his
jacket pocket and stood up.
"Where's my boy?"
Shamel stood, both arms open wide in a typical 'what's up' attitude.
"In the car asleep.” She
answered irritably.
He crossed with two long
strides to the car and peeked through the crack in the window at the sleeping
child.
"He's out like a light.”
"Same as I wanna be.” She
answered irritably. ”I'm tired and I want to be home. What do you want, Shamel?
I don't know why you want to act like Shamey means so much to you. You haven't
talked to the boy in two months. You don't worry about whether or not he needs
anything. Just tell me what the hell you called about.”
Rayne sat down at the table
Shamel had vacated, tapping her nails on the wooden surface in annoyance.
Shamel quickly strode back over and looked down at her in anger. His quickness
in reaching her and the closeness of his angry stance caused her to scoot back
in rejection of his nearness.
"Fine, I'll get right at
it. I don't want you to have my child.”
"What? What the hell are
you saying?"
"You heard me. I don't
want you to have the baby you are carrying.”
"And so? What am I
suppose to do? Give it away? Kill it just because you are not man enough to own
up?"
"Lower your voice.” Shamel
pulled the butt from his shirt pocket lit it and watched her through the smoke
he blew into her face.
"You're supposed to suck
in, not blow out.” Rayne fanned the noxious odor away from her face. Swallowing
the nausea, she continued. “If you don't know how to smoke it Shamel, you need
to throw it away.”
"Listen Rayne. I just got
married. My wife and me want kids of our own. I can explain to her about Shamey
because he's not a baby anymore. That's not a problem. What if she finds out
you got yourself pregnant again? How am I gonna explain away a new baby? How do
you think she will feel?"
"She should feel like a
fool if she thinks I got pregnant by myself. Do you think I give a damn about
what you tell her? Do you think I care how your wife feels? Did you care about
me when you got married? Did you give a shit about my feelings? Hell fucking
no. I think you should have told your damn wife that you were screwing another
woman before you married her. As a matter of fact, you should have told her
that you were living with someone.” She punched his chest. “That you had
someone coming to your damned house constantly day and night. Someone you were
already making a damned fool of?"
"For what?" He
caught her hands when the swings made contact with his face. “So I could lose
her? This woman and me could make it. She don't mind working.”
"You mean she doesn't
mind taking care of you, supplying all of your needs. Hell, she is probably
afraid she won't be able to find anyone else and is just settling on you. She
must be some desperate fat cow.”
"Don't talk about my
wife. What would I have if I kept you? What would I have? A stupid young
welfare bitch?"
Jumping from her sitting
position in horror, Rayne stood as if she had been slapped. Her face mirrored
the shock, shame, and hurt that she felt at his words.
"So that's what I am,
huh? That's what you think of me? You're the son-of-a-bitch that made me into a
young welfare bitch. I wouldn't need welfare if you were a man and took care of
your child. Don't try to make me shut up.” She shouted louder, slapping at the
hands trying to make her sit back down. "Do you think I care that your
homeboy's are staring at us? Hell no.” Rayne punched at his chest with her
closed fist, not caring that his friends were cheering him on and laughing like
idiots. “They care no more for their children than you do. I know that one in
the middle.” She pointed her finger at the laughing idiot. “That fat bastard
denies all six of his children and still thinks he can boss his woman by
slapping her around and everything. Don't think all of your businesses aren't
all over town. You all are a sorry bunch of excuses for men.” She fanned her
hand to include the snickering men.
"You know you have played
me for the last damned time, Shamel. Young, I may be, but I'll be damned if I'm
stupid. I’ve learned a lot from dealing with you. I should have listened to my
mother and finished school. But no, I let you, the person I thought loved me
rule my world. But you know what; you can go straight to hell, Shamel. You
think I'm going to end a child's life, so that you can live large. You must be
out of your fucking mind.”
Walking quickly towards the
car, she stopped just before getting in. Stunned by the words he yelled at her.
"What?" She
incredulously asked, moving back around the car to stare at him in disbelief. "What
the hell did you say? Who the hell do you think you are? You're playing with
the wrong goddamned person, Shamel.” She put her hands on her hips angrily.
"You think so? I said, me
and my wife," He stressed the word wife, “Are gonna take that boy from
you. You're just a kid. You can't give him what we can.”
Rayne
threw back her head and laughed harshly. “Boy, I'm not even going to stand here
and argue with you as if I care what you think or say. I can promise you this
much, Shamel," she pointed across the car's hood at him, “The two of you
will die trying, and you will be the first to go. You had better pay attention
to what I am saying right now, don't make a mistake and take my words as a
threat, take them as a promise, because I will hurt you.”More Interviews and Excerpts
Link Directly To This Post :
Link To The Homepage :
