Big Daddy D

Police sirens blared in the background as a woman supported her heavily pregnant stomach and waddled to the bathroom. A boy no older than eleven looked up from his school books and watched his mother. His three other siblings noticed he stopped writing and looked up as well.

The second oldest tuggged the hem of his shirt. “Junie –”

He put his pencil down and stood up. “Keep doing your homework. I’m gonna go check on mom.”

He’d noticed the heavy circles under her eyes and her uncombed hair. The smell on her body was one that he’d smelled before but hadn’t smelled in some time. He knew what it was. He had hoped that this new boyfriend would make her stop.

He stood outside the shut bathroom door and pressed his ear against the cool wood. This wasn’t the first time or the last time in his life that this had happened. He’d seen it so many times in his young life. She’d go into the bathroom and wouldn’t come out for half an hour or longer.

Her eyes would be half-closed and she’d have a goofy smile on her face. sometimes she’d be loving towards them and shower them with hugs and kisses. She’d call them her precious babies and tell them how much she loved them. Sometimes, she’d cry and pull her hair complaining how messed up her life was. They wouldn’t be her precious babies but the reason why her life was so miserable. It would always end with her laying in her bed and drifting off to sleep. Taking care of her children would be far from her mind.

He didn’t hear anything on the other side of the door. “Mom?” Gripping the cool doorknob he gave it a turn to see if it was unlocked. A low murmur responded on the other side.

“Momma, are you alright?”

“Mmhm.”

He heard the sound of a lighter. “You gonna be long? I need help with my homework.”

“Let Donnell help you.”

“He’s not in the same grade as me, momma.”

Something dropped into the sink followed by a curse. “Dammit, Dayquan. Can’t you figure it out on your own?”

If he could get her out of the bathroom, he could delay her until her new boyfriend came home. “I can’t. It’s too hard.”

Irritation leaked through the voice on the other side. “Then leave the shit blank then. Fuck you botherin’ me for?”

She was pissed but he could handle it. “I can’t. I’ll get in trouble with the teacher.”

The front door opened and heavy boots thudded across the floor. He turned his head as his mother’s boyfriend walked into the living room. His brothers and sisters greeted the father of the sibling in their mother’s belly. Jaceon “Jace” was a nice guy. He worked in an auto shop two blocks away. He met their mom when their car broke down. He was always good to them and showed interest in them when their own fathers didn’t. Dayquan liked him and hoped he’d stick around.

Jace flashed a bright smile and gave him dap. “Hey, big man.”

Dayquan smiled. “Hi, Jace.”

“Where’s your moms?”

He hooked a thumb over his shoulder. “She’s in the bathroom.”

The smile on Jace’s face disappeared. “How long has she been in there?”

“She just went in.”

Jace arched a brow. “Is that right?” He walked up to the bathroom door and pounded it with his fist. “Aniya, come out here for a sec. I wanna talk to ya ‘bout somethin’.”

The sound of glass breaking reached their ears. “Uh...shit...okay. Gimme a sec...Damn.”

Dayquan and Jace looked at each other as curses and rustling noises sounded on the other side. A flash of embarrassment went through the young boy. Why was his mom like this all the time? Other mothers didn’t do these things. Jace’s heavy hand landed on his shoulder.

“Everything’s gonna be alright, Day.”

He lowered his head and looked at his bare feet. There were so many men in and out of his life. Some left behind a sibling. Some sent money now and again. Few visited more than twice a year. He held no hope. “For now. You’ll get tired of her and leave. It’s always like this.”

Two weeks later, Dayquan and his siblings huddled in a corner of their closet while the adults argued in the room next door. They shuddered as things slammed into the walls and the sound of flesh smacking flesh reached their ears. The two youngest were crying silent tears while Dayquan and Donnell held them tight and tried to distract them.

“Get out, you son-of-a-bitch.”

“This is my damn place. You think you gonna kick me out because I’m tellin’ you not to smoke that shit while you pregnant with my kid?”

“What do you care?”

“That’s my fuckin’ kid in your belly. You not ’bout to fuck him up like your other kids.”

“Fuck you. There’s nothing wrong with my kids.”

“You’re so fuckin’ high all the damn time you don’t notice shit.”

The sound of glass breaking made the four children jump.

“Get out. I’ll fuckin’ kill you.”

“You keep doin’ this shit, they gonna take the kids away and throw yo muthafuckin’ ass in rehab. Then what ya gonna do? Crazy bitch.”

Heavy boots thudded across the floor then a door opened and slammed shut. Dayquan opened the closet door a crack to see if it was safe for them to come out. The front door opened and slammed. He opened the closet door a bit wider and listened.

He could hear his mother in the other room muttering to herself. He heard a shhick sound followed by a long inhale. A choking cough followed. His heart plummeted into his stomach.

“Did he leave?” Donnell asked.

Dayquan nodded. He helped his siblings out of the closet and looked at his clock. If they bathed and went to bed they might be able to avoid whatever mood his mother would be in when she finished in her room. He gathered their bath towels and took the little ones to take their baths.

“Donnell, get their night-night clothes together. We goin’ to bed early.”

Donnell nodded and grabbed their things.

The next day, Jace didn’t come home. The day after, he still didn’t come home. A week passed and then another. Their mother kept getting high. They cleaned the house as much as they could and fed themselves. A month passed and still no Jace. There was a hail storm the day the lights were cut off. They huddled together under the bed as the ice chunks pelted the windows and roof. A painful scream and shattered glass jolted them.

Dayquan left the younger ones and ran to see what was wrong. In the dim candlelight, he saw his mother bent over clutching her stomach. He ignored the burnt smell and clothes all over the floor to hurry to his mother’s side.

“Momma, what’s wrong?”

She grimaced in pain. “Call an ambulance. Something wrong with the baby.”

He picked up the phone and dialed the emergency number. After explaining to the operator what was wrong, he went to his mother’s side.

Wrapping a blanket around her shoulders, he asked a question that had been on his mind for weeks. “Momma, where’s Jace?”

She let out a groan and tried to sit up. “Forget him. That piece of shit gone.”

“But-” He couldn’t be gone. The baby was coming. Jace should be here.

She gave him a weak smile. “We’ll be fine.”