Mercedes
"Please Liv stop movin." Mercedes told her daughter who sat in between her legs a she braided her hair.
Mercedes had just turned 23 a week ago and after the worst year of her life she was looking forward to taking on this year and making it hers.
Nearly 5 months ago her and her 5 year old daughter moved in with her aunt and her three cousins; Tamia, Malaya and Manman. Mercedes hadn't lived with them since she was 15 but since her baby daddy Jah had been murdered she went the to the last family she had left. Even though they were in a different state and nearly half way across the country she made the move anyway.
Mercedes barely knew her parents. Her aunt and cousins were all she had left. Her mom left her when she was young so she could run the streets and spend her life addicted to drugs. Mercedes wasn't exactly sure who her father was since her mother refused to speak about him and normally no one never even bothered to bring him up.
Mercedes was a cute young woman with brown skin. She stood 5'4 with brown skin and curly hair that she normally kept done or did it herself. On her right arm sleeve of tattoos along with the left side of her stomach and both of her thighs tattooed. Looking at her you would never guess it but they were there. It was only when she went out you really saw 'Mercedes'. On any other regular day she sported her glasses with her hair pulled back but if she was at work she wore contacts so she could see and preferably a wig.
Mercedes spent the last 5 months wearing contacts since she was working at the strip club downtown. Her cousin Malaya told her about it trying to get her to dance. Mercedes said she wouldn't dance but she was desperate for work so she took a job as a bartender. The girls there were cute and the drinks were cheap so that meant she would make good tips whenever she was serving. The last five months wasn't heaven but money was good although she hated the customer's even more so, her boss but Mercedes always showed up.
Mercedes told herself just another year and her and her daughter would have enough saved.
Losing her baby daddy Elijah aka Jah left her not only broken hearted but virtually broke. Without him she couldn't afford all of the bills rolling in and after using everything she had saved she decided the move would be best for her and her daughter. Elijah did have family but Mercedes barely saw them when he was alive and once he passed all she got was a week of condolences and Facebook posts before they were gone again.
Hell when he was murdered she was harassed for weeks by niggas in the hood. They assumed that somehow before his death he told her what happened to the dope or the money. She just like most of everyone else ending up assuming that with his death the dope and money were taken. Eventually they left her alone especially once they saw her struggling like everyone else. Without Jah the hole dynamic of the hood changed; there was no circulation of money, no help, no dope and most importantly no Jah.
"Mornin." Tamia, Mercedes eldest cousin walked into the house greeting her cousin who sat on the couch in the living room.
Tamia was rarely home but like the rest of Mercedes cousins she lived there too.
"Mornin Mia. What you on?" Mercedes asked as she sat in the living room braiding her daughter's hair.
"Shit you know and in and out." Tamia said hold her bag in her hand.
Mercedes knew the main reason she wasn't home was because of Kyle. He was Malaya's boyfriend who practically lived there and contributed to nothing at all. Mercedes' Aunt Tasha had three kids. Tamia; who was the oldest, Malaya; the spoiled middle child and then there was Manman the youngest and only boy. Mercedes had moved in with Aunt Tasha months ago. Tasha had 5 bedroom house and the little space free she did have left Mercedes and her daughter were preoccupying it.
"They gone." Mercedes told her referring to Malaya and her boyfriend as Tamia nodded.
She liked Mercedes hated Kyle being there.
As soon as Malaya left he would be on some weird 'let's have an affair' type shit. He wasn't even cute enough but yet he still tried it. Mercedes was over it. The last few nights she came in he was there waiting on her and ready to try to convince her to sleep with him as usual. Of course he was unsuccessful but that didn't stop him from trying, making comments or starting drama.
"Good cause bitcchhh." Tamia said tossing her bag down and taking a seat next to her cousin as she continued to braid.
"Tha nigga is weird and Lay to damn dumb to see it." Mercedes said.
Neither of them just didn't get the concept of taking care of a grown man.
"I'm sayin and my momma let his ass stay here." Tamia said.
"I wanna know why." Tamia rolled her neck.
Mercedes kept her mouth shut cause on the low she was sure her aunt was fucking Kyle on the low.
"Girl ..." Mercedes said deflecting.
"What yawl talkin about?" Her Aunt Tasha asked as she walked in the living room.
"Nun." Mercedes said trying to avoid whatever she was going to try to bring up or toss at her today.
"Kyle." Tamia said directly.
Mercedes knew her cousin couldn't bite her tongue to save her life.
"What about him?" Tasha asked looking to her niece and daughter.
"Ma when is his ass goin to go? Like why is he even here?" Tamia asked.
"Iono hear you sayin tha same shit bout Mercedes bein here." Tasha said putting her on the spot.
"First off that was her question and ain't got nun to do wit me." Mercedes said as she continued her daughter hair.
"Ain't no first off, you livin here like erry body else ain't you?" Tasha said.
Mercedes dropped it because she knew there was no winning against her in her house. Out of everyone there Mercedes was the only one putting food in the house and paying bills. Mercedes proceeded to ignore her aunt because not only was she living with her but she watched her daughter while she was at work.
She thought it was ironic that she paid for her and her daughter to stay in a room when she could be paying for a place. As much money she had poured into her aunts she barely had enough saved to move. Mercedes currently had enough for deposit and first months rent but that was it. She wanted to have more than that to move out and be comfortable.
Everyone just thought Mercedes had it made. Of course Jah spoiled her but it wasn't like she was materialistic; she never was never would be. They felt some kind of way because she still drove the range rover he gifted her for her birthday last year. It was the only thing she had left from her previous life. She sold nearly everything they had taking mostly photo books, some jewelry and clothes putting them in storage. Mercedes paid off all her debts and she left. At that point she had enough to get a place but then her 'family' talked her out of it and dealing with the situation at hand she wished they hadn't.
"That's what I thought." Tasha said to her.
She was a pretty older lady but some times her attitude made her ugly. Tasha was light skinned and was short and thick. Her hair was kept short if she didn't have it in braids like she currently did.
Mercedes ignored her still as she proceeded to do her daughters hair.
"Ma why you be on bullshit wit her but not Kyle." Tamia asked irritated with her mother.
Tasha hated that her oldest daughter would call her out.
"Why you complainin? What do you get from Kyle and Malaya?" Tamia asked.
Those were Mercedes exact thoughts as she rolled her eyes at the audacity of her aunt. She couldn't wait to move. Soon as she had enough she would move and had already had a daycare in mind.
"What yo ass give me?" Tasha said snapping at her daughter.
Mercedes blocked her out. The two women argued. It was the most common thing at her aunts. Her daughter was even tired of it as she closed her eyes blocking them out.
Mercedes couldn't help but think that a year ago life was completely different. Her, Jah and their daughter Olivia were out shopping for the arrival of Elijah jr. Mercedes nearly teared up thinking about how he felt growing inside her.
"Come on." Mercedes got up grabbing Olivia off the floor still ignoring her aunt and cousin's argument.
"Here, you got mail." Tasha said passing her a set of letters as she walked past her.
"Thank you." She said grabbing it.
It was rare that they checked their mail and honestly Mercedes was surprised she got anything.
Her and her daughter headed to their room.
Mercedes tossed out most of the letters seeing it wasn't actual mail. There were a few she tossed into her purse and figured she would just chill with her daughter until work.
"Momma I miss our house." Olivia said softly.
Like her mother she didn't do excessive talking and she was direct.
"Me too babe but were goin to get a new one soon. I promise." Mercedes smiled sitting her daughter back between her legs.
"I wish it was wit daddy." Olivia sadly.
She looked at her daughter. She was the perfect combination of Jah and Mercedes. Sometimes it made Mercedes mad knowing he was taken from her too soon.
Oliva was her mother's complexion with her father big brown eyes and and thick hair.
"I know baby. But daddy is watchin us from heaven and makin sure were safe down here." Mercedes said hugging her.
She knew her daughter hurt just as much as it hurt her when Jah was killed. Mercedes thought the hardest thing was dealing with his death but telling their daughter was even worse. She was a true daddy's girl and she took his death just as hard as her mother.
"How about we go for some ice cream?" Mercedes smiled at her.
"Can we?" Olivia smiled at her.
"Yup, as soon as we finish your hair come on." Mercedes told her sitting her back between her legs.
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