Seven Minutes of Heaven.

Part eight.

2010

For three weeks Josh and I stayed with my parents and my siblings. It was a miserable three weeks but we didn't have much to leave yet. Josh stayed quiet in all other parts of the house. He only talked in our room for his own peace. He was out working most of the time so it didn't really have that big an impact. Royalty didn't talk much either. King on the other hand cried a whole lot. I was really fed up of the crying and screaming.

"Why are you taking him! "I cried out as a bunch of policemen took Josh away. None of them gave me a response which irritated me even more. All the neighbors watched as I cried and shouted for Josh on the top of my lungs.

"Leave my daddy. "Royalty repeated not so loudly as she cried as well. I could imagine just what entertainment we offered all the fools watching from their front doors and through their windows. My family watched too. I could care less just how ugly I looked crying right now. They took Josh away.

Theft.
That's what Josh was taken in for. He did it but for the same reason he did before. I understood that his frustration resulted from the ignorance my family portrayed towards him.
As such I had to get up on my feet and work. My family was straight up bullshit but they surprisingly offered their help at this point in my life. Emma and Jennifer watched King while I was out and my parents put Royalty into school again. Now more than ever I was mute. I stopped talking. I don't want to say that I was depressed but I wasn't happy at all. That happiness that King brought me on the day he was born faded away. I wanted Josh. I needed him.

"King please.... Please. "I said to King as I rocked him to stop his crying. He kept crying and crying. I really wasn't having this.

"Can I help? "Royalty asked me when she walked up to me. It was sweet that she offered but what could she do. I put a pacifier in King's mouth and he stopped crying immediately and started sucking on it. I put him in his crib and sighed.

"Is daddy ever going to come back? "Royalty asked me with hope in her eyes. Josh had been in jail for four weeks now. I went over to see him three times a week. I know Royalty wanted to see him but he asked me not to bring her over there ever.

"Yah. "I answered and gave her a hug. "He'll be back. "I told her not even of it sure myself.

After work the next day I knew what I had to do. Even if Josh didn't want Royalty to see him in his prison suit, she missed him and I know he did as well.
As Josh walked up to the kids and I his frown slowly faded away. Royalty's face was filled with joy and King was laying in his carrier peacefully like he never does.

"Daddy! "Royalty yelled and run for her father when he reached closer to us. Josh smiled and picked Royalty off the floor and hugged her. "I miss you. "She told him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I miss you more princess. "Josh told her and finally reached our visiting table. "Hey. "Josh greeted me and took his sit.

"Hi. "I greeted him back. "She really missed you so. "I told Josh explaining.

"King's grown so big. "Josh announced ignoring my explanation.
The whole visitation was about Josh and his kids. That's what I wanted but not in the way it was happening. Josh was pushing me away for sure. I could tell that he was mad at me.

"Times up. "An officer announced in the room full of visitors and prisoners. Josh kissed both King and Royalty goodbye before he was to leave.

"Bye babe. "I told Josh but got no response. Not even a glance. As Josh walked back to the direction of the prison cells Royalty waved him goodbye.

"When can we see daddy again? "Royalty asked as I got us ready to leave.

"Not anytime soon but you'll see him. "I replied to Royalty's question. My reply clearly sucked all the joy out of her system. Soon to kids was like never. Anything that wasn't tomorrow was considered too far. This soon however did mean never.
When we got back home my parents wanted to talk to me. They sat me down in my fathers study room. The sitting arrangement was me facing them over a desk.

"We want to have a serious conversation with you Vanessa. All we ask is for you cooperate and understand where your father and I are coming from. "My mother told me.
Never in my life did I ever have such a scenery for a conversation. I usually saw my parents sit my siblings down in this manner when they did something wrong.
I guess this was my time.

"Are you happy with the decision you made? "My father asked me.
Though he didn't point out as to which decision he was talking about, it was an obvious question but the struggle was admitting to it.

"No. "I answered honestly.

"Tell us how you visioned you life to be. "My mother told me. "What did Vanessa Foster see herself achieving at 21."she added.

"Uhm....... I'd have been in law school probably by now...... I'd have been in my third year or second I don't know..... I would be counting down to graduation day........ Hoping to pass the bar at the first try......... Then after Passing the bar and getting a job...... I'd have been honored to work at aunt Layla's law firm....... I really wanted to be just like her. "I explained without even realizing it.

"If you had that all planned..... If you had that image in your head this whole time then why did you throw everything away? "My father asked me.

"I didn't want to have an abortion. "I told my dad as tears run down my face.

"Vanessa you got pregnant at twenty years old!....... You chose to get pregnant because instead of you heading to college after high school you decided to stick around!"my mother yelled.
What my mother pointed out was true. I was done with high school when I was seventeen. I stuck around for two years because of Josh. I thought it was love, well it was and it is. Honestly I wasn't ready to leave and not see Josh for months.

"Vanessa its not too late to get to college. "My father told me.

"King is not even a year old dad. "I told him.

"We can get him a nurse dear. "My mother told me.

"Okay..... But what about Royalty and Josh? "I asked.
My parents went quiet. My plans before Josh never included him but now I was with him. Not only him too, I had Royalty and King to worry about.

"Josh is nothing but trouble and Royalty isn't your daughter honey. "My mother told me.

"Was that all you wanted to tell me? "I asked my parents and wiped the tears off my face. They went quiet again which meant they said all they had to.
So I got up to leave.

"Don't ruin your life because of this so called ride or die bullshit! "My mother yelled when I was at the door.
I didn't look back, I just continued walking.
My parents don't understand just how much I love Josh. He wasn't only my boyfriend. He was now also the father to my son.

"I had a bad dream. "Royalty told me the minute I walked in. She looked like she had been crying for a while.

"Come here. "I told Royalty and she rushed over to me. I picked her off the floor and held her tight. "It was just a bad dream. Dreams are not real. "I repeated stroking Royalty's back.

After another four weeks Josh was finally released.
For six solid months Josh and I worked tirelessly. We worked hard at our jobs and barely had any rest at home. We saved every penny we had and reviewed our life plan everyday.
After six months of putting our all we could finally move out.
Of course my parents were disappointed, of course my siblings shared their unnecessary negative comments. I was leaving and I was happy about it. Josh and I needed our own place.... Our own space. My house was getting too toxic...... From the daily rude comments to the comparisons, to the unnecessary involvement.... We had about enough of the Fosters.
Our new apartment was cleaner, spacious and honestly better than the first one by far.
It was a two bedroom apartment so Royalty had her own room this time around.
Rent was favorable too. That's if Josh and I kept up with our work schedules.