Legally Bonded

Chapter 17 - Big Sis, little sis

"Ashley can't stay with me and mi done explain myself Alex." Trey says and I roll my eyes.

We were at my house with Tristan on FaceTime so we can make arrangements for Angela's stray.

She can't stay with me during the week and that's all I'm trying to explain to him. There is a reason why she was with her mother.

My job doesn't allow for me to have a ward who basically needs 24/7 supervision.

I don't have the time.

"A you come back here come take ownership of Angela pickney like yuh a mother Theresa enuh. See the consequences here now. Mi did talk to yuh!" He says and I felt uncomfortable.

Everyone told me not to help our mom with the baby that she go and had with some faceless man. However, when I came home and saw the condition that they were in, I had to help.

I wish someone had helped us.

Now four years later, here I am with the consequences of that action.

"As I basically explained, I need someone to take care of her and get her ready for school during the week because I'm literally in the middle of an active case, my hours are unpredictable."

Trey is being so difficult.

"Then hire somebody miss. My woman pregnant and we already have little Trey a deal with, mi nah add no more stress to her fi yuh worthless mother." Trey says while Sash looked uncomfortable.

"A yuh little sister Trey!" I shouted.

"I don't give a fuck!" He shouted back and I lost it.

"Wow, mi lose off a yuh honestly. It's fine, I'll figure it out like I always do. You and your family can leave my yard now." I say dismissing them.

"Alex..." Tristan's voice came through his phone speaker but he hung up the call before she could say anything else.

I scoffed, walking towards my front door. Opening it, I gestured for them to leave.

"Mommy why are you crying?" Ashley asked making me aware that I was in fact crying.

"Cause I'm sad." I tell her.

"Is it because uncle Trey and Angela don't want me?" She ask, climbing into my lap.

Oh God, Angela ago suffer for what she do. Ashley is so sweet and smart. I had to figure out how to do this mother thing full time.

"Don't say that." I tell her. Despite the situation I don't want her to grow up bitter.

"But it's true. that's what Angela said before she lock me on the verandah. She says I must go about my business cause mi a mash up her life."

"Her life mash up long before she had you baby don't listen to her." I tell her and rests her head on my chest and hugged me. I hugged her back.

———————————

"He said that?"

"Yes" I sighed.

"Oh, well fuck him then. I got you." He tells me and I nod.

I already knew that.

I just needed my siblings to actually support me for once and not expect me to throw my man's money at the situation.

"I know. I just really need help with child-care." I tell him and he looked off in thought.

"Mi nuh really want nobody a live there enuh Alex. Yuh know how our thing discreet and they probably all waah question Ashley bout certain moves." He says and I nod in agreement.

That was one of my biggest concerns.

"Give me a couple days fi figure it out." He tells me before hanging up.

A couple days of figuring this thing out with Ashley.

Jerry deh all the way a Portmore so I'm going to need another driver plus get her in a closer school to me.

This a lot of damn changes for her being just 5.

I looked over at her sleeping form and sighed. She is so fucking innocent.

I worked well into the night, trying to get my mind off the situation at hand. Everything seem to have bogged my mind down and I couldn't understand why these things were happening now.

I just need a break.

Around 12am my phone pinged. It was him.

Jay: Get her ready tomorrow. Theo will take her to school.

The text read. I smiled at my phone before typing out a response.

It's the little things like these why I'm so drawn to him. I never have to stress about anything as long as he can fix the issue.

It's just a mode of pick up and drop off for me but right now it felt like the world.

—————————————

"Sit here suh and don't make any noise. If yuh want something, you ask me." I tell Ashley as I put her in the couch in my office.

Theo went to pick her up from school and brought her to the office.

Today was thankfully more of a administrative day And I was able to collect her. I know she won't be able to come here everyday after school and this is just a short term fix.

She nodded her head before she started to eat the snacks that I gave her.

Going back to my desk I started to pour myself into the my work.

There was a knock at my door and I looked up to see Sue peeking in.

"I'm about to head home, are you almost done?" She asks and I looked at the time.

8pm.

Fuck, Ashley.

I pulled my eyes to the couch and she's knocked out on the sofa with all the snack wrappers from her lunch kit surrounding her.

She was probably hungry and too scared to ask.

Ah boy. I tell people all the time that kids can feel your energy.

"I'm coming Sue, wait on me." I tell her as I get up to pick up the mess that Ashley made.

"Maybe I should order dinner for us around 5 going forward, seeing that we have been staying back late most days." She says and I took a big breath.

She's trying to help.

"Yeah, I'm not even sure how it skipped my mind to get food." I say a bit embarrassed.

A hungry mek the little girl a sleep enuh.

"Ash." I say while gently shaking her until she woke up.

"Hmmm?" She called out in her sleepy daze.

"We a go home now, are you hungry?" I asked while putting her back pack on her back.

"Starving." She said with a nod.

"I figured, let's go."