RUNaWAY

Chapter 1 : Eyes on The Back

"Ada Salem!" I am, abruptly, woken by the sound of my mother's distant voice. She is some where in the house and I care not to know.

I glance at the alarm clock on my beside table, It's 7 am and irritatingly hot. I exhale, wiping the sweat from my brow as I recall the many things on my to do list for work. "Just 5 more minutes, Mama! Please!" I yell.

Foot steps grow louder with haste toward my room. I quickly sit up with eyes almost glued shut from sleep.

I glance at the clock. Shit! How did 15 minutes pass so quickly?!

"Salem, I am not going to shout again. Get off your sweaty ass and get to work. I do not have extra money for a cab today!" My mother's voice is stern, accented by way of Sudan.

Her skin, a flawless dark chocolate shade glistening with sweat. Her long and thick black curls tucked underneath a silken blue scarf. She wears a paisley printed sundress that flatters her curvaceous figure.

With one hand propped on her hip she grabs my towel from where it hangs behind my door with the other and chucks it at me.

"Yes, Mama!" I whine and dare not to look at her as I retrieve the towel. She retreats to her favorite place, the garden, just in the back of our house. How she manages to keep it fertile I wouldn't know. She has magical hands and was always gifted with healing. She is often visted by women who need assistance regarding a plethora of ailments.

When I was 15, a woman named Tina came over all the way from New Jersey begging for a cure for her cystic fibrosis. She seemed pale and hunched over in pain. Tina proceeded to tell my mother about her want for children and that she couldn't find a doctor that didn't want to take out her reproductive system. For no money at all, Mama gave her a liter of herbal liquid and told her to eliminate caffeine, sugar, and stress from her daily life. Its been 3 years and The woman continues to call to glorify my beautiful mother and shower her with money and gifts.  Tina, now has a 2 year old boy, and one on the way.

"It's amazing what God and the mind can do, Ada! We are all healers on the Earth." I recall my mother's words, as she closed the door behind the many helpless women.

I have always wondered how she would have flourished in her homeland. She would probably swat away the thought of Sudan being home. 'This is my home, My Ada Salem' she would say. Someday, I'll figure out why this doesn't feel like home to me.

I rush to the bathroom shower and decide to just let the temperature of the cold water stay. Before entering I stare at my reflection in the mirror gazing into my green eyes. Wondering about the man who has blessed me with them. Are his eyes green? Is his hair as red as mine?  Is he tall, short, fat, or slim? Tracing the many freckles under my eyes, I stare at the familiar. I know that my wide nose and plump lips are from mama but the rest leaves me questioning my own existence. I feel like I only know half of who I am. Shake it off, Ada! my subconscious says as I step into the torrent of chill water.

It's a shocking feeling running down my spine but I immediately grow accustomed to the sensation. I lather with lavender black seed soap that my mother has made and proceed to wash my frizzy curls. Raking each tendril temporarily straight with my fingers, I inhale the aroma of Mama. Soap suds cover my many collection of tattoos that Mama could go without seeing. I chuckle, remembering mama's reaction to one of the many.

"If it was up to my mother you would be beaten with a branch, Ada Salem Kelly!" Mama stated horrified after I returned with a traditional tattoo of a pinup girl on my thigh. A branch, yikes!  I thank God that we were not in Africa, at the moment.