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Bishop was a really big help to me out on the block. We had been working together for only a week and already he was becoming a friend. We talked even when we weren't on the block now. I had bought a phone recently with the extra money I had after getting my mom's coat.
Speaking of my mom , I had to go home today. I waited until I was able to buy her coat before I gave her the watch. Today was the day though , I would come in and after dinner I would give her the gifts.
I sat on the couch with two duffles bags. One held my clothes and the other , my mom's coat and watch.
"You ready?" Kirk walked out of his room fully dressed swinging his car keys.
I nodded grabbing my bags and following him outside.
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"Mommy! I'm home."
I dropped my bags in my room , walking toward my mom's. She was laying in bed with a bag of potato chips watching Ellen.
"Hey , Dreyah. You have fun?" She was completely focusing on the show she was watching but was talking to me.
"Yea..." I trailed off. "So , what you cooking today?"
She looked over at me like I was crazy. "Girl I know you see that pizza on the table. You better go get you some and stop bothering me."
Laughing , I left her room walking back towards the kitchen.
With my pizza in hand I went back to my room to figure out how I was going to present my mother with her gifts. Maybe I could do a whole speech about how I love her and she's the best mom and give them to her...
No , that's corny. Maybe I can just walk into her room and give them to her.
Yea , I'll just keep it simple and give them to her.
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"Mom , can I come in?" I gently knocked on her door. Being kind of nervous , I wanted everything to run smoothly. I didn't know what color coat she wanted so I just got a dark brown one , and I wasn't sure that she would like it so I was a walking ball of nerves right now.
"Yea , come on."
Placing the duffle bag on her bed , I stepped back. She stared at me confused before pulling the bag to her and unzipping it slowly.
Pulling out the first box , which was the biggest because of the coat , she eyed me suspiciously. Then she pulled out the second one and I removed the bag from the bed.
"Go on , open them." I urged excitedly.
As she lifted the top from the smaller box , she found the watch. In all its golden glory , it stared right back at her. Without reacting , she opened the second one , pulling the coat out and laying it across her lap. She sat for a second before glancing up at me.
I didn't understand. Her eyes , they seemed sullen. Her body language didn't give off excited thankfullness , she looked tired and sad. Like she had just been told she was fired despite the fact that she had 567 bills to pay.
"What? Don't you like them mom?" I questioned , kind of desperately. This was my only shot , this was the one time I could say that I had made her smile genuinely. That she had raised me , and kept food on the table , and kept the lights and the water on , but this time I had done something for her. But , it wasn't going right. It wasn't working.
She gave me a soft , tired smile. "Dreyah , I was walking to work Wednesday , and somebody stopped me. It was your cousin Sabrina. She said , 'Aunt Karen , I saw Dreyah yesterday out of my window , I don't know what she was doing but it looked weird.' And I asked her what she meant , then she said , 'Well , she was standing on the corner of 2nd Ave. with some dude , and she was dressed in black and people kept handing her money.' Now , Sabrina is thirteen years old. She didn't understand what she was saying." My mom gently folded the coat and placed it back into the box , covering it. "But , you know what you were doing , Dreyah. And I know what you told me you would be doing. See , I wasn't going to bring it up until later , but since you decided to get generous with the profits from your new business." She held up the watch , giving me a bitter smile.
