J. Lynae Writes

Hey love!

***THIS HAS NOT BEEN THROUGH A TYPICAL EDITING PROCESS; ALL SHORTS ARE ROUGH DRAFTS***

Sav sat in the driver seat of their shared brand-new Mercedes Benz sprinter passenger van going over his checklist to make sure he had all of his nieces. They had so many children and counting, a regular little mini-van wouldn’t do—like on ballet and gymnastics days that they all had together or when Jacob did field trips with them. Minus the boys who rarely made any fuss, all nine girls were very specific at times and some didn’t like sharing seat belts or their personal space if they weren’t in the best mood, so they invested in a sprinter and it’d been smooth sailing since.

“Melody, she so pretty make my heart all fluttery.”

“Here,” she cheerfully replied to her uncle. She didn’t always get to spend a lot of time with her father’s side of the family so being in the presence of her uncle and cousins made her happy.

“Delightful Damaris, she gon’ be a stunnin’ runway model in Paris.”

“Here!”

“Pretty Poppy, all these hoes gon’ wanna copy.”

“Here me go, Uncle Sav!”

“Savannah my precious banana,” Sav called then looked in the mirror and she raised her hand, still not able to verbally communicate much but they were working on it day by day. They mostly depended on sign language. He and Chi were just thankful she was able to walk on her own now without assistance. “Queen Day B, my G!”

“Here daddy!” she giggled.

“Aubree my gorgeous lil cup of tea.”

“Here,” she blushed.

“Ivory, my cute honeybee.”

“I’m right here,” she replied bashfully.

They loved their pet names given by Uncle Sav.

“Lovely Loire, even though you mean you the one I’ll always adore.” “Hmph!” she folded her arms with a scowl. The last thing she wanted to do was be in a leotard, tights, ballet shoes and a slick back bun. She looked just like a little Lake with an attitude.

“Ion know what hmph mean lil girl.”

“Me here!” Loire pouted, attitude on a hundred.

“You gon’ be flung over the bushes you keep actin’ up,” Sav threatened and she poked her lip out, and started crying into her sister’s arm. “My beautiful River gon’ always have my back and deliver…slaps! To ya muhfuckin’ dome on behalf of her uncle!”

“Here, Uncle Savy,” she laughed. “You make my sister cry,” River put her arm around Loire.

“She made her lil bad ass self cry. Loire cut it out before I get Sugar Sprinkle Pickle,” he referred to their dog that Lake let them name and she straightened up real quick. For some reason she was afraid of that little ass chihuahua. “Ard, everybody got their seatbelts on?” “Yes!” they all responded at the same time, Savannah nodding her head up and down.

“Do anybody gotta go number one or two before I pull off?”

“Nooo!”

“Goin’ once, goin’ twice, and we out!”

Jacob was on vacation for a week so what he’d usually tend to with their children was split between Sav, Lake, and Dem. Vant declined to help, wanting to use all of his free time from the kids trying to give Ivy another baby which she refused.

They had so many kids that keeping them active was necessary. They had tons of energy which needed to be channeled in something productive other than fighting with one another. Leave them in the house for too long, barrettes were flying, hair was being pulled and nothing but crying and screaming filled the air.

***THIS HAS NOT BEEN THROUGH A TYPICAL EDITING PROCESS; ALL SHORTS ARE ROUGH DRAFTS***

“Mia make sure you stop at the pharmacy and get your prescriptions after class. I don’t want you flaring up again,” Katrina instructed her daughter. 

“I know, mother…” Mia sighed. “I’m not a baby.” 

“You will always be my baby,” she responded, pinching her pride and joy’s chocolate cheek.

Katrina had been raising her eighteen-year-old daughter Mia by herself since her husband died shortly after she’d given birth. It was hard for them in the beginning, but she did what she had to do to give her baby a decent life. 

Mitchell whom everyone called “Mitch,” was born and raised in Pepper. He met Katrina on a night out at the scope, where people just had their cars booming and girls walked around trying to get chosen. When his eyes laid on Katrina, he couldn’t get over the square beauty. He knew immediately that she didn’t belong out there with all their hoodlum asses and he was right. One of her friends had dragged her along. 

Mitch approached her and Katrina was so shy. He tried to get her number, but she told him her parents didn’t like boys calling the house, so he gave her his. Sometimes she called and sometimes she didn’t. For a while, she ducked and dodged him until she gave in and let him take her out. 

One date turned into twenty and they were inseparable. 

Mitch loved that she was a good girl and green to his way of life. 

The first time he brought her to Pepper, Katrina held onto his arm tightly while he introduced her to several people. He knew it was overwhelming. The loud music, kids out after dark, weed smoke, and foul language but she wanted to know him and Pepper…Pepper was him. 

It wasn’t her usual environment but for Mitch, Katrina adjusted. After a while, she didn’t mind hanging around his friends. She even drank and smoked sometimes. 

Their love was special and Katrina, although fighting it in the beginning, knew Mitch was her one. So, when she turned eighteen, he married her and gave her his child. His one and only. 

Katrina’s family didn’t support the union and like many other girls from the other sides of the tracks who’d found their way to Pepper, she was disowned but he promised to always be there for her and their child. 

Mia’s birth changed Mitch for the better. He couldn’t believe he had a daughter and would spend hours simply staring at her. She was a replica of him but in girl form. 

When Mitch died, it shattered her world.

Not even two weeks after their baby girl was born, he was sadly gunned down.

It nearly broke Katrina in half because he was all she had.

But for Mia, she forced herself to push through the pain. Her baby girl was the strength she needed to keep going.

Katrina not wanting to start over even though the neighborhood wasn’t all that great, decided to stay and thug it out. It was the best decision she made because eventually they were given renovations and Pepper had been elevating ever since. 

Raising Mia alone wasn’t easy while trying to finish her advanced training as a registered nurse and working during the week to keep a roof over their head and food in their stomachs. 

Katrina usually kept to herself not socializing much, but everyone knew her and little Mia as she was friends with many children in the neighborhood and because of her late husband who was pretty popular. She used to hang out and such before they had their daughter but after, Katrina took her role as a mother pretty seriously and gave up the wildlife. 

One day, Karina found herself in a bind. She’d gotten her days mixed up and didn’t realize she had to work so when her boss who was already tired of her lateness and call-outs called asking if everything was okay and would she be coming in, she nearly had a conniption because she needed her job. 

Not being able to find a babysitter at the last minute, Katrina went to the only person most people in the neighborhood trusted with their children. Sunny. 

On the way up the street, she could see a bunch of kids in front of her door, while Sunny, her sister, and Tori sat on the porch smoking. Her baby daddy and his friends were playing loud music from their cars which she hated because it was unnecessarily loud. Little Oak sat on the step with headphones on, and a drawing pad in his lap tuning the world around him out. 

“Hey Sunny,” Katrina spoke, adjusting the bag on her shoulder while holding six-year-old Mia’s hand. 

“Hey, girl—ah!” she, Tori, and Trixie screamed while ducking for cover. “Travis don’t make me whoop your ass!” Sunny shouted at him after they were almost taken out by water balloons. “Senior get your son before I hurt him!” she yelled to her boyfriend who sat in his car unbothered with the door open, smoking a spliff and bobbing his head to the music. 

“I’m just playin’ momma dang!” 

“Leave your mother alone nigga,” Senior told his son. “All y’all go up the street with that shit,” he instructed, Travis, his nephew Player, his second oldest Daun, and godson Frederick. 

“Anyway,” Sunny rolled her eyes. “Wassup girl? Hey pretty Mimi…” 

“Hi,” Mia waved shyly. 

“I know this is last minute, but I was wondering if you could keep Mia for me…just for a few hours, I forgot I had to work today and—” 

“Katrina, girl,” Sunny cut her off. “You know I will keep her for you, I told you that shit back when Mitchell passed that you wasn’t alone out here.” 

“Facts,” Senior agreed. “You good and shit?” he asked. Mitch was a good friend of his and his death was felt around Pepper. 

“Yea,” Katrina nodded. “I’m okay…but thank you, Sunny, so much.” 

“Come on up here Mia.”

“Hi Oak,” she spoke passing him along the way, but he couldn’t hear a thing. 

“I’ll be back around eight o’clock to—” 

“Go do what you gotta do, this baby will be fine,” Sunny said, rubbing Mia’s cute little pigtails.

That was the start of a friendship Katrina never knew she needed. “If I’m not here when you get back, she’ll be with big momma and you know she don’t play that shit, so Mia in good hands.” 

Katrina believed that because Ms. Pepper wasn’t the one or the two to try. She ran her household with an iron fist and even banned Sunny from her own children when she thought her daughter was messing up. 

Although Sunny was much wilder and engaged in things she couldn’t see herself doing, she respected her and appreciated how she would help her with Mia and treat her baby as if she were one of her own. 

When she got an official job working as a registered nurse, Sunny and Senior threw her a party and everything to celebrate her accomplishments and not giving up after Mitch passed. It was the first time since he died that Katrina felt free again. She had friends and they were supportive. 

Every day even on school days, she’d drop her baby off and Sunny or her mother would get Mia together with the other children for school or keep her on the weekends. 

Katrina would be forever grateful to the Allens for all they’d done for her and Mia. 

“Tyler, would you like to do some breathing exercises?” 

“My name not no fuckin’ Tyler!” 

“You gave me permission in the beginning of our session to call you by your first name.” 

“No, I didn’t.” 

“Okay,” Dr. Pie realized what happened. “What would you like me to call you?” 

“Dra…maaaaaaa…” he emphasized sarcastically.

“My apologies, Drama. You seem a little upset.” 

“I am, I don’t wanna be up in here witchu.” 

“Will thinks we can work on your anger together.” 

“I ain’t got no anger. This shit court ordered because they wanna put me back in the box.”

“Box?” 

“You know what the fuck I’m talkin’ bout!” Tyler, well, Drama shouted. “Just like them muhfuckas!”  

“Who, Drama? Who am I like?”

“All my doctors. They think I’m crazy.” 

“I don’t think you are.” 

“You don’t?” 

“Nope, I believe you are dealing with some things on the inside that we can try and resolve together.” 

Drama closed his eyes doing the breathing exercises they worked on before. Every session started out this way. No matter how many times Dr. Pie saw him, they went through the same course of interaction with one another before actually getting into their session. 

He suffered from anterograde amnesia. He easily forgot his daily routines, thoughts, conversations and a slew of other things. If his attention wasn’t on one thing for more than thirty seconds to a minute, it became a distant memory. It caused him to develop dissociative identity disorder which was why he quickly went from Tyler to his alternative personality, “Drama.” 

“How is Paige, Drama?” 

“The fuck am I supposed to know? Ask that nigga,” he pointed his thumb to the empty space next to him. 

“Who is he?”

“Paige daddy!” 

“My apologies, may I ask his name?” 

“Tyler, what the fuck? Pie, please stop actin’ like a dickhead.” 

“Now that wasn’t very nice, Drama.” 

“My fault,” he laughed with his fist to his mouth. “But you always askin’ me about his kid.” 

“I thought she was your daughter?” 

“Nah, I took a DNA test, she wasn’t mine.” 

“How did Tiana handle that news?” 

“I mean, she knew what it was when her hoe ass opened her legs.”

“What does Tyler say?” 

“Ask himmmmmm…” 

Dr. Pie stared at her patient for a few seconds, his brown brooding eyes boring into hers. He was going blank, so she had to hurry and try to bring who he was originally back before all thought was lost. 

“Tyler…” she attempted and the body who shared two personalities shifted in his seat slightly while blinking rapidly.

“Hm?” 

“I asked how Paige is doing.” 

“Oh she good,” Tyler answered. “I was allowed to see her this past weekend and we went to the park; I took her to the store. They don’t really let me do much with her.” 

“How does that make you feel?” 

“I don’t know, I mean…it doesn’t feel good that people around me think I’d hurt my own daughter. I wouldn’t, I love her.” 

“I’m sure you do. How is everything going with Noella?” 

“Man…” Tyler smiled boyishly, stretching his long legs. “That girl is something else.” 

“Really? How so?” 

“The way she suck my dick…I ain’t ever had it like that before.” 

“Drama?”

“It’s me,” he smiled but his was much more menacing than the kind and gentle one Tyler displayed seconds ago.

“Have you been sleeping with Tyler’s girlfriend?” 

“Every chance I get. Her ass was too fat for me to pass up. His bitch ass don’t know what to do with all that.” 

“I don’t think that’s very honest of you. Don’t you think he’d be upset about that?” 

“What he gon’ do?” 

“I think whenever you get a chance, you need to apologize to him.” 

“Yea right, I will do no such thing. He the reason we in all this shit in the first place.” 

“All what shit?” 

“Here with you, in and out of hospitals, he the reason Will don’t trust me.”

“I thought Will stopped trusting you because you lied, Drama.” 

“So! I can’t get a little attention from his ass too? He only love Tyler.” 

“He’s Tyler’s father.” 

“Then who the fuck is my parents?” 

“We don’t need to use that language.”

“Who are my parents?” 

“Would you like me to be honest?” 

“Yes.” 

“Drama, you are manifested in the mind of Tyler. You don’t have any parents.” 

“Fuck you, Pie! Straight up! The fuck kinda therapist tell people some shit like that?!” 

“I’m only being honest with you just like we talked about from the beginning.” 

“Well honest these nuts,” Drama stood up. “I’m gone!” he stormed out of the office. “The fuck you bring me here for Will?!” 

Dr. Pie heard him start to engage in an argument with Tyler’s father. She got up and went into the waiting area. 

“Man,” Will didn’t even acknowledge him seeing as his son was not currently present. “Is he done?” he asked, looking past “Drama,” to Dr. Pie.

“I suppose, he’s a bit on the edge today. This is our third switch.” 

“See how y’all talk like I’m not even here?” 

“Nigga because you not!” Will shouted.

“Okay Mr. Walker, remember how we talked about handling Drama here when he’s angry.” 

“I ain’t got time for this shit today!” 

“Nigga, neither do I!” Drama yelled at Will. “This why I can’t fuck witchu now!” 

Will exhaled trying to remember that past this persona he could not stand one bit, his son rested, almost in a sleep state. He hated this Drama character Tyler took on. At first when it happened, Will thought it was a joke until he saw the nigga in action. He had to be convinced by several doctors and finally Dr. Pie confirming his son’s “split personality disorder.” 

Let’s go, nigga,” Will told him.