Book #1:
The Age of Innocence
SAMPLE CHAPTER
Chapter#4
The season of the year gradually changed. The brightly colored leaves gently dropped from the trees. And the trees were bare in time for winter.
Nia still didn’t go by to see her mom; it had been several months since she had last seen her mother. Nia decided that today she was going to see her.
“So, Nia did you change your mind about going over to your mom’s house?”
“No, Charlene, I think today I should go see her.”
“Yeah, I guess I have to agree with you. You haven’t been over there in a long time.”
“I know I can’t stay mad at my mom always.”
“Yeah, girl, you can’t be.”
“Well, are you going to be back in time for the basketball game?”
“Yeah, I am. I’m going to walk to my mom’s house, and then I’ll head back to school,” added Nia.
Charlene could tell that Nia had a lot on her mind, because she seemed very puzzled about something.
“Are you OK?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
“Are you going to spend the night?”
“Yeah, I’m going to spend the night.”
“OK, then I’ll see you later.”
“Bye.”
They waved to each other and went on their separate ways.
Slowly, Nia walked over to her mom’s house. Nia had on her thick overcoat, boots, and gloves. The snow was continuously falling from the sky; it was cold outside, so Nia wrapped her scarf even tighter around her neck. Her nose and ears were very cold from the brisk wind. Gosh, wouldn’t it be nice to have some earmuffs right about now? She thought. Nia pulled her scarf over her mouth in an effort to keep warm.
Being a native New Yorker, Nia was pretty much accustomed to the cold weather of Bronx. There were a lot of people on the road, even though it was snowing. Nia cracked up when Charlene told her about how people in Georgia don’t even go to school when it sleet, drizzles, or snow, even a little bit. Man, the snow down there is a joke compared to the snow we get up here, thought Nia.
She looked across the street and saw the same guy that she had seen in school a while back, the cute guy that she had followed around school with Charlene. Dang, he’s so fine, I wonder what his name is, she thought. Nia watched the mystery guy stroll down the street with his friends until they could no longer be seen through the falling snow.
Nia kept on walking through the softly falling flakes. A million thoughts were crossing though her mind all at once. Finally, she reached her building at James Monroe Housing and walked through the door and up the flight of stairs. She could hear her feet tapping on the steps as she ran up each step. The walls were still dirty and the place was still infested with rats and roaches. Nothing seemed to have changed.
Finally, she unlocked the door.
“Mom!” yelled Nia. There was no response.
Dang, Mom must not be home, thought Nia. I wonder where she is. She looked around to see if anyone was there, and then sat down at the kitchen table to wait. Suddenly, someone opened the door. Rachael walked in.
“Hi, Mom.”
“Hi.”
“I haven’t seen or heard from you in a while,” said Nia.
“I know.”
“So, how are you doing?” asked Nia. She waited for her mom to look her way. Rachael hung up her coat and then came into the kitchen.
“I’m fine,” sighed Rachael.
It took her a long time to respond to Nia’s question. Nia looked at her mom and noticed immediately that one of her eyes was black!
“Who’s been hitting you?” Nia cried with deep concern.
Nia went to the refrigerator and got some ice to put in a plastic bag.
Rachael said, “Oh, nobody.” She looked away and then looked back at her daughter.
“What’s going on Mom? I haven’t heard from you in a while and now, this...”
Nia approached her mother and placed the ice bag on her eye. She could see that her mom was nervous and scared about something. She wouldn’t look Nia straight in the face.
“I can’t call you, of course, because the phone has been disconnected. But, Mom, what’s going on?” questioned Nia once again, as she held her mother’s hand.
She could tell that her mom was withholding some information.
“Well, do you know that guy that was over here a while back?”
“Oh, that fat guy name Charles, the drunk.”
“Don’t call him a drunk, dear,” said Rachael
Well, he is a drunk, thought Nia and a crazy one too, if I may add.
“Is he your boyfriend?” queried Nia.
“Yeah, he was, but I have some good news, dear,” smiled Rachael.
“What is it, Mom?” You broke up and will never see each other again, thought Nia wishfully.
“Charles and I just got married,” replied Rachael. A big grin spread across her haggard face.
Hearing the news made Nia’s heart sink. She knew the lousy bum was no good.
“Married! What do you mean, you two got married!” yelled Nia.
“We just got married at the court house, and we want you to stay with us. Charles and I talked about this the other night.”
“What?” Nia said, unbelievingly. The idea of staying with her mother and Charles made Nia nauseous.
“I don’t want you staying with the Thelma anymore!” snapped Rachael.
“But I love it there. I like being over to Charlene’s house,” said Nia.
“Well, I can understand that, but we still want you to stay here with us. This is your home, and you shouldn’t be over there all the time.”
“But Mom-” Nia was close to crying.
“No, listen, dear! Listen to me! We’re you parents now, Charles and I. And we want you to stay here with us. OK, and that’s final! You’re going to stay with us, and there’s no questions asked, all right!” Rachael yelled angrily, pointing her finger in Nia’s face.
Can’t Mom see how she’s shattering my world? Nia thought. Doesn’t she care? I just can’t stay here; it would be like living in hell, thought Nia.
“But Mom-!”
Rachael interrupted again, “Nia, I don’t want to hear it!”
She folded her thin arms across her small breasts and said, “I want you to get your stuff from over there and bring it over here, because you’re going to stay here with us from now on. And anyway, I miss you.”
Rachael reached out her slender arms to Nia. Nia walked over and hugged her mom.
“I miss you too Mom,” added Nia.
But, Mom you’re a drug addict, you don’t act like a mother, you always get high, and I never have a chance to talk to you, she thought. A million negative thoughts flooded Nia’s mind.
Tears filled her pretty brown eyes. She wanted to tell her mom her thoughts, but she didn’t dare.
“Anyway, Charles should be up here in a minute,” said Rachael pleasantly. Evidently, she had no idea of how Nia felt about Charles.
“What happen to your eye?” queried Nia.
Her mom still didn’t answer the question about her black eye.
Rachael gently touched Nia’s shoulder with and said, “Oh dear, don’t worry about that.”
He must have done it, Nia thought angrily.
Charles finally walked through the door, “So did you tell her the news?” he asked in a deep thunderous voice.
“Yeah, I told her,” said Rachael giving him a long passionate hug.
“Nia, go give your new father a hug!” demanded Rachael.
“Aw, Mom!”
She didn’t want to go anywhere near that nasty bum. Nia hated him with a passion.
“Do it! Now!” yelled Rachael with her hands on her hips.
Rachael walked out and went into the bathroom. Nia looked at Charles with a hateful glance.
“Give your daddy a hug,” said Charles with a crooked smile on his face.
Nia looked at him and thought how disgusting he was. He looked so filthy and dirty, and she hated his nasty, drip, drop, jerry-curl. His hands were still very crusty looking. She didn’t want to hug him, but she didn’t want to hear her mom’s mouth later on. One quick hug wouldn’t hurt, she thought.
She was about to hug him when he reached quickly and pulled her closer to him. She could smell fowl smell of alcohol under his breath. Next thing she knew, he started fondling and sexually assaulting her. Nia tried to push him away, but he was much stronger than she was.
The whole ordeal was like a game to him.
“Stop it!” yelled Nia. She couldn’t believe what was happening to her.
“Come here, girl,” said Charles. She kept on trying to break away from his forceful grip.
“Please, stop it!” yelled Nia once again.
He started laughing at her. Nia began to cry because she felt so vulnerable.
She continuously tried to push him away, screaming, and “Let me go!”
He whispered, “You might as well get use to this, Nia, and try to start enjoying it because.”
Charles finally let Nia go when he heard Rachael coming out of the bathroom. Nia quickly moved away from him in fear.
“You know your mom said that you are going to stay here, don’t you?”
She noticed that he was looking at her in a very perverse manner. She knew that she was in danger when she was near this man, and the thought frightened her greatly.
Rachael was high and her mind was somewhere else. Whenever she gets stoned, she’s not in tune with what’s going on around her; she just gradually drifts off into her own little world, leaving me here alone and unprotected with this horrible man.
Nia answered, “Yeah, she did.”
He winked at her and he moved a little closer. Nia moved away from him and stood closer to her mom.
So much was going through Nia’s mind. He was her step father and he was feeling up on her. He violated her, she kept thinking in disbelief. All of this was pulling her world apart. Her hands began to tremble.
Nia looked away from him. The memory of him touching her and winking at her made her physically ill. She had to get out.
“Mom, I am going to the basketball game.”
“OK, you be back with your things, now. From now on, you’re going to be staying with us,” slurred Rachael.
“All right,” answered Nia weakly.
“I’ll see you later, dear. Come give your mom a hug,” slurred Rachael. Nia hugged her and kissed her on the cheek.
Nia looked at her mom. “Are you sure you’re all right?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
Nia turned away and was about to walk out the door.
“Oh you are going to walk by me and not give me a hug?” Charles asked coarsely. She looked his way and then at her mother and walked swiftly out the door. She was not going to hug him, especially after what he had just done to her.
Nia slammed and locked the door. Closing her eyes, she whispered, “Damn, I can’t fuckin believe this.”
Find out what happens next by downloading Book #1 – The Age of Innocence of The Nia Trilogy Collection for only $9.00 clicking on the following link: http://stores.lulu.com/messengerpublishing1. Book #1 - The Age of Innocence of The Nia Trilogy will be available in print at Lulu.com in July 2008.
