Chapter 1: Adami

It was 11:29 on a Tuesday in March. The date was 9th of the year 2020. Adami, a five-foot eight, African American woman, had just received a text from her friend Isla.

In truth, Adami didn't care about what Isla was going through. Isla stole a 40k LeCoultre watch and Adami was ready to file a charge.

And she got a text message.

BlackRebecca: If you ever feel like talking. I'm at the country club with Kilian.

BlackRebecca: You remember Kilian?

BlackRebecca: He's that nigga that had that 2018 Audi at Orla's party we went to?

BlackRebecca: So we started talking on Facebook. You know Facebook? We met on Facebook and Kilian said he had tickets to go to the movies and we need one more person so we could get that 18% discount on tickets.

BlackRebecca: We get two free popcorns, two candies of choice, and a reserved seat in the theater. At first, I didn't believe it but Kilian said he had worked at a movie place and they did it. So, I guess AMC upgraded or something. Either way, we get free shit. So if you wanna join, I would love to see you there.

XOXO.

She looked at it, and that was half the battle. The second battle; which was easy, was deleting the message entirely.

She didn't bother and kept reading her magazine. "It's more white folk in these things. Kim Kardashian always somewhere..." she said to no one. A thought came, what happened to Brittany Spears? Who else was white and famous or at least known. The President showed up, Trump Vs Obama. A classic and for honorable mentions, Oprah Winfrey, Michelle Obama, and Ellen DeGeneres.

Ellen was doing anything. Or she skipped it because it gave her a headache. She put the magazine down and got up from the couch to go into the kitchen.

"Good morning, I didn't hear you come downstairs, mama." she said. "Hmm..." her mother, Jaswinter rocked back and forth with her eyes closed sitting at the kitchen table. "You want anything?" she asked as she opened the fridge. "My tea..." she licked her lips. "And my bottle of Smirnoff."

"You said tea?" Adami grabbed the Lipton green tea. "I said my smear..." she looked at her daughter. "Mama, you a alcoholic."

"Hush up, I don't drink the whole bottle." Mama Jaswinter turned her head to the kitchen sink. "I think I put the meeasuring cups in the sink. Get m that."

Adami rolled her eyes and did as her mother asked. She gave her bottle of green tea and opened it. Adami got the Smirnoff out the ice box in the pantry when she couldn't find it in the garage.

She shook her head defiantly. "Mama, the ice box was in the garage..."

"Stop putting it down there. I gotta walk downstairs and my knees scare me."

"That should tell you something..."

"Liquor don't talk..." she blinked. Adami sighed and watched her mother take a purple cup and pour the green tea in after, she took the Smirnoff and splashed it. "I can't believe you..." she said taking it down her throat. "I'm an alcoholic... I'm old... I'm annoying..."

"I never said that, ma'am."

"Next it'll be I wished I stayed with daddy..." Jaswinter furrowed. "Mama..." Adami shoulder sunk. "Daddy been dead for 20 something years."

"Really?" she poured the cup into her mouth again. "Nevermind..."

The house was situation on Beth Avenue. The neighborhood called it, Bethlehem. The was a church up the street across from a shopping center. She didn't travel there as crowds usually gathered for the worst reasons.

Beth Avenue, was the hood, it had a gang and a few indecent people. Though she ignored her cousin Osmani that came to the house once a month for some paper, her mother never had.

It provided all the more reason to stay with her. "Mama, why do you talk about daddy like he was bother?" Adami questioned. Jaswinter looked up at her daughter, "I'm just dry..."

"Mama..." she tilted her head. "Why are we talking about David?"

"Mama, you said something first..."

"Ah shit, Addie..." she put her hands in her lap. "Your father is a man, that lived with me before you. So I know!"

"What do I not know?"

"You don't need to know. The man is dead, I'm sorry I brought it up."

"Well, I thought he was a good father."

"Goddamn it Addie, that man was never in the house!"

"He was in the house mama! I remember when I was young and we didn't have enough money so daddy went out and took the tires off cars--"

"When do I get to kick you out the house?"

"Never."

"Shit." she rolled her eyes. "You think he so damn good, I was married to his ass for 30 years." she pouted with her knuckles on her cheek. "I would sure like to know why my parents hate each other." she walked out the kitchen.