2 years later

“Shit, come on.”

LeToya clasped her hand around her other wrist as she tried to steady her trembling hand enough to insert her key into the lock.  She inhale and exhaled deeply as she turned the lock as quietly as she could. She reached down pulling the door knob towards and listened from the pop of the lock to confirm it had been unlocked successfully.

She pushed the door and stepped inside the dark house, only taking a step onto the wooden floors and hearing the tap from her high heels did she decide to slip out of her shoes at the door leaving them outside on the porch.

Once she fully stepped inside, she closed the door behind her leaving just crack enough that a slither of the auburn colored street light reached beyond the door. She stood at the door to listen for anything that alerted her that someone was up. After a few seconds, she quickly darted across the living room and down the narrow even darker hall.  She blinked her eyes a few times only to wipe them furiously as the runny mascara and eyeliner stung her eyes.

Once she was relieved of the stinging, she slowed her quick walk as she walked along the far right side to avoid the squeaky floorboard, before she reached the door she wanted and opened it and disappearing inside. Once she made it inside, she carefully closed the door. She turned around looking around the slightly lit room as the street lights poured through torn blinds.  She walked over to her twin sized bed and got down onto her knees, pushing away clutters of shoes before she reached a black duffle bag. She pulled the heavy bag from underneath. She took it and placed it by the bedroom door and went into her closet quickly grabbing another that was tucked away in a corner behind boxes of shoes. Once she placed the other bag beside the door.

She turned around looking over to the other bed that shared the room. She quietly walked over bending down and reached her hand out to shake the sleeping body. She shook it hard a few times before she heard a groan and it shifted around until they were facing her.

With a rub of his eyes,”Toya?”

She smiled wearily,” Shh, yeah it’s me”

He let out a soft yawn,” Where were you, you didn’t come home for dinner?”

She ran her hand down his arm,” Yeah I know, I had to go into work unexpectedly, but listen Damion I need you to get up and slip on your shoes. We have to go.”

Damion frowned as he looked over at the digital clock as it read 3:25 a.m,” T, where are we going?”

She grabbed him firmly with both hands as she stared into his sleepy eyes as she tried to speak through the tears that threaten to spill,” Damion, we have to get out of here. I will explain later. But right now we have to go before she wakes up.”

He looked into his sisters eyes as a lone tear escaped the ducts of her eyes. He nodded and sat up pulling back the single sheet. She stepped back and pulled a pair of shoes from under his bed and handed it to him.  She gathered the bags and handed one to him, once he had his shoes on.  She motioned for him to be quiet before opening up the door and quietly and cautiously made their way down the hall. Once they reached the door, she motioned for the door and gave him the keys to her car.

As he went ahead, Toya walked over to the dining room table and pulled the top of her shirt open digging into her bra for a neatly folded piece of paper. She carefully unfolded looking back over her shoulder and tossed the unfolded paper onto the table. Then turned onto her heels and exited through the front door taking one last look before closing the door.

Toya picked up her heels and made a dash through the unexpected rain that was coming down hard. Damion pushed the door open as she flung it open and slipped inside. She sighed as she pushed back her mass of curls from her face and turned on the car as it roared back to life.

Damion looked at his sisters as she pressed the gas letting the car heat up. He looked over her wet clothes as she wore one of his bleached black Nike shirts with a really short pink skirt or dress and some fish net stocks. She oddly look like she had been out partying rather than working.

Toya could feel his eyes on her, she glanced over at him,” I’ll explain later. Right now we have to go.”

He nodded sitting back in his seat as she threw the car into reverse and they both buckled up and drove off.

Ten minutes into their drive Damion couldn’t help himself,” Where are we going?”

“Why don’t you get some sleep, we are going to be driving for a while.” Toya responded glancing over at him, giving him a soft smile before pulling a pillow from the floor of the backseat.

She lifted up the center console and placed it down between them and patted it. He pulled the front of his seatbelt around to his back and leaned over resting onto the pillow. She smiled rubbing his soft black hair and turned up the radio a bit as it played soft r&b. She rubbed his head as she always done when he laid beside her. It always put him to sleep and it always gave her peace knowing that he needed her just as she needed him

Right now, they were going to be all that have for a long time.

8 years Later…

Rocks and gravel dinked against the metal of U-Haul as it drove at a steady 80 miles per hour. She kept her eyes forward looking through the tint of her sunglasses. She propped her left arm against the car door as she brushed a strand of unruly light curls back from her view. She took in the view once more. She noticed the trees becoming more and more frequent verses the miles upon miles of orange sand and dirt. Finally, a change in scenery, she thought.

She glanced over at the body that was huddled in the corner of the van with arms and faced tucked inside a baseball cap leaning on a pillow. She couldn't help, but grin. She fixated her brown eyes back on the road as she caught a pass signing stating 80 miles to Los Angeles. She let out a breath of relief that after almost 48 hours she was an hour and a half or so outside of her destination. She couldn't wait to get out of the car and stretch her legs again.

She reached over and nudged the sleeping body a few times before it muttered and groan pushing back every time she nudged even more, she snickered," Wake up D, we are almost there."

She glanced back and forth between the roads as she watched her younger brother rub vigorously at his face as he stretched his long slender body out as much as he could give his height.

"How many more miles?" He inquired with a deep raspy voice still laced with sleep.

"80 miles."

"How long I've been sleep?" Slipping his sunglasses back over his eyes.

"2 hours."

He groaned as he rolled his neck trying his best to get the knots out his neck while taking in the view," I thought we were going to make a stop in Las Vegas. "

She snorted.

She had no desires to stop in Vegas so that he could get taste of what was to come when he came of age.

"You wished I stopped in Vegas, I told you that our last top was it until we got to Los Angeles. The less stops we make the faster we can get in and get settled. I have enough at looking at sand domes and plastered bug guts to last me a life time."

He let out a rumbling chuckle, shaking his head," You call Mike yet?"

"No, go ahead and let him know where we are."

He nodded and dug down into the pocket of his basketball shorts fishing out his cell phone and dialed up the number placing it on speaker. It rung a few times before a voice was heard.

"Hello?"

"Hey Mike, its me Damion man."

"Oh what's up man? Where y'all at?"

“About 80 miles out Los Angeles.” Toya spoke up while keeping her eyes on the road.

“Damn, you made good time. Cool, I’ll just meet you at my house in an hour. You should be there by then. I’m at the barbershop right now. I’ll let yall rest for a minute then we can go grab some dinner.”

Damion nodded licking his lips and Toya chuckled,” Yeah that’s fine we will call you once we hit Pasadena I think. “

“Alright cool. See ya soon cuz.”

Within the next hour Toya was exiting the van with a sigh of relief outside the house of her long last cousin Michael. He exited his house with a warm bright smile as he embraced Damion in the middle of his lawn as Toya walked around and stepped onto the sidewalk.

“Damn, D you tall as hell. How tall are you?” He asked in amazement.

Damion smiled adjusting his hat,” 6’2.”

Michael shook his head and turned to see Toya with a smile. He walked over wrapping his arms around her tightly,” Hey Toya.”

She smiled wrapping her arms around his waist, returning the lovingly hug. It had been a long time since she had seen Michael. The last time they saw each other was the day after her parent’s funeral, he hopped a bus back to Los Angeles where he stayed with his Dad. When he turned 18, he got the hell out of dodge leaving his estranged mom behind, which ended up being their caretaker for two years. She never knew why they had such a bad relationship, until she lived with her.

Michael wanted to take them in, but he wasn’t financially in the position to do so with his ill father. A year after her parents died, his father found out he had stage 2 prostate cancer. So, the medical bills piled up and Michael had to work two jobs to help with keeping them afloat.

Her uncle died a year ago. And left him the house and a large sum of money that would let him live comfortable for a few years and helped pay off all his debt. When he got news of the money, he sent out for them.  When Toya got the phone call she didn’t hesitant because they weren’t living the grandest of lives.

They were held up in a one bedroom apartment in the Bronx’s. She worked two jobs just to pay the rent and other she was public assistance for or whatever money she could get from her school refunds for night classes she took. It has been a hard couple of years, but managed the best way she could and even Michael helped out when he could.

He was the closest thing she had to an older brother, but mostly he was her best friend someone she could go to with her worries and her burdens so she didn’t have to place all that on Damion’s shoulders. He was living it with her and that was more than enough.

They hugged for a while, until he pulled back looking into her soft brown eyes. He gripped her face,”
It will get better from here.”

He assured her in a soft whisper. She wanted to let out a cry of relief, but just smiled and nodded. He winked at her and threw his arm around her shoulder,” You guys hungry?”

Damion clapped his hands together,” STARVING.”

Toya laughed nodded wrapping an arm around his waist,” Yeah we could get.”

“Okay yall more than welcome to go in shower and then we can head out.”

A shower was definitely something she could use right now.

“Did you want a double or single?” The fiery red headed woman looked over her thick glasses suspiciously.

“A single is fine.” Toya fished out her prepaid card and ID as she waited for the woman to ring up her total.

“For the week its 189 and I’m going to need to see your ID.”

Toya slid it across the counter looking at the woman with a blank stare. The woman held the ID up beside her face and then sucked her teeth. She took her card and slid in the card reader before handing it back once it was approved.

She printed out the receipt and slid it over for her to sign. She quickly signed it and handed it back as she turned to look towards the running Car.

The woman grabbed the key and handed it to her,” Okay the room is around back, you break anything it will be deducted from your card honey. If you lose the key, it’s a 25 replacement fee. No funny business or illegal drugs. If I have reason to suspect any such thing, I will call the police and have you escort of the premises with no refund.”

Toya rolled her eyes as she reached over the key the woman brought it back bit,” Understand?”

Toya huffed as she held out her hand again and the woman placed it in her palm. Toya grabbed her cars and stuffed them back in her wallet and rushed out to the running car, climbing in. She looked down at the still sleeping Damion as she pulled out the parking spot and made her way slowly around the other side.

 She checked out of her window as she read the various numbers and pulled into a spot right in front of room 120.  She turned off the car and rubbed Damion head gently before nudging him awake,” Damion we are here.”

He stretched with a yawn sat up rubbing his eyes. He looked out the fogging windows and then looked to Toya as she opened the door letting a gust of wind in. He shivered and opened up his side getting out along with her. He helped her grab the bags out of the car and followed behind her to the motel room door. She unlocked it and the door open allowing them walk inside.

The room smelled of fresh linen with a hint of old mold. She walked over turning on the lap on the nightstand and motioned for Damion to close the door. She pulled the window curtain close and turned on the heat to get the room warm. She watched as Damion wander the small quarters of the room before turning on the TV and sitting on the edge of the bed. Even though he didn’t glance at it once but watched her as she began to open one of the bags pulling out a bag of dry goods she bought.

“Are we running away Toya?” Damion cut straight to the chase.

“No.”

“Then what are we doing here?”

Toya sighed stopping as she held a can of corn in her hand. She didn’t know what to tell or how to tell him. She didn’t know how to explain that they were on their own. That they couldn’t go back to their aunt’s house because she had taken sole custody of him. She didn’t know to tell him why she had to do it. He was so young. So innocent and all she could do was think to protect him from the cruel and unusually punishment this world could give you.

All she knew is that she had to protect. Even if that meant she had to grow up faster than expect.

“Do you trust me Damion?” She simply asked.

He answered without a doubt,” Yes.”

“All I need you to worry about is trusting me. I need you trust and believe in me.”

He slowly nodded as she held glance she walked over to him and kneeled down in front of him holding his hands into her.

“I love you and I will do anything and everything to make sure you have the chances Daddy and Mommy always wanted us to have. But from here on out just know that without a shadow of a doubt no matter how it may look.  I AM doing anything and everything just  to do that.”