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The Unedited Version

Chapter One    “Meet the girls”                                                                                              

Ari Marie Jennings

Oh my goodness, could traffic be anymore slower I thought as I drove home from work. I hated this drive from work everyday. Even though I only lived 20 mins from work, it took forever just to get home but that’s how it was in Atlanta. There was traffic every where. It seem like I lived in this car. But I couldn’t complain. This time last year, I was catching a bus to work and school. Things didn’t come easy for me. I had to work my butt off just to live comfortable. I worked a fulltime job at Castro’s. A rich girls clothing store. I went to college part time for nursing. Then I still lived at home with my mom. Ain’t that some mess?

My struggle all started the day I was born, 24 years ago on May 1^st. But even before I was born, it was hard for my mom to make ends meet. I mean it was easier then because all she had was herself but she never lived a fabulous life. She had to work and grind to get by. From what she told me, she lived in the streets. Dated a lot of guys and partied. She was a dancer at a night club. It was fast and easy money. Three years into the job, she met my dad. She was with a lot of men and didn’t find out who my dad was until I was older but when I came along, I motivated her to do right. She changed everything but her drinking. That was one habit she wasn’t about to break. Through out the years, we struggled. Bills were sometimes paid late. Sometimes we didn’t have food to eat. I’d wake up in the middle of the night hearing my mom praying

“Lord, please give me the ability to take care of my baby. She don’t deserve this. Lord, I don’t know what I’m gonna do this time.”

Nights like that I knew things were pretty bad. Time didn’t make things better either. We continued to struggle. At times I was ashamed to bring people to my house. Once I got old enough, my mom broke things some what down to me. Why we struggled, and how things got like this. I asked a lot of questions especially about my dad. She told me that the only good thing that came out of that relationship was me. With that being said, I left it alone.

So all through school, I worked hard. A’s and B’s. I wanted to be different and I didn’t want to live the life my mom did. My senior year in high school, I decided I wanted to go to the Art Institute in San Diego. I wanted to move out there and get out of Atlanta. But my mom’s drinking problem got worse. So I just stayed here with her. I was all she had and I couldn’t leave her. By the time I got ready to sign up for classes at the Art institute of Atlanta, classes were full. So was the next semester and I had no choice but to do something different. I couldn’t wait on art school. So I put my dream a side. Went to school for nursing and worked to pay for school. Life is hard for me but I am determined to make it.

Marissa Carmen Johnson

“Cyra, Camille, ya’ll better hurry up. Daddy’s on his way.” I screamed at me 9 year old twin sisters.

It was Thursday and they always spent Thursday evening with our dad. Our parents were divorced. Married for 16 years. I was about 13 when they first separated. It didn’t bother me. I was too busy trying to be grown and get out the house. My parents say they just got tired of each other but I knew better than that. Someone was messing around but my dad didn’t play about being in grown folks business so I kept that thought to myself. I did what I had to do for my sisters. I felt like I was obligated to. Now I’m not saying my mom was a bad mother. She loved us very much. I think she just got tired after a while. But I took over what she didn’t do and I didn’t complain. When I got my first car at sixteen, I drove my sisters to school sometimes. Took them to their friends’ house. My dad gave me some money on the side and told me to get my sisters what they needed. Most of the time they called on me for homework or issues in school. I was a Mama and wasn’t even out of high school yet.

When I turned 15, we had a major crisis happen in our family. My parents wanted me to live the best life possible so me and my mom moved to Decatur from Marietta to start a new life. When I hit 16, I didn’t go to parties and didn’t do what most teenagers do. I worked and went to school. All my life I wanted to be a dentist, so I made sure I kept my grades up that way I would be accepted into a good college. My parents had the money to send me to any good college in the world but I just felt like I owed them my life so I always did my best.

My life revolved around my sisters and still does now that I’m 24. I love them so much though and I wouldn’t have it any other way. But I was very over protective of them.  I just wanted them to have a better life than me.

My mom acted like she was too busy on Thursday’s to be here when my dad picked my sisters up. So I came over. It gave me a chance to see my dad anyway.

“Cam…….” “Dag we right here.”

My sister Camille said as she ran down the stairs of my Mom’s 4 bedroom house. You would think it was my dad’s house since he paid all the bills in the house so my mom could live comfortably.

“Ya’ll take forever to do nothing.” I answered back. “Whatever.” “Where’s your sister?” “Upstairs getting her stuff.” “Look there go Daddy, go get her.” I said getting irritated because they were so difficult.

 “Aw man…..You go get her. I’m tired of chasing her.” Camille said whining. “Well you shoulda brought her down here with you now go!” I said as I answered the door.

“Hey Daddy.” “Girl you still growing.” He asked as if it’s been years since he last saw me.

“No Daddy you just getting old.” “Uh huh….So where your sister’s?”  “Upstairs taken all day.”

“How’s your Mama?” He asked. “Alright I guess.” 

“Hey Daddy!” Cyra screamed. “Hey there’s my girls. Ya’ll ready?” “Yup” “I’m ready.” As they left, I thought about my sister’s. They were such daddy’s girls. I loved them so much. Just as if they were mine. But my thoughts were interrupted by my phone. It was none other than my mom.

Shaine “Heaven” Berlin

Where was my Gucci skirt? If I was gonna look fly today, I had to be wearing that skirt. But who am I kidding; I look good in anything I wear. Today was John’s lucky day. After 2 months of begging me to go out with him, I finally told him yes earlier this week. What the heck, I wasn’t doing anything today anyway.

“Heaven!” Mama Angie called. “Yes!” “Your Father would like to see you in his office.” She answered.

Heaven, you like that name huh? My mama said she gave me Heaven as my middle name because I was so precious and nothing was more important than me. Mama Angie is my childhood nanny. I got so used to her that she stayed around even when I was old enough to take care of myself. She’s now one of the maids but I still spend a lot of time with her. I was born in Malibu California. My parents are hella rich. My daddy is a neurologist and my mom; well she’s just a housewife with three maids, a butler, a doorman, two chefs and my nanny Mama Angie.  When my mom got tired of being “mom” I stayed with Mama Angie. My mother is white and my dad is black. They met on some vacation out in the Caribbean. They’ve been married for 25 years. As for me, well you already know, with a name like Heaven, I must be spoiled. When I was 16, for my first car, I got a brand new Mercedes. Need I say more?

“Yes Daddy.” I said as I walked into his office.

 “Now look your mother and I will be leaving for Australia in about 3 hours. Are you gonna be ok here?” He asked.

 “Of course Daddy, I’m 23 years old. I’ll be fine.”

“I know. I just need to make sure we are clear on things before we go. Here’s the number where you can reach us. Only if it’s an emergency. Alright?” He asked.

 “Ok Dad but I have to go now I need to get ready for a date. Have fun!” I said hurrying out the office. He was known for lecturing; going on and on about nothing. I had to get ready for my date. John was coming in an hour.

I got jazzy and John arrived in an hour just as he said he would. I heard the doorbell ring. Our doorman, Jackson, came to my room to let me know John was waiting downstairs. I threw on my last little bit of lip gloss and headed for the door.  John seemed cool but he wasn’t the only guy I was talking to. I didn’t believe in getting too caught up with one guy. Guys where known for breaking girls hearts and I was not about to put myself on the line for some guy. No way. At least that’s what my mom told me.

“Hey John.” I said and smiled as I walked down the stairs. He was really cute.

“Heaven. You look good.” He said.

“I know, let’s go.” I walked outside and couldn’t believe my eyes.

“What’s that?” I asked with a nasty attitude. “Oh that’s my ride. Well my moms ride.”

“A station wagon? Um……NO! I ain’t riding in this. Do you know who I am? Heaven, meaning I ride in the best of the best. You must be trippin if you think I’m sitting my cute body in this piece of junk.”

He don’t know who I am I thought as I walked back into my house and slammed the door.

“Let me go call my girls. I need a drink after this one.”  

Katora Narine Michaels

“Mama I don’t know, ok. I’ll try to come over this weekend.” 

“Well Tora, I ain’t seen my grandson in weeks.”

“I know things have just been crazy around here. I’ll get over there real soon.”

The truth was, I hated going to my mom’s house. Seems like every time I wanted to get some alone time with her, my mean, rude, judgmental sister was there. I mean I love my family but since I got pregnant with my son, my sister treated me like dirt. She judged me and looked down on me because I got pregnant at 17. I hadn’t even graduated from high school yet. I was a damn good mother though. I just made a few mistakes. Who hasn’t done that in life? But her support I wasn’t getting. Everything I did in her eyes was wrong.  How I raised my son, my job, how I looked, my son’s father. Everything. We got into it every time I came to the house. The way things were right now; I didn’t have energy for that mess.

 “Look Mama, we can go to church together on Sunday. We’ll spend the whole day together. Me, you and Kareem.” I said.

“Alright Tora, that works for me.”

“Love you Mama.”

“You too baby.”

Sunday I would have to put on a smile and try to get along with my sister for the sake of my Mama. She hated when we fought. The way me and my sister grew up, you would think that we would have a better relationship now. We were close. Even though I was the baby, me 24, Ziaha 29, we had a great relationship. Shared a lot of secrets and stood up for each other. We were like best friends.  Me and Ziaha have different fathers. She came unexpectedly when my mom was 20. I came out of a long term relationship that went sour when I was about 4. But my Mama loves her girls and always taught us to hold on to each other because all we had was each other.

When I met my boyfriend Ramon and got pregnant, my sister started to act funny. Like I was making a horrible mistake and messing up my life. Now we were raised in the church. My mama and grandma didn’t play about that. So, my getting pregnant made my family look bad and my sister didn’t like that and that’s when all the drama started. She made me look like I was the outcast of the family. My mama would tell Ziaha to stop being that way. That’s family and she knows better but my sister didn’t care. She did her own thing. You just don’t know some of the things I had to endure just living in that house with my baby. I tried hard avoiding her but she always came to visit when she moved out. I was like what did she move out for, she’s always here. So me, Ramon and my son got a place together. That’s when Ramon started being Ramon.

We weren’t always like this. The first two years were great and we were really in love but you know most men don’t show their true colors until further into the relationship. Every week it was something new. He worked late, he didn’t hear his cell phone, there ain’t nobody else. You know the game. Come to think of it, it’s a new week and Ramon is coming in late. What was his excuse this time?

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