I kicked my feet in the sand below me, trailing my big toes through and watching the tips scuff gray. It had been a really bad day, between the argument I'd had at work to my Psychology teacher denying me an extension on an research paper he had failed to give me, to Teresa's sudden bitchiness towards me, to Dylan and mines almighty screaming fit in his car when we were heading home, I was ready to curl up into the fetal position and suck my thumb for the next few days or so. I sighed kicked my feet a little on the ground below me again, feeling the swing underneath me lurch slightly.
"Sanaa... girl... you need a break." I said to myself. "Get home, go on a trip, do something." Right now... I didn't want to do anything. I leaned my head against the cool chains of the swing. A breeze whipped up a few leaves, brushing them across my ankles. I looked at the elementary school in front of me, and then at the street on the other side of the chain link fence, sighing. I missed elementary, when everything was easy and fun, and I went home or over Nisi's, and we'd play with her dolls or sneak into her older brother's room and go through his stuff. Back before everything happened. Before Jeff, or Mariah, before any of my boyfriends.
"Get your ass up." I said to myself, standing at the same time. "Get to the apartment, get your things, and go." I said, and then started walking the few blocks to my apartment. I'd just been around everyone for too long. I needed a break from them. I'd talk a long weekend, extremely long, considering it was Tuesday, and come back refreshed.
"Sanaa, wake up." My momma said, calling into my room. I rolled over, putting my pillow over my head. I'd gotten home around 3am, after a three hour taxi ride. The guy driving, however, didn't make me pay the fare. He told me he had a daughter my age, in college studying to be a teacher, and that he wished his daughter would visit home like I was doing, because I was such a good girl, he could tell. I still tipped him at the end of the night, pulling out the first few bills I could find, and figuring it was an extravagant amount when I saw the look on his face. He tried to push the bills back at me, but I shook my head and thanked him.
"Sanaa, you heard me." She walked into the room, gripped the sheets from around my ankle, and whipped them off. A big surprise to her, however, when my bare ass was facing her. I'd slept, as usual, in an old wifebeater, but this time with no panties.
"Momma, leave me." I groaned.
"I'm not the one who woke me up this morning at 2"
"3" I yawned
"2:30am." She finished. "Get up and get some work done young lady, you hear me."
"But Ma"
"No buts or it'll be yours on the fire." She said, and then flung my sheet back on me. I sat up at the same time, so that the sheets flew over my head and I resembled some sort of ghost. I pulled it off, sitting up and looking around my room. Other than the fact that it was clean, it was the same room from my youth. My game systems, including all my vintage ones, were piled on a bookcase, the games lining the shelves next to them. The spot where my television would be, had it not still been in my apartment, was filled with a plant that I planned to destroy as soon as possible. My desk was the same, never touched, and the sky blue carpet and black ceiling were the same, offsetting the white walls.
I got out of bed, standing for a moment on shaking legs, before picking up and pulling on a pair of black shorts, and then walking down the hall to the bathroom, stepping over the kitten momma had gotten while I was gone, and tripping over my daddy's briefcase. Same old house, I walked through it like a well played role in a sitcom, the daughter of the world's most overbearingly successful parents, which probably explained the way I turned out.
True to my expectations, my momma had breakfast on the table when I walked down the stairs, even if it was only juice and cereal. We'd stopped the routine for a while, during my senior year of high school and my leaving for college, but they'd apparently picked it back up again while I was gone. Daddy was at his end of the table, looking like a newspaper with a fork attached while he browsed the headlines, stopping to spear the waffles Momma had toasted for him, while she herself leaned again the sink sipping her coffee.
I sat down, pouring milk over my cereal and digging my spoon into it while momma and daddy talked. It was just like old times, straight back to elementary school. I even reached into the box to pull out the toy inside, giggling at the cheap little thing that came out.
"Oh honey! I forgot to tell you!" Momma said suddenly, setting her tea down on the counter. "Hunter will be in and out this week; he's installing some new circuit breakers and fixing a few things up. He needed the money and we needed a handyman." She picked up her coffee again. My stomach had clenched at the word Hunter, and a thrill ran through my chest. My momma had opened a door she hadn't known was there.
Weeks ago, on my last trip, Hunter had kissed me, and even now, remembering it, my pussy throbbed in anticipation. Jeff and I had been on a down lately, arguing more than we ever had. He'd even accused me of cheating on him with Dylan. I'd found myself yelling at him "We're not even a couple! You're my cousin. Fuck off and leave me alone!" He'd taken it to heart and taken a trip, I don't know where he went, but he hadn't so much as dropped me a postcard since he'd gone.
I crossed my legs under the table, rocking slowly to get the pressure on my clit. I could only think about fucking Hunter, How I wanted him inside of me. Momma talked to daddy over my head while I filled my head with naughty thoughts.
"Oh and Sanaa." I looked up at her, coming out of my momentary lapse of consciousness.
"Yes?"
"Clean your room." She said, putting down her cup one last time and then turning to rinse it out.
"It's already clean."
"Finish it! Your cousin is bringing in a television that was supposed to be a surprise for you, and installing it. Seeing as how you're home now, though, I believe the surprise is gone." I looked up, speechless. Momma and daddy had never treated me this good, as well off as we were. There had to be a catch.
"The week after you finish school, we need you at home baby."
"But I need to stay in the apartment so I won't lose it."
"Look child, let me finish." Momma set her cup onto the dish drainer. "We'll only need you for a week. Your Nana wanted to have a family get together, and we offered our house, we have the biggest yard." My mouth dropped open. The last time we'd had a reunion of any sort, Uncle Jermaine and Uncle Maleek, Aunt Nicole's husband, had been drinking heavily, and argued over simple matters. They'd fought and hadn't spoken since. My cousins from down south had driven up, as well as a few from the north and a few of the ones from the Caribbean had flown up. The only issue was that once you got a big group of us together, there was nothing but drama.
"Momma, I"
"Your Nana is looking forward to having you here. You know how she's getting on in age. You're her oldest Grandbaby you know, aside from Aunt Nicole's son, but either way, you're the oldest girl." My momma was trying to guilt me into saying I'd go. II licked my lips, and gave in.
"Ok momma, I'll be there." I sighed. Momma smiled.
"I knew you would be. Now come here and kiss your momma bye." I stood and moved over to her, kissing her cheek and then kissing my daddy's forehead as he stood. I walked up the stairs, up to my room. I gripped my towel and headed into the bathroom, turning the hot water on and perching on the edge of the tub, stripping off my shorts and shirt.
