The Color of Love
Hey guys, I'm Danyi. I had a story posted on here before but I didn't like it so I took it down and now I'm doing it a different way. I wanted to write something with a little twist. Make it more interesting. So I hope you guys enjoy it.
Disclaimer- I don't own any part of Lawless, the characters, the setting etc. I just own Addison Ayers.
When Addison was five years old; her mother had told her that there were limits, limits to the things she could accomplish, the people she could be around. Her mother told her because of her brown colored skin she had few choices and few chances. Especially in the small town they moved to when Addi was 15. Franklin County in Virginia was the most uneventful place Addison had ever imagined. Nothing ever happen there, at least not on the side of town she lived on. Franklin County wasn't too prejudice but again, they had their limits.
Addison was 18 when her mother became sick. It was the end of the Spanish Flu and just when they thought they were out of the clearing. The last round of the virus to sweep the town took her mother with it. Addi was devastated, her mother was her world. Her fathers world as well. He didn't accept his wife's death at all. Not a day after they laid her mother to rest, Addison's father began to buy Moonshine. He could down close to 8 jars a day.
By the time Addi was 21, her father didn't know the meaning of the world sober. And he'd lost countless numbers of jobs, on both sides of town. There were bills to pay and someone had to pay for the Moonshine so Addison found herself a job. A bar called Willie's. She was the bartender, on most days. When they were short a girl or Addi needed extra money for her father's habit, she joined the girls on the stage. Something she loathed doing. But as her mother said, colored girls had few choices, few chances and limits.
So, fast forward three years and Addison found herself standing in the back room as she pulled the tiny shorts up on her hips. The nights that she did dance she made the most money of all the girls. Addi both thanked and blamed her mother for her curves. Not to mention being the only colored dancer, the men threw money at her like she was a forbidden fruit.
"Addi, it's your turn."
Spinning around, Addison gave her only "friend" a small smile.
"How's the crowd look Liv?" She asked the short haired blond. Liv shrugged and glanced back over her shoulder.
"Same bastards and bums as usual."
Sighing heavily, Addison pulled on her bright purple pumps and made her way out onto the stage.
The smell of beer, sweat and sex hit Addison in it's usual heaviness as she took her place on the dimly lit stage. Taking a couple of deep breaths, Addi put on the best sexy smile she could. When the music started, Addison cleared her mind and set to work. She would not think about the men leering at her, about the whistles and cat calls that floated through the bar. All she focused on was the music. And the mess she knew her father had made at home that she'd have to clean up when she got home. This was routine for her, she'd keep her mind occupied as her body danced to the music. She'd think about what she needed to buy, how much food and how much she'd have to pay the Bondurant Brothers for her fathers moonshine.
By the time, her song had ended Addison's feet her and she was tired. She glanced at the clock in the backroom. She'd been there since 6 that evening and it was nearing midnight. Making small talk with Liv, Addison packed up her things and put back on her bartender dress. Hopefully she'd serve a few more drinks and then be able to leave. She had stuffed her shoes into her bag when Willie came into the backroom.
"Addison, I need your help closing tonight."
It took everything in Addi not to groan in protest. She tightened her grip on her bag as she turned to face her boss. Plastering a smile on her face Addi nodded,
"Ok sir, that's no trouble."
He grunted in reply before heading back to the main room. Addison scowled at the hint of a smirk on Willie's lips.
"I'll stay with you Addi." Liv said placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Na, that's alrigh'." She threw her bag over her shoulder. "I can handle Willie, you should go on home."
Liv gave her a bright smile. Squaring her shoulders, Addison made her way into the main room. She could feel the men watching her as they got ready to head home for the night, or into the streets to find a tree to sleep under. Once she was behind the bar, Addi relaxed a little. Grabbing a rag she began to wipe down the bar. It was disgusting, how dirty men could be. There bits of chicken and beef all over the bar, not to mention the puddles of alcohol that spilled onto her shoes the minutes her rag tried to soak it up.
Out of the corner of her eye, Addison watched the last of the men file out. A few of them escorting some of the stage girls out with them. Rolling her eyes, Addison grabbed the broom and began to sweep the entire bar. She prided herself in the fact that none of the men that came into the place had ever taken her home with them. Of course after the first year of her working there, when the men learned that under no circumstances would she leave with them she'd earned a few nicknames "Stuck Up Colored Girl" being the most popular one. Addison found her self snorting at the men's "wild" imaginations. They couldn't even come up with a truly insulting nickname.
When she was finished sweeping, Addison turned to grab her bag from the bar stool she'd sat it in. However she ran straight into something solid. Scrambling back, Addison looked up into Willie's eyes. He was a big man, well at least to Addi he was. She stood at just barely 5'2. Everyone towered over her. Willie was a heavy set man though, Addison guessed he easily weighed over 300 pounds. He was always sweating and his short sleeved shirts were greasy and stunk.
"You scared me sir," She muttered.
Willie simply smiled. Addison could feel her stomach knotting up. Willie had slept with all the girls at the bar. All of them but her.
"You gon need a ride home?" He asked.
Addison shook her head quickly.
"I can walk."
Willie didn't respond. Stepping around him, Addi snatched up her bag and flung it over her shoulder.
"I'll see you tomorrow sir." Addison said as she attempted to head for the door.
A firm grip on her wrist halted her. Cursing in her head, Addi turned to face her boss.
"I don't mind giving you a ride, it's a long walk you got."
Addison could hear the sneer in his voice. Twisting her arm from his grip, Addi backed up a few steps.
"I like to walk." She said, her voice shaking. "I've really got to get going."
Turning on her heels, Addison tried not to ruin from the bar. Once she was outside, she pulled on her coat and set off in the direction of home.
Willie was right. It was a long walk. She didn't make it home until almost two in the morning. Her house was dark. But Addison was not quick to assume that her father was in bed. As she unlocked the door and stepped through the smell of vomit greeted her nose. Scrunching up her nose, Addison closed and locked the door. Turning around she just barely had time to react when a glass mason jar whizzed by her head. It smashed against the door with a loud ringing sound that echoed through the house. Addi's hands flew up to her mouth to silence the scream that was erupting from her throat.
"Where tha HELL have you been!"
Her father's voice thundered in the front hall. Addison; who use to shake in fear when his voice reached this tone, rolled her eyes and stood up straight.
"Unlike some, I have a job." She replied back. "What are you doing up Daddy? It's late."
Her father snorted and loudly stumbled into the living room. Rubbing her eyes, Addison followed him.
"Where's the vomit?" She muttered.
Her father pointed to in front of the tv. Addi growled in frustration. She grabbed some towels from the bathroom before trying to clean up her fathers sick.
"It's hard." She all but yelled. "How long has this been here?"
Her father didn't answer and Addi muttered darkly to herself as she scrubbed until the vomit was gone.
Standing back up, Addison met her fathers eyes. They were hazy and unfocused. Shaking her head, Addison threw the towels into the trash. Now she'd have to buy new towels. Growling, Addi headed for the stairs. She needed her bed and she needed sleep.
"Addison."
Pausing, Addi turned her body on the stair case. Her father was squinting at her.
"Check on your mother for me."
Addison felt her heart drop. Whenever her father got drunk, her mother's death seemed to just slip from his mind. He had this idea that she was always asleep upstairs in their bed. That she was just tired and needed rest. And the one time Addi had tried to tell her father that his wife was gone, that they had buried her, she ended up having to waste money on make up to cover up a black eye.
"I will Dad." Addi sighed as she turned back around and took the stairs a little slower this time.
As she climbed into bed, Addison listened to her father stumble and curse around in the living room beneath her. Dragging her hands over her face roughly, Addison sighed. She'd been doing that a lot lately. She wondered how much longer this would continue. Would she be stuck at the bar until she was old and could only work behind the bar? Would her dad accidentally kill himself because he was too drunk to even comprehend that what he was doing was dangerous?
Addison turned on her side, putting her back against her bedroom door. Trying to shut out the problems she was facing right now. She squeezed her eyes closed. Addi wanted nothing more than to pack up her things and leave. Go somewhere up north. With or without her father. But she couldn't. Like her mother had told her, there were few choices, few chances and limits on her plate. Addison had a routine here, it was a good routine in her minds eyes but still it made the days pass in relative ease. She couldn't risk going up north and ending up a bum on the streets.
As she drifted off to sleep, her father's curses died down and Addi let her body relax. The last thing she heard was her mother's voice in her ear.
"There are limits Addi Bear, for dark skinned girls who stuck in this light skinned world."
That's my first chapter of my story. I hope it's good and I hope you guys like it. Leave me some reviews, follows and faves please! They make me smile.
Danyi