Chantay: Sup cuz
Dave: sup dreds lol
Chantay:wyd
Dave:at the dot. Please do not give me a lecture about skipping
Chantay: I won't. We need to talk. I'll be there in 10 minutes
Dave: ok
Dave didn't know why he stayed. Maybe a part of him knew he needed to talk to someone who shared a common pain as he did. He just had to get away from it all. His mind was so jumbled with so many thoughts: the beatings, the cutting, the tears, the blood.
"Hey Dave. I'm kind of surprised you stayed."
"Me too, Dreds. I'm surprised you skipped."
"Me too? So how have you and your mom been since Uncle John and Jamal."
"We've been roughing it. How is Aunt Claudette and Uncle Ridge doing? I miss them."
"We miss you. We've been trying to call and keep in touch with your mom but she has made it clear that she wants nothing to do with "your dad's people" anymore. I know you have been sad since their death. It's ok. I miss them too."
"Should I tell her? I want to be like I used to. It's like I carry the whole world on my shoulders."
"Everything is fine. I promise."
"Ok, babe. You have my number. Call if you need anything. Anything!" Chantay emphasized and hugged him. It was a little too hard because he winced. Chantay felt it too but she gave him the impression that she hadn't. She would talk to her parents tonight.
"Thanks for walking home with me Sav."
"No prob sis. Nice jacket by the way."
"It's Dave. I got cold in the museum; he gave it to me. I didn't get the chance to return it. I can at least wash it."
"You really do like this guy don't you?"
"Whatever loser. Yeah I do."
When the siblings arrived at home, Alli immediately went to the laudryroom. She had to admit, she didn't know what she was doing, but there is a first time for everything. As she poured the washing powder in the machine, Sav stopped her.
"Make sure it's on cold."
"How do you know that? Is someone getting tips from Anya?" She laughed.
"Whatever, I'm just trying to help."
Before she put the jacket into the machine, she decided to empty out his pockets. What she found scared her as well as brought tears to her eyes. Time stood still. She gasped, starring at the single-edged razor with stains of blood.
"O my gosh. What should I do? Should I tell Sav. No bad idea. Now is not the time to have the most judgmental person I know call Dave a nutcase. I have to figure out my own way. God give me strength."
Meanwhile
"Mom, Dad I'm really worried about Dave. He's not the same. He's distant. It's like he's in a trance. But this trance is filled with pain and misery."
"Baby, your father and I have tried calling their house. What more can we do? Helen told us to stay away. We've even tried to talk to Dave, but he ignores us too. He is being put in a hard place. He doesn't want to betray his mom. He feels that she is all he has left in this world."
"Mom I understand that but I also feel that we have gotten so tangled up in our problems, we forgot about them. We've been so selfish. We just ostracized them."
"Chantay, you are right but that is her child. She is doing what she thinks is best. "
"So beating him is what's right?"
"Chantay, Helen may be heavy-hearted now, but she would never physically hurt Dave."
"Mom, Dad Dave has be beaten and hurt so badly. I know it's more than just losing Uncle John and Jamal. Please we have to help him."
"Then that's what we shall do. Stay here baby girl. We are going to visit them now." Her dad said kissing her forehead."
As they arrived at Dave's house, the atmosphere instantly changed. The house that used to look like something out of "Home and Gardens" was dirty and unkempt.
"Ridge, how could we have let this happen?"
"It's alright baby we are here to stop it now."
As they rang the door, they heard the drunken voice of an agitated woman "Dave did you try to sneak out again. Claudette and Ridge, come to tell me what a bad mother I am."
"No we have come to help you and Dave. Please give me the bottle. This isn't healthy. You're hurting yourself. What would John say if he saw you?"
"Claudette, what do you know? He'd probably give me another. He didn't care about me. He didn't want me or love me. That's why he cheated on me. How could I stand seeing him, woman after woman…"
"Claudette go get Dave, I'll stay here with her. Look, we are here now to help. We love you. We want you happy." As he said this, she rushed up the stairs to her nephew. She was desperate to save him from this sickness.
"Dave, baby open up. We are here now. Everything is ok now. She can't hurt you anymore."
Dave was listening to his aunt's words on the other side of the door. He knew his mom needed help but she also needed him. Who else would take care of her? He wanted to be happy again but everyone can't be blessed with happiness. This was his life, but he opened the door. It was like another force took control of his actions. When he saw his aunt, he cried in her arms.