breath and his wet kisses on her cheek.
Uncle Monty was speaking drunkenly into her ear. “It’s 1980 now. You aren’t going to speak for the new decade? It’s been three years since your Mama and Daddy died.” She looked at the door where Angel was still standing, alone now and watching her. Leslie looked back to her dream Uncle and he was looking at her real funny.
“Give Uncle Monty a big New Years kiss.” Leslie didn’t want to. He smelled funny and was acting funny. But she did as she was told and leaned forward to kiss his cheek and he turned his head swiftly and she kissed his wet mouth instead. She immediately wiped her lips of his spit.
He laughed like he had told the biggest joke. Leslie slid off of his lap but he clamped his hand on her wrist.
“It’s after midnight, young lady, time for you to go to bed. Your Grandmama said that you can stay up to midnight only.” The drunken man stood and then swiftly lifted her into his arms. He carried her up the stairs and Leslie watched the rest of the people in the room continue their dancing and drinking in slow motion, oblivious to her and her dream Uncle. The only person that didn’t seem to be moving in slow motion was Angel. He didn’t move at all, but his eyes were glued to hers.
Chapter 3
~1989 Summer~
The telephone was ringing and her hands were covered in black sticky hair gel. “Shit!” Grandma was going to have a shit fit if the phone woke her up. She quickly wiped her hands on her jeans. They needed to be washed anyways. This was her third straight time wearing them. She sprinted out of her bedroom, hurtling over the ottoman until she reached the phone on the end table.
“Hello?!” She said breathlessly. She’d caught it on the third ring and was half listening to the voice over the phone and for her grandmother’s movements in the other room.
“Leslie! Girl, April’s mother is spending the night at her boyfriend’s house and April has the place to herself! I’m on my way over there now, I’m a come pick you up-”
Leslie scowled. “You know I don’t like April and she don’t like me.” April used to be one of the girls in school that made fun of her when they were both back in elementary-- back before she had began talking again. The kids used to pick on her, calling her retarded. April had even gouged her with her sharp nails because she wouldn’t yell out.
She heard her friend sigh over the telephone. Missy was her best friend, but that didn’t mean she was a good friend. It wasn’t as if Leslie could tell her that April made her feel like the lost little girl that she had once been…a girl that she had fought hard to bury down within herself.
“Come on, bitch! You can steal some of yo Grandma’s liquor and pain pills.”
“Hey!” Leslie said in a hushed yet hard voice. “I’m not stealing pain pills for everyone. She will start missing those.” But the liquor was easy. For a while now she had been responsible for managing the household. Grandma’s check would get deposited into the bank account and Leslie had the ATM card to withdraw the cash when she had to do the shopping or the checkbook when she had to pay a bill. She had celebrated her eighteenth birthday by getting herself a fake ID that said she was 21. And Grandma had plenty of pills that she stole for herself and Missy when she wanted to share. Leslie didn’t even really look at it as stealing. Grandma couldn’t do things now that she was sick. It wasn’t really stealing when Grandma didn’t use the money…
“Look Leslie, come to the party. I don’t want to go by myself.” She heard Missy’s voice become sly. “Derek is going to be there.” Leslie felt an involuntary chill run down her spine at the mention of his name.
Derek made her want to keep her eyes downcast and to duck out of sight. Nothing much made her feel that way these days. Most of the boys she knew were hard; into
Uncle Monty was speaking drunkenly into her ear. “It’s 1980 now. You aren’t going to speak for the new decade? It’s been three years since your Mama and Daddy died.” She looked at the door where Angel was still standing, alone now and watching her. Leslie looked back to her dream Uncle and he was looking at her real funny.
“Give Uncle Monty a big New Years kiss.” Leslie didn’t want to. He smelled funny and was acting funny. But she did as she was told and leaned forward to kiss his cheek and he turned his head swiftly and she kissed his wet mouth instead. She immediately wiped her lips of his spit.
He laughed like he had told the biggest joke. Leslie slid off of his lap but he clamped his hand on her wrist.
“It’s after midnight, young lady, time for you to go to bed. Your Grandmama said that you can stay up to midnight only.” The drunken man stood and then swiftly lifted her into his arms. He carried her up the stairs and Leslie watched the rest of the people in the room continue their dancing and drinking in slow motion, oblivious to her and her dream Uncle. The only person that didn’t seem to be moving in slow motion was Angel. He didn’t move at all, but his eyes were glued to hers.
Chapter 3
~1989 Summer~
The telephone was ringing and her hands were covered in black sticky hair gel. “Shit!” Grandma was going to have a shit fit if the phone woke her up. She quickly wiped her hands on her jeans. They needed to be washed anyways. This was her third straight time wearing them. She sprinted out of her bedroom, hurtling over the ottoman until she reached the phone on the end table.
“Hello?!” She said breathlessly. She’d caught it on the third ring and was half listening to the voice over the phone and for her grandmother’s movements in the other room.
“Leslie! Girl, April’s mother is spending the night at her boyfriend’s house and April has the place to herself! I’m on my way over there now, I’m a come pick you up-”
Leslie scowled. “You know I don’t like April and she don’t like me.” April used to be one of the girls in school that made fun of her when they were both back in elementary-- back before she had began talking again. The kids used to pick on her, calling her retarded. April had even gouged her with her sharp nails because she wouldn’t yell out.
She heard her friend sigh over the telephone. Missy was her best friend, but that didn’t mean she was a good friend. It wasn’t as if Leslie could tell her that April made her feel like the lost little girl that she had once been…a girl that she had fought hard to bury down within herself.
“Come on, bitch! You can steal some of yo Grandma’s liquor and pain pills.”
“Hey!” Leslie said in a hushed yet hard voice. “I’m not stealing pain pills for everyone. She will start missing those.” But the liquor was easy. For a while now she had been responsible for managing the household. Grandma’s check would get deposited into the bank account and Leslie had the ATM card to withdraw the cash when she had to do the shopping or the checkbook when she had to pay a bill. She had celebrated her eighteenth birthday by getting herself a fake ID that said she was 21. And Grandma had plenty of pills that she stole for herself and Missy when she wanted to share. Leslie didn’t even really look at it as stealing. Grandma couldn’t do things now that she was sick. It wasn’t really stealing when Grandma didn’t use the money…
“Look Leslie, come to the party. I don’t want to go by myself.” She heard Missy’s voice become sly. “Derek is going to be there.” Leslie felt an involuntary chill run down her spine at the mention of his name.
Derek made her want to keep her eyes downcast and to duck out of sight. Nothing much made her feel that way these days. Most of the boys she knew were hard; into
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