"It was six years ago." Asia started. Her voice cracked under the
pressure. "There was a bad thunderstorm happening. I went to go get
Marcus from basketball practice. You had stayed home, saying that you
didn't feeling well." She took a deep breath.
Isaac, Taylor, and Zac was staring intently at her. But not as
intently as Keesha. If she leaned even a fraction of a centimeter
forward she would've fallen out of her chair. "Go on." Keesha
encouraged.
Asia closed her eyes. "Your father was here. I swear to you I didn't
know that he was. I had kicked him out the week before and we were
getting a divorce." Again she took a deep breath.
Keesha held hers.
"He broke in looking for money. S_s_so t_t_th_that h_he c _could
b_buy his d_d_d_drugs." She stuttered horribly.
Keesha's brow furrowed. She was having a hard time understanding her
mother when she stuttered. But she kept up with her. Her knuckles were
turning white as she clutched to the arms of the leather chair.
Asia's eyes filled with tears and fear. "He saw you at the top of the
stairs and he started yelling at you. Screaming, and asking where his
money was. You didn't know. You told him that you were sick and he
didn't believe you. He accused you of lying to him." She broke off,
because her tears spilled over.
"Please, mom. Go on." Keesha begged. Crying as well. Her voice
quavered slightly from the tears. And pain.
Isaac, Taylor and Zac were shocked into silence. They just sat there
listening as Asia told the story, and watching as she fell apart.
Taking Keesha with her.
Clearing her throat and wiping away her tears Asia continued. "He
started to beat on you. Really hard. He smacked you too hard and
ruptured your eardrums. When he noticed that you weren't flinching when
he screamed in your ears he realized what he had done. That he had made
you go deaf from his harsh blows. He was so high." She said as tears
streamed down her face again. "He thought that he had to get rid of
you. Afraid that he was going to go to jail for hurting you. So he
dragged you into the bathroom and slit your wrists and your arms with a
razorblade that I hadn't yet thrown out." She stopped, looking at
Keesha. Unsure if she should continue.
"Don't stop! Go on!" Keesha shouted in pain. Her tears were quickly
cascading down her already tear stained cheeks.
Asia nodded. Her eyes filled with horror and fear as her tears dried
up a little. "He thought that you were dead and he wrapped you in his
heavy coat and started to take you downstairs and he was going to bury
you in the back yard if I hadn't arrived." Her voice broke, but she
regained it quickly. "I told Marcus to call nine one one and I had to
talk your father into letting you go. He kept going on and on about how
you lied to him and how he had to hide you before he got into any
trouble." She cried covering her eyes trying to block out the mental
image.
Keesha let out a loud cry of pain and she let her tears run down her
cheeks faster. Refusing to wipe away at them and refusing to try and
stop them. Isaac, Taylor, and Zac went to her side immediately.
"I rode with you in the back of the ambulance to the hospital. I
didn't know all of what he had done to you. You were in a coma for
weeks, because he beat you so hard. And you had lost quite a lot of
blood." Asia stopped, then continued. "When you woke up and you had
asked what happened. I couldn't bring myself to tell you. So I just
said that you had an accident."
"What happened then?" Keesha asked. Her face was twisted in hurt and
pain. She needed to know everything. No matter how much it hurt.
"Then," Asia said before she broke down crying again. She sniffled
quickly. "Then you said that you didn't hear me. You asked me why you
couldn't. You were so scared. You didn't know what was happening.
Neither did I. Marcus blamed himself for years because of his basketball
practice. He hasn't played the game since. After that he and I never
left you alone again. We took you out of public school because the
other children were making fun of you and we couldn't watch you. So we
had hired tutors. And that brings us to now." Asia said as she dried
her eyes.
Keesha just stared at her mother. Her heart was twisting in hurt at
the sting of her mothers words.
Asia looked at her daughter. "Keesha, I wanted to tell you. I did.
But I was afraid that you would think that I didn't try hard enough.
That you would blame Marcus and I for letting that happen to you."
Slowly, Keesha stood up. On wobbly knees she walked over to Asia and
hugged her tightly. "God, Mother. After living with me for sixteen
years do you still not know me?" She asked in whisper.
"I'm so sorry, Keesha." Asia said as she looked at Keesha's face.
Keesha's's face was now worn. Frown lines marked her beautiful face.
Her tear stained cheeks were really visible. Isaac, Taylor, and Zac
each hugged Keesha. Keesha welcomed the safe feeling from her friends,
but she needed to be alone. "I'm going to go to my room right now.
I'll talk to you guys later." She said to Zac, Isaac, and Taylor. They
nodded their heads.
She was feeling light headed and when she reached the doorway to the
library she collapsed on the floor. Before everything went pitch black
she remembered seeing Taylor's worried face looking down at her.
She may have dreamt this, but she thought she took his hand in hers
before she closed her eyes.
-Later. At the hospital-
Keesha slowly opened her eyes and sat up quickly. Pain shot up her
arm and her head pounded severely. She looked at her arm. An IV needle
was stuck in it. Causing her skin around the needle to turn a light
shade of purple. Gripping her forehead she looked around. Isaac was
asleep in one chair, Zac was asleep in the other, and Taylor was
staring out the large window in the corner of the room.
"Taylor?" She croaked out. Her throat was sore from being dry.
Taylor spun around and beamed at her. Keesha pointed to the pitcher
of water. He nodded and went to pour her a glass. Handing it to her he
smiled brightly.
Keesha drank the water in record time. She smiled gratefully at
Taylor. "What happened?" She asked stifling a yawn.
"You were walking out of the library and then you just fell. You
never gave a warning or anything. You just fell." Taylor explained
staring at her.
Staring back, Keesha smiled. "So what's been going on? And how long
have I been out?" She asked relaxing against the pillows on the small
narrow bed.
"Nothing really. We've all been here waiting for you to wake up. And
you've only been out for almost twenty-four hours now." Taylor said as
he looked at his watch.
Isaac began to stir when Zac, who was in the chair next to him,
slapped him upside the head. Shaking his head, he looked up at Keesha
and Taylor.
Keesha waved at him smiling. "Morning. Or is it afternoon? Is it
night time?" She asked confused.
Taylor laughed. "It's almost three-thirty now."
Standing up and stretching, Isaac yawned. "Well, after my little nap
I'm well rested." He stated smiling.
"Little nap?!" Taylor asked. "You slept for almost ten hours!!
That's not a nap!! That's a sleep!!!" He pointed out.
Zac woke up from the shouting. "Gosh, can't a guy get ant sleep
around here?" He asked rubbing the sleep from his eyes and yawning.
He saw that Keesha was awake and went to give her a hug, but stopped
when he saw the needle in her arm.
"Here." He said sticking his hand out to her.
Laughing, Keesha shook his hand. "Good evening, Zac."
Zac bowed. "Good evening, Keesha." He replied smiling.
"So how are you feeling?" Isaac asked as he and Zac sat at the end of
her bed.
"Well, besides the needle in my arm, and the pounding in my head, I'm
just fine." Keesha replied. Even though she knew that wasn't exactly
what he was asking about. "Where's my mother and Marcus?" She asked.
"They're out getting dinner for us and themselves. They should be
back soon." Taylor said avoiding eye contact with her.
"Keesha, I meant do you remember what happened in the library
yesterday before you passed out?" Isaac asked concerned.
Keesha looked away and tears filled her eyes. But this time she
refused to cry. "I wish I was never told." She whispered. "I know
that I said that I wanted to know, but I never knew that it would hurt
so much to know. If I had known that I would've hurt worse now then
when I did on that awful day, I would've refused to have known."
She turned back to the guys and they were silent. 'Left in silence.'
She said to herself. The last word echoed in her mind. 'Forever.'
