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moment. The last thing I needed to hear was Looney Tootie preaching to me. ―Miss LT, I don‘t mean no harm, but I really don‘t feel like hearing that dumb shit right now. I ain‘t tryin‘ to take away what you believe and everything. But I‘m telling you your God don‘t live there. He can‘t be.‖
    ―Oooo, chile‘! Who you think you talking to...using that kinda language? You besta go on and wash your mouth out with some soap. And my God is your God and He is everywhere.‖
    ―I‘m sorry, Miss LT. I ain‘t mean to disrespect you. I just got into a fight with Aunt Hope.‖
―I know. I told you I heard from God.‖
    ―I gotta go Miss LT. I can‘t be standing in front of this door ‗cause Aunt Hope might come downstairs. And I‘m telling you the way I feel right now…I‘ma hurt her if she come with some stupid shit.‖
    Looney Tootie ignored my foul language this time. ―Storm, you gonna be alright.‖
―I know.‖
    ―Look chile‘.‖ Looney Tootie looked up and pointed to my window. There were two birds circling around the window. Suddenly, one of the birds stopped circling and began pecking at the glass. I looked at Miss LT– waiting for an explanation. However, she said nothing. Instead, she wore a face I had never seen before. It wasn‘t fear though. I can‘t say what it was, but her reaction scared me.
    ―What‘s going on? What you want me to look at?‖ ―You see them birds?‖
―Yes, I see ‗em.‖
―You see them birds?‖ Looney Tootie repeated. ―They trying to get in. That‘s what they trying to do.‖
    ―What you talking about? Birds don‘t wanna go inside nobody house, Miss LT. Birds like to be free. They can‘t be free to fly if they in a house.‖
    ― Oh, sugar but they do wanna go in. They gotta go in. See when the birds go inside of a house, they ‗bout to let the death angel in.‖
―What?‖
Looney Tootie bent down and whispered. ―Death is coming, Storm.‖
    ―Miss LT, why you trying to scare me like that?‖ ―Death is on the way.‖
―MISS LT!‖ I screamed. ―Stop that!‖
―I can‘t stop it, Storm.‖
―Yes, you can. Stop talking like that.‖
    ―Storm, now you know ol‘ Tootie don‘t lie. I ain‘ t never lied to you. And I ain‘t ‗bout to start lying to you either. Don‘t be scared, sugar. I promised you the day was gonna come. Didn‘t I? And when it does, they both goin‘ straight to hell with gasoline draws on.‖
* * *
    The next morning, Smoke jumped out of the living room window and killed himself. The word on the street was he got a hold of some bad drugs. Before he jumped, he yelled out to Aunt Hope – ―Look at me, I‘m Superman!‖
My only regret…I wish I had been there to see him fly.

Part II
Things done changed…

Chapter 4
    I knew that in order to survive, I had to continue to sell what drove old men crazy and kept them coming back for more. I had mastered wrapping my walls around their penises like no other woman before me and I enjoyed every minute of it. Not the sex– the power and control. Making grown men -20, 30, sometimes 40 years older than me, cry like a newborn baby was an adrenaline rush of infinite power.
    I still had no place to call home. Therefore, I slept wherever I grew tired. Sometimes it would be an abandoned building, sometimes I would get one of my Johns to pay for a night at the motel, or sometimes I would sleep at Nee Nee‘s house. When I was really desperate, I slept wherever Miss LT did.
TONYA BLOUNT
    Everything I owned, I carried in my blue Jansport back pack. I stopped going to school and I taught myself better than any teacher could have.
I never complained, because all in all living on the streets was still better than with Aunt Hope. Besides, there was a part of me that enjoyed the adventure and the spontaneity of my lifestyle.
    Aunt Hope contacted me one time after I left. She had put the word on the street that she had heard from my mother. That was the only way I would go looking for her. Aunt