Lost Daughters Read Online Free PDF Page A

the apartment next door to Maureen, was going to be one of the judges. When that information reached Loretta, she immediately began to visit Mr. Ben. She volunteered to perform a variety of chores for him. She was so relentless and determined to impress the old man that she didn’t even utilize Mona’s services. This was too important, and she had to be the one to get the credit. She ran to the store for Mr. Ben, mopped his kitchen floor, took his trash to the Dumpster, did his laundry, and one day she even baked him a pecan pie.
    â€œOh, Mama, this is just the kind of showcase I need to show people what a real black princess is all about. I’ve already memorized what I want to say when they put the crown on my head! Do you think I should sing somethin’ or dance for the talent part?” Loretta gushed.
    â€œI’m sure that whatever you do, you’ll be the best, baby,” Maureen told Loretta, praying that she would do well. Maureen was afraid to even think about how severe Loretta’s meltdown would be if she didn’t win first place.
    Loretta was on cloud nine. For the next few days, she pranced around the house singing and dancing like she had already won first place. She was convinced that her beauty contest victory would be a potent tool for her to use when she approached the Miami Vice people. The least they could do was use her as an extra until she was old enough to play some fictional big shot’s wife or girlfriend, or something. It would make up for the fact that Maureen had told Loretta that she was too young to try out for a part in Scarface (her favorite movie)—which had been filmed practically in their own backyard—a few years ago.
    Unfortunately, things came crashing down a few days later when Loretta received a list in the mail with the names of the other contestants. She stormed the kitchen, where Maureen was cutting up the chicken they were going to have for dinner.
    â€œMama! Mama! You won’t believe this! Just take a look at the names of the girls I’ll be competin’ against!” Loretta shrieked with a strangled gasp. Words could not describe how horrified she was. “I can’t believe my own eyes!” She waved the list in front of Maureen’s face, frowning at it like it was a soiled diaper.
    Maureen quickly snatched the sheet of paper out of Loretta’s hand, squinting her eyes as she scanned it. “Hmmm. I see your best friend Mona Flack is one of the contestants,” she said with an incredulous grunt, giving Loretta a puzzled look.
    â€œCan you believe this?” Loretta growled.
    â€œMona’s a nice girl, but . . . I don’t mean to sound mean, but I think she’s kind of plain to be in a beauty contest. What’s goin’ on, Lo’retta? Is this supposed to be a joke?”
    â€œNo!” Loretta roared. “This ain’t no joke!”
    Maureen’s eyes got big as she stood there with her mouth hanging open. She glared at the list of names as if she couldn’t believe what she was seeing with her own eyes either. “Do you mean to tell me that this is a real beauty contest?”
    Loretta’s face looked hot, but her voice was like ice. “ Beauty contest? This is goin’ to be more like a ‘who’s who at the zoo.’ Just look at the rest of these other names!” Loretta was so upset her finger was shaking as she pointed from one name to another. “There’s enough apes on this list to make a Tarzan movie! And the name of every dog except Lassie is on this list!”
    Maureen scratched her chin. “Maybe they don’t want to focus too much on looks,” she threw in.
    Loretta’s face was so hot by now she had to fan herself. “What’s wrong with you, Mama? Since when do people have pageants that don’t focus on looks?” She paused and stomped her foot on the floor so hard, some glasses on the counter rattled. “I