was to ever find out what I did I knew he would never forgive me.
When I got that abortion it was the worst thing I could do. But I knew I had to get rid of it because my mother was already taking care of my sister’s baby and she didn’t need me to bring another baby into this world. Plus, seeing how Mercedes struggled raising Mason it was enough to make me realize that I didn’t need a baby. I also saw what struggling to raise three girls did to my mother. She didn’t want the same for me or my sisters. She didn't regret having kids, but she felt like she wasted our lives because she couldn’t take care of us like a mother should.
My father left her when she was six months pregnant with me. That only made her grind harder for us. I didn’t care how she got her money; I still loved her either way, and she made sure we didn’t have to want or need for anything.
Staring down at Mason I thought about Ms. Donna. If it wasn’t for her stepping in to help take care of Mason, I would be a nervous wreck. She took him to daycare every morning. She cooked for him, nurtured him, and gave him the love I couldn't give him.
I didn’t know what I was going to do. I was walking back and forth in my bedroom packing my things when I heard Black’s car pull up into the driveway. He was driving a brand new all-black 2011 Bentley. He was forty years old but didn’t look a day over twenty-five. He had a muscular body. I could tell he worked out every day.
When he smiled he had the prettiest white teeth I'd ever seen. When he spoke his voice sent chills throughout my body. He had the sexiest, smoothest deep voice I’d ever heard. He didn’t have any grey hair and his hairline was perfect with a head full of jet-black curly hair.
Black showed me what a real man was supposed to do and that was to provide and protect. He took his mother to get groceries every week. He would always bring her fresh flowers and help out around the house. I could appreciate a man who cared about the little things.
Black not only made sure we were well taken care of, he also paid extra attention to my needs. He made me feel special. He took me shopping and always kept my hair and nails done. I never mentioned it to him but I was starting to fall in love. I guess now that I was feeling grown I felt like I was ready for a man of his caliber.
I guess that's when it started; the morning after my birthday. Black was visiting after spending half of the month in Arizona. As always, the first place he stopped when he got back was here. I woke up feeling like shit from drinking and smoking with Paige and December the night before. I never imaged my eighteenth birthday would be this way. It had only been six months since their deaths and I was still depressed over losing my family.
I desperately wanted to wake up and find that this was one of those crazy nightmares I always have. The sad reality was that it wasn't a dream. I wasn't waking up from this nightmare and I couldn't celebrate life knowing my mother and sisters were dead. This would be my first birthday in eighteen years that I wouldn’t see my mother’s beautiful face as she sang happy birthday to me.
I always had my sisters by my side. We were super close. Mercedes and Porsha were more than my real sisters; they were my best friends. We were there for each other through thick and thin. I started to cry thinking about them. I missed talking to my sisters. I missed stealing all of their clothes. I missed staying up late with them and talking about everything under the sun.
I was staring down at the only picture I had of them. It was Easter Day, one of our favorite holidays. My mother was holding Mason on her lap while we stood behind her. That was the last picture we took that I could hold in my hand. It was precious to me.
As I was