A Moment In Time

 

 

“Why is it taking so long for the judge to make his decision? I'm ready to get out of the foster system for good.” I thought to myself.

I have been in and out of group homes and foster homes since i was ten. My whole life has been drama since i was born. My mother never took care of me. She always left me at home with my older brother, who was only six when i was born. While my mother was always out on dates with different men. My brother cooked dinner, cleaned the house and put me to sleep at night. My brother use to protect me from everything before he got shot over a stupid dice game and i got put into the system. I remember the night my brother got shot. I was sitting in my room, when my cell phone rang. It was my best friend, Tamia

“Wassup T. What's going on? I asked her

“He got shot, Dominica. He was playing dice and won. Then, they shot him.” Tamika cried into the phone

“Who got shot Tamia? What you talking about?” I yelled into the phone.

“They shot Marco, Dominica. He's dead. He won the dice game, then he got shot.” Tamia started crying harder into the phone.

“WHERE ARE YOU? I'M COMING DOWN THERE,RIGHT NOW. WHERE YOU AT, T?” I screamed into the phone.

“We on Potter and Carlson. Over here by the Manors!

I hung up the phone. I put on my coat and ran down the street. I told my brother not hang with them dudes at Kennedy Manor, now know as Monterey Pines. When i got there, the coroner was putting my brother's stiff, lifeless body in a body bag. I started screaming and crying. I ran to the truck, they put the body in. The police grabbed my arms and pulled me away. Tamia ran up and pulled me into her arms. I started screaming and crying harder.

“I'm ready to make my decision.” the judge's voice snapped me back into the courtroom. “Can everybody please stand? I have been through my documents over and over again. Miss Lopez, seeing what you have gone through. I think you have been through some tough things in your life that nobody should have to go through. By the order of the court i will grant you an apartment to live in and $500 dollars every month to live off of. In order to for this to work out, you will find a job and report back to me in one month.

I nodded my head at the judge and mouth the words”thank you”. I picked up my things and walked out the courtroom. When i got outside, my boyfriend Tre was sitting on his car talking on the phone. He looked up at me and hung up the phone.

“How did it go?” he asked me

I looked into his cinnamon brown eyes with happiness in my eyes. I told him what the judge said. He smiled, then picked me up and spun me around. Me and Tre had been together a year. We had met at Hilltop Mall in Richmond. Despite all the problems in our relationship, we loved each other. Tre told me to get in the car, so we could go start packing up my stuff at my foster home.

 

At My Foster Home

When me and Tre got to the foster home I had been staying in, my foster mother Susan and foster sister Ashley were sitting out side on the porch. Susan was braiding Ashley's hair. I couldn't stand Susan for anything in the world.

“Ouch,that hurt.” Ashley whined.

“If you stop moving so much it wouldn't hurt” Susan yelled. She looked up at me.

“What the judge say”. She asked

“I will be out of your house on Monday.” I looked her up and down

“Are you about to get your stuff now?” She looked up at me and kept braiding.

“That was my intention.” I moved towards the door

“Good and can you hurry up. I got company coming around four.”

She finished with Ashley's hair and got up off the porch. Ashley followed her. Ashley turned around and blew me a kiss. I caught and blew her one back. I turned around when they had got in the house.

“I can't stand that woman.” I told Tre with a look of disgust on my face.

“Me either. That old hateful bitch.” Tre grabbed my hand and we walked into the house, up the stairs to my room. I knew this day was coming so I had boxes under my bed with tape on top of them. I folded up all my clothes and put them into boxes. Tre folded my bed sheets and all my other personal belongings in boxes.

A soft knock came at the other side of the door. It was Ashley.

“Hey. What's going on? I asked her

“I don't want you to leave me, D.” She said, hugging my waist.

Ashley was eleven years old and an only child. Her sister had gotten shot, sitting at the bus stop with some of her friends. The reason for the killing was mistaken identity. So, Ashley had been taking it pretty hard since they were so close. Like me and my brother were close.

“I know, Ashley, but I gotta go.” I looked at her with tears in my eyes.

“If you go,D. I will be alone.”Ashley started to cry.

Dominica bent down and hugged Ashley. She started to cry, but didn't let Ashley see her tears.

“Dominica, we gotta go. We got places to go.” Tore looked at his watch.

“K” Dominica responded

She looked down at Ashley.

“I'm about to go, but you still have my cell number. Call me and I will come pick you up.”

Dominica tells Ashley and Ashley walks out the room. Dominica picks up her bags and some boxes and walks out of the room. She puts her things in Tre's car and waits for him to come to the car with the rest of the boxes. They get in the car and drive off.

“Dominica, you know I'm getting a big shipment on Monday. I need somewhere to keep and I want to keep it at your apartment.” Tre looked at Dominica.

“Umm, I guess. You know I'm not suppose to have in there with me and they gonna be doing weekly checks on my apartment. Dominica said as she looked out the window.

Tre grabbed Dominica's faced and turned it around to him. He looked into her eyes.

“You love me right.”Tre looked at her

“Yea, you know i love you baby.” Dominica looked back at Tre

“Then you would keep this shipment for me at yo apartment.” Tre turned back to the watch the road.

“Yea, ok, i guess. Where is we going” Dominica replied

“ To the house. So you can have somewhere to sleep until Monday.” Tre said before he picked up his ringing phone.

While he was on the phone I had time to think about what he had said. Keeping his drugs at the house meant that i had to go through all this mess with him. Him coming in at different hours of the night and me being stupid for letting him do it. Before we got to his house, we had to stop at his friend O's house first. O was a nicely built guy with a dangerous attitude. He didn't like anyone to double cross him. When we pulled up to the house, O was getting out of his car. Tre got out the car and went to talk to O. O turned to the car and waved at me. I waved back. After O and Tre got finish talking, Tre got back in the car and we left.

 

Monday Morning

When I woke up Monday, I hurried up and got dressed. I had to meet my court appointed counselor at the Apartment for 10:00. When i got to the apartment, a woman with long blond and brown hair was standing at the door. She was wearing a peach colored sweatsuit with a purse to match. I hopped out of the U-Haul truck and went to go meet her. I reached out my hand to her and shook it.

“Hi, My name is Dominica Lopez and yours is ma'am.”

“My name is Ms. Scott and I'm your counselor.” Ms. Scott looked me in my eyes.

“It's nice to meet you, Ms. Scott.”

“So, are you ready to see the Apartment.” Ms. Scott said taking the keys out of her purse.

“Yes, I am.” Dominica said excitedly

Ms. Scott open the door to the apartment and we walked into the apartment. I took one look around and fell in love. The apartment was fully furnished. It had everything. I was so happy. Ms. Scott told me and the rules I needed to know to keep my apartment and from getting kicked out.

When Ms. Scott left I called Tre and told him i was at the apartment. Tre said he was on his way back to town and that he had got the shipment. I told him the address and he said k. When we got off the phone, I went to the U-Haul to unpack my things. I had finally finished my apartment, when my phone rang.

“Hello” I answered

“Yes,is this Dominica?” The voice asked me.

“It is. May I ask who is speaking?” Dominica replied

“I'm from the I-95 highway patrol and your boyfriend Trevon Sparks has been shot. He died instantly at the scene. I'm sorry ma'am for your lost.

“Tre has been shot.” Dominica repeated

“Yes ma'am. Once in the back of the head and twice in the back” The officer said

“Thanks for calling and telling me.”Dominica said sadly into the phone.

“Your welcome ma'am and sorry for your death. You have a good evening.” The officer hung up the phone.

After, the phone call I had so much to think about. I was waiting for Tre to get to the apartment to tell him that i was 6 weeks pregnant. I guess that wasn't happening. I called his mom and told her and she just cried into the phone. I hung up. I had to think about getting a job and my future for my baby. I had only 9 months to think and i need to think fast.

 

9 Months Later

On December 25, I had a healthy baby girl. I had a stable job working as a manager for Macy's. I still had my apartment and life was good.