Reckless Entitlement

Chapter 5: Maya

"So you're really leaving." Roxanne said as she sat at the kitchen table puffing on her morning cigarette. The years of smoking had done some major damage to her appearance making her look years older than she was. Her brown skin was riddled with wrinkles and her teeth had taken on a yellowy tent from the nicotine. Her voice, by far my least favorite thing about her, was rough and scratchy.

"Yeah, I'm leaving, Roxanne," I said to her. I held a trash bag of stuff in each hand. I was so excited about moving today I didn't sleep at all last night. I've been waiting for this day since I was six years old.

Roxanne croaked, "I'm surprised you made it this long without getting pregnant. I thought that you would end up like one of those other fast little girls that come through here." She uses the term fast to describe every young girl that's hit puberty around here, it's sad really, because most of their sexual experience is from unwanted advances.

"Thankfully I'm on the pill," I said sarcastically.

She narrowed her eyes, putting out her cigarette. "You wouldn't be half bad if you didn't have such a smart ass mouth."

I smiled in spite of her comment. Today is the start of a new beginning and I wasn't going to let Roxanne ruin it.

Tasha honked from outside. She'd borrowed her older brothers truck to help me move today. They'd loaded all the things that I kept in Nia's grandmothers garage in the truck bed, I could see it through Roxanne's screen door.

"Looks like it's time for me to go, Roxanne."

"Bye," she said grouchily.

I took in a deep breath of fresh air as I stepped out of that house for the last time. The air smelled of sweet, sweet freedom, and I loved every minute of it.

"Hurry up, Lavender and the boys are already at your apartment!" Tasha yelled through the open passenger window.

Before I could go downstairs two of my now former foster sisters stopped me. Rushing out of the house, causing Roxanne to yell something about slamming doors. Trina and Sasha stood before me, they'd become close since arriving at Roxanne's and I just hoped that they wouldn't be seperated. They'd begun telling people that they were sisters, I've seen this happen time and time again, I just hoped it wouldn't end badly for them.

"Do you have to go," Trina asked frowning.

"I aged out," I explained. Despite the seven and eight year age gap we were practically the same height. "I don't have any choice but to leave." Even if I did I wouldn't want to stay here.

"But who's going to do our hair?" Sasha asked running her hands down her braids. They both had braids that I had done. Before I began doing hair for extra cash, I originally learned because I was sick of going to school with my hair a mess. An older girl that was staying at Roxanne's at the time taught me, Kara, she wasn't here long, but she taught me before she aged out. Then I just started doing the younger girls hair. God knows Roxanne wasn't going to do it.

"And who's going to buy us Poptarts?" Trina cried.

Reaching into my front pocket, I fished for some bills that I had placed there. "Here," I said handing them each a five. "You can each buy yourself a box, but hide them under your bed. And don't let her catch you with them or she'll throw them away. You'll be fine without me. Trina remember the more simple braids I taught you and help Sasha with them."

They both took the money, but they still looked sad. "We're going to miss you," said Sasha.

"You'll see me again," I assured them. Maybe not here, but I had confidence that we'd see each other in the future. Hopefully under better circumstances. "And you know where I work you can visit me anytime." I was there even when I wasn't working.