MOIRA W.
APR 03 2020
Moira was asleep on her couch, taking a nap before it was time for her to go to work for the day. However, she was woken up a little earlier than she expected when she received a notification on her phone. Her eyes opened and she groggily moaned before sitting up and grabbing her phone. It was a notification that she had been paid, and she didn't think anything of it... until she realized that her check was a bit short.
She knew it had nothing to do with her not working as much due to not being as much. That was intentional, and she knew it. At least a hundred dollars was missing from her check.
Since she had to work anyway, she would address it when she got there. Michael would be here to pick her up within the hour, so she decided to just start getting ready now. Just as she thought, Michael was texting her that he was outside an hour later, and she hopped into her car. She was already irritated, and hoped that it was just a mistake on their part. Lord knows she needs the money.
Moira has always been a low class citizen. Living check to check after her father left was a normal occurrence. She had to learn the value of a dollar at a young age, so she always knew how to handle her bills correctly and save money.
Getting to work wasn't a struggle because traffic wasn't bad today. When Michael pulled up in front of her job, he unlocked the doors to let her out and she asked if he could wait there for a few minutes—just in case things went south and something happened. He said he would and she could take her time.
She walked into the store and approached one of her GMs, Janie, who was standing behind the counter. "Janie," Moira called as she went around the counter.
"Yeah?" Janie turned around.
"Why is a hundred dollars missin' off my check?" Moira questioned, folding her arms. She was trying to mentally prepare herself for the answer because, whatever the excuse, she knew it was far from a good one.
"Ohhh," Janie began, "when someone does a no-call no-show, we take off a hundred dollars."
Moira furrowed her brows, fighting the urge to just cuss her out right then and there. For one, Moira had called and told them she wouldn't be able to call in, and, two, she was sure that wasn't even legal. She worked for the money she earned so unless there was a real reason for her managers to steal from her, she wasn't about to let it slide.
Not mentioning the fact that the tactic they used wasn't legal, Moira asked, "Since when?"
"Since the new GM was hired. It was a mutual agreement."
"Okay, but I called," Moira came to her own defense knowing no one else would.
"I didn't get a call. Did any of you get a call?" Janie turned to the group—who was watching everything unfold between the two of them. Everyone shook their head, co-signing just as Moira expected them to.
"Y'all ain't get no call 'cuz I called Nikki." Her tone of voice suddenly became solemn. She wasn't with the bullshit anymore—Moira meant business. Either they would give her what she earned with hard work, or there would be a problem. An even bigger problem than now.
Though minimum wage could be considered high compared to other places such as Maryland, South/North Carolina, and other areas closer to the South, she still needed every dollar that she earned. Chicago was an expensive place to live so, if you weren't willing to put in the work, you couldn't stay there.
"Well Nikki's last day was Friday, so I don't know why you called her."
Moira's face straightened, completely unamused. "I called ha' 'cuz she a GM and I'an know she wasn't workin' hea' no more."
"I can't help y-"
She interrupted Janie, not wanting to hear the BS excuse she had once again. "So 'cuz I called Nikki on ha' last day and she ain't say nothin ta' y'all, I get in trouble fa' dat? How you know 'Ion need dat money?"
"Moira, I really can't help you. I'm sorry."
Moira felt herself becoming angry. If that really was the case and they couldn't help her, she'd help herself. Making her way over to the register and removes the hundred dollars that was stolen from her.
"Moira, you can't steal out of the regi-"
Moira cut her off hastily, not wanting to hear what it was she had to say. "It ain't stealin', the money is mine and if y'all got anything, iss' the fuckin' nerve," she cursed. "Y'all been bullyin' me since I started workin' here, so I quit. One'a yo employees is a fuckin' rapist, and all'a y'all can go ta' hell."
Without another word—leaving Jamie, especially her, and everyone else speechless—she walked around the counter and made her way past Michael, not acknowledging. He looked around in confusion before following her out.
"What happened?" he asked while they got into the car. She buckled her seatbelt and angrily folded her arms. She was embarrassed at how she lost her temper because she's always been more on the reticent side. She also tried her hardest not to cuss, and it was rare that she did. Truthfully, she hadn't cussed since going to high school, and it just slipped out accidentally.
"They stole from me and I quit," she told him vaguely.
Michael's brows furrowed. "They stole from you?"
"They took a hundred dollars off my check 'cuz they claimed I did a no-call, no-show when you tol' me to call out dat one day."
Michael smacked his teeth with a roll of his eyes, that afternoon coming back to mind. "Damn, I'm sorry," he apologized, slightly feeling at fault. Moira shook her head, wordlessly letting him know that it wasn't his fault and she didn't at all blame him.
"I'ma have ta' find a new job now," she huffed. Finding the one she had with the ice cream parlor had already been hard enough—she just hoped it wouldn't take too long. She was the main breadwinner of the house, and had been for a while now. Her mom's health wasn't where it was supposed to be, so she could only maintain working for the house but for so long.
Michael's phone began to ring, and he told her to hold on a second. While putting his seatbelt on, he answered the phone. "Wassup?" he spoke, and there was a slight pause. "Okay, das fine." Michael looked over at Moira who was staring out of the window, her chin propped up on the palm of her hand. "Matter of fact, holon. I'a call you right back."
The call ended and he turned it off. "Moira," he called.
"Yeah?" She looked over at him, raising her brows to tell him he had her attention.
"You wanna babysit fa' me til' you find another job?"
"What, babysit Beauty?"
"Nah, my leprechaun, Lucky." Michael straight faced her causing her to smile. "Yes, Beauty."
"Okay," she agreed with a shrug. She could find no reason not to, and she would make money by any means. Until she could find a job, this is what it would have to be.
"It wouldn't be every day."
"Das okay, I ca' babysit." Moira nodded her head with a smile, telling him she was always happy to do so. He'd done a lot for her in these past three months, she didn't mind returning the favor. Plus, she liked Beauty. From what Moira could tell, Beauty was a sweet girl.
"You wanna start today?" he asked. "Usually she not wit' me fa' weekends and my parents can't take ha'. Don't get me wrong, I ca' do it myself, but..." he trailed off with a shrug.
"Okay," she agreed.
"Coo'." Michael started to reach his hand down to change the car in drive, but stopped and looked over at Moira. She noticed and looked back at him. "Also... what was wit' dat rapist comment you made? Did somethin' happen?"
She got quiet and looked outta the window. Under the assumption she didn't want to talk about it, Michael started the car. She spoke up. "Remember when you picked me up from the bus stop and it was rainin' real hard?"
"Yeah."
"The guy dat was sittin' next ta' me tried ta' rape me when I was welkin' home." Michael raised his brows in shock. "Someone saw and shot him."
A lightbulb went off above his head and his brows raised to the top of his forehead. "Dat was you?"
She furrowed her eyebrows. "Whatchu mean?"
"I'm the one who shot dat bitch..." Michael said to her, visibly scowling at the thought of him. Moira stared at him for a moment, thankful he'd been there when he was.
"Really?"
"Yeah." Michael nodded.
There was a long pause as Moira recalled the events from that night. The way he'd been flirting with her, trying to convince her to come home with him and 'have a sleepover'. He had been making her uncomfortable her entire shift and hated the way he talked to her. Moira had to reject him on multiple occasions and he wouldn't give up. Not until Michael shot him—but even then, he made her uncomfortable, deliberately.
"Thank you fa' not drivin' past." She looked at him. "A lot'a people drove past."
Sympathetically, Michael glanced at her and he placed a consoling hand on shoulder. Mere seconds later, she could hear him mumble to himself. "I shoulda killed his bitchass."
Michael picked up Beauty, then dropped the both of them off at her house. It was around four o'clock, and he had to go to his house to get her some new clothes and everything. After that is when they actually reached Moira's home.
While she was standing by her door and waiting, she watched as Michael spoke to his daughter and Beauty nodded her head comprehendingly. The two of them hugged in kiss, and once he put her down, she was running over to Moira. Her bookbag moved crazily up and down against her back.
They waved at each other, and then Michael waved at Moira making her giggle and she waved , back. Once he drove off, Moira looked down at Beauty and let her inside the house. "So, whatchu wanna do first? Iss' a park in the neighborhood if you wanna play."
She took a second to think while taking her shoes off and putting them directly by the door. "Can you make me some mac n cheese?" she asked softly, and Moira smiled before nodding.
"Um, yeah... we would have ta' go to the store ta' get some cheese, though." Moira enjoyed cooking, so when she did cook, she liked for it to be homemade, or at least not out of a box. There were always specific ways she prepared home cooked meals.
"You don't got no boxed mac n cheese?" she questioned with curiosity laced in her voice. Moira just knew from that, that boxed mac n cheese had to be the type of mac n cheese Beauty typically ate. Moira preferred it homecooked over anything.
"You'n want homemade instead? Iss' good and if you'n like it, I ca' make you boxed instead."
"Okay," Beauty agreed.
"Ight, I'ma ask my mom ta' drive us." Moira didn't bother taking her shoes off because she was sure Iva would say yes. Beauty followed after Moira, and was distracted by the action movie that was playing on the TV. Moira tapped her mother's shoulder, and Iva breathed in sharply before opening her eyes. Still, she was half asleep. "Mommy."
"Hm?"
"Can you drive us to the store please?"
"You ca' drive yo self, Moira. You got yo license," Iva told her, her eyes closing once again and she got comfortable in her spot on the couch again. Moira nervously looked around, not liking the idea of driving herself.
"I'an drove in years though."
"You'a be aight, Tiny. Jus' remember what me and the driving instructor taught you and don't wreck my car."
Moira lets out a breath, peers over at Beauty who was paying her no mind, and then went to get her mother's keys off of the hook while biting on her nails nervously. She told Beauty that they could start on their way, and Beauty jumped up to run over to Moira.
The two of them made their way out of the house after Beauty put her shoes back on, and Moira secured her in the back of the car, making sure that the seatbelt was firm against her chest. She'd feel much safer if Beauty had a carseat, but Moira would just have to work with what she had at the moment.
Usually, a car ride to the store would be eight minutes, but it was double that for Moira because she was adamant about driving the speed limit. She wanted to make sure she was doing everything right before she did decide she was comfortable enough to drive at or above the speed limit.
When they arrived, Beauty helped Moira get ingredients for the mac n cheese—and the brand of boxed mac n cheese that Beauty favored just in case—before they were driving home. It was a quick trip, and they were back in under twenty minutes to start cooking. Not wanting to eat only mac n cheese, Moira decided to cook some mushroom chicken, greens, rice, and rolls. She knew her mother would be hungry, which was her main motive when it came to cooking.
Beauty helped her cook, and just about two and a half hours later, the food was prepared. Moira made her a plate, giving her small portions just in case she wasn't one to eat a lot, and Beauty went for the mac n cheese first, anticipating that the most.
"You like it?" Moira questioned and sat down across from Beauty at the table. With a gleeful and satisfied smile, Beauty nodded her head rapidly.
'Yes, iss' good! My daddy can't cook like dis. He bad at it so my grandma bring us plates and we get food from restaurants and stuff," she rambled on and on, barely noticing Moira who was laughing to herself at how effortlessly the four year old threw Michael under the bus. "My grandma be tryna teach him how to cook but he don't like askin' fa' help."
Moira laughed again and had to look down so she wasn't caught, because she knew that Beauty was dead serious. With a shake of her head, Moira prepared a plate for herself and one for her mom so that she could wrap everything and put it away. She kept Iva's plate in the microwave, just in case she woke up and did want to eat.
Once the two of the finished, Moira started to wash the dishes and Beauty begged her to help. Moira allowed her to wash the small, safer dishes, and she was finished cleaning the kitchen within fifteen minutes. Afterwards, the two of them went into Moira's room so they could get ready for the night.
TW. Sexual Harassment
It was seven in the morning when Moira was woken up from hearing the door open, and her body jolted. She was laying on the floor tonight because she wanted Beauty to be comfortable, and was able to easily see who it was invading her personal space. Jay stopped in his tracks when he saw Beauty on the bed, and looked down at Moira who was standing now.
"Who child is dis?"
"My friend's," she vaguely answered, and jay cocked a brow.
"Dat nigga who was kissin' you on the porch a couple weeks ago?" He tilted his head to the side. Moira hugged herself, scared of where this exchange was going to take her. If he even tried to lay a hand on Beauty, she'd stab him in the throat.
"Why do it matter?" Moira smartly asked, and watched the scowl on his face deepen. She slightly backed away, not wanting him to be so close to her right now. Jay had no morals, and he'd probably do something in front of Beauty if he truly wanted to. "Get out," she ordered. "You can't hurt ha' if das whatchu-"
"She ain't my type," he cut her off, his tone of voice dull but sharp still. He looked Moira up and down, and it made her skin crawl.
"Go away."
"I prefer women." Moira knew from that, that she wasn't his only victim. Likely his longest, but not the only one.
"I wasn't a woman when you molested me."
"And I wasn't a man, was I?" he responded smartly as if it made his actions any better than what they were. He was still a rapist and a predator, no matter the age. He took away the innocence Moira had taken pride in clinging onto. The innocence she wanted to give to the right person when she was ready to give it.
"'Cuz you ain't never gon be one," she said before she could actually think about it, and regret her actions when he stepped up to her. Accidentally, she back into the drawer when he asked her to repeat herself, and she knocked down her jewelry bin. She looked over at her bed to make sure Beauty hadn't woken up from the sound.
"'Scuse me, Moira?" She still said nothing, looking away as he stared her down. "Das what the hell I thought, ugly bitch."
She remained silent for a short moment. "Somebody gon find out whatchu are."
"It'a be the day you die."
She took a shallow breath. Moira knew he was serious, and it scared her to death. He clearly could get violent with her if he really wanted to, so she wouldn't put murder past him. He was deranged and needed help. She wasn't even sure if help would really help him. Karma had to get him first.
"Leave me alone."
A smirked touched the side of his lip before he was turning around and making his way out of the room. She breathed out shakily and locked the door to keep him from returning, then went to check on Beauty. She was still sleeping luckily, so she didn't have to be up for any of that.
Moira had been terrified he would try and do something to her, and she didn't want that at all. It almost made her not want to babysit at all, despite her job circumstances. If Beauty wasn't safe—whether or not he claimed he didn't want to hurt her—she wouldn't risk anything. She was so young, and no woman deserves to go through a trauma such as this.
Now, not wanting to be in the house at all, Moira decided that she would quickly get dressed and wait for Beauty to get up so that she could take her to the park. She wanted to get her head straight after what just happened, and being in the same house with her abuser wasn't going to help.
Beauty didn't wake up for another three hours, but Jay luckily never returned to the room. Still, Moira was still set on leaving, so she suggested a trip to the park. Excited to go, Beauty let Moira help her pick out an outfit that was appropriate for the current weather, she brushed her own teeth and washed her face, and the two of them started on their three minute walk.
There were kids there playing when she arrived—the weather was very nice today, so Moira wasn't at all surprised by it. She enjoyed the sound of children's laughter, and liked being around them even more. They were so pure, she wished she could have some of her own. Since she was a child, she'd wanted a big family, and had always planned on having one. But things changed, so she probably wouldn't get what she wanted.
Still, she enjoyed the presence of children. They were always so happy and innocent, she adored that—if anything—about them.
Beauty played for a good forty five minutes before she was ready to go inside because she was hungry. She asked if she could have some more of the mac n cheese Moira prepared the night before, but Moira said that would have to happen later because it was still morning time. The two walked back to her house, and Beauty once again helped Moira cook.
This time, it was eggs—which is what Beauty was allowed to help with—and bacon and sausage—Moira prepared this by herself, not wanting Beauty to unintentionally be popped by the hot oil from the pan. When the food was finished, the two of them got a plate and returned to her room to eat in peace. Jay was still in the house, and Moira was very uncomfortable.
When they got into the room, Moira set her plate to the side and sat at her desk. She opened up her laptop to check Google Classroom and see if she had any extra credit assignments—assignments that she didn't actually need, mainly because she was way ahead and had straight A's.
There were a few for her English class that were optional, but Moira decided to do them anyway because she didn't have a reason not to. As she was typing away on her computer, she almost forgot that she was babysitting and turned around to check on Beauty.
To Moira's surprise, Beauty was laid across the floor with a lead pencil in hand as she was writing on a paper. Moira just thought she was drawing until realizing she was actually completing some work. Beauty really reminded her of herself because she was the same exact when she was young—hell, she was this way for her entire school career.
Turning back to her computer, the two remained in a peaceful silence for the next few hours before Moira's phone starting ringing, a call from Michael coming through. She realized what time it was, having completely lost track of it, and answered the phone.
He was busy washing his face when it finally went through, his phone facing his ceiling, but she was still able to see him. "Hey, Moira," he loudly greeted—so loud she had to turn the volume down.
"Hi." Moira smiled just as Michael propped up the phone on his sink and dried off his face with a towel. Hearing her father's voice, Beauty ran over with an excited smile, and Moira moved over a bit so she could see.
"Hi, daddy!"
Rubbing moisturizer into his hands now, he smiled and enthusiastically shouted back, "Hi, mama! Whatchu doin?"
"I finished the math dat teacher gave me."
"Good job, baby. I'ma check it tomorrow, ight?" She nodded her head in response and he rubbed the face moisturizer onto his skin. "You havin' fun?" he questioned after a few short seconds of silence.
"Yes. We went to the store and she made me mac n cheese, and it was better than yours."
"I-" Michael's expression fell flat, and he stood up straight. Grabbing his phone, he squinted as if he couldn't see. "Hers was better than mine?"
"Yeah, it was homemade," she told him proudly. "I helped her make the cheese sauce."
Michael smacked his teeth loudly as he was focused on his path in front of him, walking into whatever room he was going into. "Wow, Moira, you tryna come fa' my brand? You take away the only thing I can do right?" He wiped a fake tear from his eye causing her to chuckle lowly.
"She asked me ta' cook, so I did," Moira laughed.
"Mhm. Don't think I'an on ta' you, ma." She giggled once again and looked away. "Beauty, we gon fight when I see you, li' girl."
"You gon lose," she snapped back.
"Girl, bye. I'an never lost a fight witchu."
"Uh huh. When we was in grandpa's house and I made you fall."
Pshh, he went, and waved her off. "I was fakin' dat."
"Nuh uh," Beauty refused, Moira watching them two in amusement. Michael waved her off.
"Whatever, Beauty. I'ma talk ta' you later, okay?"
She nodded her head. "Okay! I love you!"
"I love you more, mama!" He waved her goodbye, and she eagerly did the same before running off to reclaim her spot on the floor. Michael when addressed Moira again who had a soft smile on her face. "I'a talk ta' you later, too. I'ma text you."
Moira nodded understandingly, and, to mock Beauty, he happily waved at her causing Moira to hide her face, laughing at him. "Bye," she said while laughing, and hung up the call.
••
APR 05 2020
Beauty put on one of her shoes while Moira helped her with the other. It was Sunday evening, and Michael called Moira a little bit over an hour ago to let her know that he would be on his way to pick his daughter up. Now, Moira was helping her get ready and make sure all of her things were together and ready to leave with her.
Just as Moira was grabbing Beauty's jacket, she spoke up. "Can you do my hair?"
Moira turned and faced her. "Do it how?" she questioned while draping the jacket over the top of the table chair.
"I want it flat."
Moira slightly jerked her head back. Beauty had a beautiful curl pattern—if her own hair was that pretty, she would wear it out way more often. "Girl, you want all dis pretty hair flat ironed?"
She nodded her head. "Mhm... please? My daddy won't let me."
Hesitantly, Moira shook her head. "'Ion think I should if he won't let you..." Beauty pouted sadly and sat back down on the armchair by the door. "Why you want yo hair flat ironed?"
"'Cuz 'Ion like it," she told Moira sadly, looking down.
"Why not? Yo hair is beautiful—iss' way prettier than straight hair. I'm sure yo dad know it, das why he won't let you get it like dat," Moira tried to reason, but Beauty obviously wasn't trying to hear it.
"I want it like dat."
"Well, you gotta talk ta' him. I can't flat iron yo hair," she told Beauty, and Beauty nodded her head. There was a short silence.
"You know how ta' do braids?" she questioned while messing with the long ponytail behind her head. Moira nodded her head this time, and sat down next to the little girl.
"Yeah, das whatchu want?"
"Yes."
"Okay, c'mon." Beauty followed Moira to her bedroom, and allowed her to plat her hair into six neat sections. Moira had some barats from when she was young, and—not in need of them—she put them into Beauty's hair. She didn't care to get them back.
After Moira was done, Michael called to let her know that he was about ten minutes down the road. At this point, Beauty put on her jacket, and he was knocking on the door in about seven. Beauty opened the door and jumped into her father's arms, catching him off guard.
"I missed you, girl," he said while squeezing her. She did the same, and Michael groaned dramatically, pretending Beauty didn't know her own strength. Moira grinned at the sight and truly hoped that could be her in the future.
"I missed you too."
"You have fun?"
"Yeah. We went to the park and she let me help her cook."
"Yeah, the food dat was allegedly better than mine, right?" He nodded his head, reminding himself of the phone call they had the night before. Beauty laughed and nodded her head.
"It was better, but you still got good food."
"Nah, don't try ta' win me back now, li' girl. 'Ion wanna talk ta' you since I'm such a terrible cook." He looked away from her. "Matter of fact, you can stay hea' and eat good meals every night." He put her down, and Beauty started opposing the idea, telling him that she liked his bed compared to Moira. Michael ignored her.
"And you," he said while pointing at Moira causing her to smile, "ain't gon be watchin' my daughter again. Done warped ha' damn mind."
"Maybe let yo parents teach you ta' cook, I wouldn't have to," Moira responded, her tone purposely passive aggressive, and Michael smacked his teeth at her. He waved her off before looking down at Beauty who was repeatedly calling his name.
"Yes, Beauty?"
"I'm sorry and I like yo food better." She innocently smiled at him, and he pursed his lips.
"'Ion believe you, but I accept yo apology anyway." He leaned over and grabbed her bag that was still on the armchair. "You ready ta' go?"
"Yeah. Can we get Checkers?"
"Yeah, das fine. Thank you, Moira. You want cash or you want me ta' send you the money?" Michael asked while picking Beauty up, keeping his eyes on hers.
"It don't really matter." Moira shrugged and looked away from his intimidating stare. She saw a smirk rise on his lips from her peripheral, and out came a few hundred bills from his pocket. She immediately opened her mouth to object. "Michael, 'Ion need dat much-"
"Girl, take the money. Dis what I would give my parents if they was gettin' paid, you get the same thing." He held it further out and urged her to take it. She reluctantly did before quietly thanking him. They all exchanged farewells and he was out the door in the next few seconds. She watched them drive off before returning to her bedroom and locking the door behind her.
••
MICHAEL J.
SEPT 21 2015
The past three weeks since Nolana left without a word were especially hard for him. He was stressed and struggling to be a mother and father at the same time. He missed Nolana with his entire being, and he also missed the fact that he wasn't so depressed while caring for his daughter before he departure. He couldn't seem to get this whole parenting thing right, and he was terrified he would never be able to. Now, without her mother, he wanted to do everything in his power to assure her a good life.
He had no life outside of Beauty—which he didn't mind because he loved his daughter dearly, but it was harder than he first suspected.
He was having an especially hard time getting Beauty to calm down after he changed her diaper. Even after four weeks of living, she despised getting changed despite having to do it everyday, multiple times a day.
He wasn't sure what the problem was, but whatever it was he knew he wasn't going to be able to figure it out. She was changed, he checked for any diaper rashes or physical problems—there were none—she had been fed, and he offered her, her pacifier but she refused it. Just in case she was still hungry, he grabbed the little bit of milk in the bottle she didn't finish, and she of course refused to eat.
Feeling like he was completely out of options, he just sat with her on the floor, and, eyes closed and a hand on his forehead, he tried to wait it out. The crying continued, and he fought to hold back tears. He was beginning to think he was depressed because all he felt was hopeless since Nolana left. There was no motivation left, but he didn't want to claim that because claiming it would make it real.
He had someone more important than himself to worry about, he couldn't be depressed.
Unsure of what he could do, Michael put the crying four week old into her carseat, grabbed his car keys, and he left his house. Not having too many people who would be a real help to him, Michael drove to the house of the only person he could think of... the only person that would possibly help him. He just hoped she really would.
Beauty cried the entire drive, and it was gradually saddening him and stressing him out more. He had to constantly wipe the tears that fell from his eyes in order to see the road ahead of him. He arrived and thought about what he was doing for a second before saying 'fuck it' and hopping out of the car. Closed mouths don't get fed so, if he wanted help, he had to seek it out.
Getting Beauty's carseat out of the car, he made his way to the door of his mother's house. He hadn't been there since being kicked out by his father for dropping out of school after joining the gang. Michael knocked on the door a few times, praying he'd get an answer. He let go of a sigh of relief when he heard the lock turn on the other side.
Katherine stood in front of him, and her face turned in surprise. She wasn't expecting to see her eighteen year old son, let alone a baby at his side. "Michael..." she spoke, obviously unprepared.
"Uh..." he quietly started, trying to still remain heard over Beauty's ceaseless crying, "can I come in?"
She quickly nodded her head and let Michael into her house. He slipped off his shoes and went into the living room. Katherine urged him to put the carseat on the coffee table in front of the couch, and after doing so he took a seat. She sat down right next to him.
"Can I?" she asked him. "My hands are clean." She had been reaching over to unzip Beauty's carseat that covered her completely. Michael nodded his head, and Katherine proceeded. After unbuckling Beauty from being held captive in her seat, she picked her up. "Hi, beautiful... whas' wrong?"
The baby continued to cry as Michael talked. "I can't get ha' ta' stop. 'Ion know what ta' do, man." He started to become emotional once again.
"Okay, calm down and take a breath," Katherine coached, and Michael did what she said but it didn't help as much as she probably expected it to. "Where her mom at?"
"'Ion know, she left a couple weeks ago."
"Jesus, Michael," Katherine whispered to herself. Her head shook and she looked at the distressed baby in her hands.
"'Ion know what ta' do, ma," he worriedly said.
"Is she changed?" Michael nodded his head. Katherine continued. "Okay, when's the last time she got fed?"
"Almost an hour ago. I tried ta' give ha' the pacifier too but she won't take it. She jus' wanna cry."
"Okay, sit back. This might help," she told him. He did as asked, not knowing what exactly she was about to do. As long as it helped, he didn't mind. Katherine laid Beauty on Michael's chest, and he immediately supported her bottom. "Take slow calm breaths. Support her neck, Michael."
He nodded and did so, now holding her butt and the back of her head. He took deep breaths, making sure not to breathe too quickly or slowly,
"Now jus' breathe slow. Sometimes she jus' needs a peaceful environment, okay?"
"Okay."
"If this don't work for whatever reason, you can go on a walk, rock her, talk to her, sing—'cuz Lord know you can sing. Whatever you gotta do to keep her from bein distressed, do it," she informed him. Once again, he nodded his head understandingly, looking down at his daughter who wasn't crying anymore. She whimpered every once in a while, but it was evident that she was calm.
"You said her mom left?" Katherine spoke after a few short minutes of silence, watching her son admire his daughter. He looked up and nodded, wanting to cry at the thought. He'd done a lot of crying in the past couple of weeks, and he wanted it to stop. He just wanted to be good for once in his life and not worry so much about himself, his daughter, his life.
Michael wanted to feel alright.
He could settle for alright.
"Is Nolana her mom?"
"Yeah," he uttered sadly.
"Oh wow..." Katherine said in awe. It didn't sound like anything she would ever do, which made Michael even more confused. As she got farther into her pregnancy, she became so attached to Beauty. Why would she just leave after being so enthralled by her daughter? "What do you need from me, Michael, you need help?"
Once again, tears welled in his eyes and he looked away from her and nodded. His ego was always big, so he had trouble asking for help. It wasn't his fault, though. As a child, his father taught him that, as a man, he should figure things out on his own and not to bother receiving help. He stuck to that for the lot of his life, but he was now breaking the very rule his father taught him. He had to. "Yeah... dis shit is so fuckin' hard."
"I know," Katherine agreed. "It is hard."
The water stuck in his eyes finally fall, and he quickly wiped them away. Katherine leaned her head on his shoulder and caressed his face with her soft hands. It felt good to be loved by his mother after years of not feeling any from anyone. He thought he had someone who loved him—Nolana—which is why he grew so attached to her. But once he was told that, that wasn't the case, he was alone. It's been a long time since he's felt cared for.
"How about," Katherine began, "I watch her on the weekends, and you have her on the weekdays. You can jus' bring her late Friday or early Saturday, and pick her up late Sunday."
"Yeah, dat works... thank you."
"Of course, sweetheart. You know I love you, right?"
He slowly—reluctantly—nods. He didn't know it at first, but he knows it now and it felt good. "Yeah, I love you too... you think Joseph gon be good wit' all dis?"
"He gon have to be 'cuz I'm not takin' no for an answer," she chuckled making Michael smile. He was happy to hear Katherine had his back.
He hears very light, breathy snoring, and he looked down to see Beauty sound asleep in his arms. Usually, he would put her back in her carseat or bassinet to let her sleep peacefully, but he didn't want to disturb her while doing so. He just decided to let her stay where she was.
"Thank you," he said, once again. Katherine smiled and kissed her son softly on the cheek.
"I missed you."
"I missed you, too," he breathed, eyes still on his baby. "Where Janet?"
"I'm right here," a small voice said, and both Katherine and Michael looked up. He smiled at his sister as she walked down the stairs, looking like she just woke up. "Is dat yo baby?"
"Yeah."
"He got a baby fa' real, mommy?" Janet questioned in disbelief, coming to take a closer look.
"Yes, Janet," she confirmed, "he got a baby."
"Can I hold her?" she asked and sat down next to Michael, hoping she would get a yes.
"We jus' got her to calm down. She'll be back, so you can hold her then."
Janet understandingly nodded. "Okay." She leaned her head on her brother's shoulder while looking down at his child. A small smile touched his lips as he felt the unconditional love radiating around the room.
••
APR 08 2020
Michael had yet another meeting with Beauty's teacher—making this the second time he'd be seeing them about her skipping kindergarten to start first grade. To further explain, a few short weeks ago, he got a call saying that he was to come to the school immediately because it was about Beauty and it was urgent. When he went up there, multiple teachers reported the curriculum being far too unchallenging for her. She exceeded every single one of her classmates, and it was impressive.
She could do simple multiplication and with double digits and read at a first grade level. Her teachers were fixed on getting her into a more challenging grade. He made sure Beauty was okay with that first—being so young in classroom with older counterparts. She said she was fine with that because pre-k was 'boring'.
Since then, there'd been many phone calls, text messages, evaluations, tests—pretty much everything you could think of. He was proud of her to say the least. Hell, proud was the understatement of the year.
He always knew Beauty was smart because she was so inquisitive and analytical of everything. She was exceptionally smart, but to hear she would be skipping a grade—because both Michael and Beauty knew she would succeed in doing so—was insane to him. Her mind was one of the traits Michael was proud she got from her mother.
The both of them were smart—believe it or not—but Nolana had a tendency to go for her goals and made school something of importance unlike Michael who would rather sit on the sidelines and watch from afar. Beauty was the same as her mother, desiring that challenge at all times.
As of now, he was sitting in the office at Beauty's school while she was in the next room taking the test that would determine whether she skipped kindergarten next year. The plan was that she would either finish the last few months of the school year in kindergarten and then proceed to first grade, or she could finish in pre-kindergarten and jump right to first grade. She preferred the second option seeing that she'd already made friends and didn't want to be lonely while completing the last couple months of school.
If she got above an eighty percent on this test, she'd be going to first grade with no issue. Michael had no doubt in his mind Beauty would be going to first grade. His baby was too smart not to pass this test and with ease. Her teacher would give her first grade level practice problems for all of her classes—reading, writing, math, science, and history, and she'd always do very well on them.
As Michael was waiting for her to finish the test, a door opened which grabbed his attention and he instinctively looked up. Walking up to him was the principal. "You must be Beauty's father."
"Yeah, I am." Michael nodded his head. It was one if the few things he was proud of in life. Being her father had to be his biggest accomplishment, hands down.
"I jus' wanna say yo daughter is jus'..." he started in awe, shocked. "She four and can interpret math wit' double digits along wit' all the other things she can do. You should be very proud."
Michael always loved to hear others speak so highly of Beauty. "I definitely am... she got it from ha' mom, so I'm very glad about dat."
The principal let go of a chuckle. "I got no doubt in my mind she'll pass. Dat girl is insanely smart, I wouldn't be surprised if she skipped another grade in the future."
"I would have a heart attack..." Michael expressed jokingly, yet a part of him was serious. He didn't like thinking about Beauty growing up on him. "It means she would be leavin' me earlier, and I'an ready fa' allat," he confirmed.
"I feel you," the principal sighed, crossing his arms. "I swore up and down I was ready for my kids to go, now all I do is try and convince them to come back, but they don't never want to... hell, 'Ion blame 'em."
"I'm hopin' Beauty gon be the opposite."
He was too attached to her—hip and hip—for her to say she didn't want to come home. That was his baby, she would always be his baby no matter how old she got.
"Daddy!" Michael looked up, hearing Beauty's voice, and she basically fell into his lap, catching him off guard, and managed to hug her arms halfway around his torso.
"You finished dat fast?" he inquired in surprise. Beauty nodded her head.
"Yeah, it was easy." He had nothing to say to that because he knew she was going to breeze through it. She always did.
"You think you did good?"
"Uh huh, I got a hundred percent." She nodded.
"Oh, y'all graded it already?" Michael questioned and looked up to one of the inspectors that had been in the room to make sure any of the teachers didn't give her unwarranted help.
"No, not at all," the woman chuckled.
"Oh, you confident, huh, Beauty?" Michael smirked and looked at his daughter who had the side of her face leaned against Michael's thigh. She nodded her head. "Das good, though. You gotta be confident... When y'all finna let me know what ha' score is?"
"Within the next couple of days. It should be done by Friday, but if not, definitely by Monday morning."
"Okay, coo'." Michael stood to his feet, picking up Beauty in the process. "Thank y'all. Say thank you, mama."
"Thank you." Beauty gleamed.
"You guys are very welcome," the teacher said with a pleased smile on her face. Everyone in the room bid Michael a farewell and he was on his way.
••
APR 12 2020
Sunday evening, Michael was picking up his daughter from his parents house. Moira would've been watching her, but she told him that it wasn't a good weekend for her to do so—though he didn't know why, he wouldn't question. He had a feeling it was personal and just had Katherine and Joseph watch her for the weekend.
When he arrived, Beauty was more than excited to see him. She had been playing board games with her aunty—Janet—when Michael came in, and an excited smile graced her features. She jumped up, completely disregarding the game, and ran into his arms. Michael planted a kiss on her forehead and the two of them squeezed each other to death.
"Hi, daddy."
"Hi, baby." Michael focused on Janet who was still on the floor, cleaning up the game since she knew Beauty would have to leave now. "Hey, Janet. How are you?"
"Hey, and I'm good." She folded the board and placed it neatly into the box.
"You know whatchu want fa' yo birthday?" he asked while adjusting Beauty on his hup. She was too busy playing with the collar of his shirt to worry about what they were talking about.
Janet would be turning fifteen in a month—on the sixteenth—and it was all she talked about. She was more than excited about the day because she felt it was such a big jump in age for whatever reason.
Michael already had her gift—he'd bought it months ago, and he knew she would love it. Janet shook her head unsurely. "No, not really. 'Ion know what I wanna choose between," she said truthfully.
"Jus' text me everything and I'a choose off there." He probably would, despite already having her very expensive gift. But he made the money back already, so getting her more wasn't an issue.
Janet nodded, and Michael shifted his attention back to Beauty who was now leaning her head on his shoulder. "You ready ta' go, mama?"
Her head nodded. "Mhm. I gotta get my bag." Beauty slightly kicked her feet to get down and rushed upstairs when he finally did allow her on her feet. Disappearing quickly, Michael chuckled with a shale of his head.
"I love dat li' girl."
Moments later, she was sliding down the stairs and Michael burst out laughing at her curls bouncing everywhere all across her head. "C'mon, girl," he chuckled and took her bag from her hand, then her hand so he could lead her out.
Michael said his goodbyes to his family and helped Beauty into the car, placing her bag in the spot right next to her. Once he made sure she was buckled in securely, Michael got into the drivers seat himself and drove off. "You ate, mama?" he asked, knowing he was coming up on some fast food places and could stop to get her something.
"Yes."
"You know what time?"
"A long time, but I'm not hungry."
"You don't want no snack?" He came up on a red light and looked to the backseat. Beauty shook her head.
"No, thank you." Michael nodded understandingly, and the car grew quiet. He turned on some music for her, but not too loud, and could hear her softly humming in the back which made him smile. Suddenly, her humming stopped but he didn't think of it. She called him. "Daddy?"
"Yes, baby."
"Is dat car followin' us?"
His eyes flicked up to the rearview mirror and his made eye contact with her. "What car, Beauty?"
"Um, dat one," she said and pointed directly out of the window beside her to a white Sedan. The windows were dark tints, so he wasn't able to see who was inside. He didn't even know who's car it was, and he became worried. Beauty wasn't one to lie about something for no reason. For personal gain, sure, but not out of the blue.
"When you see dat car, baby? You sure iss' followin' us?" Michael asked while switching to the leftmost lane and get away from it, just in case. To his surprise, and fear, the car switched with him. His heart rate picked up slightly as Beauty responded.
"Mhm, I seen it at grandma house."
"Shit," he cursed under his breath and made the nearest turn. It was something his father taught him when hew as fourteen and learning to drive. If he ever thought he was being followed, make four right—or left—turns, and if they turned with you, they were following you. He also knew not to ever go home until you were certain you were safe. Retaining that important information, Michael went back to the rightmost lane made four right turns.
Indeed he was being followed. "Oh hell nah..."
Michael returned to his mother's neighborhood, but didn't stop at her house. He decided to stop at another house to keep his parents out of trouble just in case something did pop off. The car did continue in his direction, but they kept on going down the road after he parked, and disappeared. He stayed in his spot for a good ten minutes—if not more—to make sure they didn't turn around and start following him again.
He was hoping that it was just a coincidence, but it definitely didn't seem like one.
••
A/N - yall i think michael and moira's kiss scene gotta be the best one i've done so far that shit jus ate fr
excuse any mistakes tho