and they were close.
“What are you doing on my steps?” Tangaleena asked.
Spumante was on her knees on the sofa, peeking over with her round inquisitive eyes. She wanted to know who it was at the door. “Who is dat, Mommy?”
“Nobody, baby,” Tangaleena said, regretting that she had even opened the door for the woman. “Just keep watching the DVDs.”
“Is that Spumante I hear?” Chiquita said with a glassy look in her eyes. Before Tangaleena realized it, the crack-addicted woman had stepped into the apartment uninvited. “Oh my
God
, you done got so big,” she said once she saw the baby she’d abandoned three years ago. When she tried to get closer, Spumante ran and hid behind Tangaleena, the only mother she ever knew.
“How do dat lady know who I am, Mommy? I don’t know who she is.” Spumante shook her head from side to side and said, “I don’t talk to strangers, right, Mommy?”
“That’s right, that’s my smart little angel.”
Chiquita sucked her teeth. “Stop filling that girl’s head up with that nonsense, Tang. You know I ain’t no motherfucking stranger to her or to you. So gon ahead wit dat shit.”
“Bitch, the mailman is less of a stranger than yo’ missing-in-action ass,” is what Tangaleena had wanted to say, just before popping Chiquita’s selfish ass upside the head with a toaster or something. She didn’t, though. She didn’t want to create any more of a scene in front of Spumante.
Chiquita’s eyes tracked Spumante hiding behind Tangaleena’s leg. “I’m your moth—”
“Friend.” Tangaleena’s voice was louder and she spoke over top of Chiquita, saying “Your mother’s friend.”
“Yep. Me and your mother go back like jelly shoes,” Chiquita played along. Tangaleena was grateful for that.
Spumante looked confused. “Mommy, you had shoes made of jelly?” She laughed with a big adorable smile.
“I’ll tell you about ’em later, baby. That was a long, long time ago,” Tangaleena told her daughter. She then turned her attention back to Chiquita. “What’re you doing here anyway?”
“Exactly what it looks like—I’m visiting an old friend and seeing my baby girl.”
This bitch was definitely pushing her luck. “We’re kind of busy right now. You should’ve called first, girl. How about if you drop through some other time?” Hindsight is twenty/twenty, and she now knew that opening the door for this heifer had been the wrong move. She’d naively put her head in the lion’s mouth, now she was trying to carefully ease it back out without cutting herself on its teeth. But she could now see clearly that Chiquita was high as the rising price of gas. When she looked at her, she realized that more and more the bitch started to resemble the devil’s half sister.
“I ain’t trying to hear none of that shit you talking, you thieving-ass bitch. Acting all high and mighty like you really my daughter’s mother. Got her calling you mommy and shit. You ain’t none of her momma.” Before Tangaleena could react, Chiquita whipped out a big butcher’s knife. “How ’bout I take Spumante with me and call you when I’m ready to bring her back? Better yet, when I’m ready for yo’ stuck-up ass to see her?” And Chiquita reached for Spumante’s arm.
Spumante cried out to Tangaleena, “Mommy!” and tried to pull away.
This had to be a bad dream, Tangaleena thought. Was there really a knife-wielding crackhead in her house trying to take her daughter?
Instinctively, Tangaleena reached to pull Spumante away from this crazy woman. Chiquita made an arching sweep of her hand while holding the blade, drawing blood from Tangaleena’s arm. With the strength of a mother grizzly trying to protect her cub, Tangaleena disregarded her own safety and jumped on Chiquita. The knife bit her a few more times before they both went to the floor, tussling. It was on.
The effect of the narcotics made Chiquita fight like a madwoman. Her grip was viselike, too
“What are you doing on my steps?” Tangaleena asked.
Spumante was on her knees on the sofa, peeking over with her round inquisitive eyes. She wanted to know who it was at the door. “Who is dat, Mommy?”
“Nobody, baby,” Tangaleena said, regretting that she had even opened the door for the woman. “Just keep watching the DVDs.”
“Is that Spumante I hear?” Chiquita said with a glassy look in her eyes. Before Tangaleena realized it, the crack-addicted woman had stepped into the apartment uninvited. “Oh my
God
, you done got so big,” she said once she saw the baby she’d abandoned three years ago. When she tried to get closer, Spumante ran and hid behind Tangaleena, the only mother she ever knew.
“How do dat lady know who I am, Mommy? I don’t know who she is.” Spumante shook her head from side to side and said, “I don’t talk to strangers, right, Mommy?”
“That’s right, that’s my smart little angel.”
Chiquita sucked her teeth. “Stop filling that girl’s head up with that nonsense, Tang. You know I ain’t no motherfucking stranger to her or to you. So gon ahead wit dat shit.”
“Bitch, the mailman is less of a stranger than yo’ missing-in-action ass,” is what Tangaleena had wanted to say, just before popping Chiquita’s selfish ass upside the head with a toaster or something. She didn’t, though. She didn’t want to create any more of a scene in front of Spumante.
Chiquita’s eyes tracked Spumante hiding behind Tangaleena’s leg. “I’m your moth—”
“Friend.” Tangaleena’s voice was louder and she spoke over top of Chiquita, saying “Your mother’s friend.”
“Yep. Me and your mother go back like jelly shoes,” Chiquita played along. Tangaleena was grateful for that.
Spumante looked confused. “Mommy, you had shoes made of jelly?” She laughed with a big adorable smile.
“I’ll tell you about ’em later, baby. That was a long, long time ago,” Tangaleena told her daughter. She then turned her attention back to Chiquita. “What’re you doing here anyway?”
“Exactly what it looks like—I’m visiting an old friend and seeing my baby girl.”
This bitch was definitely pushing her luck. “We’re kind of busy right now. You should’ve called first, girl. How about if you drop through some other time?” Hindsight is twenty/twenty, and she now knew that opening the door for this heifer had been the wrong move. She’d naively put her head in the lion’s mouth, now she was trying to carefully ease it back out without cutting herself on its teeth. But she could now see clearly that Chiquita was high as the rising price of gas. When she looked at her, she realized that more and more the bitch started to resemble the devil’s half sister.
“I ain’t trying to hear none of that shit you talking, you thieving-ass bitch. Acting all high and mighty like you really my daughter’s mother. Got her calling you mommy and shit. You ain’t none of her momma.” Before Tangaleena could react, Chiquita whipped out a big butcher’s knife. “How ’bout I take Spumante with me and call you when I’m ready to bring her back? Better yet, when I’m ready for yo’ stuck-up ass to see her?” And Chiquita reached for Spumante’s arm.
Spumante cried out to Tangaleena, “Mommy!” and tried to pull away.
This had to be a bad dream, Tangaleena thought. Was there really a knife-wielding crackhead in her house trying to take her daughter?
Instinctively, Tangaleena reached to pull Spumante away from this crazy woman. Chiquita made an arching sweep of her hand while holding the blade, drawing blood from Tangaleena’s arm. With the strength of a mother grizzly trying to protect her cub, Tangaleena disregarded her own safety and jumped on Chiquita. The knife bit her a few more times before they both went to the floor, tussling. It was on.
The effect of the narcotics made Chiquita fight like a madwoman. Her grip was viselike, too
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