Читать книгу Crack Head II - Lisa Lennox - Страница 14

IT HAD BEEN DAYS since Smurf had seen Gloria. Although upset with how she decided to live her life, Smurf couldn't turn his back on his mother. He was the only one that she had and he didn't want to abandon her.

Pulling up to the apartment, Smurf looked at the building and saw the front window of his mother's apartment. “I wonder what she's doing in there,” he said to himself. He had a feeling she had a man in there, but didn't want to believe it.

After sitting in his car for twenty minutes, Smurf got out and decided to go see his mother.

“I wish she would have moved with me,” he said to himself as he walked up the stairs. The apartment building was so worn down, he wondered if it was a safety hazard.

Reaching the third floor, he walked slowly toward their apartment, 311. Smurf's heart began racing, not knowing what to expect. Out of common courtesy, he raised his hand to knock on the door.

Knock knock knock. A few seconds passed and nobody answered. He knocked again. Still, nobody answered.

Smurf then reached toward the doorknob and turned it. Surprisingly, it turned and allowed him access to the apartment. It was completely dark but he heard the television playing. Walking through the apartment toward the sound of the television, Smurf kept his hand on his gun. His mother normally didn't keep the door unlocked, but just in case there was foul play, someone would meet their maker, messing with his mother.

Smurf arrived at his mother's bedroom door and saw that is was open. He saw a figure sprawled across the bed.

“Mama?” Smurf looked around, then back at the figure. “Mama!” Still no response. Smurf ran over to her. “Mama!” he yelled again. Just then, he saw a wet spot on the bedspread and a glass where the spot was. Smurf took a deep breath in and exhaled.

His mother had been drinking. Smurf knew that a lot of his mother's problems stemmed from drinking, but he had never seen her in such a stupor before.

Just as Smurf began to clean up the mess, his mother startled.

“Demond,” she said softly, but groggily. “Why did you leave me?” Smurf stopped and listened. “Baby, I tried to make it without you, but you didn't come back. You didn't want me anymore. I gotta find a way to live, baby.”

Smurf looked into his mother's face and saw that alcohol was taking a toll on her looks. She had a tear that wanted to escape her closed eyelids, so he touched it with his finger and let it free. This was the first time in Smurf's young life that he had seen his mother so vulnerable. He didn't know who she was talking about and couldn't make out everything she said, but he knew she was talking about someone important to her. But who was he? And better yet, where was he?