Page 16 of U + Me

“Bozos?!” Todd huffed with a dose of energy. “This the shit I’m talkin’ ‘bout, officers. You see what I mean?”

“Both of y’all calm down so we can get to the bottom of this.” The male officer spoke up.

“They both lying! I caught him sneaking in her window and yeah, I snapped but that’s my right. Earlier she pranced her ass up in here with a hickey on her neck. Now he sneaking in my window but I’m a pedophile?! You tell me officer, was I wrong for protecting my family? Is my wife who walked in on this mayhem wrong for protecting her family?”

“They need protecting from yo ass if anybody!” Darius shouted.

The police arrested Darius, the whole time Kimmie pleaded with them to let him go. “He doesn’t deserve to get in trouble. He was just protecting me. I’m not lying!”

One of the officers asked Kimmie to write a statement about what happened, and I snapped.

“She not about to write a gotdamn thing! She a minor and until we speak with a lawyer, tah hell with your statement!” I spat.

“Ma’am, with all due respect, your husband allegedly violated your teenage daughter.”

“Who lied about a damn hickey being a mosquito bite not even an hour before alleged hickey giver is caught sneaking in her bedroom window!” I chuckled. “Do you have any kids, officers, in particular teenagers?”

“None of that matters, ma’am,” the female officer spoke up. “It’s not up to you whether your daughter who is a minor, speaks to us or writes a statement for us or not.”

“Long as she is in my house, I guarantee you it is.” I shot back.

“Obstructing a police investigation, humph, unless you wanna go to jail with your husband tonight, I suggest you stand down.” The female officer shot back with venom.

The male officer gave the female officer a look that I wasn’t able to read. I didn’t want to end up getting cuffed, so I decided to tone it down just a bit.

“Kimmie, you know what to do.” I smirked, giving her a,you better not try itlook.

Kimmie wrote a statement and the only reason why she wasn’t taken out of the house was because Todd didn’t penetrate her. She said he tried to put a finger inside her so a rape kit wasn’t necessary because a full sexual assault didn’t happen or could be proven. Kimmie was adamant on the no sexual penetration and told the police that she was not going to do a rape kit either way.

The female officer had a hard on to up her arrest numbers for the day, so she still felt it was necessary to arrest Todd. The fact that Kimmie did state that he made her feel uncomfortable, and was groping on her and didn’t want to be around him, the only way to get him out of the house was to arrest him. Either that, or they would have to remove Kimmie from the home; however, whichever way we worked it out, Kimmie and Todd couldn’t be around each other.

I’d never seen Todd touch my daughter inappropriately outside of him whooping her ass. When that happened that was something she caused and ass whoopings in my opinion were a sign of discipline not abuse. That was the way I was raised and the way I raised Kimmie. Granted, that didn’t mean we beat on her because overall for the most part Kimmie was a good kid. But lately, between her and Todd they both were about to drive me insane with all their emotional, dramatic antics.

“You better hope I don’t have to come back and arrest you.” The female officer smirked.

Kimmie also told them about her father. She only knew his name, Karl Kendall. While they looked into her dad, I was tasked with proving that I was a mom before I was a wife. I was fine with that, but what I wasn’t cool with was for someone to be charged for or get in trouble for something they didn’t do. Especially something so serious like touching on and violating a minor.

Once Todd bonded out, if he came around and Kimmie lives here, regardless of whether this was his house or not, as long as I am aware I would be held in contempt and arrested and that was some bullshit if you asked me. But Kimmie was a minor and the state had the obligation to be able to automatically put in an order of protection in place.

The female officer told Kimmie that she was going to check into the information regarding her dad, and in the meantime, she was given a number to call in the event she felt “unsafe” again. It was all bullshit if you asked me.

Once the officers left, I marched into Kimmie’s room and found her curled on her bed crying.

“Ion know why you crying. And another thing, I’m not going to jail for you, Todd, or no damn body. If them people feel like I can’t keep you safe cause you want to paint that picture to them just know next stop, they taking yo ass out the house. You accusing Todd of touching on you but don’t want to be examined cause you been in bed with that boy! You think I’m stupid, Kimmie, but I was your age once just young and dumb over a boy. But defaming Todd’s integrity as a man is an all-time low! Now he sitting in jail and something like this on his name could ruin his reputation forever.”

“I didn’t lie about anything and in due time, you will see that. The things I did lie about, I came clean on and admitted my fault. But you getting Darius arrested for protecting me and pulling a gun on him was just wrong! I hope they find my dad and he comes snatch me out of here. You’ll see for yourself if you don’t know already that Todd is not right in the head. I hate it here!”

Slap!

“You hit me!” Kimmie screamed.

“I damn sho’ did and I’ll do it again if you don’t lower your damn voice! I get you mad about your lil boyfriend?—”

“He’s not my boyfriend!” Kimmie cut me off.

“Whatever Kimmie, there you go lying again! But I get it now. I see what this is all about.” I smirked, shaking my head now, gaining much clarity about what just happened. “You think causing all this bullshit gon’ get you taken out of here cause you want to live with your dad. Nah, baby girl, they gon’ take you to a boarding house with a bunch of homeless kids til you turn eighteen and that’s if you even survive an environment like that. Yo daddy don’t want to be bothered but that’s some shit you just gon’ have to see for yourself.”

“I’ll run away before I let anyone take me anywhere.”

---