Page 11 of Desperate Times

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Crimson

Auntie Ruby:

We went over to Venus house. You can get Scarlett from there.

Auntie Ruby’s text popped up on my phone just as I was wrapping up at work. I had already booked a Lyft, but the second I read her message, I had to scramble to change the address. Last-minute changes always sent my stress levels through the roof. And to make matters worse, she had, once again, dropped Scarlett off somewhere without running it by me first. This was the second time she’d pulled this stunt. Yes, Shad was family, and Venus might as well have been, too. But that didn’t automatically mean they wanted to be on babysitting duty just because Ruby was in such a rush to chase her money.

I was happy to be off work because my day started off on the wrong foot, literally. I slipped in a puddle first thing in the morning, soaking my clothes and forcing me to double back inside to change. That little setback made me late for work, and my mood was already teetering on the edge. The endlessrain wasn’t helping either. I started to think the sky was in competition with me. Every time I cried, it rained. Like, okay, we can’t both be depressed at the same time. Even now, thick drops of water tapped against my clear umbrella as I waited for my ride. I just knew this weather was about to mess with my ride. But when the car actually pulled up on time, I screamed for joy on the inside. One step closer to getting my kid and cuddling in bed with her.

Settling into the back seat, I released a slow breath and muttered a quick prayer. My attitude was trash today, and I knew it. I just hoped I wouldn’t take it out on anyone who didn’t deserve it. I definitely planned on addressing Ruby. Her last-minute change was taking more money out of my pocket because I would need to get a ride back home as well.

Then there were the endless texts and calls from Jahsir which left me conflicted. My heart forced me to read every single one while my brain encouraged me not to reply. His name lighting up my phone made me recount endless memories. Lord, I wanted to answer. I wanted to let the dust settle and make plans to move forward. But I couldn’t risk playing with my already fragile heart. So instead I sent him a text message, thanking him for the money a couple weeks ago.

I was stressed, annoyed and overwhelmed. It was one of those days where I truly didn’t want to be bothered.Time to put on my personality, I thought, as I walked up to Venus’ porch. I was always putting on the bubbly, happy-go-lucky Crimson, even with the world tumbling over me. Venus opened the door, and I scanned the room for my baby girl. Rashad was holding her as Ruby walked in from the kitchen. I was surprised because I was sure she had left to be on to the next biggest coin.

“Oh, I didn't expect you to still be here. I was sure you’d be on your way to bingo by now.”

“Yeah, well, we have an issue.”

“What's up, auntie?” I asked, crashing my eyebrows together.

“Basically, the roof fell in from all of the rain. I didn’t realize it until I went upstairs to put Scarlett down. It fell into your room. Her crib, your bed, and the rack where you kept your clothes are all soaked with water and debris. So yeah.”

“So, yeah…. What does that mean?”

“It means, call your renter’s insurance.”

“You mean call YOUR insurance. You had me giving you an extra $30 a month to cover that space and my items.Crimson, I’mma charge you a thousand for rent, and 30 of it goes to the renter’s insurance. Those were YOUR words.”

“I don’t remember that, but I’ll give them a call and see. Meanwhile, you can give me half of this month's rent. I know you’ll need the rest to replace a couple of the things that were ruined.”

“I’m not giving you a dime! I’ve paid rent faithfully for MONTHS!” I emphasized. “Every time it rained, I told you which areas in the attic were wet. You did nothing. Now the roof has caved in on everything I own. EVERYTHING! And you think giving you more money is my priority? Where the hell will my daughter and I sleep tonight?”

“Relax, bff, y’all can stay here.” Venus chimed in.

“You can come back to the house if you pay half of the rent for the month. The basement is in decent condition.”

“If?” I scoffed.

I was anxious and pissed. She had taken her greed to another level by trying to charge me rent for a place I couldn't even walk into. The audacity and disrespect sent my blood boiling. After everything, she still had the nerve to hold her hand out like I owed her something. Like I was supposed to hand over money for a space that was nothing more than a locked door to me. It wasn’t even about the money, it was the principle. I turned mythoughts off and focused on wrapping things up so I could get out before exploding.

“I know you don’t get paid for another couple of days,” she added. “So you can Zelle it to me then.”

“Respectfully, Auntie, don’t say nothing else to me.” Fighting back tears, I made a mental note of Scarlett’s things that were out of the diaper bag. Silently, I packed them while my aunt taunted me with her words. If it wasn’t one thing, it was another.

“See, Rashad, I told you, your little cousin is ungrateful. I have offered her several options, but she thinks she’s too good for them. Or as always, she is looking for a handout.”

“Chill, Mama. Crim, just go back to the crib. I’ll replace Scarlett’s things. It's raining hard as hell outside, and you don’t have anywhere to go.”

“Shad, I’m not giving her any more money, and I'm not going back over there. So just leave it alone.” I walked over to him and retrieved Scarlett from his arms. Venus and I made eye contact, and I knew she was urging me to stay calm. She knew how much of a bitch my auntie had been to me. They all did, and it blew my mind that everyone kept expecting me to be the bigger person.

“Gon take that baby out in the rain because you got an attitude with me? Immature ass lil girl.”

“Please stop talking to me, okay? I’m trying my best not to go there with you. You're steadily talking, damn!”

“Crim.” Shad urged. “Both of yall need to chill.”

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