Wa-Le-Lu

I ran downstairs curiosity burning inside me. Standing in our front door my mother had her thin arms folded with a frown stretching across the wasteland of her face. Montega in front of her had his buff arms crossed as well. Your traditional stand off when two families have yet to come to terms with facts. He’s a well dressed man for the most part, and the daddy of my half brother who has never seen my face upon the reserve.

“Aiyana,” I could hear the distinct slam of our backdoor as father crawled his way into the living room ignoring the ruckus of the man who paid him for a child. “Are you serious about the hospital thing? My wife is in tears having sobbed to me that such an idea would be dismissed.”

“Montega are you here for moral support or to ask for a second child?” Her eyes spotted me out of the corner of the slits. I slinked my head down wanting to know more.

“I am here to tell you that you have my father’s blessing.” Montega puffed smoke out of his pipe trying to look at the sky as if it’ll tell all the secrets. “But not mine. A casino can run us rich with billions of dollars but a wee little hospital…well that’s an Un-ne-Ga solution to problems.”

“Your always a chaser for Un-ne- ga dough. You like to run to the greens as if they grew on your own farm. Montega, your already a gamblin man, you don’t need to run a casino to prove that your corn grows the best.”

“Sure I do. But Aiya-” I gulped. No one but dad used that on her and got away with it. A twitch of her fingers and I caught the sight of war painted on her face.