Harlem Girl Lost by Treasure E. Blue Page B

fly?”
    “Exactly,” Birdie said.
    Silver frowned in confusion. “So you saying we should drop Mommy off a cliff?”
    Birdie laughed softly. “No. It just means that the baby eagles are the only ones to decide to either fly or fall.” He paused and looked Silver in the eyes. “Your mama has to make that same decision; no one else can spread her wings for her.”
    “What if she doesn't spread her wings and falls?” Silver asked sadly. “What is going to happen to me?”
    Silver had developed a deep phobia of abandonment as a result of her mother's erratic drug use and brushes with death. Most children of alcoholics or drug abusers will eventually develop issues due to their dysfunctional upbringing, and Silver was no different. She had many nightmares that something bad would happen to her mother and she would never come home.
    Birdie bent down and looked her in the eyes. “Silver, look at me. No matter what happens, I will always be there for you. I will never, ever let anything happen to you—I promise!” With that he wiped the tears from her eyes and hugged her tightly before they continued on their way to school.
    Near the school, they unexpectedly ran into Silver's grandmother. Birdie gripped Silver's hand tighter and took a deep breath as they neared Mrs. Jones. Birdie had met her once before with Jesse and had immediately gotten bad vibes from the woman.
    Birdie knew from something Jesse had once inadvertently let slip that Mrs. Jones called him a freak behind his back. Normally, Birdie would have quickly told someone off for such an offense, but since she was Jesse's mother, he'd acted as if he didn't know about it. But like Birdie always said, a person only got away with that shit one time, no matter who they were.
    Silver spoke first. “Hi, Grandma.”
    “Hello, child.” After a moment, the older woman spoke again. “So, child, I haven't been seeing your mother around these days. Is she missing in action … again?” She then turnedtoward Birdie and said from behind her hand, “Is she still on those d-r-u-g-s?”
    Birdie scowled at her, but said to Silver, “Silver, baby, why don't you go ahead on to school now? Auntie Birdie would like to speak to your grandma alone.”
    Silver looked up at Birdie, knowing exactly what was going to happen next. “Okay, Auntie,” she said. She said good-bye to her grandmother.
    “Good-bye, child,” Mrs. Jones replied.
    They watched Silver walk off to school. Finally the woman spoke again, her tone heavy with sarcasm.
    “ Auntie’ would like to speak to her grandmother, huh? Where is she?”
    Birdie took off the gloves. Hands on his hips, he moved his head from side to side, trying his best to control his temper. “I don't know who you think you are, but don't you ever talk that way in front Silver about her mother again. You think she can't spell? And it is none of your damn business where she is and what she does, anyway.”
    “Why, I have every right to inquire about the whereabouts of my daughter,” Mrs. Jones replied haughtily.
    “Your daughter?” Birdie's voice rose in disbelief. “Since when have you been concerned about your daughter? You ain't never did anything for Jesse or Silver, and you have the audacity to want to know her whereabouts? You don't have that right—you gave that up long time ago.”
    “How would you know what I ever did for Jessica?” she snapped. “Her father and I gave Jessica everything she ever wanted, and what did she do the minute she got a chance? Shespread her legs to anybody who came along, got pregnant, and embarrassed her father and me.”
    Birdie stepped closer. “For your information, Jesse was a virgin, and that was her first time. It was a mistake, but you wouldn't know nothing about that because you put her out the first chance you got!”
    Dismissing Birdie's account totally, Mrs. Jones shook her head. “It doesn't matter. I gave her a choice, and she could have stayed.”
    “Choice?” Birdie said,