An Unwanted Encounter

She glanced at the woman’s vacant and dark eyes, perplexed and confused as to why she was there. Slowly, and with all of the enthusiasm of a zombie, the Romani woman lifted one of the little girl’s brightly colored blocks in her hand. The child stared at her long and midnight colored hair, and although she was young, saw a brief resemblance of her own self. Anger swelled within the child as she screamed, but her cries were merely met with the same blank and lifeless eyes. Who was this, thought the child, as she attempted to sit still in her very best dress that was adorned with lace.

Distracted by an opening door, the child glanced towards the kitchen as her sister walked into the living room. The toddler stopped screaming and smiled at the blonde woman in the Metallica T-shirt and pink mini skirt. Dark make-up adorned her face, something that the toddler wasn’t permitted to touch under any circumstances, though she couldn’t understand why. She only wanted to look like her pretty sister, though, when she attempted to apply the bright colors to her face, it always looked like a mess.

“What is she doing here, Mommy? Get her out of here now. My Little Sissy is screaming. She wants to be away from her,” angrily screeched the blonde girl in the direction of her mother.

“Patricia, I can’t do anything about it. She is allowed to visit until the adoption is finalized,” retorted the mother, defeated and with tears in her eyes.

“She is touching my beautiful baby sister high on Coke! Don’t you see it? The woman barely knows where she is right now,” screamed Patricia. She added, “You will make her leave, or I will!”

“Patty, calm down. She will be gone in a few minutes,” replied the woman nervously. “Don’t get yourself in trouble with the cops,” frantically added the mother.

“I’m only seventeen, Mom, what the hell can the cops do to me if I beat the hell out of an addict,” sassily replied Patty. Angrily, Patricia walked out of the door with tears in her eyes.

The child didn’t understand why Patty was upset, but she knew it had something to do with the dark-eyed woman who was kneeling in front of her. Why were her eyes so empty and scary, pondered the child. Someone pick me up, thought the frightened child. Where was Sissy? Why did she leave? I don’t want to be here with this woman, continued the child’s unheard thoughts.

Quickly, a dark-skinned man sauntered arrogantly beside of the unfamiliar woman. Looking at him, she slowly stated, “Look at her. Isn’t she pretty? Can I take her home with me?”

Staring back at the child with malice, the man responded in a rage, “What are you going to do with her? It can’t even walk yet. Come on. We need to go.”

Slowly, the woman staggered to her feet and walked out of the room. An exchange of words occurred between the zombified woman and her mom, but the child couldn’t understand what they meant. “Legal documents to be signed by the courts and a trial soon,” but it was simply too confusing.

Frantically, she heard her mom pick up the phone in the living room. “Patty and Rochelle have Jewell by her hair in the front yard,” stated her mother in a panic.

The child screamed in fear, “Where is Sissy,” but again, her cries were ignored.

Within a few minutes, the door swung open, and Rachelle entered with tears in her eyes as she scooped down to pick up the child, “Hush now. You’re beautiful. You’re perfect. It’s okay.”

“Where is Sissy,” quietly asked the child as the inner turmoil of fears subsided.

Entering the room, Patty picked up the small child and headed to her bedroom, making the tiny girl smile. This is a place that her sister normally restricted her from. Quickly, Patty opened all of those brightly colored pallets and began applying the contents to the girl’s face.