Big Girls Drama (12 page)

When I walked into that Macy's office where the police held the criminals bold enough to commit a crime, I seethed, hoping I didn't put my hands on my own criminal child. I prayed to the good Lord above to give me the strength to not act a fool up in this establishment, knowing I could be the next one to get arrested for assault.

Meena was sitting in one of the chairs with two other girls by her side, one of which I recognized as her friend Shannon. She'd cut her long hair, and now it was short and dyed medium brown. Her new hairstyle accentuated her facial features. The other young lady looked like someone I'd seen before. She was also cute with braids leading up to a natural puff atop her head. Her black lipstick made her golden-brown complexion glow.

Looking at my daughter who had her head down, I said, “Don't look sad now. I can't believe you, Meena. What the hell is wrong with you?”

“But, Mom—”

I held my hand up to stop her from even talking. Before she said anything to me, I wanted to talk to the officer about exactly what happened. It was bad enough I had to end my luncheon with my friends and admit that the unlawful actions of my daughter was the reason why I had to leave them so abruptly, but the cop who was in the room with them was one of the finest black men I'd seen in a while. Talk about embarrassing. What was he going to think of me having a teen who felt entitled to taking things that didn't belong to her? Kids didn't understand when they did things like this, their actions were a representation of the parent, and I hated anyone looking at me like I wasn't doing something right. Granted, I wasn't the perfect mom, but I did my best raising Meena. And I damn sure didn't teach her to steal.

“Ms. Gordon,” the very handsome chocolate man said approaching in his tailored police uniform.

“Yes, I'm
Miss
Gordon,” making sure to emphasize miss so he would know I wasn't married. I couldn't take my eyes off him. His body was chiseled. He was at least five inches taller than me, which I loved. He had a low fade with waves tapered into a full thick beard nicely edged up. And his smile was radiant. I hung on this man's every word.

“My name is Officer Damon Ward. I'm sorry to call you under these circumstances.”

And his voice was guttural, deep enough to make the space between my thighs quiver just from his tone. I hadn't had a man make me feel this way since Kegan.

“I'm sorry you had to call me too, but you have a job to do,” I replied. “Can you please tell me what happened?” I asked, finally getting control of myself.

“Your daughter was the lookout for these young ladies who attempted to steal a few items of clothing from this store. Your daughter even brought them items she wanted for herself from my understanding. If it wasn't for one of them forgetting to remove one of the sensors, they probably would have gotten away,” Officer Ward explained.

I gave all three girls a disapproving gaze as my daughter and the other girl glared accusingly at Shannon. I knew then she must have been the one to get them all caught. Officer Ward continued.

“Honestly, I think they have done this before just by the way they went about getting the items. Well, that and the fact one of them had the contraption to remove the sensor piece support my determination.”

“I can't believe this,” I said swiping at my hair fretfully.

I walked over to Meena who stared up at me with a bleak expression.

“Really, Meena? So, this is how you roll now. You're stealing from stores too?”

“No,” she snapped.

Before I knew it, I snatched my daughter up by the arm lifting her from the seat. Her impassive eyes quickly turned to alarm when she realized I had my hands on her.

“You are the one accused of shoplifting and you have the audacity to get an attitude with me?” I said heatedly.

“Ma, I don't have an attitude,” she corrected.

“You snapping at me don't show me you don't have an attitude. It shows me you think I'm going to take that smart mouth of yours because I'm in front of your friends and this cop. I had to leave my friends to come down here and pick your behind up over this nonsense, and you got the nerve to try to act hard in front of everybody? Did you forget who I am, Meena?”

I must have been gripping her too tightly because she began to whine.

“Ma, you're hurting me.”

“It's better I hurt you than somebody else. Now, answer my question. Did you forget who I am?” I asked again.

“No, ma'am.”

“I told you I don't give a damn where I am. If you disrespect me, I will not hesitate to let you know who's the parent and who's the child. Don't think because this police officer is here, I'm not going to act a fool because I will. I told you before, if I have to go to jail over something regarding you, I'm going to damn sure make it worth my while. And if that entails whooping your ass until they get the strength enough to pull me off of you, then so be it.”

Meena shifted her eyes to the officer like she was hoping he was going to help her, but I didn't care about anybody in this room. If she wanted to act like a grown-ass woman, then I was going to beat her ass like she was a grown-ass woman.

“Ms. Gordon,” Officer Ward spoke in a warning tone.

I continued to glower at Meena, ultimately letting go of her arm before I turned my attention back to Officer Ward.

“I'm sorry, but I didn't raise my child to do no mess like this,” I asserted angrily.

“I understand,” he responded, giving me a small smile.

“So, what's going to happen now?”

“The store wants to press charges against the young ladies to teach them a lesson.”

“So now they're going to have a record?”

“Yes, ma'am, but only up until they turn eighteen. Then their record can be closed or even expunged. However, their records can be reopened if they are found guilty of a crime in the future, which can be used against them in the court of law. So, right now, it's up to these young ladies about which direction they choose to take,” he graciously explained.

I was observing the girls when he explained this, and one of them had the nerve to smirk.

“Do you think this is funny?” I addressed the young lady I didn't know.

She didn't bother to answer as she gave me a look of annoyance.

“Did you hear me?”

“Yo, Meena, you better get your mom,” the young girl said cockily.

I chuckled as I pointed to this little girl and asked Meena, “Who is this?”

Meena hesitated before saying, “Asha.”

I stepped closer to Asha watching her smug expression change to one of nervousness. Officer Ward clasped my arm gently to stop me. He looked at me with sincerity. It was like I could hear him say I couldn't act like that with somebody else's child.

I scowled at Meena's so-called friend who didn't look too cocky anymore before saying, “Little girl, you better be glad this officer is here because I would teach you a lesson as well. Nothing burns me up more than a disrespectful child.”

She must've understood the craziness that resided within me because she dared not respond.

There was a knock at the door before it opened and in walked Shannon's mom, Abigail. Even though she was dressed in a shiny gold-pleated taffeta shirt dress looking like she'd just stepped off
The Stepford Wives
movie, her face was blanketed with worry. She looked like she'd been crying. I always thought Abigail was a nice-looking woman with her olive complexion and layered bob. She was about my height, five foot five, but she was a lot smaller than I was. She appeared to be a size three. She was the same size as her daughter, even though Shannon had a model physique standing about five foot seven. I got along with Abigail, but to me, she came across a bit stuck-up.

When she saw Shannon, she beelined to her daughter and embraced her lovingly.
I guess shoplifting warranted a hug,
I thought.

“Honey, tell me what happened. Tell me you had nothing to do with this,” Abigail said in a tone that would make anybody lie to her.

Shannon didn't respond. Clearly, you could tell by Abigail's demeanor she didn't believe Shannon had anything to do with this.

“Tell me who made you do this, honey,” Abigail said, now looking suspiciously at Meena and Asha.

“Mom, I just want to go home,” Shannon uttered glumly like she was going to burst into tears herself.

Abigail took her daughter by the hand as she turned to Officer Ward.

“Can I take my daughter home?”

“Yes, ma'am, but like I explained to Ms. Gordon, the store will be pressing charges.”

“Why?” she asked in disbelief.

“Miss Brooks—” Officer Ward said before Abigail cut him off.

“It's
Mrs
.”

With a half smile, Officer Ward said, “Mrs. Brooks, your daughter was involved in shoplifting, which is a crime,” he clarified with brows furrowed.

“They
made
Shannon do this,” she accused. “My child has never done anything like this before. Not until she started hanging with the likes of them.”

Abigail's attitude was terse and downright condemning as she pointed to my daughter and Asha, and I didn't like it. It was one thing to comfort your daughter and act like she's an angel, but it was another when she thought I was going to allow her to come at my child, and someone else's, for that matter, like they are the problem.

“Wait a minute, Abigail. You can't blame my daughter or this other young lady,” I interjected. “They all did this together.”

“Yes, I can, and I have. My daughter is not like . . . like
them
.”

“Like
them?
” I asked, getting upset. “What in the hell does that mean?”

“Those girls are . . . are . . .”

“Say it,” I dared.

“Look, I just want to leave,” Abigail recoiled, evidently noticing the look of contempt I had.

“They didn't
make
Shannon do anything she didn't want to do.”

Ignoring my statement, Abigail went on to say, “I was hesitant about Shannon even being friends with Meena, but I felt sorry for her.”

“Sorry?” I replied defensively.

“Yes, sorry. She needed a true friend, and Shannon offers companionship wherever she goes.”

She was talking like her daughter was selling friendship to underprivileged kids. Granted, my daughter didn't have as many assets as they did, but friends weren't hard to come by. Friends came a dime a dozen, and even then, most weren't friends; they were associates.

“I knew I should have gone with my gut and not allowed you to hang with them,” Abigail said to Shannon, who looked pleased by her mother's behavior. Probably because her mother always cleaned up her mess for her. One day, they will realize all messes can't be straightened out. How can anyone learn anything if there are never any consequences to their bad actions?

“I'm not going to keep listening to you talk about these young ladies like this, Abigail.”

“Please, I've heard what she's been up to, hanging out with kids who drink and do drugs. Shannon told me everything because my daughter and I communicate like a good mother and daughter should.”

Inhaling deeply I asked, “Meena has never done anything like that. If she was doing those things, how do I know your daughter wasn't the one who introduced my daughter to it?”

“Shannon is a straight-A student with many medals and honors of achievement. She would never do what you are trying to insinuate.”

“My child has good grades also. Yet, you stand here accusing her of this.”

“We all know Meena is on her way to being some hoodlum's girlfriend or pregnant by a hoodlum. Both she and Asha are trouble and need some serious help.”

I was getting tired of Abigail's sanctimonious banter. She could take up for Shannon all the wanted, but her steady stream of insults toward my daughter was going to warrant me beating her ass.

“How about we take our daughters together to a shrink?” I suggested with sarcasm looking at Shannon, knowing this young lady was going to need some mental help as well. I knew it was wrong to stoop to Abigail's level, but I didn't care, especially when it came to my child.

“My daughter is great and will be even better when I ban her from hanging with
them,
” she pointed, like Meena and Asha were trash. “Shannon is on the right path and will continue to skyrocket, leaving those two far behind.”

I looked at the girls and saw the resentment within them. Officer Ward stepped in between Abigail and me. I guess he could sense how badly I wanted to punch this holier-than-thou woman in her not-so-holy mouth.

“Mrs. Brooks, you can't blame these young ladies without including your own daughter in this. She was the one who got caught with the stolen merchandise.”

“That's because they
made
her do it,” she bellowed.

“No one made her do it. We have the footage of her coming out of the dressing room alone. Meena was the lookout and wasn't even in the dressing room with them. And Asha was in a stall beside your daughter.”

Giving him a look of contempt, Abigail smoothed her hair as she said, “I'm taking my child home.”

“That's fine,” Officer Ward retorted.

“Rest assured, no charges will be brought against my daughter. I know the vice president of this company, and I will be giving him a call on how you treated my daughter and how you spoke to me.”