Authors: D. Bryant Simmons
How to Knock a Bravebird from Her Perch : The First Novel in the Morrow Girls Series (9780985751616) (38 page)
Then the nurse came in with paperwork for us to sign.
“What is it?” Heziah was too busy spreading his affection from one baby to the other to pay attention to the clipboard I was holding.
“Just regular stuff. Birth certificates.”
We locked eyes for a moment. It had never needed saying before and wasn’t no need now. The twins were only gonna have one daddy—the honorable Heziah Jenkins.
T
HE
COPS
AGREED
TO
trade handcuffs for a policeman standing guard outside my door. Heziah took it as a good sign but I knew better. Knew better than to expect the good folks who ain’t offer me one bit of help to all of sudden be filled with sympathy.
Looking out over the hospital parking lot, I took a break from writing and wrapped an extra hospital gown around me, tying the tired string into a bow across my chest. It was the first quiet moment I’d had. The twins were in the nursery and Heziah was making phone calls. The doctors said we would all be released tomorrow. We weren’t sure yet if I was going home or to jail.
“Belinda?” A knock at the door announced Mr. Silverman. He waited for me to reply before pushing it all the way open. “How are you?”
“I’m good.”
Twenty-four hours before I’d pushed two human beings out of my body after bashing in my ex-husband’s head and I looked better than he did.
“You look worried.”
Mr. Silverman had real concern for me. He liked me. He’d wanted to do more for me and I suspected he blamed himself for the way things had turned out.
“From what I’ve gathered from the prosecutor, I don’t think he’s feeling too sympathetic. Given the attention that this will generate...Well, I’m afraid he’s more interested in making a name for himself than anything else.” He sighed and took a seat under the television. “We’ve got two options here. We can make a claim for self-defense or…” he paused to take a long breath, “…Or we can argue in the affirmative.”
“What’s that mean?”
“You weren’t in the right mind. You didn’t know what you were doing.”
“You wanna say I’m crazy.”
“I want to keep you out of prison.” He rose and met me at the window. “I feel I should tell you that criminal law isn’t my specialty. I can refer you to someone else if you like.”
“No. I trust you. Which one you think is best?”
“You have a strong case for cognitive insanity.”
I nodded, wishing I had a cigarette. “But I wanna be the one to tell Heziah. And my girls.”
“He certainly won’t hear it from me but I can’t make any guarantees about the girls. Their foster parents and the social worker will have the final say there.”
T
HE
TRIAL
WAS
QUICK
and weighed more on my people than it did on me. Jackie had a hard time with the kids in her class. Kids could be so mean but my girl was tough. She called me almost everyday. Nikki and Nat were doing pretty good. They were more adaptable than Mya and Jackie. Clara said she wasn’t surprised because of their personalities. Jackie and Mya were both stubborn, in their own ways. Jackie would tell you straight out that no matter what she wasn’t changing her mind. Mya wouldn’t use those words. She wouldn’t use any words. She’d just give folks a look and they got the point. She’d given me that look on a few occassions.
“She doesn’t hate you,” Heziah had said. “She just needs time.”
I ain’t have no choice but to give it to her. The judge had ordered me to spend thirteen months under direct care. So, Mya got thirteen months.
“Mrs. Jenkins? You wanna put your journal away? You’ve got a visitor.”
Nurse Betty was just a few years older than me but she acted like she was old enough to be my mama. Not that it bothered me any, I just smiled and set my brown leather book on the nightstand. Betty and all the other nurses gave me special privileges that the other residents didn’t have. Once folks found out why I was there, their attitudes became real accomodating. They came by to chat with me, telling me about their kids, husbands, and boyfriends. Felt more like living with a bunch of friends than being locked up in the looney bin. Of course that ain’t change the fact that I missed my people. Heziah brought the twins by as much as he could and every full moon or so the social worker brought my girls to see me.
“You excited?” Nurse Betty cleared off my tray of what was left from my lunch. “Today’s the day. We’ll miss you around here.”
“I’ll miss you too.”
“You all packed?” She looked to the suitcase that stood in the corner then stood back with both hands on the small of her back. She smiled at me. “That’s a really nice dress.”
“Thank you hun.”
“You take it easy, okay?”
She slipped out the door just as Heziah’s frame filled it. He wore a brown pinstripe suit and held a dozen red roses.
“Well Mrs. Jenkins, what’s it gonna be? You ready to blow this joint?”
“With you?”
“Were you expecting somebody else?” He grinned. Gestured for me to come to him and wrapped me up in his arms. “I’ve got a surprise for you. In the hall.” His eyes danced for joy. “You’re not gonna ask me what it is?”
I didn’t need to. I already knew. There was only one thing I wanted after my freedom. My girls. They filed in one at a time in order of birth and surrounded me in a hug of giggles and tears. Nikki, as a teenager, had thinned out some but the chubby little girl I gave birth to was all I saw. She cried the loudest, hugging me gently then making way for her sisters. Nat and Jackie held the twins by the hand and the four of them rushed ahead of Mya. She tried to smile, wanted to smile I could see, but it didn’t come easy to my girl.
“Stop crying mama,” Nat laughed and tried to hoist her baby sister onto her hip like she saw Jackie do. “This the good part. We’re all together again. Now everything’s gonna be perfect.”
Dear reader,
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D. Bryant Simmons
How To Kill A Caged Bird
The Second Novel in the Morrow Girls Series
Mya Morrow was born with brains and brawn and it will take both for her to survive.
Imprisoned for over a decade for a crime she did not commit, Mya has morphed into a cold, calculating, convict with nothing to lose but time. But the cool facade, comes tumbling down when her eldest sister visits with some unexpected news. Suddenly desperate to reconnect with her loved ones on the outside, Mya takes justice into her own hands.
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www.dbryantsimmons.com
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How To Knock
A Bravebird
From Her Perch
The First Novel In The Morrow Girls Series
D. Bryant Simmons
This novel is dedicated to all women who doubt their abilities.
Especially my mother.
I love you.
Cover Designer: Andrew Brown
Editor: Lauren I. Ruiz
Typesetter: D. Bryant Simmons
Bravebird Publishing LLC
Chicago Ridge, IL 60415
www.bravebirdpublishing.com
Publisher’s Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Bryant Simmons, D., 1983-
How to knock a bravebird from her perch: the first novel in the morrow girls series / D. Bryant Simmons.
p. cm.
Does not include index.
ISBN 978-0-9857516-6-1
1. African American women—Fiction. 2. African American families—Fiction. 3. Mothers and daughters—Fiction.
I. Bryant Simmons, D. 1983-. II. Title.
Copyright © 2014 D. Bryant Simmons All rights reserved.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.