Not My Mother's Footsteps (6 page)

Phoenix lay peacefully in her queen sized bed, with the cover wrapped tightly around her; it had been out of habit for her to sleep that way since when she was younger her uncle normally violated her. Geno stood in the doorway of the room furious, he had called Phoenix multiple times yesterday and she didn’t answer any of his calls, and it was time he taught her ass a lesson.

Geno stepped closer to Phoenix bed, and watched as her chest rose and fell under the comforter for some reason that angered him more that she was sleeping peaceful. Roughly pulling the covers off her, Geno watched Phoenix body tensed up in fear. She lay there shaking in her boy shorts and tank top with no bra; seeing her like that caused his dick to get hard. “What’s, what’s wrong with you?” Phoenix asked with a shaky voice as she sat up in the bed.

“I called ya motherfucking ass 100 times (he exaggerated) yesterday and you aint pick up not once, so what the fuck was you doing?’ he asked as he struck her with his right hand instantly causing blood to spew from her nose. Geno didn’t give Phoenix time to answer before he snatched her phone from the nightstand and began going through it. Phoenix sat there with her feet to her chest as she sobbed holding her nose ‘please God let me have erased everything’ she thought as she watched him search her phone. 

Geno was getting even more pissed as he searched Phoenix’s phone because he couldn’t find a single thing. ‘Either she’s good or her ass didn’t do shit the entire weekend I was gone’ he thought as he looked up at her from her phone. Even though Geno didn’t find a thing, he was high and pissed for no reason at all so Phoenix was about to feel his wrath. “I don’t like to be fucked with” He said through gritted teeth as he roughly threw her phone against the bedroom walk causing it to break.

“I didn’t do anything” Phoenix cried, knowing it things were about to go from bad to worst.

“Shut the fuck up!” Geno yelled as he scooped Phoenix up with one swift motion by her neck.   Phoenix didn’t try to fight, claw at his hands, cry or anything, she just stare at him, it was as if she wanted Geno to kill her. Geno didn’t want to kill her, he just wanted to scare her. It was something about Phoenix he really liked because had it been one of his hoes he would have did more damage; he didn’t see Phoenix a hoe because she didn’t choose this life, this life chose her.

Throwing her roughly on the bed, Geno watched as her small frame bounced a little; his dick got hard, there was only one thing to do. “Since you want to play fucking games its time you pay for this shit. Ya ass gots to learn I’m the king all up in through this bitch, I own your ass.” Geno said as he unbuckled his pants and pulled out his dick.

Phoenix had been raped one too many times to know what was about to happen, she didn’t try to fight. Geno entered Phoenix and though he was taking it from her, he didn’t know what Heaven felt like but he swore Phoenix was it. Phoenix lay still as she was being violated; she never cared what happen to her anymore because no one else cared so why should she.

Geno’s body jerked slightly as he emptied his seeds deep into Phoenix, after savory in the moment a few seconds longer, Geno removed his limp dick from inside her. “Get your dumb ass up and clean yourself up, I’ll be back in an hour and your ass better be together” Geno said pulling his pants up. Believe it or not he felt bad for the way he did Phoenix but he couldn’t let her know that, he needed the upper hand at all times.

~

Phoenix stood under the extremely hot water as it cascaded down her body. ‘God I have asked you my entire life to protect me from all these evil people I encounter, but it seems like the more I ask, the more bad things happen’ Phoenix thought as she turned the water to the hottest temperature. The water was slightly burning her skin, but Phoenix was so hurt in other ways that she didn’t even feel the pain from the water. 

Reaching for her body wash and washcloth Phoenix began to lather up, and then scrubbed her skin so hard as if she was trying to remove the skin. Phoenix was trying to erase all the years of damage that had been done to her, but it was no use because no matter how hard she scrubbed the stench of all the guys were on her skin. Finally rinsing her body Phoenix stepped out of the shower and wrapped her towel tightly around her body. She stare at herself in the mirror, she hated what she saw, though she was pretty all she saw was a ugly sex slave that no man knew how to treat.

Phoenix brushed her now soak and wet hair, and placed it into a high ponytail, she didn’t feel pretty so she wasn’t about to try and make herself look pretty. After drying herself off Phoenix slipped on a black mini skirt, a red midriff sweater that exposed her breast, she chose to wear a pair of six inch ankle booties, and some accessories completed the outfit. “I plan to eventually not walk in my mother’s footsteps” Phoenix said out loud as she looked herself in the mirror, looking just like her mother.

Phoenix began thinking about the last time she actually saw her mother she was nine years old. “Mommy you look so pretty” Phoenix said as she watched her mother run around their efficiency apartment getting dressed.

“Child hush, I don’t have time to listen to you, have you seen my red lipstick?” Phoenix mom asked as she held a cigarette that badly needed to be ashed. 

“Mommy where are you going, can I go?” Phoenix asked as she tried helping her mom look for her lipstick.

Phoenix mother whose name is Melissa grabbed the side of Phoenix face “baby where I’m going aint no place for kids, hell it’s really not a place for me” Melissa said and Phoenix could have sworn she saw tears in her mother’s eyes. “But mommy’s gotta do what she has to do for you” Melissa said releasing Phoenix’s face. Seconds later there was a knock at the door “baby get that please” Melissa said to Phoenix as she ran into the bathroom.

Phoenix opened the door without asking who it was, and when she did she saw her Uncle Bo standing there. Well Bo really wasn’t her uncle but that’s what he always told her to call me. Phoenix felt weird around him, he would tell her to sit on his lap, and if she gave him some sugar he would give her a dollar. The weirdest thing about him is he would always tell Phoenix she was in training and to watch her mother closely because she would be doing what she does soon. Phoenix never understood what she meant but she loved her mother so much that no matter what it was her mother did she would do so she could be just like her. “Hey Uncle Bo” Phoenix said dryly as she walked away from the door because she knew her mother would be leaving soon.

“Now is that anyway to talk to your uncle Bo? Come give me a hug girl” Bo said as he kneeled down with his arms stretched out to Phoenix”

Phoenix walked slowly backed to him she really didn’t want to hug him, but her mother had always told her to respect her elders. As Bo was releasing Phoenix from the hug, she could have sworn he rubbed his hard                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        up under her nighty and touch her butt, but she wasn’t too sure she just knew she was scared. “Hey daddy” she heard her mother say in a low tone as she walked out the bathroom with another cigarette lit.

Bo didn’t say a thing to Melissa he just had a mean scowl on his face and nodded his head to the door and then turned in walked out. “Phoenix baby, mommy loves you. Remember once I leave lock this door and do not open for no one and I mean no one, you understand?” Melissa said as she kissed Phoenix on the cheek.

“But mommy I want to go with you” Phoenix whined

‘Stop it No you don’t want to go with me!” Melissa shouted which scared Phoenix. “Promise me you will be better than me Phoenix” Melissa said. Phoenix didn’t understand what her mother was saying so she didn’t say a word. “Promise me Phoenix!” she shouted.

“I promise” Phoenix said in a whisper.

“I love you Phoenix” Melissa said once again before looking at Phoenix one last time before walking out the door. Phoenix felt that I love you and goodbye meant so much more but because she was so young she really didn’t understand. Little did Phoenix know that would be the last time she saw her mother.

Phoenix sat on her couch waiting for Geno and found herself crying just thinking of the last memories she remembers of her mother. She never really was told what happen to her, except she was a prostitute and the streets took over. So she pretty much lived her entire life just assuming her mother was dead, Phoenix couldn’t help but to cry because she was following her footsteps.

It had been two days since Terrell went on a date with Phoenix, and he hadn’t heard from her since. Terrell couldn’t figure out why but he couldn’t shake her from his mind; it was weird she hadn’t called because most females drooled over him. Terrell was sitting on his sofa, watching Monday night football on his 65inch TV as he smoked a blunt and sipped on rum and coke. His phone began to ring, he didn’t recognize the number “Yo?” he answered as he always did.

“Hey Terrell” he heard a voice he could never forget blare sweetly through the phone; though the voice was sweet the person was venomous.

“Fuck you calling me for Fluffy?” Terrell asked in a calm manner though he was far from calm, he just never let anyone see him sweat.

“Come on don’t be that way baby, we got history and I miss you” Fluffy said trying to sound sexy. Terrell use to love that about her, until he found out it was all a front.

“Whatchu want man, I aint got time for this shit” he said as he inhaled the smoke from the blunt.

“I want you” Fluffy said with seriousness.

Terrell laughed a little, though he didn’t find a damn thing funny “shit I hear that. You want me? Fuck outta here” he said before hanging up in her ear. “That bitch is crazy” he said to himself as he stood to go make him another drink.

As Terrell was making himself another drink he could hear his phone ringing, he just shook his head assuming it was Fluffy calling back but he had assumed wrong.

~

Phoenix held her cell phone in her uncontrollable shaking hands; she couldn’t believe what she had just witnessed. The vision of Butter’s brains splatted on the wall as she watched from the bathroom invaded her mind. Phoenix tried calling Mariah and as she waited for her to answer she closed her eyes, and started thinking about what lead up to this moment.
“Aight yall, this nigga will be here in a second, I gotta make a run” Geno said as he was about to leave the house.

“Go in the bathroom and put some more make up on ya eye, I can still see this shit” Geno said has he held Phoenix by her chin examining the damage he had done to her face earlier.

“Okay” Phoenix said with quietly. Phoenix has been in a daze, not only had Geno been freely using her body as his personal sex slave the last couple of days, he also had been hitting her a lot more.

Phoenix hurried off to the dirty bathroom in the trap house, where most of her horrible sex habits were performed. Phoenix stood staring at her reflection in the mirror, her once blemish free face carried marks and bruises. Her eyes had bags, and she looked 32 not 22. Pulling out her makeup Phoenix was about to apply more to her face, ‘BOOM’ she heard loudly, which caused her drop the makeup case on the floor causing it to shatter; she could hear Butter screaming and Geno pleading.

Seconds after hearing the ‘BOOM’ she heard yelling, Geno spoke “I aint got much on me yo, but take what the fuck I got including my truck” she heard him plead sounding like a punk.

“Fuck that truck, where the money at?” Phoenix heard one of them yelling

“All I got on me is 5,000, I’m sure yall asses know ion keep money like that on me, it’s all at the house” Geno said, and that was the last thing Phoenix heard before she heard multiple gunshots ring out. Phoenix fell to her knees covering her mouth as she cried, she was scared to even breathe. Though she hated Geno the fact that he might be dead scared the hell out of her.

Phoenix couldn’t stop the tears, she could hear the room being ransacked and Butter crying even louder now; that let her know she wasn’t dead. “You thick to shorty” she heard somebody say, and for some reason she recognized the voice but for the life of her she couldn’t place the face.

“I’ll do whatever you want me to do” Phoenix heard Butter say. Phoenix and Butter had become close since they were always working together, so she knew if Butter fucked him they would let her live. Phoenix could hear them about to get down to busy, so the curiosity got the best of her. Opening the door slightly just enough to see, she could see Geno laid out in a puddle of blood, dead. Butter was standing butt naked about to fuck the guys. Phoenix opened the door a little wider so she could get a look at, at least one of the guys face but she couldn’t because their backs were to her.

Phoenix was just about to close the door back to allow Butter to do her, plus so she would go unnoticed when the unthinkable happened. “Oh my God please don-” she heard Butter start but was stopped when she was shot right in between her eyes, killing her instantly. Seventeen year old Raquel “Butter” Blanch lost her life that night for something that had nothing to do with her, but no witnesses could be left.

Phoenix gasp as soon as she saw the bullet enter Butter’s head and all of her brain matter flew and hit the wall, she was now scared for her life more than she ever was. Both of the guys that were in the house turned to walk out the door as if nothing happened. As soon as they hit the door one looked down at Geno and spit on him and when he looked up Phoenix all most had a heartache, it was the guy her and Mariah met; Renz.

So here Phoenix was now, trying to get ahold of Mariah, because she had managed to get away without being killed. “Oh my God, why is Mariah not answering?” Phoenix said as tears fell, she was walking in Downtown Newport News and alone. Scrolling through her contacts she didn’t know who to call because she didn’t have any friends or family near except Mariah. “Terrell” she said out loud as she got to his name. Phoenix called him three times before he answered, the moment he answered Phoenix began to cry and try to explain what had happen but she couldn’t get it out. Terrell couldn’t understand her so he just told her to go to the McDonalds and he would be on his way.