Taking the Risk, Amaunet Jendayi [book recommendations website .txt] 📗

the smell of garment pizza along with other unknown foods to Aynslee.

 

She and Luna got money from their father and took off for the arcade in the back and middle of the restaurant. Aynslee remembers passing this place on the school bus and on the city bus. She would beg her mother to go especially when Aynslee was invited to a friend's birthday party. Her mother would reply, "You ain't got no friends. You going somewhere to screw." Whatever that meant. But now, all that mattered was that she was there.

 

Afterwards, they went swimming and Aynslee was taught how to swim by her father with a little help and words of encouragement from Luna. Aynslee is a really quick study.

 

Later it was time to go home, Aynslee dreaded the very idea of going back to where she was not wanted or loved. She even begged her father to let her stay with him and Luna. Luna cried while her father explained to Aynslee the court system would not allow it.

 

That was the last time she'd see Luna and her father, her mother had said. But, Aynslee was not about to let her mother steal her only joy away from her.

 

So, Aynslee would sneak out and her father would pick her up from the corner stop and take her to school sometimes. However, when Aynslee got out of high school and went to college. She was relieved that she and Luna were taking the same math and literature classes.

 

Present

 

Aynslee didn't know what to say about her sister's pregnancy, but she really is truly happy that her sister had found someone that she can really trust and start a family with.

 

A warm hand grazes her hand, Aynslee looks up to see Luna touching her hand and handing her a napkin. She takes the napkin, Luna signals to wipe her face. Aynslee dabs her face and looks at the napkin, small tear drops were on it. She hadn't even noticed that she is crying, smiling she dabs her eyes again and sniffles. "Sorry."

 

Luna frowns at her sister, "I know that both of your babies would have been at least 6 or 7 years old. In the 2nd grade or 1st grade."

 

Aynslee had to pull herself together, she just had to. No real reason why. "Yeah, they would but there is no telling how many I've truly had." She jokes and Luna smiles along with her older sister.

 

After their light lunch, they walk down the strip and enter a thrift shop. There really weren't very many people in the thrift shop, Aynslee looks around at the very tidy store. Most stores on the strip were unclean and full of dust; not this one. Bauhaus is what the store is called.

 

Luna goes towards the baby things which is in the very back of the store and Aynslee moves to the business clothes located to the left of the shoes in the front of the store. She seriously needed a job and she knew that her old job of being a corporate receptionist probably wouldn't take her back after all the days Patrick made her miss.

 

But, it is worth a try to see if they would. She picks up a few nice looking skirts and then remembers that Maryanne bought her clothes but not enough for a job or an interview. She grabs a loose buggy.

 

"Hey, that's my fuc-Aynslee?" A female says about to go off but when she sees who it is, she thinks twice.

 

Aynslee stares at the female and her own eyes widen in shock, "Noelle? Noelle Jellel?"

 

They hug each other and say their greetings to each other as well. Noelle says, "Wow, you look marvelous!" stepping back to look at Aynslee.

 

Aynslee looks at Noelle's beady, tired coffee colored eyes, baggy clothes, messed up straight neck- length weave, very narrow build, and dark chocolate skin tone.

 

"So do you." Noelle scoffs, "Psh, girl. No need to lie to me. I know I look a hot mess, but it's the life of motherhood."

 

Aynslee nods as a little boy runs up to Noelle holding a faded red fire truck that's missing a wheel. "My goodness." Aynslee looks down at the little boy. "Well, hello."

 

The little boy smiles and blushes a little. "Hey." Aynslee pinches his cheek, gently and he slyly scoots behind Noelle. Aynslee smiles, "He is so cute."

 

"Thank you. He will be...5 years old, next month and trying to do a cartoon-themed party is running me ragged." Noelle laughs. "What's going on with you?"

 

Aynslee answers. "Here with my sister; Luna." She nods over to the baby aisle. Noelle looks to where Aynslee nods to, "Oh, I see. Didn't know you had a sister." She turns to Aynslee, "What else is new?"

 

Aynslee sighs, "Finally, left that boyfriend of mine with a little help." Noelle shoes her son away to the toys. "Ugh, I am glad to hear that. No, kids?"" Aynslee shakes her head, "Not yet, but I am looking for a job right now."

 

"Oh, I know that a company that deals with computers is hiring. It is called..." She snaps her fingers trying to remember the name of the company, "Oh yeah...Kaleidoscope Company because of all the different colors that the motherboard of some computers and laptops have. Hell, I don't know."

 

Aynslee nods liking that idea, since computers and literature is what she majored in when she went to college. Patrick tried to get her to drop out and depend on him completely. But she was not having that. When she graduated in computer science and landed a job with a big corporation as a receptionist/computer tech, she would often make more than he did. Which really caused a huge fight within the household.

 

"What's the company's address?" Aynslee asks. Noelle shrugs her bony shoulders, "I know that it's off the interstate slight right." She uses her hands to direct herself on how to get there so that she can make sure she is telling Aynslee the right thing. "It should be on the left 5 miles from the old Burger King. If you can remember all of that." She titters.

 

Aynslee nods hoping that she could; because her memory has been a little foggy since that day. Luna comes up to Aynslee and Noelle. "Hello, I am Luna. Aynslee's sister." Luna introduces herself. "Noelle. I and Aynslee were best friends back in high school." Noelle informs. Luna nods and says, "She told me about all the trouble you two would get into." Luna teases causing Aynslee to gasp and Noelle to smirk and roll her eyes. Luna turns to Aynslee telling her, "They didn't have the car seat I wanted so they said they'd order it for me."

 

Aynslee did not know that thrift stores could order anything. Luna looks at the skirts in Aynslee's hands, "Paying for those?"

 

Aynslee nods, "Yeah. Mind doing it for me?"

 

She hands Luna the clothes and a Platinum card from her back pocket as Luna nods. Luna takes the card, "Tyson Reese? Yall re-connected after a few years now?" Luna teases as she arches her brow on a more serious note.

 

Aynslee giggles, "Something like that." Luna purses her lips together and goes to the counter to pay for the skirts and shirts.

 

Aynslee turns back to Noelle whose face has suddenly dropped, "What's wrong, Noelle?" Aynslee asks concerned.

 

"Huh? Oh, nothing. I have got to get out of here, really. Got a lot of things to do for this boy's party. Son?" Confused, Aynslee nods while her son comes running and grabs his mother's hand and they leave the shop; abruptly.

 

9

Patrick West

 

Another day in the hellhole, he didn't know what he was going to do. He's heard from some of his henchmen about the progress on finding Aynslee; none. He felt like he was in a huge game of Hide N Seek with this broad and she is winning. Around the same afternoon, he got a visit from his lawyer, telling Patrick there is no bail at all and the next hearing isn't until next month.

 

Also, that he has a very good chance of going to prison without parole. Patrick got irate and cursed the lawyer out because he wanted to be out on the day of his son's birthday. For that he spent 2 whole weeks in solitary confinement. Now that he is out, he had no clue what he needed to do, so he call his baby-mama/wife; Noelle.

 

"Babe, I miss you so much. You have no idea." Patrick admits. He never missed Noelle because she was always there but now that she isn't, he wanted her. It took him at least 4 tries just to get her on the phone, but he didn't question it. He knew that she is dealing with his kids and trying to get them in line while he is gone.

 

"I miss you too. I saw an old friend of mine at the store a few days ago." Noelle says perking up a little bit.

 

"Oh?"

 

"Aynslee. She and I use to be best friends back in high school...isn't that something? I didn't even know that she was still living here. I thought she would been living the high life somewhere else."

 

Patrick could feel a lump form in his throat and his throat dry out, but he swallows it down enough to answer, "Really now?"

 

"Yeah. She was so smart and pretty as well."

 

"What does she look like? Now, I mean?" Patrick needed a description to give his men so they can complete the mission of icing Aynslee because none of them really knows what she looks like now. Patrick knew that she didn't look like the skinny crack whore that she used to look like.

 

"Uh..." A crash sounds. "Shit...Brayson stop it!!" Noelle yells. "Sorry Patrick, your son...Don't hit your sister! Stop. Boy!" Noelle yells again then returns to the phone. "I have got to go. Your kids are fighting now and your daughter just backhanded your son."

 

Patrick laughs, "That's my gir-."

 

"NO! The way they fight is not normal. Bray-godly...Alexandria sto-...Gotta go, Pat." Before he could say by she already hung up the phone. He made a note to himself to send Noelle a few grand to pay for Brayson's party and her to shop for herself; on Tuesday.

 

Hanging up the phone, Patrick turns to see Officer Sheyn.

 

"Therapy time, west."

 

"Duh." Patrick back talks, jokingly. Sheyn cranes her neck and it cracks, not in the mood to be played with. Patrick widens his eyes, "Sorry, sorry. I didn't mean it like that."

 

Walking down the hallway, Dr. Morris' door is open and Sheyn shoves Patrick in the office and walks off. Patrick sits down on the sofa as he waits for Morris to come in. Doing these therapy sessions, Patrick feels as though he has made some type of progress.

 

Dr. Morris walks in and sits down, grabs the notepad for Patrick off the bookshelf behind him. "We left off with...you're..." he flips through the notepad, then grabs Patrick's folder from the small coffee table beside him. Flipping through that, he answers, "Childhood? That's where we wanted to really touch bases with." He explains while getting in the position to listen to Patrick.

 

Patrick sighs, "Right. Born to Tanya Ewing and Phillip West. I am the youngest boy of 10 children. 5; 3 older and 2 younger sisters and 4 plus