Latoya went to the front door as soon as she heard the sirens approaching. She stepped onto the porch and sat down at the top of the steps waiting for bad things to happen. The pastor and his wife stood over Lucia's body, occasionally kicking a worm away. Ronald stood at the doorway and looked at his mother's body.
"Where are they gonna take mama?" he asked Latoya. "She goin' to the hospital?" Latoya sighed heavily and stood up, wiping dust from her behind. She looked at the ambulance and motioned for Ronald to come closer. As he took her hand she looked down at him.
"Remember when Mother Elsie died last year?" she asked him. He nodded that he did. "That's what they're gon' do with her" she said while pointing to Lucia. Ronald buried his face in Latoya's ribs and cried silently. The EMT's climbed out of the ambulance, obviously in no rush and made their way towards Lucia. They both jumped back and gasped when they saw the worms surrounding her body. They looked at the pastor who could only shrug. They then looked at the pastor's wife who also shrugged.
"What happened?" one of them asked. He was a short Black male with short permed hair.
"Looks pretty obvious to me," the other EMT said. He was a tall White male with a blonde ponytail that was held back with a purple Scrunchie. "Worms."
"I know that, fool, but how she eat so many?" the first EMT asked.
"She didn't eat them," the pastor said. "They just…came out."
"Well, they had to come from somewhere else first," the Scrunchie EMT said. "You don't just have worms come out of you. At least not like this."
"You didn't see it," the pastor's wife said. "You weren't here."
"Can you all not do this in front of my brother? That's his mama" Latoya said. They all looked at her as if they had forgotten that kids were present. The pastor whispered something to the EMT's. The EMT's looked at each other for a moment and Scrunchie went back to the ambulance and patched a call through. He walked back to the yard a moment later. "The police and a social worker will be here soon."
"A social worker?" Latoya asked. "What for?"
"Well, your father is nowhere to be found and Lucia..." the pastor said before cutting himself short. "You can't just stay here by yourselves. That's against the law."
"We'll be fine," Latoya said in protest. "We've been taking care of ourselves even when Lucia was…alive." She looked at Ronald who had his eyes locked on Lucia's body.
"I hate her," he said.
"Don't say that," Latoya said.
"I want her dead," he said, venom in his voice Latoya had never heard before. She knew his childhood was gone.
"You're talkin' 'bout her, huh?" Latoya asked. Ronald nodded. "Don't worry. We'll get her."
Miss May stood in her yard as more and more neighbors gathered outside. They whispered to each other and shook their heads, eyes full of judgment. Hearts full of expectancy. Miss May listened to them all. Their hate making her beam with joy.
"I knew she'd die from them drugs one day!"
"Did you hear what happened to her boyfriend?"
"I bet some John finally got her."
"It was God's will."
"We should pray for them poor kids."
"They better off without her."
"The Lord giveth…"
"I bet it was drugs."
"Did you hear what she did at church earlier?"
"Can't be murder."
As she walked to her front yard to join the crowd of neighbors Miss May saw one neighbor in particular that stood out from the rest. Mrs. Watson. She was Lucia's neighbor. A large Black woman that rarely spoke to anyone. She had tried having kids many times with many different husbands with no results. Miss May never liked her. She saw Mrs. Watson as an insult to God.
"Be fruitful and multiply."
She knew that Mrs. Watson was quite fruitful, all right. But she lacked multiplying skills. She would sneak food to Latoya and Ronald when Lucia would disappear for days at a time only to return home with new bruises. Mrs. Watson loved children. Miss May did not like Mrs. Watson.
As if she read her mind, Mrs. Watson looked right at Miss May. Miss May waved and Mrs. Watson rolled her eyes at her. The neighborhood slowly made their way towards Lucia's house. Their chatter slowly building into a cacophony of accusations. Latoya could only make out some of what they were saying. She knew all about Lucia's lifestyle. She lived with her after all. She saw the needles. She saw the parade of men that came and went faster than Lucia's welfare checks. But there was a difference between knowing the truth and having the world say it aloud to you. Mrs. Watson motioned for Latoya to come closer when she caught her attention. Latoya walked over to her. Mrs. Watson smiled.
"Don't you listen to those fools" she told Latoya. "It only matters what you believe."
"But they ain't lyin'," Latoya said.
"Still" Mrs. Watson said, smoothing Latoya's stray hairs down. "You going to be okay?"
"No" Latoya replied. "I don' think so."
"Let me know if I can help" Mrs. Watson said.
"Thank you," Latoya said as she walked back over to Ronald.
"What she say?" he asked.
"Nothing," Latoya said, "Nothing important." She sighed as she placed her arm over Ronald's shoulder. He leaned into her and they stood as the crowd gasped and crossed themselves over Lucia's body. "Let's go inside.
Two hours later...
Latoya sat on the couch with Ronald as a social worker, Ms. Davis, filled out a clipboard. She would ask the pastor a few questions and then sit for a few minutes nodding her head as she wrote down information she deemed vital to placing the children, as they were now known, in a new home.
"So where is your father?" Ms. Davis asked. She had the look of a character you would see on television Latoya thought to herself before responding. An older White female with horn-rimmed glasses and her hair pulled back into a bun so tight it seemed as if it made her squint. "How long has it been since you've seen him?"
"A few weeks" Latoya said. "We ain't leavin' here. Like I said already, we have been takin' care of ourselves jus' fine." Ronald looked down at his legs the entire time Ms. Davis and Latoya spoke.
"What happened to your arm?" Ms. Davis asked Ronald.
"My sister broke it," he replied. Latoya rolled her eyes and smacked her lips.
"It was an accident," she said. Ms. Davis nodded and wrote something down on her clipboard. Latoya tried to peer over and see what was being written but Ms. Davis just tilted it towards herself to stop her from seeing. "We was playin' and…"
"I think I have all the information I need" Ms. Davis said. "Could you step outside with me, sir?" she asked the pastor. They both went out on the porch, just out of hearing range of the children.
"What is going to happen to them?" the pastor asked.
"Well, the boy is bright but there is nothing particularly exceptional about him. He could be adopted tomorrow or spend the next few years bouncing from home to home" she said as the pastor nodded. "The girl on the other hand is very smart. Perhaps too smart for her own good. And her tendencies towards violence will make it very difficult to place her in a loving home."
"I have an idea" the pastor said. "There is a very kind, sweet older member of my church that takes care of children. She has adopted many of them over the years. As a matter of fact, she lives right down the street." Ms. Davis raised her eyes as if to say "Oh, really?" The pastor continued. "Her name is Miss May. The kids call her Mother May. She is a sweet, nurturing little thing. Wouldn't hurt a fly. Perhaps they could, I don't know, stay with her until this is all taken care of."
"That sounds like a good idea. Do you know if she is home right now?" she asked. "Maybe we can pitch this idea to her."
"I believe she is. I saw her earlier at service," the pastor replied.
Mrs. Watson was standing on her side of the fence and watching the pastor and Ms. Davis speak. She did not feel comfortable with the fact that they were looking at and motioning towards Miss May's house. If they were planning what she thou
ght they were then there was no hope for the children.
Miss May stood on her lawn and smiled. She knew what was happening even as the pastor and the social worker continued speaking. She thought to herself of the things she would do to the girl. It had been decades since a child had drew the ire she felt for Latoya. The fate that awaited the boy. He was a crier and she had a special room just for boys like him. Smoke seeped from her nose in excitement of the possibilities the day held. She looked toward her upstairs window and it suddenly closed.
"How many times do I have to tell them kids to stay away from the window?" Miss May asked herself. She waved at the pastor and the social worker as she headed back indoors. A butterfly landed on her hat as she stepped onto her porch. A large, beautifully colored butterfly. Its wings a mosaic of colors. Reds, oranges, blues, and greens. It flapped three times after landing on Miss May. Then died promptly. She brushed it away and then stepped on it, scraping it off on her step.
Latoya looked at Ronald and punched him on the shoulder. She stood and looked out the front door at all the neighbors still gathered outside. Lucia's body was covered with a white sheet now as police occasionally peeked underneath it. Each time it was lifted the neighbors would swarm around trying to catch a glimpse of their own personal horror story.
"This is like one of them bad movies," Latoya said.
"Like which one?" Ronald asked.
"I don' know. But it ain't good when that any people stand outside your house," Latoya replied. "In these kinda movies they never believe what the kids be sayin' and then somethin' stupid has to happen before they do."
"Stupid like what?" Ronald asked, the sound of fear and concern rising in his voice.
"One of 'em dies," Latoya said.
"Die how?" Ronald asked while simultaneously not wanting to hear the answer.
"Take one guess," Latoya said.
"Worms," Ronald said. "I don't like worms."
The pastors' wife entered the living room and sat down next to Ronald and took his hand. He looked at Latoya with a look of concern on his face. Latoya quickly sat down on the couch, sandwiching the pastors' wife between the two of them. She tucked her hands in between her lap before the pastors' wife could take her hand as well.
"Today has been so rough for the two of you," she said. Ronald nodded while Latoya kept her eyes fixed on her. She knew where this ride was going and planned on crashing the car before it made it there. "But they say that God doesn't close a door without opening a window." She smiled to herself, proud of her quote.
"We ain't leavin'," Latoya said.
"Listen, child" the pastor's wife said firmly and flatly. She sounded like a lawyer from television Latoya thought to herself. That cold, calculated sound that hit men have when you try and explain to them why they should not and can't kill you. Just when you think you have convinced them to spare your life because you have a wife and kids they smile and shoot you. Latoya saw that in a movie she wasn't supposed to watch once. "You are going to have to learn how to hold your tongue. You cant just run around talking to everyone like this. If you do you're going to have a very rough life."
"Like living with a drug addict, having my father missing for a few weeks, having my real mother die, and seeing Lucia die from throwin' up worms kinda rough?" Latoya asked. The pastors' wife just stared at her with her mouth wide open in shock. "If life gets any harder than this then you can jus' have the Bug Lady kill me right now." As if on cue the pastor and the social worker opened up the front door.
"Great news, kids," the pastor said. "We think we found someplace for you two to go."
"Mrs. Watson?" Ronald asked with a smile on his face. He liked Mrs. Watson. She always gave him candy when she saw him and food when Lucia was not around.
"No," the pastor responded with a tone too close to confusion but far from certainty. "Miss May."
Latoya grabbed Ronald by his broken arm and ran into the kitchen and straight into the backyard. There was a police officer there looking around. He turned quickly when the door flew open, drawing his gun in one fluid motion. Ronald pulled his arm away from Latoya and raised his hands in the air. The police officer sighed and put his gun back in its holster.
"What are you kids doing back here?" he asked.
"We live here," Latoya replied. She heard the backdoor opening and broke into a sprint towards Mrs. Watson's house. The pastor and his wife burst through the door and saw them climbing the fence.
"Stop them!" he shouted to the police officer. The officer immediately gave chase. Latoya pounded on Mrs. Watson's door, as the officer was about to grab Ronald. Latoya gave up on the door and climbed the next fence.
"Stop!" the officer shouted at the children.
"Keep up!" Latoya shouted at Ronald. "We can't let them catch us!" Ronald was panting heavily. He was not as fast or athletic as Latoya.
"I'm tryin'!" Ronald replied. "Where we even goin'?"
"Anywhere but here," Latoya said as the climbed the next fence. She had to pull Ronald over. They were just one fence away from Miss May's yard before Latoya realized that they were out of places to run with the police officer just one yard away. "Crap."
"Hello, children" the kids heard silently behind them through the hole in the fence caused by Miss May grabbing Ronald's cast earlier. Miss May was peeking through and smiling. "Welcome home" she said as Latoya grabbed Ronald again they headed to the front of the neighbors house.
The police officer was just clearing the fence as Latoya and Ronald made it to the front yard. Latoya could see the crowd still gathered around Lucia. Ronald tugged her arm and pointed towards the police officer about fifteen feet away from them.
"Let's go!" Latoya shouted as they both began to run again. Just as they were passing Miss May's house the sprinklers started, causing them to slip and fall. The police officer stopped and walked over to them and grabbed them by their arms.
"What is wrong with you two?" he asked. "Don't you see we are trying to help you?"
"If you really wanna help us, just let us go!" Latoya shouted at him.
The officer motioned to the pastor, his wife, and Ms. Davis. They quickly made their way over. The neighbors, smelling more drama in the air, quickly followed. As the parade got closer Latoya looked at Ronald, whose eyes were welling up with tears. She looked up at the officer who was still waiting for everyone to arrive and kicked him hard in the shins. He shouted and released his hold on the two of them.
Latoya and Ronald ran off down the street, disappearing around the corner.
The crowd arrived, bursting with excitement at the new turn of events. The pastor made his way to the front of the crowd and grabbed the officer by the arms.
"Why did you let them get away?" he shouted.
"Get your goddamn hands off of me!" the officer screamed in his face. The pastor slapped the officer across the face.
"How dare you use the Lord's name in vain?!" he hissed as he turned to address the crowd. "Now everyone let's just settle do-" he said before the officer kicked him in the back of his knees, causing him to collapse to the ground. The pastors' wife gasped and made a move towards him, only stopping after noticing that the officer had his gun drawn.
"Everyone needs to get back to his or her homes now!" he shouted as no one made an attempt to move. "I am not playing! Get back to your ho-" he said before suddenly gagging.
"Not again..." the pastors' wife moaned as the officer fell to his knees. He dropped his gun and began pulling worms out of his mouth. The crowd screamed and moved in closer for a better look. At this point the other policemen and EMT's noticed the commotion and ran over, shoving people out of the way. They slapped the officer on his back but that did nothing but make more worms come out.
From an upstairs window Miss May stood shaking her head in disgust. She could not believe that the children got away. She was so close. She looked down at her hand and dropped what appeared to be a clump of hair with some skin attached to it to the floor. She sighed and walked away,
shutting her shades. Suddenly the policeman stopped gagging and spat out a few more worms.
As he got to his feet he walked right past everyone watching and headed straight to his patrol car. He sat behind his wheel and closed his eyes as he began to cry.
Images of every wrong thing he had ever done played before his eyelids. He opened them, too ashamed of what he saw but they would not stop. On his windshield he saw himself climbing into his daughters bed. He saw himself buttoning his pants back while leaving his little sisters room as a teen. He saw the look of horror on his wife's face as he tried to explain what he was doing with their niece. He began screaming and pounding the steering wheel.
"I didn't mean to! God help me, I didn't!" he shouted as a few officers ran over to him. He embraced one of the officers who tried to console him. Suddenly he grabbed the other officers' pistol placing the gun into his mouth, digging so hard that it cut his tongue before pulling the trigger. The crowd, who had been watching from a distance all shouted. They were halfway to the scene before his body hit the ground. This was the most action the street had seen in years.