Free Anything for Profit 2: Nothing to Lose by Justin Amen Floyd Page A

plastic smiles that cops smiled when they wanted to appear friendly. She stared at the card like it might be contaminated. Deputy Cox turned beet red. He placed the card back into his pocket and walked briskly back to his car. “Goddamn monkeys,” he mumbled under his breath as he got into the police car, backed up and sped off.
     
    Meka slowly backed her car out of the driveway and turned in the opposite direction, heading towards downtown Greenville. Before she got halfway down the road, her cell phone started ringing. “What dem boys had wanted?” asked Ant D.
     
    Meka sucked her teeth. “Them muthafuckas just wanted to know ‘bout that shit that happened earlier. I told you one of them nosey muhfuckas was gon’ call the police. Ain’t shit though, you know I played dumb on they ass.”
     
    “Well I know that wasn’t too hard for yo ass to do,” he said, teasing his sister.
     
    “Fuck you,” she responded, playfully.
     
    “They ain’t ask you shit ‘bout me though?”
     
    “Naw. If they had, you know I woulda called you and told you to get the fuck out the house nigga! Look let me get off this phone. Once I get mama to the hotel and settled in, I’ma come back through to the house a lil’ later.” Meka turned on the radio and glanced over at her mother who was staring out the window, still in shock from the day’s events. 107.3 Jamz was playing a Stevie Wonder’s song: “These Three Words . ” “When was the last time that they heard you say… mother or father I love you/ and when was the last time that they heard you say, daughter or son, I love you… The beautiful, timeless sound of Stevie’s voice and the message of the song brought a pang to Gloria’s heart and tears to her eyes as she thought about Mike. She reflected back on the night her kids had brought a friend of theirs home and asked if he could stay. It had been years ago but she could remember it like it was only yesterday…
     
    “ Mama! Mama!” yelled Ant as he ran through the front door of the house, the screen door slamming loudly behind him.
     
    “ Anthony!” yelled Gloria, after making sure there was nothing wrong with him. “What I tell you ‘bout runnin’ in and out this house like you crazy, boy? And lettin’ that door slam behind you like that?” she asked.
     
    “ Yeah, I know. I know Mama but—”
     
    “ And where’s Meka?” she asked, cutting him off. “Y’all need to be gettin’ in here and gettin’ ready for dinner,” said Gloria. Ant and Meka were thirteen at the time, and Glo had only recently gotten back into the lives of her children after many years of drug abuse and abandonment. Being a parent was so foreign to her that at times, she felt as if she was playing the role of a mother more than actually being one. She was doing the best she could.
     
    “ Meka’s on the porch with Mike.”
     
    “ Mike? Mike, who?” she inquired.
     
    “ Our friend Mike, mama. Can he stay for dinner?”
     
    Never one to turn a hungry stomach away from a hot plate of her cooking, Gloria agreed to let her childrens’ friend stay for dinner. As he ate, Mike told Gloria about what his life had been like for the fourteen years he had been on this earth. He talked about his mother dying while giving birth to him and how he’d immediately been given up for adoption by his grandparents (whenever Mike acted out he’d maliciously learn about his beginnings from the different families and social workers who had access to his file). He told her how different families would adopt him and treat him like shit. Then after they got their extra money from the government they’d discard him back to the Department of Social Services. He talked about all of this in a matter of fact tone as if he was simply saying “it’s hot outside”.
     
    It wasn’t until after they had finished eating and Gloria was clearing the table, that her kids revealed their true intentions. Mike had just run away from the Greenville