Free Lost Daughters by Mary Monroe Page A

look.
    Loretta looked at Mona like she was speaking in tongues. “You make him sound like some kind of geezer from Jurassic Park ! He’s not old. He’s just mature!” Loretta insisted. “Keep your eyes on the road. There’s joggers comin’ out of nowhere.”
    â€œDoes that grown man know what a huge crush you got on him?” Mona asked, her eyes directly on the road.
    â€œ Crush ?” Loretta erupted, almost choking on the word. “Have you not heard anything I just said? I don’t have no crush on Mel! I don’t go around screwin’ people I have crushes on! How many times do I have to tell you that I’m in love with him, and he’s in love with me? We’re goin’ to get married as soon as I’m old enough.”

CHAPTER 10
    â€œG IRL, YOU MET MEL A YEAR AGO AND YOU’RE ALREADY TALKING about marrying him? For reals?” Mona yelled. Her eyes looked like they were about to pop out of their sockets.
    â€œYes, for reals!” Loretta yelled back.
    â€œNuh-uh! You just turned fifteen back in March.” There was a touch of envy in Mona’s voice.
    â€œMona, don’t be so ignorant! We will wait until I turn eighteen and graduate. In the meantime, Mel and I will really get to know one another.”
    For Mona to be so slow, she often made some smart remarks. “Humph! If you ask me, I say you and Mel need to get to know one another real good before you even think about gettin’ married. You are goin’ to meet a lot of hot men workin’ as a model. What if you meet one you like more than you like Mel?”
    â€œI won’t. He won’t meet a girl he likes better than me, neither. I know it,” Loretta insisted.
    â€œI don’t know, girl. I have a hard time believin’ that your mama’s man is goin’ to marry you .”
    â€œYes! He said so himself. Why are you actin’ like that’s such a big deal? Men marry the women they love all the time.”
    â€œWell, for one thing, you and Mel gettin’ married is goin’ to surprise the hell out of everybody. Especially when they find out y’all been together all this time—wooo!” Mona slapped the side of the steering wheel, and even though she had her eyes on the road, she almost hit a jogger anyway.
    â€œWatch it!” Loretta hollered, grabbing the steering wheel. “I knew I should have taken the bus or a cab to Mel’s place!”
    â€œYou know I don’t mind drivin’ you over there. I just wish you would let me drive you all the way instead of you gettin’ out at the corner and makin’ me wait for you in some spooky parkin’ lot, or the movies, or the mall.”
    â€œI don’t want Mel to see you. He’s already worried about somebody seein’ me over there when I’m supposed to be somewhere else with you.” Loretta softened her voice. “Uh, I hope you don’t mess things up for me.”
    â€œYou know I would never blab on you. I mean, I don’t mind coverin’ for you and Mel . . . as long as there’s somethin’ in it for me.” Mona sniffed and began to tap the steering wheel with her finger, anxious for Loretta to respond to the last part of her sentence.
    â€œOh yeah! You can pick up those black pumps you wanted to borrow when I get home this evenin’,” Loretta said.
    â€œOne more thing. I need to borrow your brand-new Gucci purse too,” Mona added.
    â€œMy Gucci purse?” Loretta hollered.
    â€œYes, your Gucci purse. When you sent me into that adult store behind that strip club to get that slimy lubricant for you and Mel—and that humongous, disgustin’ dildo—because you were too embarrassed to go in and buy that shit yourself, you promised me that I could borrow your Gucci purse. Don’t you remember?”
    Loretta scratched her head and gave Mona a thoughtful look. “I remember sendin’ you