Sooner than later, Portia would have to deal with her mother. The same was true for Alex. For Alex, sooner came early the next morning as Penny woke up again.
"Ramona!” Alex shouted up the stairs, “It’s your turn to get Penny.”
There was no answer.
“Why don’t you do anything around here for your own daughter?”
There came a large thud followed by trudging footsteps across the floor above. The bedroom door slammed. There were more footsteps and finally the smash of a body against a bed.
“Alright,” he said as he exhaled.
He grabbed Penny from her crib. Instantly, he remembered the nurse at the hospital, giving a lengthy lecture on shaken baby syndrome. He paused for a moment and then looked into his daughter’s eyes.
“It’s alright sweetheart,” he said softly, “It’s not even your fault. I’m always right here for you.”
Alex’s patience for Penny grew stronger every day even as his patience for her mother grew shorter. Ramona worked hard at not working, whether it was at home or away.
She hadn’t worked one day since she took a leave of absence from her job in a secretarial pool. She blamed the placement agency for her job at the local metal stripping warehouse.
She mostly answered phones for the warehouse workers - calls from wives or children or girlfriends. There were only rare moments where she actually worked. She spent most of her time on the phone to friends of her own or reading the magazines scattered throughout the lobby. It was anything but actual work.
She’d also claimed the father as ‘unknown’ on birth records. An age-old welfare loop-hole.In Ramona’s mind, it was easier to rely on the government than a sperm donor. It provided her with a stable, if not abundant living wage. It also gave her WIC Card to buy groceries. It did not, however, give her a hand-up. For Ramona, it was simply a handout.
“Are you going to care for your daughter today?”
“I think my mom’s coming over.”
“Are you sure?”
“I don’t know,” grumbled Ramona as she twisted herself in the bed sheets and pulled the pillow over her head.
Alex reluctantly decided he'd leave Penny with Ramona. He hopped into the shower and by the time he hopped out, Ramona's mother had arrived.
"Hello, sonny," she said as she smashed her lips into his cheek.
"Hello Mrs. Johnson."
"No need to worry, I'm here now."
Alex went to the bedroom and changed into work clothes.
"Your mother's here."
"I know," said Ramona, "The fridge is empty, so I need money for formula and food."
"Use your WIC card."
"It's out of money."
"How is that possible? It's only the 20th."
"I know, but it's out of money. You want to check?"
Alex shook his head as he shelled out forty dollars and then headed to work. Like everything else, it was the regular routine with Ramona.
"Mom, can I borrow another $20?"
Ramona made a call on her cell phone as she added the twenty-dollar bill to her wad. An old beater of a car showed up minutes later. It was one of her friends.
"I'll be back this afternoon," she told her mom.
"Alright honey, take your time."
Ramona ran out to the car. It was her cousin Jimmy. Their first stop was the grocery store. Jimmy parked his car at the rear corner of the parking lot. Jimmy waited while Ramona walked around the lot, looking for clients.
“Hey, mister,” she called to a guy getting out of his car.
“Yes?” he said reluctantly.
“You buying groceries? If so, I can get you a discount.”
The man shook his head and went inside. A young lady with a baby approached Ramona.
“What do you have in mind?”
“You can use my WIC card. It’s got $180 dollars left.”
“That’s very nice of you.”
“You’re paying me for it. 100.”
“Isn’t that stealing?”
“What do you care? You’ve got an extra mouth to feed.”
They proceeded to the ATM. The lady took an advance and Ramona got a receipt to show her balance. It was $172.18.
“That’s not 180 dollars.”
“Do you want it or not?”
The lady gave Ramona her money and did her shopping. Afterwards, Ramona collected the used card and returned to the car.
“You got it?”
"Yeah, $160.”
“Good, let’s go to Ace’s house.”
They drove from the near west side to the airport. Each neighborhood was progressively worse than the last, until they ended up in a catacomb of seven-story buildings, each one fabricated just like the other. Even though it was in below freezing outside, a large group sat on the steps outside Ace’s apartment.
“Hey, what’s up, Jimmy?” said one.
“Nothin’. How about you?”
“Just waiting.”
"Waiting for what?"
"Whatever."
The door to Ace’s apartment was wide open. People filled the living room, sitting and standing wherever they could find a place. Four people played cards at the cheap glass patio table in the kitchen. Empty beer cans circled the table’s edge. Ashtrays were filled with cigarette butts. The entire house smelled like beer and stale cigarettes.
“Where’s Ace?” asked Jimmy.
One of the guys on the couch pointed down the back hall. Jimmy and Ramona went to the back bedroom. A Alexress, a pile of dirty clothes, a table lamp, a large hookah, and several pairs of shoes were scattered across the floor. Ace was sitting in one corner with his girlfriend Sandy.
"Hey," said Ace.
"Hey," said Jimmy.
""What do you need?"
"We need a QP," said Ramona.
"What do you need a quaerter pound of pot for? You going to start dealing?"
Jimmy shook his head.
"Maybe a little on the side," said Ramona.
"You should leave that to me and my friends," said Ace.
"Don't worry," reassured Jimmy, "we're just going to split it with friends."
Ace climbed into the crawl space above his closet and produced a large plastic bag filled with marijuana. He made the trade, cash for pot. Ace fired up hookah.
"Care to partake in my private stash?" he invited them.
"How can we resist?" said Jimmy.
They lounged around in Ace's bedroom for a few hours and smoked several hookahs. People came and went during the day, buying and smoking pot with Ace. At one point, Ace handed a hundred dollar bill to one of his friends and had him get Italian subs for everyone in the house.
Jimmy and Ramona ate and smoked until late in the afternoon. Finally, they left Ace’s apartment, making their way out of the projects. Jimmy took Ramona back home. It was 6 o'clock at night. Alex was already home from work.
"I'll keep this until the next time I see you," said Jimmy as he carefully patted the giant bag of pot.
Alex waited at the front door as she got out of Jimmy’s car. She walked up the driveway, empty-handed.
“Where have you been all day?” asked Alex.
“I went out with my cousin.”
“You’ve been smoking pot. I can smell it all over you. You didn’t even get formula for Penny.”
“I forgot it.”
“Give me back the money and I’ll go get it.”
“I’ll get it tomorrow.”
“She needs it now.”
Ramona searched her purse and all her pockets, too.
“Oh damn,” she said, “I must’ve left it in Jimmy’s car.”
“You spent it on pot.”
“No I didn’t. I left it with Jimmy. I’ll get it tomorrow.”
“Don’t worry about it. Just watch Penny while I go to the store. Penny needs formula now.”
The front door slammed and the car ties squealed as Alex left in a rush. He picked up everything Penny needed and returned home. Mrs. Jackson was alone on the couch.
“Where is she?”
Mrs. Jackson pointed upstairs.
Alex prepared a bottle of formula and went to Penny’s room. He cradled his little girl in his arms as he fed her. He walked into his bedroom. Ramona, however, was not there.
The front door closed downstairs as Mrs. Jackson quietly left.
“Like mother, like daughter,” he muttered, “I just hope you don't take after either of them,” he said to Penny.
He put her in her crib, sang her a lullaby and curled up under a blanket in the chair at the corner of the room. In no time at all, they were both fast asleep.
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