THE AFFIRMATION

Teisha was already staring beyond the car window, watched as droplets of water splattered across the sleek, misted surface, before the elderly woman appeared. Freckles of water lingered on the glass before gradually slipping down, collecting in pools at the bottom of the window.

Formation.

Teisha had been preoccupied, staring at a little black book that lay open in her lap. A blue pen lay in her right hand as she sketched. From the back seat, she could faintly hear the quiet storm playlist that her mom, sitting behind the wheel, had selected from her iPod Classic, connected by a thin black wire to the 97’ Camry’s stereo.

The car sat idle, waiting in a procession of other late goers, last in line before the bank closed for the day. The now wet asphalt mirrored the reds and blues of the overhead sign: YOUR MONEY, OUR PRIORITY.

Still staring past the window, Teisha heard her mother’s occasional mutters and shuffling of envelopes which mixed with the playlist, deepening its promise of a storm, albeit not as quiet. The smell of fresh cocoa butter tickled her nostrils, pulling her attention away from the car window. She watched as her mother paused to massage the lotion onto her hands, fingers lacing and unlacing, the product gliding across thirsty skin.

Hydration.

“Excuse me!!” Teisha jumped, turning to see an elderly lady’s face pressed close to the wet glass, her gloved finger lightly tapping, sending more droplets cascading downwards.

“Excuse me!”, the lady repeated, “Can you please turn down your window sweetie?”

Teisha obliged, and the window screeched down halfway, enough for the woman to peek her head in.

“Teisha, no!” her mother called from the front seat.

Mesmerized, Teisha ignored her mother and watched as the old woman reached a gloved hand into the car, lightly brushing Teisha’s cheek.

“Such a beautiful little girl,” the lady whispered, intently gazing at Teisha. “I just love children with all my little heart. Say, how old are you darling?”

“Nine.” Teisha responded almost instantly, her eyes locked on this mysterious older woman.

Mesmerization.

“Nine,” the woman whispered. “So young, so much potential....Can I please give you a gift?”

Before Teisha could answer, the woman pulled a crumpled dollar from her pocket, her gloved hand shaking then dropping it past the window, watching it land on Teisha’s lap.

“Teisha, roll up the window NOW!” Teisha’s mother had now fully twisted around in her seat, her eyes staring threatenly at the older woman.

Teisha slowly rolled the window up as the elderly woman smiled and winked. “Good luck my dear, good luck!”

She backed away from the car, fading away into the rainy mist.

Teisha blinked, wondering if she had witnessed a hallucination.

Imagination.

“Teisha you know talking to strangers is dangerous...but opening the window for one? What were you thinking?”

Teisha’s head bowed, her eyes staring at the dollar weighing on her lap.

“Give me that!”

“But Mom she gave it to me!”

“Teisha, now!”

Teisha’s mother reached for the bill, snatching with in her well-lotioned hand. She rolled down the front window and tossed the bill into the street. The bill landed in a small puddle and unfurled with the moisture.

“Finally!” Teisha’s mother rolled her window up and lightly stepped on the gas, moving the car forward to the bank window.

Teisha watched as her mother deposited a check with the teller, who constantly paused to brush her hair behind her ear and wipe beads of sweat from her forehead.

Perspiration.

Once finished, Teisha’s mother left the bank lot and the two began their journey home. Quietness, except for the still humming radio and the patter of raindrops, filled their journey until…

“Teisha, I’m sorry I yelled at you like that. It’s just that...we shouldn’t be accepting handouts like that.”

“Why?”, Teisha whispered from the backseat.

“Look”, Teisha’s mother sighed. “I know things have been difficult, sweetie. But, your father and I are doing the best to provide for all of us...and we will provide!”

Her mother pulled into the driveway of a small townhouse as she continued, “Handouts won’t get you anywhere, hard work will. That’s what your Grandma June always says.”

The two exited the car and rushed towards the house to avoid being drenched.

Teisha eagerly jumped up and down as her mother placed the keys into the lock, twisted and opened the door.

Anticipation.

“Daddy, we’re ho...!” Teisha’s rushed through the door past her mother but stopped in her tracks.

Her father was sitting silently in the living room, slightly hunched over, his back to Teisha and her mother. In front of him, numerous soggy 100$ bills replaced the socks and shorts that usually hung on the family’s clothes line.

“Martin?” Teisha’s mother’s voice barely registered over a whisper. “Martin, what is going on? Whose money is that?”

Martin slowly craned his neck to face his wife and daughter, his mouth twisted into a lopsided grin, his eyes glazed over as if looking at something far beyond his family.

“We’re gonna be rich Tasha, we’re gonna be so stinking rich!” Martin began to giggle and chuckle, turning his attention back to the dripping bills, pools of water forming under them.

Infatuation.

“Teisha, go to your room now. Lock the door.” Tasha stared at the dollar bills as she spoke. Her face twisted with fear, mouth agape, eyes wishing to unsee.

Teisha clutched her black book to her chest and sprinted down the hallway to her room shutting the door.

Tasha stepped closer to her husband but not too close.

“Martin I’m going to ask you a few questions and honey I need you to answer all of them...truthfully.”

Martin craned his neck to her again, this time his smile a bit more faint, his eyes a bit less aloof.

“Martin, how much money is there and where did you find it?”

Martin rose to stand and placed a hand on one of the bills, squeezing it, feeling a wealth of moisture saturate his hand.

“Well, I was on the way back from the shop and you know traffic was so bad. So I was just sitting there bored out of my mind...But in the corner of my eye, I saw a black bag just sitting there at the side of the road.”

“You did no-”. Tasha’s voice began to rise, fear creeping back into her voice.

“Tasha, it spoke to me. I just couldn’t leave it there alone, waiting. It felt like it was mine. So anyway, I grabbed the bag and opened it right there in the rain. And, Tasha, I haven’t seen this much money in my entire life”.

Martin broke out into fits of giggles again, his laughter echoing around the under-furnished room, reaching Tasha’s ears with deafening certainty.

“Twenty thousand dollars Tasha! Twenty freaking thousand. I counted it all.”

“There’s twenty thousand dollars? Here. In this room?!”

“Well, Tasha, no, there isn’t. I hid half of it.”

“You did what?” Her words slipped out in barely audible hisses.

Martin glanced down at his shoes and then back at Tasha. “Baby, it’s gonna be ok. This money is ours now. No one saw me take it. It’s our little secret”.

Tasha clasped her hands and shakily began to whisper, “Martin, listen to me and listen carefully. They are going to come for us. I don’t know who and I don’t know when, but they are going to come for us and take what is theirs. We need to get rid of this money NOW!"

"But first”, Tasha paused and began to rub her temples, pulling away the tears yearning to spill from her eyes. “First, we need to get Teisha out of here. I’m calling my mom”.

Intention.

When the doorbell rang, echoing through the apartment, Martin was still sitting on the floor, marveling at the slightly crispier dollar bills.

Tasha knelt before Teisha, holding a small, pink bag. A teddy bear peaked out of the side.

“Baby, Grandma June is here”.

Teisha picked up her black book from her bedside table and slid it into the bag, zipping it completely shut.

“Mama how long will I be gone?”

Tasha looked into Teisha’s eyes, her eyes brimming with tears that finally received their gentle release.

“Not long sweetie, not long. I’ll be back to pick you up and you can show me all that you’ve drawn in your book. Does that sound like a plan?”

Teisha silently nodded.

The two walked to the living room where Teisha’s father and grandmother stood silently.

“Say goodbye to your father,” Tasha whispered.

Teisha and her father embraced. Then, her grandmother held out her weathered hand to Teisha. She took it and with one last glance at her parents, walked out the door.

2 week later.

The morning sunlight sprinkled through the park trees, enveloping their full, leafy greens with boisterous warmth. Children played in a nearby park, their hiccups of laughter mixing with the nibbles of squirrels and twittering of blue birds.

Creation.

Teisha and her Grandma June, both wearing all black, stood out amongst the colorful mixture of park goers, eager to catch the first rays of summer. The two strolled towards a young woman in a white turtleneck who seemed quite infatuated with the bag of chips on her lap. One could’ve mistaken her for just another park goer. The way she folded across the park bench betrayed a sense of aloof relaxation. But her eyes, darting back and forth, were those of a woman whose life depended on memorizing all the details.

Caution.

Her eyes continued to dart until they landed on the two dressed in black. “Ah,” she exclaimed, “Miss Dockson! Teisha! Please come sit.”

The two quietly sat down next to the young lady. Teisha opened the black book she had brought with her, took out a pen, and began to doodle.

“Teisha, my name is Dorothy. I work for the FBI. I spoke to your Grandma earlier but I wanted to share this with you in person”.

Teisha quietly looked up from her book with a frown. The morning sun lay softly on her face, the breeze seeking friendship through her hair.

“Teisha,” the lady began, “I’m so sorry but your parents are dead. They were taken by an organized crime gang who wanted their money back. Your parents were unable to provide them with the full twenty thousand dollars that was missing.”

Teisha continued to stare mutely, the black book now by her side on the bench.

“I want you and your grandmother to know that we are doing all that we can to bring these monsters to justice. We won’t rest until we do.”

The woman paused to take a couple more bites from her bag of chips, her eyes quickly darting once more across the park.

“But, I do have some good news. Before he passed, your father left you $10,000 in a savings account. Legally, we can’t touch it. But you can, once you turn eighteen of course. I wonder what you’ll do with all that money. College, maybe?”

The woman crumpled her bag of chips and tossed them into a nearby trash can. “Score!!”, she yelled.

“Well that’s all I have for now.” The woman turned away from Teisha and continued to observe the park as if waiting for another person she could relay bittersweet news to.

Teisha and Grandma June mouthed their thanks and slipped away into the now crowded park, the chattering of excited park goers reaching an incessant buzz.

The detective calmly watched as they walked away and then turned to her left to see a little black book laying open.

“Hey!!”, she yelled. “You forgot something.” Teisha and Grandma June were already long gone. Their black outfits swallowed by glittering masses of excited park goers.

Curious, the detective picked up the black book. In it, there was one word scrawled in all caps: REVENGE.

Affirmation.