hurt. He cautiously pulled Edna off of her daughter.
Jada tucked herself into a ball, weeping and trying to shield her face from further damage.
“You and your sister!
” Edna was yelling. “You and your fucking sister!” Finally, Charlie pulled Edna off of Jada with enough force to send her tumbling backward.
Edna sat panting, with her back against the wall. “You get the hell out of my house!” She looked at Charlie, and was tempted to kill him. How could he mess with her daughter? She was sobbing, seeming as if she was on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
Mr. Charlie tried to intervene. “Edna, hold on a minute—”
“Get out, Charlie. You’re dead wrong! Oh, my God! Both of you get out!
Get out!
”
Jada felt shame and regret, but couldn’t bring herself to offer a pitiful apology. There was no apology that could excuse what her mother had just witnessed. Without protesting, she went to her room and gathered some of her belongings. Her face felt hot from all the scratches and slaps. When she finally looked at herself in her bedroom mirror, she saw the crisscross scratches and bruises from her mother’s attack. She was bleeding in some places, and her own tears stung, as she gathered her things. She could hear Mr. Charlie trying, unsuccessfully, to calm Edna down. By the time Jada emerged from her room, Mr. Charlie was standing by the door looking defeated. Edna looked at her daughter and then at Charlie—another man who had made her feel like she was special, and then broken her heart—as tears fell from her eyes. She walked quickly into the bathroom, slammed the door, and slid to the floor, her sobs echoing off the walls. Jada left with Mr. Charlie that day and moved into his apartment; it was the beginning of a whole new life for her.
7
ROCK OF AGES
By now Jada and Shante were straight-up fiends. Whenever her mother was home and she couldn’t do her drugs in her apartment, Shante would come to Mr. Charlie’s apartment and smoke with Jada. He would let them do their thing, and he would go on about his business. Jada started smoking more than ever. She stopped going to school, and dropped out in her senior year.
After Jada moved in with him, Mr. Charlie kept her as high as she wanted. He made sure she had three square meals a day, a roof over her head, and anything else she asked him for. He used her physically, and she let him. Their arrangement was mutually beneficial. Jada wasn’t disillusioned enough to believe that she was Charlie’s one and only. His “wife”—Kelly—still came by every now and then. Charlie explained to Jada that Kelly was really no more than a lady who’d been down for him over the years, and she still made money for him. Whenever she was there, Jada would go and stay at Shame’s house until the woman had left, and Mr. Charlie was alone again.
Shante was amazed by this. “You’re telling me that you fuck him, you live there, he gives you dough. But when his wifey comes over, you just leave, and she don’t say nothing to you? Y’all don’t fight? What kinda shit is that? You’re both sharing the same man.”
Jada shrugged. “I’m not in love with Mr. Charlie. I don’t need to have a confrontation with his wife. We never had any drama.” Jada didn’tknow how Mr. Charlie explained their relationship or the fact that she was living with him to his wifey, and she really didn’t care. Shante shook her head in disbelief. Jada tried to explain once again. “For me … I’m grateful to Charlie for what he’s done to help me. But he’s only a means to an end. He looks out for me. I may care about him. But I know he’s not my man.”
Charlie was getting serviced sexually, and Jada was having her habit sustained. Jada had all of Mr. Charlie’s money at her disposal and no mother to hide from anymore. She was high all the time. Within three months, Mr. Charlie had her selling her body.
There was a side to Charlie that Jada had not yet seen. He began to show
Jada tucked herself into a ball, weeping and trying to shield her face from further damage.
“You and your sister!
” Edna was yelling. “You and your fucking sister!” Finally, Charlie pulled Edna off of Jada with enough force to send her tumbling backward.
Edna sat panting, with her back against the wall. “You get the hell out of my house!” She looked at Charlie, and was tempted to kill him. How could he mess with her daughter? She was sobbing, seeming as if she was on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
Mr. Charlie tried to intervene. “Edna, hold on a minute—”
“Get out, Charlie. You’re dead wrong! Oh, my God! Both of you get out!
Get out!
”
Jada felt shame and regret, but couldn’t bring herself to offer a pitiful apology. There was no apology that could excuse what her mother had just witnessed. Without protesting, she went to her room and gathered some of her belongings. Her face felt hot from all the scratches and slaps. When she finally looked at herself in her bedroom mirror, she saw the crisscross scratches and bruises from her mother’s attack. She was bleeding in some places, and her own tears stung, as she gathered her things. She could hear Mr. Charlie trying, unsuccessfully, to calm Edna down. By the time Jada emerged from her room, Mr. Charlie was standing by the door looking defeated. Edna looked at her daughter and then at Charlie—another man who had made her feel like she was special, and then broken her heart—as tears fell from her eyes. She walked quickly into the bathroom, slammed the door, and slid to the floor, her sobs echoing off the walls. Jada left with Mr. Charlie that day and moved into his apartment; it was the beginning of a whole new life for her.
7
ROCK OF AGES
By now Jada and Shante were straight-up fiends. Whenever her mother was home and she couldn’t do her drugs in her apartment, Shante would come to Mr. Charlie’s apartment and smoke with Jada. He would let them do their thing, and he would go on about his business. Jada started smoking more than ever. She stopped going to school, and dropped out in her senior year.
After Jada moved in with him, Mr. Charlie kept her as high as she wanted. He made sure she had three square meals a day, a roof over her head, and anything else she asked him for. He used her physically, and she let him. Their arrangement was mutually beneficial. Jada wasn’t disillusioned enough to believe that she was Charlie’s one and only. His “wife”—Kelly—still came by every now and then. Charlie explained to Jada that Kelly was really no more than a lady who’d been down for him over the years, and she still made money for him. Whenever she was there, Jada would go and stay at Shame’s house until the woman had left, and Mr. Charlie was alone again.
Shante was amazed by this. “You’re telling me that you fuck him, you live there, he gives you dough. But when his wifey comes over, you just leave, and she don’t say nothing to you? Y’all don’t fight? What kinda shit is that? You’re both sharing the same man.”
Jada shrugged. “I’m not in love with Mr. Charlie. I don’t need to have a confrontation with his wife. We never had any drama.” Jada didn’tknow how Mr. Charlie explained their relationship or the fact that she was living with him to his wifey, and she really didn’t care. Shante shook her head in disbelief. Jada tried to explain once again. “For me … I’m grateful to Charlie for what he’s done to help me. But he’s only a means to an end. He looks out for me. I may care about him. But I know he’s not my man.”
Charlie was getting serviced sexually, and Jada was having her habit sustained. Jada had all of Mr. Charlie’s money at her disposal and no mother to hide from anymore. She was high all the time. Within three months, Mr. Charlie had her selling her body.
There was a side to Charlie that Jada had not yet seen. He began to show
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