Chapter 5


    Like a brazen thief, Lyte snuck her way ever so quietly into the second story window of her parents''


    house.


    With her brown paper bag tucked securely underneath her right armpit, the young woman carefully


    closed her bedroom window before taking off her sneakers and dropping her bag onto the desk that sat


    next to her rocking chair.


    Before anything else, Lyte tip-toed over to the door and listened for any soundsing from the


    other end. It was still the early morning and she was well aware that her mother would be stalking


    about preparing breakfast.


    Once she felt that the coast was clear, Lyte went back over to the desk where her bag was resting


    and ripped it open like a Christmas present. What spilled out onto the desk''s wood grain were tiny,


    white rocks that Lyte hurriedly collected into her hands before they could fall onto the floor.


    From there, she sat back in her seat and pulled out a drawer from within the desk. Inside the drawer


    was a rubber band that she immediately snatched out.


    She then pulled off her jacket and exposed her boney arms that revealed needle marks all up and


    down before taking the rubber band and wrapping it tightly around her right arm.


    "Lynn, are you in there?" A woman''s loud voice shouted from the other side of the bedroom door.


    At the snap of a finger Lyte gathered every rock from off the table and scooted them into the


    drawer. She then put her jacket back on before shooting up from the desk and running towards the


    door.


    "What''s up, Ma?" Lyte huffed.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    Her mother bobbed her head up and down and from side to side just trying to peek inside Lyte''s


    room.


    "Are you just now getting home?" Her mother asked in an annoyed manner.


    "Yes, Ma''am," Lyte answered surprised.


    "Why didn''t youe in through the front door?"


    Lyte thought for a moment and said, "Uh...I didn''t want to wake anyone."


    "Let me in there!" Her mother tried to barge in.


    Lyte only slid through the door''s crack on her way out of the room and into the brightly lit hallway,


    quickly shutting the door right behind her.


    "What do you need in there?" Lyte looked perturbed.


    Lyte''s mother, clothed in a brown robe and curlers in her head, just stood and stared at her


    daughter as though she were looking at a total stranger.


    "Why does this job of yours keep you till the morning time?" The woman asked in a more disgruntled


    manner.


    Walking down the stairs, Lyte replied, "What do you mean?"


    Following in behind her, the woman said, "You''ve been away for the past two days! What kind of job


    keeps their employees away from home for so long, Lynn?"


    The moment Lyte reached the living room she immediately went for the kitchen in the hopes of


    ditching her ever so persistent mother.


    "Mama, I told you and dad months ago, they need me to watch over patients while they conduct tests!"


    Lyte sighed as she opened the refrigerator door.


    "I know that, but I''ve never heard of a job that keeps a person away for nights on in like this! You''ve


    been doing this nonstop for months now, child!"


    Rolling her eyes, Lyte pulled out a carton of eggs from the refrigerator and mmed them down


    onto the counter.


    "Dad stays out all night and you never say anything!"


    "First thing, your father is a night watchman, he has to be out, and second, you need to watch your


    tone with me!"


    Spinning around, Lyte asked, "Why are you on me like this? I''ve beening in at this time for the


    past three months now, and you haven''t said anything!"


    "Did you know that your son fell down the steps yesterday morning because he thought he heard you


    coming into the house?"


    Lyte paused, but only for a brief instant before turning and attending to her eggs. "Is he okay?" She


    lethargically inquired.


    "He''s got a big ole'' knot on his head," her mother raised her voice.


    "Oh well, maybe that''ll teach him to keep his little butt in bed." Lyte shrugged as she took out three


    eggs before cing the carton back into the refrigerator.


    "And why do you keep on wearing that jacket? It''s hot!"


    "What''s wrong with me wearing my jacket?" Lyte threw up her hands. "I''ve been at work for the


    past few days! I''m doing all I can for me and my son, and youe at me with this! If I was sitting


    around the house like Jackie, Bernadette and Lavonia you''d be all over me about that! But no, I work


    all the time and I still get beat up!"


    "But they live in their own ce! They can do whatever they want to now!"


    Lyte mmed the refrigerator door before facing her mother. "Then give me till the end of the


    month, and I''ll have myself a brand new ce to live!"Lyte then stormed out of the kitchen with her


    mother following in suit.


    "And what about Isaiah," she hollered.


    "What about him?" Lyte screamed back.


    "How is he going to live while you''re away at work for days? Because I''m sick and tired of taking care


    of all these kids you and your sisters keep throwing on me and your daddy!"


    Lyte stopped short of the front door. "I never asked you or daddy to watch my child! You both


    basicallymanded me to move back in here months ago! But like I said, since we''re such a burden


    on you, we''ll be out of here by the end of the month!"


    "What on earth is going on in here?" A short, bearded, ck man dressed in a blue guard''s uniform


    came in through the kitchen with a metal lunch pail in his hand.


    "Dad, can you please tell mom to stop jumping on me?" Lyte beseeched her father.


    "Don''t go running to your dad! Your little behind is out of control!"


    "How am I out of control?" Lyte yelled.


    "Lower your tone when you speak to your mama!" Her father firmly demanded.


    Lyte quickly caught herself before looking back at her father and saying, "I came in this morning,


    like I always do from work, and mama just starts yelling at me."


    "That''s because I don''t trust this job you''re working at." Her mother remarked.


    Lyte''s father ced his lunch pail onto the couch before sitting his exhausted body down beside it


    and sighing a huge breath.


    The man scratched his beard and calmly said, "You''re mama and I have both been questioning this job


    of yours for quite some time now. I can understand you being away all night, but you''ve been away for


    days, too."


    "But that''s the job, dad." Lyte ardently exined.


    "I ain''t never heard of a job like that."


    "I''ve been doing this for months and no one ever said anything until now."


    "We have been saying something, Lynn, you just keep on ignoring us." Mother said. "All you do is work


    and listen to those foolish eight-tracks like your fifteen all over again."


    "Did your mother tell you that the baby fell down the steps yesterday?"


    "Yes, sir," Lyte dropped her head in shame.


    "Have you seen your son since you got home this morning?"


    "No, sir, I haven''t."


    "Then rather than arguing with your mother, why don''t you go on up and see him? Just because you


    have odd hours at your job doesn''t mean you have to abandon your duty as a mother."


    Lyte plunged her shoulders in defeat. She nced ever so meekly at her parents before dragging


    her sluggish legs towards the stairs and carrying herself up.


    The very moment she rounded the corner that led to Isaiah''s bedroom a cold sliver struck down


    Lyte''s sweaty back. Her legs grew wobbly and her pace turned listless, as if her own body had


    forgotten how to move all of the sudden.


    There were three bedrooms inside the house, and the one room that Lyte had to go to just


    happened to be the same one she loathed most of all.


    She regained her senses and balled up her fists as she stomped down the hallway until she came to


    thest door in the corridor. With a sweaty right palm she twisted the knob and immediately stepped


    inside the room with a determined poise.


    Isaiah was still fast asleep in the bed. Lyte stood above the boy and just looked down at him with


    her ck lips poked out in a defiant manner.The bump on his head was more than a knot, it was a


    downright bulging bruise that would have any other parent rushing their child to the emergency room.


    But Lyte just continued to stand as her son snored away on his back while the sun beamed down


    upon his little head.Her fists were still balled up and her lips remained stiff and puckered. All the young


    woman wanted to do was shut her eyes and pray to God that she could control her shaking hands that


    wanted to reach out.


    Without allowing another second to pass between them, Lyte turned and stomped out of room.


    She could hear Isaiah begin to stir, which only caused her to move faster than before and carefully


    close the door behind her as not to disturb the baby any further.


    She could hear her parents downstairs talking amongst each other about her, but Lyte''s attention


    was elsewhere and everywhere but inside the house. She went directly into her bedroom, shut the door


    behind her and immediately cut on the eight-track yer that already had The Commodores'', ''Easy'',


    ready to y.Lyte turned the volume down on the yer before taking off her jacket and resuming


    her actions from moments earlier.


    As she began wrapping her arm all over again with the rubber band, she couldn''t help but to nce


    outside the window in front of her to see a young, dark-skinned woman jogging up and down the alley.


    Lyte vigorously pped at her right arm while keeping a vignt eye on the woman that kept racing


    back and forth in the empty alley like she were training for an event.


    The very instant she heard Isaiah begin to whine in the other room Lyte wrapped the rubber band


    around her arm so tight that it started to cut off her cirction. She then went over and turned up the


    eight-track yer loud enough to where all she could hear was Lionel Richie''s voice and nothing


    else.