How to Knock a Bravebird from Her Perch : The First Novel in the Morrow Girls Series (9780985751616) by D. Bryant Simmons Read Free Book Online

of. “I’m pregnant!” And I was.
    A light might have went on somewhere behind his eyes but it wasn’t enough to stop him. Twisting and turning to get out his reach, I landed right on the coffee table. Or right through it really. It was the type made of glass. The whole right side of my body was in hell and covered in tiny bleeding cuts. I tried to get up but my knee kept scraping on something sharp so finally I just gave up. I’m not sure how long I laid there before he got me up.

    “Y OU WANT ANOTHER TABLE ? I just sold you one what...nine ten months ago!” Helen thought it was hilarious. “And what’s with the shades, girl? There ain’t no sun out. This is Chicago in November!”
    I should’ve waited until she went on lunch and had someone else help me but I didn’t. I strapped Mya into a stroller and told Nikki to stay close. I thought I could cover my limp by wearing pants but a few folks gave me curious looks already and now my best friend was. Maybe I wanted her to know.
    “Can I get the same one?”
    “Why you wanna get the same one? What’s the point in that?”
    “It broke.”
    “Oh well, girl, why you ain’t just say so? You know they’ll replace it or fix it or whatever. Just tell me what part broke.”
    “All of it.”
    “All of it? How you go and do that?”
    I wanted to tell her I had help. That I had bruises and cuts that would never heal. But I didn’t.  

    W HEN I GOT HOME Ricky was waiting and he wasn’t alone. Aunt Clara was his daddy’s sister. She was short and round but spoke her mind and spoke it clearly. She used to have a beauty shop back when she lived down South but it closed a few years before Ricky sent for her. She hugged the little ones first, making sure to comment on how much Mya looked like Ricky then came in to hug me.
    “Pecan, don’t like to be hugged, Auntie.”
    “Oh. Why not?”
    “She just don’t. She’s going upstairs to lie down.”
    That was my cue. I took my time going up the stairs but tried not to wince too much. It was nice of Ricky to have his aunt come stay with us. I don’t think that at the time he thought too much about what it would really mean. Aunt Clara never had kids, never got married. She said men were too much trouble. On top of all that, she wasn’t the kinda woman to take no stuff neither. Thinking back on it, Ricky must have been real desperate to have an extra set of hands around the house.
    Taking off my coat was such a chore I decided to lie down with my clothes on. I set my shades on the nightstand so they looked back at me. My left eye was swollen shut so I couldn’t see outta it. Ricky had a way with the front door, a way of closing it and opening it that let me know it was him. And I knew he had to go to the gym so the sound of it clicking shut made sense. I lied there, listening to Aunt Clara playing with the girls and dozed off. When I woke up I smelt the most delicious smells.
    “Hungry?” She stood at the door holding a tray of steaming food.
    “Um...” I nearly broke my neck trying to get my shades back on.
    Aunt Clara just set the tray on the foot of the bed and walked out. She came back when she was sure I was done, this time she brought a dishtowel soaked with ice cubes. “Let’s take these off,” she said, removing my shades. “What you really need is some meat but I’m gonna put this on your eye for a little bit. It’s cold, now, so don’t be shocked.”
    I didn’t know what to say. I wanted to say something. “Thank you,” squeaked out.
    Aunt Clara was a gift from God. I’m sure she ain’t know it but I did. I never missed having a mama, not really, not until I had Clara. The missing part ain’t last too long, though, because I learned how to be a mama from watching her. Even though she didn’t have kids she had a real mothering kinda way about her. Everybody around her couldn’t help but feel loved. Folks in the neighborhood flocked to our kitchen door, asking for advice or just wanting