Page 14

Rodney, who still slept next to them on his cot-bed,

was sitting up, playing quietly with one of his toys.

He looked happy when he saw me looking in on him "My heart felt like a Yo-Yo whose string had

broken. All night it had gone up and down with every

sound in the building that suggested Daddy's return.

Now, it was clear he hadn't come back and I was sick

with fear.

"I took Rodney into the living room and fixed

him some breakfast. Momma woke up looking dazed

and confused as usual after a night of drinking. She

was surprised to see Daddy hadn't returned, too. "'Where'd Daddy go?' I asked her

"'How would I know? Who cares?' she said, but

it bothered her when he didn't return the next day. She

got on the phone and complained to Granny and then

two days after that, she started to call some of Daddy's

friends and I guess she found out he had left Los

Angeles. That was when she went to welfare and cried

about our situation.

"For a long time, I expected Daddy would come

back, even after I saw him that last time and he

hurried away from me. I never told Momma I had

seen him. I knew it would just make her wild and

angry and after a while, I began to wonder if I had

really seen him or just imagined it out of hope.

Whenever the phone rang, I hoped it was him calling,

but it never was. Momma was so furious she would

swear she wasn't going to take him back if he did

show up, but I knew in my heart she would.

"Granny started to spend more time with us

soon after all that. She lives in Venice Beach so it was