Ghetto Girls Too. Anthony Whyte

girl,” Deedee said pointing to the cordless. “I’ll go see what’s with my Uncle and Sophia,” Deedee said and walked out the room.

      I can’t blame Coco for being spooked after seeing the news. Shoot, I’m a nervous wreck too, Deedee thought. Before closing the door, she asked, “I’m getting something to drink. You want anything?

      “Aiight, that’s what I’m talking about. Got some Henny?” Coco asked with a chuckle.

      “Coco, I’m talking something lighter. Soda, water, juice, something in that family,” Deedee said with a smirk and Coco laughed.

      “I’m just playing around, yo. Water is good,” Coco said and began dialing the digits to the Green Acres Substance Abuse Center.

      The center was located in a commercial area on the eastern border of Queens known as ‘Crack Central’. The drug rehab center boasted a high success rate. It was outfitted with its own dining room and single bedrooms. There were two conference rooms, a large one for general assembly meetings and a smaller one for therapy and counseling sessions. Separated by a long hallway, the lounge and recreation area were located next to the small gymnasium. The offices were close to the recreation area. The place only hosted women.

      Its shadowy pasture gave the place the feel of a farm outside. Although there was some amount of gardening done, the produce was mostly used for the participants in the drug rehab program. Staff members and residents shared in the duties of taking care of the property. It was supposed to teach self-reliance to the residents. That was part of the goal of the program.

      Rachel Harvey had been involved with recovery for the past six months. She had spent the last two months as a resident. Time and time again, Mrs. Harvey had expressed how much she hated staying there. She wanted out but stayed at the behest of her daughter, Coco.

      Rachel left the conference room and walked through the lounge area. It was the shortest route to the reception area. She wore a blue silk dress that Coco had bought her for her birthday. Her stay had improved her diet and with that, she had gained a few necessary pounds. She walked with a youthful prance through the assembly hall then through the adjoining hall where there were several phones.

      “Your daughter is on line number two,” the receptionist said as she made her way past the reception area. Mrs. Harvey picked up line two and heard Coco’s voice on the other end.

      “Coco, whatcha doing calling me in the middle of my meeting? If it was so damn important, you should’ve brought your black ass over here. What is it, child? Coco? Coco? You there?”

      Coco was surprised by her mother’s reaction. She did not know quite what to say.

      “Coco, why did you call? If it’s to hang out at some damn party, the answer is hell no. You’re not hanging out during the week from Monday to Thursday. Hanging out is not in your dictionary so hang it up.”

      “Ma, have you seen the news yet or heard anything?”

      “No why? You won the lotto or sump’n, child? Stop playing and tell me what I missed. Don’t tell me you got arrested ‘cause I’m not coming down to no damn central booking. And if I find out that you’re pregnant then God help you. You heard me, Miss?”

      “Nah ma, it ain’t none of that.”

      “Then why the hell you be calling outta the blue if this ain’t no emergency? Do you know you’re disturbing me at my meeting, girl? My spirit is weak and I’m doing all I can to get out of here.”

      “I’m sorry ma. Listen, I’ll call you later. Take care. I just wanted you to know I’m all right, okay?”

      “Okay Coco. I really really don’t have time to talk to you right now but I’ll call you later. Okay, honey?”

      “Bye, mommy.”

      “Bye, Coco.”

      Rachel Harvey hung up the telephone and mumbled under her breath as she walked back to the assembly hall. She looked at the television but failed to notice the evening news regarding Eric Ascot as she went past the reception area. Rachel Harvey had only one thing on her mind and saw another reason why she had to leave this place for good.

       That daughter of mine is going insane. Poor girl probably just miss me. She always trying to be so hard. I guess she gets that from me. I miss being there for her but most of all, I miss my freedom.

      Rachel’s thoughts were riveted on not being where she couldn’t be or who she was. She had failed to utilize her environment. The place she had been confined to for the past six weeks was a residential treatment program for drug addicted mothers. The stay proposed by her welfare worker was six week to eight weeks. Rachel was mandated to attend the program or be kicked off the welfare roll after one of her weekend binges landed her in the hospital.

      Doctors told her that the ventricles to her heart had shrunk due to crack abuse and warned that repeated abuse could result in a fatal heart attack. Her medical condition along with the doctor’s advice scared Rachel so she decided to enter the residential treatment.

      From day one, she resented being at the center. She wanted to do outpatient but went along when the doctors told her she could die with the next heart attack. It made her think twice about the habit. Come Monday, it would be six weeks. It was time for her to leave and there was no time for what she considered to be Coco’s idle gestures.

      The things my daughter goes though to keep me off her trail, Rachel mused. She didn’t want mommy to worry. That’s Coco, that’s my daughter and that’s her father. Rachel Harvey was convinced that her daughter wanted to do everything to make her stay at the center but Rachel wanted to leave the place.

      “That girl going crazy and she’s gonna drive me crazy right along with her if I stay here,” Rachel Harvey said to herself. “I’ll find out the real reason she called and when I do…” Rachel never completed the thought. She just shook her head and went back to her meeting for the day.

       NINE

      Coco tried to appear confident despite feeling a little disconcerted. Her attempt at explaining the shooting incident to her mother had resulted in failure. Over and over, it crossed her mind that her mother would eventually learn of the shootings from the news then she would call everyone hysterically searching for her.

      I could’ve prevented all that, Coco thought and stared blankly at the television set. There wasn’t much left to do now except to wait and face the music. Intellectually, Coco sped through the process. She’ll scream at me and then curse me and compare me to my dad and tell me I can’t go out ever again. What the hell! Coco’s musings hummed so loudly she didn’t hear Deedee return.

      “Hello? Earth to Coco,” Deedee said. Coco immediately snapped back to reality.

      “Uh, my bad, I didn’t even hear when you came back, yo.”

      “What happened? Were you able to speak to her?” Deedee asked and gave Coco a glass and a bottled water. “What did she say?”

      “Me and my mom…” Coco started and shook her head. “I don’t know, yo.”

      “Does that mean you didn’t actually tell her?”

      “No, we spoke but she did all the talking. She told me that she knew why I called. Madukes be OD’ing sometimes, yo.”

      “But you still got love for her. Me on the other hand, I don’t even know where my mother is.”

      “I guess you could say me and mines have grown to understand each other.”

      “My uncle is all I’ve got. My mother’s behavior was so shameful.”

      “Yeah, that monster crack’ll make you do wild shit,” Coco said and both girls sipped.

      Deedee thought about it then asked, “Coco, what would cause you to disown your mother?”

      “What