Broken Pieces

Part One

A BEAUTIFUL NIGHTMARE

Chapter One

It was just my mom and me for much of my life. We moved to the north side of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 2 I was a freshman in high school. We lived in an income-based housing project called Spring Hill Apartments; they were fairly new and still quiet and laid back.  

Moving to the north side was a challenging experience because I never felt welcomed. Gang violence was just beginning to ramp up in Pittsburgh and I resided on the east side in the neighborhood we called Lincoln, ever since we relocated from York, PA to get a fresh start when I was in middle school. Even though Pittsburgh is not a huge city, most neighborhoods just didn’t mix well, and I was the new girl once again, with no friends. But after a while, I had a few good homies in Spring Hill. Unlike many of my new friends, I didn't attend one of the neighborhood schools. I went to a vocational school on the south side, but I would meet my new neighborhood friends at the mailboxes after we all finished our homework. Everyone would bring snacks and come over to my house to chill into the evening.

When I was about 17, I got my second job at a popular neighborhood corner store. It was just your typical ‘hood store. Folks would come in for their penny candy, fresh baked cookies, bread, cigarettes, toilet paper, lottery, and even good conversation most days. There were so many people in and out of the store all the time. Young and old, babies, all walks of life. Folks would even come in to sell their stolen goods. There were plenty of days that I needed a payday advance to purchase film, lotions, and other things that they were selling. I met so many people daily including the older man with the handicap arm who always wanted single cigarettes and the man that would sniff the glue and dance for some treats. The little kids who came in smiled at my jokes and graciously thanked me for offering up what they were short for chips or bags of Swedish fish bagged up in counts of twenty-five. 

Then there were the guys who came in the store who would try to holler at me, but I paid them no mind. Most gave up trying after a while but there was one who would not stop.  He was the one who caught my eye. I think it was his sense of humor that I was drawn to. 

David was a piece of work.

His sense of humor was unmatched. Whenever he stopped in the store, it was guaranteed that he would have me cracking up. He smelled so good, dressed nice and his glasses were sharp. He was so handsome with his glasses on. I rarely dared to say anything to David during those early encounters at the store, but he always seemed to have something to say to me. Some days he would actually leave me speechless. And that’s pretty hard to do. Sometimes I would think to myself, how did he come up with that? I was still young and inexperienced with guys, so I certainly didn’t think I was mature enough for a guy who was forever saying all the right stuff. 

While his whole crew stayed fly and dressed to the nines, none compared to David in my eyes. One of the things that impressed me about David was that he didn’t partake in the normal stunts for my attention. He didn’t lurk around the store waiting to see how far our conversation may go that day, nor did he ever try to take anything off the shelf without paying to see if I thought it was cool. David was different. 

One day, out of the blue, he brought me lunch during my shift. He walked in and looked at me as if he were looking through me. He said, Here, I picked you up something to eat. My face indicated that I was puzzled but I was appreciative because I love to eat. From that day forward, anytime he saw me at the store he brought me something to eat; that allowed me to see him almost every time I was at work. He never asked if I wanted food before he purchased it. I was amazed that he wasn’t concerned about possibly wasting money if I didn’t want it. His kind gesture was to simply ensure that I was okay. It’s not that he thought that I needed food or anything. Even though my frame is small, and it may have appeared that I needed a few meals, I’m sure he was just being nice. He knew that I didn’t make much money and I couldn’t leave the store to get anything to eat. 

After plenty of times in and out of the store, David was no longer a stranger or someone that I was afraid would harm me. As time progressed, he continued to express an interest in me. David was intentional in his efforts to let me know that he wanted me and that he was going to have me. I would just smile, and think, okay, David! 

One night I went to Sweet Georgia Browns, a neighborhood bar, with a coworker from the store who was also a DJ. I wasn't old enough to get in but because I got there early with the DJ, I was good. Since I wasn't a drinker and I was underage, I chose a slow gin and orange juice as my drink of the night. Honestly, I had no idea what the difference between a slow gin and any other type of gin was but my barely-older than me cousin, Likah, had taken me out partying with her one night and that was the drink she ordered. It wasn't too strong, but it was good and pretty so it stuck with me. Besides, that drink made me look like an adult in a bar setting instead of looking like a kid with no business being there. 

My slow gin and OJ may have worked to make me look like I belonged, but it did nothing for my feelings. I felt out of place for obvious reasons, but as I watched everything that walked in and out of the bar for hours, I became increasingly uncomfortable. Bored, I just sat there and pretended to love my drink. 

Then I saw David walk in! 

I was wide open and excited to greet him. He was with several of his cousins and I was still close enough for my DJ friend to keep an eye out, but it was as though we were the only two in the bar at that point. I was happy to see a familiar face, but also nervous because I wasn’t at work and felt vulnerable in such an open, adult space. Our conversation that night would lead to many more nights together. However, that night I went home, as I should have.

♡

After that first night, things moved quickly, and I couldn’t remember what life was like before him. We had an instant connection; it felt like we had been with each other forever. 

We got together often. 

I didn’t have a car and my mom was usually at work so David would pick me up from work every night and make sure I got into the house safely. We went out to dinner a few times a week and sometimes we would just ride around and talk or enjoy each other’s company before he dropped me off. If we were away from each other, it wasn't for exceptionally long periods. Like 30-Day Fiancé, we were an item almost instantly. It was such a nice feeling to be in the arms of a man that loved me.

My own man. 

At 18, I felt I was doing well for my age. I had just started my first semester at the local community college, I still had my corner store job which allowed me to set my hours so as not to interfere with my life, and I’d already met the man I wanted to spend my life with. A whole man who wanted to love on me and who wanted to make me his everything. My thoughts weren't at all focused on my studies and I didn’t have any greater desire than having a family of my own. Do I stay in school or do I stop wasting my time? Since I had a wonderful man that was ready to give me just what I wanted, it didn't take me long to make a decision; I withdrew from school immediately and David and I started rocking even harder. 

One day as David and I were driving around talking, he told me that he no longer wanted me to work at the store. There was always a lot of traffic in and out of the store, some good and some bad. But since I was David’s girl and that was his ‘hood, I understood that it just wasn’t a good look. I had been working since I was 14 so that demand, heavily cloaked by David’s concern for my safety, came as a pretty big surprise to me. All he desired to do was take care of me and spend time together. He promised that we would find a better position for me within a few months. That was when I knew that David genuinely cared for me and our future together. 

David began to introduce me to his kids, family, and friends. When we met, David already had six kids. He had his first when he was just a couple months shy of 16. He told me that he wanted to have a real family of his own; he wanted a lot of kids and for them to all live under the same roof. David wanted to give his kids what we both lacked growing up. He was such a great, caring, and nurturing father. I was so in love with seeing David be a dad, taking care of the kids, and making time for them daily. I am inclined to believe it was because I had never experienced a hands-on father in my own home, nor had many of my friends or family members. Growing up, I did not witness too many dads who stepped up and took on day-in and day-out responsibility for their children. It was more common to see the mothers grinding, sacrificing, and working hard for better lives for their kids. 

My mom was rarely in town during those days. She was dating a man who lived in Cleveland, so my occasional overnight stays with David effortlessly turned into multiple nights, then weeks and next thing I knew we lived together. I didn’t require much but what I didn’t bring with me David made sure he supplied. He wanted me to be comfortable. He showered me with gifts, more than I could ever ask for. I was living every woman’s dream as David loved to shop for me and the kids. I never had to go to the mall for anything. He enjoyed seeing the surprised looks on our faces each time any of us opened