To Keep Her in the Family

By Auggie Fox

Shawnda was born into a family that held secrets within themselves. It would be those secrets that would destroy her family in the end. A family can still be held together by other people with no blood flowing through them. At all cost, Shelby would be willing to give up everything that she had. Even her own flesh and blood would suffer. Shelby would be the one that would withstand all the pain to keep her in the family.

Each episode in Shawnda's life brought her closer to her own self destruction. Shelby came into Shawnda's life and remained there until there were no more secrets to be held within.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Oct 3, 2019
• ISBN: 9781546266914

Auggie Fox

Audrena Dias was born in Kansas City, Missouri. She is now known to many as Auggie Fox, where she has evolved to bring out her creative writing with a twist of outright mayhem penwomanship. Auggie Fox has spent most of her life writing and will continue to share all of her books with everyone as she embarks on her career as a writer/publisher within her own company Auggie Fox Presents, LLC. Auggie Fox cringes every time she lands in an airplane on the runway. Auggie Fox loves to smile. She cherishes her five grand children and believes that dreams do come true. Her slogan, "don'tLookBack" comes from her life of looking forward accepting what God has put out before her. Writing is a passionate hobby that emerges from Auggie Fox day and night.

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EPISODE ONE

By the time Shawnda turned 15 she was already out of control. She was the youngest of 3. She had two older brothers, Frank Jr. (21), everyone called Skip; and Steven (18) who she loved with all her heart. But all the love from Steven and in the world could not stop Shawnda.

Shawnda had started drinking when she was 12 behind the garage with Skip and Steven. They were all bored. Skip had copped a fifth of wine and he was anxious to get busy.

Why are you following us, Shawnda? Go on in the house and help momma cook.

I don’t want to help momma. I want some of that wine.

Girl, you are too young! shouted Steven.

If you don’t let me have some, I’m gonna tell Daddy on both of you and you know what Daddy will do to you. Shawnda glared back.

You are such a baby. Suit yourself. Who cares anyway. I’m leaving after I finish this. It will be up to Steven to explain.

The bottle was passed to Shawnda. She drunk the wine like it was koolaid.

You better slow down, you lush. You’ve been drinking before, haven’t you?

Just a little with Zaria and her sister, Zentobia.

Both of them are drunks. said Skip as he pulled out a joint and lit it.

You want some of this too?

Shawnda’s eyes widened. Sure!

She’s already a junkie. laughed Skip. Here. he passed her the joint. And don’t smoke all my shit up.

Shawnda drew on the joint, long and hard. Steven stared in disbelief. It was obvious she was not an amateur. She held the smoke in for a while and then blew it out slowly. Shawnda sat down on the ground and tripped while she gulped the bottle of wine.

Skip laughed loudly. Girl you better stay away from Zentobia and Zaria before they turn you our.

They are my friends. They are not like that. They treat me like their little sister. I like being around them. I don’t have anyone else to talk you.

Steven snatched the bottle of wine out of her hand. You can do better than them. The whole family is just plain weird. I heard that Zaria and Zentobia are gay. Is there any truth to that?

Gay, you’re tripping Steven. Just because you can’t get your rap on with them, why do they have to be gay?

They’re gay. Skip finished off the wine, took a couple of more hits of the jointy and started to walk away. See ya’ll later.

You better get home before Daddy gets home tonight! shouted Shawnda after her brother.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yada yada yada. He continued to walk away and down the street.

Zentobia Atoms was 21 and her sister Zaria was 18. They had a brother named George who was 25 years old. At 15, Shawnda thought he was the best looking man in the whole world. He had many women always hanging around him. The Atoms’ lived about 5 blocks from Shawnda. She loved hanging around their house. It was so cool there. Their mom and dad was very seldom home. Always out kicking it themselves. And when they came home, it didn’t bother them that people were over there kicking it.

Shawnda had always known the Atoms, her brother Steven and Skip had grew up with them. If Shawnda’s mother knew she was hanging out over to the Atoms, she would get the beating of her life. So Shawnda used other excuses about where she was. Her most famous lie was she was at the community center. It stayed open all day during the summer and during the school year it stayed open until 9:00 at night. It was a perfect alibi for her.

Shawnda! Shawnda Vallay, where are you girl!

When Shawnda’s mother called her by her full name she knew she wanted her right then, no excuses.

See ya, Shawnda. Steven said.

Chicken. I’ll handle it.

"Shawnda walked slowly back to the house. Everything was now looking a little different to Shawnda. The trees where greener and so was the grass. And those weeds on the side of the house didn’t look so bad now. But the closer she got to the back door the more paranoid she got. She knew her momma would question what she was doing and where she was. She didn’t even have a clue what she was going to say, cause she couldn’t quite remember anything right now.

Shawnda hoped she could handle her momma. Some days she could, but she was a whole lot higher today. And she hadn’t had a chance to come down from her high yet.

Where were you girl?

Outside in the back yard.

I looked out there and I didn’t see you.

I hopped the fence for a minute. I was talking to the girl in the back.

What’s wrong with you? You look tired.

The sun is bright Momma. It’s hot outside.

You still look strange. Anyway, I need you to start dinner.

Okay. Shawnda stood in the kitchen, tripping. She couldn’t remember where the pots were. Even more, the wine was really kicking in and all she wanted to do was lie down for a minute. It took Shawnda a little too long to figure it out.

Shawnda! screamed her momma.

It scared Shawnda because by this time she was tripping off into another world. Shawnda jumped.

Huh?

Git the pot and rinse that rice off, Shawnda!

Okay, okay. Momma, you don’t have to holler.

Git the pot girl! Your daddy will be home soon, this dinner needs to be cooked.

Shawnda wanted to remark to that. But she didn’t want the back of her mother’s hand planted on her face right now. Her head was already beginning to hurt. So Shawnda struggled through the rice washing. She managed to get the rice on the stove. Thank God her momma wouldn’t let her cook chicken yet. She would have burned it for sure. If she had to cut the chicken up, that would have been a joke. She had never figured out how her momma cut up a chicken that was whole. And her momma told her stories about the chickens that still had their heads attached.

Shawnda just wanted to lie down at the thought of ringing a chicken’s neck. She knew that if her mother knew she had been drinking, she would ring her neck and she would be lying down. After Shawnda managed to get through cooking dinner, her momma sent her upstairs to get washed up for dinner.

Dinner time was important when Shawnda’s Daddy was joining them. He didn’t eat with the family much but Shawnda’s momma made it a very big deal when he called to say he’d be home for dinner.

Sometimes it made Shawnda mad. He was very seldom home and all the attention he was getting when he did decide to grace them with his presence was becoming a bit much for Shawnda.

Today really bothered Shawnda, probably because she was higher than usual. Shawnda felt that if she could just hit that joint again she would definitely mellow out. But it was too late. She heard the door close as she finished drying her hands.

Mary, baby, I’m home.

I’m here, honey. In the kitchen.

Shawnda drug herself downstairs. She was coming down off of her high and it wasn’t a good feeling. She was pissed at her father. If he hadn’t come home today for dinner they could eat in their rooms or in front of the television in the den. With the lights dimmed or off.

Let’s eat, where’s everyone.

Shawnda’s upstairs. Skip and Steven aren’t here.

I’m here momma. shouted Steven from the back door.

Where’s your brother?

Don’t know. Seen him earlier today. I don’t think Skip is gonna make it for dinner.

Let’s eat, Mary. We are not waiting for Skip.

And so the Vallay’s dinner began. Shawnda looked over at Steven.

He was good and high. Shawnda was jealous. She wanted to feel like Steven. Steven looked over her and smiled. They both knew what was on each other’s mind. Shawnda’s high had been interrupted because she had to focus on cooking dinner without burning down the house. Shawnda’s daddy, ate like there was no tomorrow. Shawnda couldn’t help thinking, ‘where did he eat when he didn’t make it home for dinner?’.

Shawnda remembers her mother waiting patiently for her daddy to come home. And waited she did. Sometimes till midnight. Then her daddy would walk in and the arguing was on. But her daddy always managed to shut her momma up. Even though Shawnda’s mother would never admit it, she knew her father hit her momma.

Shawnda couldn’t wait for dinner to be over with. She would disappear for a little while. She was headed straight for the Atom’s house. It was always mellowed out over there.

After dinner Steven did the dishes. Shawnda went outside to play for a while. That’s what she told her parents. Steven knew it was a lie. But he was too high to care.

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EPISODE TWO

Momma, what are we doing for Shawnda’s birthday this year? asked Steven.

Same thing we do every year, nothing.

But momma, she’s gonna be 13 years old this year.

So, she’s still a little girl. It ain’t like she’s 16 or something.

She really wants a party momma. I’ve heard her talking on the phone. All the girls in her class have had parties when they turned 13. It would mean so much to her.

Steven, I don’t know nothing about giving a birthday party for a 13 year old girl.

Steven had other motives. Shawnda was having a party, he could be having one to and momma would never know the difference.

Momma, I’ll help you. Something short and sweet. From 6 p.m. until 10:30 p.m., tops.

What about your father?

On Friday’s he never comes home till after 12:30 or 1:00 a.m. I promise it’ll all be over by then. Come on. I sort of promised Shawnda I’d work on you about this.

You and her are so close. You’d do just about anything for her wouldn’t you, Steven?

Yea, she’s my little sister and she’s my only sister. There probably isn’t anything that I wouldn’t do for her.

"I’ll think about