“Get out!” A slander black women with a lot of power behind her words. The boys have no excuse but to leave. She watches as they grab there coats and run out of the door.

“Mom why would you do that?”

“Young lady don’t you dare take that tone with me. Why were they here. They clearly look like they should not be home a lone with a fifteen year old girl.”

“Yes of course just because of my age I am not allowed to have boys over when your gone. Mom get over yourself.” Desiree simply walks past her mother using her hips more than her legs.

“You better be walking to your fathers and not after them boys.”

“Yes mother, I’m on my way.” That father of hers is a piece of work. Taisha was fifteen when she meet Desiree’s father. The next year she was pregnant. Sure my family made it work. They helped me out, I finished school, graduated college, and now have a pretty decent job. However Desiree thinks it could work out for her as well. But I had two parents. She does not. I had grandparents, hers are dead. It is not the same as what I had. I have a job so I could not help out as my mother did since she stayed at home.

“Ma’am?” Taisha turns around and it’s one of the boys from earlier. “Now before you respond angrily I wanted to talk to you about what was going on.”

“About you being here with my daughter. With another man. Who by the way looked to be in his twenties. She is only fifteen.”

“I understand. She had seen me coming out of here before and thought I was a friend you see. I was passing by and she hollered us in. That is all. Nothing more ma’am.”

“Okay. Well I should get back to this. Thank you for explaining.”

“Of course ma’am.” He smiles and walks down the front steps back down the street.

The door flings open to a rushing and tired Zola. She was my neighbor and the town gossip. “What was that boy doing here?”

“Hey Zola, and he was just stopping by. He was over with Desiree.”

“Doesn’t he look a little old for her.”

“Yes. But I turned them away so he did the gentlemen thing and came back to explain.”

“Oh my, my. Who knew those exist in this part of town.”

“Lord knows I didn’t.” Taisha goes to putting her bags down in her office which is the back of the house. It was suppose to be a guest room but everyone she knows lives in the area so there is no need. Zola settles in the front of the house on the chairs to keep an eye out on the neighbors.

“Have your heard about the Walter’s?” Zola said loud enough for Taisha to hear but soft enough for whomever could be walking by to not hear her. Taisha comes out of the office, through the kitchen to meet Zola.

“What are you talking about?”

“Well they’re daughter got pregnant.”

“Alright.”

“Oh that’s right you were a young mother. But they work for the church. I went to them for marriage counseling. Well no wonder why it didn’t work. They can’t even control what is going on under their own roof.”

“Zola it is not right to prey. Who said that she was even pregnant?”

“Well my daughter went to the party with her recently and re refused to have her usual glass of wine.”

“Your fine with them partying just not having a baby? Right”

“Now Taisha you know that is not what I meant. However when they are young they do this. They get it out of their system so that when they grow up they act responsibly. Besides it is not like I host these events for them to do it at my home. I have told my girls that they are never to come home under the influences of anything. They know the rules. That has them not drink at these things because they would never sleep anywhere else.” Zola nods he head as if to say she knows best and her girls would not cross her. Which they wouldn’t, to her knowledge. “Besides you don’t have to worry about Desiree. She keeps her head up and wants to go places. She’s smart.” Zola nods over her glass of wine, which she brought over with her, getting lost in her thoughts.