Mari

Living under the shadow of my family's reputation is a constant reminder to me that I wished I was adopted. My sister, Vicki and I were the 'girls' of the family and in my Father's eyes it meant we were to be seen and not heard.

My life isn't going as expected. It seems as though I have been raised to be a trophy wife for someone way before I was born. My family is prominent and well known in the community. We have everything we need and more. However, I don't think that defines me. I have dreams and aspirations that I want to fulfill, but since I was little, I've been groomed to be someone's wife. I know if I shout to the rafters to them of what I want to do with my own life, my parents will disown me. Just like they did my sister.

Vicki didn't want to take over the life and business that comes with being a Worthington, so she decided to live her life. I remembered the day they kicked her out with absolutely nothing. She had dreams of becoming a Social Worker and activist to help the Black community learn how to become homeowners and business owners. My Father and the generations before him looked down on people who hadn't come from a family with financial stability, as if they didn't start somewhere on someone's field.

My mother wanted Vicki to be a trophy wife, like her. Even though we all know the secrets that are being held between Mother and Father. Vicki and I never wanted to be trophy wives for men who only look good on paper, but at home they would rather lay with other women than to be with those they have married. Mother is fully aware of what he is doing, but she would rather save face and ignore it because my Father is a noteworthy figure in society; She was just a poor lil' Black girl from the southside of Chicago that knew how to give good ass head and make pretty babies - A woman who, as Father would say, "knows her place."

"Hey girl," Vicki said as I walked into her living room. "How are you doing?"

"I'm good."

"Really?" She tilted her head to the side, waiting for me to tell the truth.

"You already know how it is, I ain't gotta tell you." I said, rolling my eyes and flopping down on the couch.

"Girl, you know I know." Vicki opened a small container on the table, pulled out a pre-rolled

blunt and lit it.

"Since when did you start smoking again?" I asked as she inhaled deeply.

"Since I left the house." Vicki blew the smoke in my direction. I scrunched my face in the smoke. "You wanna hit it?"

"No thank you, I'm good." I said waving the smoke away.

"Don't worry, if you stay in that house long enough, you'll be smoking soon enough. Just to maintain your sanity." She laughed and pulled on the blunt again.

She might be right. She tried smoking cigarettes but she couldn't hide it in the house. I guess the smell of weed was a lot easier to hide than the smell of cigarettes.

She started smoking marijuana when Mother and Father told her that she had been matched for an arranged marriage. It was common in our family. The 'Family' wanted to make sure the money stayed amongst us therefore she was matched with another wealthy family. Father thought the rich should marry rich.

"You're probably right," I quipped looking at her as she took a long inhale. "You know they made the match right?" Vicki looked at me, blew out her smoke and shook her head.

"I knew you would be next," she said, tapping her ash. "You sure you don't want to hit this? You might need this more than me."

"Not right now." I closed my eyes and tried to understand my family and ask God why I was born with them.

"So what family did they arrange the match with?" She asked. I didn't want to think about it. I didn't particularly like their family and I disliked the person whom they matched me with even more.

"The Abrams." I pouted. Vicki's eyes grew large.

"Really? Not Jeffrey Abrams?" I looked at her responding to her tone of voice, she was shocked.

"Yeah, how did you know?" I gave her a bewildered look. How did she know?

"He's a slut. And he's gay." Vicki blurted. I just stared at her. I knew he was a slut, but gay?

"Wait, what? Gay?"

"As in homosexual," she responded.

"I know what gay is, fool. Are you serious?"

"Yep. Randy told me that Jeffrey was caught in the coat room at the country club with one of the valet guys."

"Damn!" I shouted. And this is the person my family wants me to marry, just to save face. Vicki started laughing so hard she held her stomach.

"Did they think you would have kids with him? He don't like pussy!" She screamed and laughed. I couldn't help but laugh right along with her. To be honest, I think I was laughing to keep from crying.

"Girl this is some shit! Don't they know he's gay?"

"I'm sure they do. He doesn't try to hide it. But you know how some rich people are, our family included - show the public a happy, loving and normal family then do what you want behind closed doors."

"So basically they don't care as long as we get married and go out together every once in a while to save face?"

"Basically."

"Who would want that?" I asked, trying to wrap my head around it.

"Mother." I looked at her and she stared back at me.

She was right. Mother agreed to it. But she didn't come from a rich family, I think she did it to survive and to get a better life than what she had.

"Do you think Mother loved Father at one point and time?" I asked, thinking maybe she did it for love.

"What makes you think she doesn't still love him?"

"You think she does?" I raised my eyebrows looking at Vicki.

"She hasn't left him."

"True, but you also know she has no one, absolutely no family. So where would she go and what would she do? She is a kept woman."

"Whose husband is cheating with every bitch who would let him fuck them." Vicki retorted.

"Well, true." I responded.

"You know every woman that Father sleeps with expects to get something out of it."

"Yeah, but they should know they are nothing but a piece of ass. Everyone knows Father!"

"True." Vicki pulled long on the blunt and blew out a long cloud of smoke.

"So where is Jacobi? How are you guys doing?" I asked. Jacobi was my sister's boyfriend. He's one of the reasons why Vicki is no longer at the mansion.

"He's over at the studio."

"So did he really sign with CFE?" CFE was Chicago's Finest Entertainment. It was a local group, founded by Franklin Studdard and Marcus Harper, two Grammy award winning music producers, right here in Chicago.

"He did. I'm so proud of him. He got some pipes. I told him when he becomes famous and I can't get to his concert, he needs to make sure he tells them bitches he's taken!" She snapped.

"Girl, you know his ass ain't going nowhere. Y'all have been together, like forever."

"Yes I know. I'm just happy that he is finally living his dream and I get to be there for him."

"Yeah, I'm happy for him too. I'm just waiting for my free concert tickets." I said. Vicki laughed and pulled on the blunt one last time before putting it out.

My sister looked just like my Mother, they could almost be twins. She had long hair, flawless skin and legs for days. We were the same chocolate complexion with golden undertones, but I favored my Father's side of the family inheriting the dark brown eyes, a more muscular body frame and feet larger than the average female. I consider myself the ugly duckling of the family hoping to blossom into a beautiful swan one day.

"So what are you doing today? Does Father know you're here? You know he would kill you if he found out."

"I don't care if he finds out. To be honest, that would be a reason for them to disown me and kick me out. And then I'll be free," I said, spreading my arms out wide. "But I digress. Father does not know I'm here."

"Well just know, you have a place to come should that ever happen."

"I know. But I just wanted to get away from the house for a bit, especially since I've been writing again."

"And Father doesn't know that either." She asked as she went into the kitchen and brought back two beers and some chips in a bowl.

"You know damn well he doesn't know. I wish I could talk to Mother about it. She wouldn't mind me becoming a writer."

"Mother won't tell you anything. She'll just say, 'just go along' until it blows over. Like she always does."

"Yeah, I know." I replied.

"Do you think Father may have drugged Mother to go along with the shit he pulls?" Vicki asked.

"No, I just think she doesn't care anymore. He's been pulling that shit for a while now."

"Yeah, true. But you know I've heard something I'm not sure it's true." Vicki said, piquing my interest.

"What did you hear?" I said as I took a swig of my beer.

"I heard that Father may have an illegitimate son." I damn near choked trying to swallow.

"Are you serious?" My eyes were as big as saucers.

"Yep." Vicki nodded and grabbed a chip.

"How did you find out?"

"I overheard Father speaking with his brother, Gregory, on the phone one day. He was saying that he had gotten one of his tricks pregnant and she left town before he could get her to have an abortion." Vicki said, pursing her lips and raising her eyebrows.

"Wow. Does Mother know?"

"I don't know, I never got a chance to ask her. Besides, she doesn't care, she has her own boy toy she hooks up with." Vicki quipped.

"What the fuck! Where the hell have I been?"

"Apparently not reading the room." Vicki joked and chugged her beer.

"Who is Mother's boy toy?" I asked, sitting on the edge of my seat.

"That I will leave for you to find out."

"Aww c'mon!" I begged.

"Nope," she said, picking up her empty bottle. "But I can tell you this, it makes for a really good story, don't you think?" Vicki smiled and left the living room.

She was right, it would. I know it would definitely catch the eye of many. I would have to write it under a pen name as Father would disown me for sure. Not that I could care less, but I wanted to find out if I had a bonus brother or not before I got kicked out of the house. Also, I had to find out who Mother was fucking on the side. I didn't even know she was capable of stepping outside her marriage with Father. I guess she had gotten tired of Father fucking everyone else accept her. But who did she find?

I can only imagine what else I could find out if I kept my nose to the wall inside the mansion.

I would have to do all of this before Father tried to marry me off, otherwise I would have to find shit out without being directly in the lion's den.

The Secrets. The Lies. The Deceit.

This family keeps just getting better.