When Worlds Collide Ch. 02

AUTHORS NOTE: so here's the second chapter, a bit edited but still with the same direction. Comment please! I love the feedback, so please give me as much as possible!

C8ER2U

November 25th 1955

Wilbur gon have my head.

My sister turned white as a sheet when I came back with the baby. My poor baby, her lips turnt blue out there in all that cold. My God, how long was she out there? Whole way home she silent. Starin up at me with them big blue eyes. Got ink black hair. So much of it too. She beautiful.

And someone done threw her away.

Soon as I got home I kicked the door in and hollered for my sister, she minds my kids when I work. The baby had finally fell asleep in my arms and it scared the hell outta me. Cause I didn't know if she was gonna wake up. Soon as my sister saw me standin there, jacket open, white baby in my arms she lost all her color. Look like she gonna fall out her senses.

I yell to her, "Boil some water or somethin!"

She snap to and run off. Baby still layin there not movin. She still so cold. I run up to the room and get the thick blankets from the bed and wrap her in them. I'm talkin to her, tryin to keep her on this earth. I pray, "God don't take her yet."

I done made up my mind that she mine. Don't matter if her birth mama didn't want her. This mama do.

My sister comes in with the basin of water and I tell her to fill the tub with it. I take her to the bath and I unwrap her so careful. I test the water for her. Too hot. Sent Ethel, that's my sister, back down to get some cool water. I take a cloth and dip it in the water, and wait for the cloth to cool. Then I start runnin it over my baby. Her eyes opened now, and God how she cryin.

"Hush baby," I say.

She still cryin. Four of my boys come rushin in the room. They peekin around the door tryna catch a glimpse of the baby.

"Thought you hadda work today mama?" My youngest boy Perceval asked.

"Get outta here! All a ya! Git!"

My heart is thumpin in my chest. I can't breathe fast enough.

Jesus just let her be okay. She don't deserve this, she deserves a better life. Please God. Don't take her.

Ethel got the pail of water and we add it to the tub. I strip the blankets off and put her in the basin. She screechin' so much. I'm so scared for her.

I strip down. Take off all my clothes and I get in the tub with her, holdin her to me. She stop cryin. Thank you jesus, she done stopped cryin. She just lookin at me again with them big thoughtful blue eyes and I love her. Just like that. I love her.

I held her like that, till she turn pink, and the water got a chill to it. Had Ethel bring up more hot water for us. I give her my breast. She must be starving, she latch on quick and fell right to sleep. I stayed like that, holdin my baby to me and realized I gotta somehow convince my husband that she's our child. I got so scared. What if he don't love her like I do? What if he don't understand? But where else could she go?

Willy gon have a fit.

Can't afford to feed ourselves, let alone the eight kids we done had. He gon only see another hongery mouth. But I can't let her go. Jus can't.

After a while I start dosin off. Ethel wake me up and offer to take the baby from me. I can't let her outta my arms. Like I'm scared sum else bad gon happen to her. I kiss her tiny sleepin eyes and give her to ethel so I can get up. I put on my big flannel night gown and get into bed. Ethel hands me back my child. She put a diaper and one of Cora's blankets on her. I lay her up to my breast. She stirs a bit then goes right back to sleep.

I hear Cora fussin in the other room and I go to get back up. Ethel laid me right back down.

"Don't you worry bout none them kids, I'll take care of em. Y'all just rest up now, been a rough mornin," she said closing the door behind her.

I pray again. I thank God for this Gift he's given my family. I thank God for Ethel. Then I fall into much needed sleep.

************

"Who this?"

I come flyin awake and almost forgot about the baby sleepin on my chest.

Almost.

Wilbur standin over me like I'm in my grave, starin back and forth at me and the white child in my arms. My heart is beatin around in my chest again; Wilbur looks like he gon rip my head off.

"Why you ain't workin up at the Caulfield's? And who this baby?"

"She ours now," I say. I look down at her and she still sleepin there all angelic like.

"She who?"

Now, there are certain things that happen in your life that you have no way to prepare yourself for. Your mama can tell you all about the birds and the bees, tell you all about your monthly visitor and things. But there just some things that no one could ever prepare ya for.

Like, explainin to your husband why you need to keep the white child you found in the trash. Where's the bible passage for that? Who would be the one to talk to about that?

"Woman, you betta answer me!"

He looks so tired. Like he carryin the weight of the world, and I just added a bit more on his shoulders.

"Willy," I say sitting up. I look over at the sky and realize for the first time it's evening. We done slept the day away and my stomach is growlin.

"I said she ours."

I let the words hang in the air and Wilbur is staring at me like he might slap me. I don't blame him. If he'da pulled this kinda thing on me I'da slapped the black off him. But he didn't, I'm the one who brought this situation into our house. And I just can't help but love her. I can't.

"You think we can afford this mess? You think I like workin from can't see in the morning till can't see at night? You think you got time to just play house when you got eight chillren of your own runnin round here? You got Ethel runnin round here takin care them chillren you birthed! Now you stealin babies from them high floutin' white folks? You tryna get yo ass thrown in jail?"

"Willie I ain't never stole nothing in my life! Now, keep yo voice down! You gon wake the poor chile and she done been though enough today," I say lowerin my voice. I sit up, still clutchin her to my chest. She was startin to fuss a bit, so I rocked her while Wilbur watched.

"I found her. I was on my way over to the Caulfield's when I heard her. She was in the trash Willie."

I look into his eyes. I can see his body sag a bit at what I said.

"She- she was in the trash?" he asked confused. He sank into the rocking chair behind him and it was like someone had deflated him.

I look down at the sleeping child in my arms, her tiny lips suckin on an invisible nipple, her eyes dancin

Behind her eyelids like she lookin for somebody in her dreams.

"I'm right here," I say.

I look up and Wilbur starin holes through the both of us.

"Willie, she a gift. A gift from God, and somebody done throwed her away. Soon as I laid my eyes on her in that trash can, I just knew I couldn't leave her there. I snatched her up quick as I could and brought her home. I just couldn't turn my back on her, It's the way she look at me. Like she knows who I am already. Like she know I'm her mama."

"That's fool talk!" he yelled at me. She wakes up at the sound and stares up at me. She all eyes and hair. Big watery blue eyes and wild black hair. Her eyes got so much love in them I feel my heart might burst.

"Jus hold her," I say walkin over to him.

He hops up out the chair like I asked him to cut his own eyes out. He shakin his head no but I'm not taking no for an answer. I grab his arm and tuck her into it. She wide awake now, lookin right up at Willie. He starin back down at her and it aint hard for me to see the love in em. She reaches her lil pink hand up swingin it at him and he sits again, taking her tiny hand between his hard, calloused fingers.

I sit back on the bed and watch em.

As rough and as mean as Wilbur'd like you to think he is, he just as soft and as gentle as a teddy bear. Reason I love him so much. He loves each child we bring into this world as much as the first. He a kind and loving man. Sometime I'm so proud to call him my husband and I don't think I could ever be more proud of the man I married than today. When other men woulda had me drop the child off on some church steps somewhere, he ready to open his heart to her. And his home. He a good man, my Wilbur.

He stands up, still starin at her, and hands her to me like he don't really wanna let go and I understand.

"Okay," he says.

He still starin down at her, the way he stared at Cora when she was born. Like he'd do anything to keep her safe.

"What you gon name her?" he asks finally looking at me and I realize for the first time I ain't never gave her one. I been to busy callin her 'mine.'

"What do you think I should name her?" I ask him.

He kneels down in front of me, his knees crackin and popin all the way down. A testament to the hard work he does in them factories. He stares directly into her eyes and she reaches for him again. He smiles, and she coos at him.

"Evelyn Rebecca," he says to her and then looks back up at me.

"After her mama."

**********************

September 30th 2004

"There are three different classifications of levers: first second and third class. Each of these levers work with three key elements. The effort, the fulcrum and the resistance, or weight."

Caiden was seated in his new class: Kin401 The joys of kinetics. It was anything but joyful. 'Professor know it all,' was a boring, monotonous asshole. He'd fallen asleep twice and he'd only been here for just over a half hour. What he needed to be doing was paying attention and taking notes like everyone else in here. They all seemed to be furiously jotting down every word the man said. Maybe he needed to bring in a tape recorder or something. Wait, was he even allowed to do that?

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a crash at the back of the lecture hall. He looked up behind him and there she was again, bending to pick up her dropped books. Two weeks with nothing and in a matter of hours she was everywhere he went. He was so glad he'd switched from the arts to this. It meant he'd see her that much more often.

"Miss Lewis, glad you could finally join us," the asshole said.

She was scanning the room for a seat and Caiden waved to her, glad he'd sat his bags down in the seat beside him.

As she clumsily made her way over to him, he noticed the professor staring a hole in her head. He'd decided he didn't like the man. Something about the way he looked at Reign rubbed him the wrong way.

"Miss Lewis, maybe you'd prefer explaining lever systems to everyone?" he announced.

She took her seat slowly and began opening up her bag retrieving books and a laptop. She began to speak, loud enough for all to hear but not making eye contact with anyone.

"First class lever systems. The fulcrum is in the middle, the effort is on one end and the load is on the other. An example in everyday life would be a see saw, or the head with the upper trapezius muscle being the effort, C-1 or the atlas is the fulcrum and the cranium being the load."

Caiden didn't understand a word coming out of her mouth. With the fulcrums and the Trapezius and whatnot. But he was in awe of her knowledge. Even with being a half hour late, she knew a hundred times more than he did.

"Second class lever systems. The fulcrum is at one end, the weight is in the middle and the effort is at the other end. An example of this would be a pair of sciss-"

"That'll be quite enough Miss Lewis, I think I can take it from here." the proff said interrupting her. She just shrugged her shoulders and powered on her laptop.

"Hey," Caiden whispered to her. She smiled at him.

"Hey, what'd I miss? And since when are you in this class?" she asked lifting an eyebrow at him.

"Nothing you don't already know apparently," he said grinning.

She stuck her tongue out at him and turned her attention back to the professor.

************

"You wanna grab something to eat?"

They were walking down the front steps of the science building heading off campus. Neither one had another class until after two.

"Uh," she looked up at him like she might run off again. Aww hell, not this again.

"What? What's the matter?" he asked.

"Nothing. It's just, I'm kinda ballin on a very strict budget right now. As in, I've already done my grocery shopping for the week and there's no money left over to 'grab something.' I mean, I can cook fo-"

"Sold!" he said interrupting her and practically dragging her in the direction of her apartment.

"You don't even know if I can cook or not!" she said chuckling.

"Of course I do, it ain't nothing you can't do!"

She looked up at him as though she had all kinds of rebuttals for that statement. But instead she just smirked, and kept walking.

By the time they got to her apartment building she was acting jumpy again. Her hands were rattling her keys around as she tried to unlock the front door. Thankfully, someone was coming off the elevator at the same time and let them in. once on the rickety elevator, it seemed she was trying everything not to make eye contact with him. Her hands were gripping the rails and every bump the elevator made seemed to make her worse.

He was so confused. This girl was hot and cold at the same time. When the doors opened up, she tore out of the elevator to her apartment.

"You alright with me coming here? Cause if you don't want me to I'll leave. It's alright."

She stared up at him with a confused look on her face.

"Why would you think I don't want you here? I invited you remember?"

"Well I kinda invited myself, but you been actin all jumpy again, like you don't really want me around so-"

"Oh, jeez I'm sorry. It's just, I'm claustrophobic.'

She was looking at her shoes, like she was ashamed.

"I take the stairs, everyday so I don't have to deal with the whole rickety elevator thing. It just looks like it's about to fall apart."

She looked back up at him with a half smile on her face.

"It was what you said earlier; 'It ain't nothing I can't do.' It just got me thinking. I decided to face one of my fears today, and I'm... well, thank you," she said trying to hide her smile. Caiden pulled her into a hug, right there in the hallway and couldn't believe how good this woman felt in his arms.

"You coulda just told me," he said into the top of her head.

"I was scared if I told you, I'd back down and take the stairs," she said quietly into his shirt. She slowly pulled away, not really looking at him again. She turned to her door and unlocked it.

When they walked inside she disappeared off somewhere and he took in her apartment. It was small. A shoebox to be exact. And it was somehow still sparse even with the lack of space. The kitchen, living room and dining room were all one and the same. There was a desk for her laptop, a small table with two chairs, and in the middle of it all was a small washer which attached to the sink. No sofa, no tv, just a desk, table and a washing machine.

She reappeared from what must've been the washroom and she stared at him in a strange way.

"You make my appartment look even smaller," she stated shyly.

"How long you been here?" he asked looking around again.

She walked into the kitchen area and he marvelled at how her faded jeans hugged her so sensuously.

"About a year and a half," she said nonchalantly.

"What? When you plan on decorating the place?" he asked laughing.

"When someone gives me the money to, otherwise I got everything I need right here I guess."

She looked at him again, another strange look on her face. He was about to speak when she interrupted him.

"I'm sorry, I know I'm being real weird today, it's just. I realized this is the first time I've ever had a dude up in here with me."

She blushed at her own admission and he smiled as he walked closer to her.

"Is it everything you thought it'd be?" he asked leaning against the counter, a grin tugging at his lips.

She rolled her eyes.

"Oh it's something alright."

************

They each ate huge bowls of the creamiest broccoli soup Caiden had ever tasted. She had a plate full of biscuits in front of them and he'd eaten about seven of em. Neither one spoke as they ate and it was a comfortable silence.

Once he was done, he picked his bowl up and licked it clean.

"Lawd Jesus! Chile ain't got no home trainin!" she said in a thick southern drawl.

He smiled at her and stretched out dwarfing the small chair.

"Least you ain't gotta clean it now," he said laughing.

"Eeew, that's just gross!" she said trying to suppress a grin.

She picked up their bowls and placed them in the sink. She turned and was about to say something to him when her phone began to vibrate and sing.

"Sorry, just a sec," she said answering the call.

"Hello?" came her sweetly husky voice.

Caiden was sure she wasn't trying to be sexy at all. In fact, she was really nervous around him which stroked his ego quite a bit. But damn if there wasn't something undeniably sensual about her. It was in her tone of voice, in her subtle movements, in her pretty light eyes.

"Dylan, calm down. Dylan, what happened?"

Her voice took on a more worried tone and she glanced at him quickly before turning away.

"Did he-did he hit you Dylan?" she asked quietly, trying not to be heard.

Caiden stiffened in his chair and sat up. Violence made him very uncomfortable. His skin began to crawl, and against his will memories began to flash before his eyes. Brushing the thoughts away, he stood up and walked to the small window trying to dispel the thoughts from his mind. Instead he tried to occupy his mind with thoughts of Reign.

"Dee, girl I just don't know why you fuck with this dude. He's a lame! Where does he get off throwin temper tantrums, cutting up furniture! I'm the one who bought that sofa! Girl you better tell him he owes me money! And not the money you been supplyin him with either, I mean his own damn money! The shit he work for!"

Her neck was rolling, and she was pacing the small kitchen area. There was so much 'tude coming from that area he was glad he'd come to the window. He watched her though, taking in her stance, one arm holding the phone up to her ear, the other folded under her breasts pushing them up slightly. Her back had a slightly exaggerated arch causing her ass to stick out that much more.

"Well I mean it! I TOLD you about this dude! What happened to the last chick he was with?"

Her head swivelled and she threw her free hand in the air.

"Oh, now you gotta go huh? Tell that nucca I want my damn money! And I hope he hear me too!"

She angrily hung up, hauled back and was about to throw the phone when she caught sight of Caiden again.

"Whoa! Hold on now!" he said his hands up in front of him. She blanched, despite her caramel coloring and set the phone down on the counter turning her back on him.

"You okay?" he said slowly coming up to her.

"Yeah," she whispered, then turned abruptly not realizing how close he'd gotten.

"Actually no, I'm not okay. I'm pissed the fuck off that's what I am."

She walked the short distance to the table and leaned into it, putting some distance between the two.

"Listen I don't expect you to want to hear me bitch about my girlfriends and their poor choices, so if you wanna leave it's alright with me."

She said this without making any eye contact at all, and he could tell without her saying so that she didn't want him to go.

"You see me goin anywhere?" he said grinning.

She took a deep breath and expelled it, tapping her foot on the linoleum tile that covered the designated 'kitchen area.'

"I just, I mean, I'm just so damn mad at her! Walking right into a bad situation from the beginning. Eyes wide open like she could..." she trailed off.