CHAPTER 1
PART I
Misty Richardson was a lovely little girl who was just five years old when her mother Ana met her untimely death. She died suddenly from a complication due to her illness.
Ana began experiencing sharp chest pain about a couple weeks before but completely refused to keep her Doctor's appointment. Late one Sunday afternoon Ana said to her husband Derrick, "Honey, I don't feel like myself today."
"What is the matter?" said her husband very attentively. She replied, "Derrick I believe I slept way too long on one side of my body. I suddenly began having pains in my chest but eventually it slowly went away?"
"I believe you should see a Doctor as soon as possible." said Derrick to Ana. "I will call and make the appointment on my way to work, okay honey? This matter should be taken care of as soon as possible," replied Derrick.
Ana slowly began to feel much better later on in the day and refused to keep her doctor appointment which was scheduled for 9:15 a.m. the following day. Derrick came home earlier than usual the next day after work and asked, "Honey, how did your visit at the doctor go today?" Ana said to her husband, "Well my dear, I am sorry Derrick, but I am feeling much better today the pain is not as bad as it was the past few days."
The following day Derrick called and apologized to the receptionist for not keeping the appointment he made for his wife. He immediately asked kindly for another appointment as soon as possible but unfortunately the earliest opening was 12:35 on a Monday afternoon.
Late Sunday night into Monday morning Ana took a turn for the worst and became unresponsive on her way to the emergency room. She hugged her husband Derrick Richardson tightly on her was to the Emergency Room and died quietly in his arms with a smile on her face. The Medical Team worked nonstop to revive Ana. They called out her name, "Ana do you hear me? If you hear me squeeze my hand tightly!" But unfortunately they weren't successful reviving her and pronounced Ana Richardson dead on arrival.
Derrick was immediately informed by the doctors that his wife had a rare form of Pneumonia which remained unchecked for quite some time. The Medical Team ask the disturbed husband if his wife had ever seeked Medical help before to treat her condition.
Derrick, with a confused look on his face, said to the Doctor calmly, "With all due respect sir, I made two appointments for my wife but she never showed up. Her condition became worse in the wee hours of the morning. That is the reason why we were on our way to the emergency room. Ana became very quiet earlier yesterday but said she was feeling fine."
We are sorry that she didn't received the help she needed sooner then maybe her life could been saved. Your wife agree to receive help a little too late. "At the moment there was nothing that we could have done to save Ana's life," said one off the Doctors. "She is gone sir, we are very sorry," one of the Medical Team members said bluntly while looking directly at Derrick.
The dead woman's husband placed both hands on his head and cried out loudly saying, "Oh God, my wife is gone, how could that be? She promised me that she was feeling much better and would keep her appointment on Monday. Now she is dead!" Derrick yelled angrily and suddenly punched the table that was sitting in the room with full force and shouted, "What am I going to do?! My Ana did not die you hear me? Why did you mention something as unpleasant as that to me knowing my wife's condition sir?" said Derrick with tears in his eyes. He suddenly stood up with the intention to walk away but before leaving, one of the Doctors said to him. "Mr. Richardson, sir, my team and I would never joke knowing the seriousness of the patient's condition. Our duty is to do everything possible. We took everything that we learned from medical school, sir. Everything we learned we combined and used that knowledge to save lives. We don't have the pleasure to tell a husband that we did everything to save his wife but unfortunately she did not make it and suddenly passed.
If there is anything further we can do to help, please let us know. We will give you this private moment to say good-bye."
They stood up and immediately left the room. Derrick stood still only for a minute when suddenly came in a whispering sound.
Then he screamed out aloud saying, "You son of a bitch, you two timing dog.
Derrick was experiencing a total melt down. Shouting at the top of his voice.
You took my wife away from me she is mine, find your own. What the hell happened to you? You can't get a woman of your own? You're nothing but a woman stealing Son Of A Bitch. Now how the hell am I going to tell the children that their mother is never going to be coming home ever again? Your name is God, tell me then, you tell me what should I do?"
Derrick continued crying while rocking back and forth as he continued to curse and yell at everyone. Struggling with his speech he mumbled, "What am I going to do without you my darling Ana?"
He cried openly for months following his wife's sudden departure screaming at the top of his lungs. "I need you honey! Why did you have to go and leave me all alone with the girl's? Why??"
Ana had left behind two young daughters. Misty was five and a half years old and Maya was just two and a half.
Misty immediately became very quiet, despondent and refused to come out of her room after she was told that her mother had gone to Heaven and would not be coming home. She totally refused to cry in the presence of her baby sister.
As hurt as she was, Misty believed she must try to be strong for both her father and baby sister. After a couple of weeks went by she become silenced and withdrawn at home and at school. She was scared and cried a lot but only when she was under her covers all alone at night. She held her stomach and cried while talking to her mother. Misty said, "Mom are you coming home soon? We don't see daddy anymore. When we do see him he is always drunk and unable to stand on his feet mommy. Thanks to a few neighbors who come to the house and give us food to eat when we are hungry and wash us when we are dirty. What will become of us now mommy?"
Maya was the baby of the family she cried constantly and kept asking anyone who is willing to listen, why her mommy went away and left them. With tears in her eyes Maya kept calling in the middle of the night saying, "Mommy where are you? Come home."
When the children were lucky enough that their daddy finally remembered to show himself, Maya questioned him constantly saying, "Daddy, when is mommy coming home? I miss her so much Daddy. I saw mommy in my sleep last night Daddy she told me that she is here with me. She said to me that she never went away and she is watching over me. Daddy, how can that be and why don't I see her now. Why, Daddy why?" Maya asked her dad with a questionable look on her face.
It has been about six months since Derrick's wife Ana Richards was pronounced dead from a rare form of Pneumonia. "Why did she had to leave us so soon?" said Derick quietly to himself while sitting on the floor with his back against the wall. He had a glass in his hand and a bottle of alcohol in the other screaming like a mad man at the top of his lungs. He yelled and screamed for hours cursing at the Lord and Savior, also the Doctors who tended to Ana on the morning of her sudden departing.
"Those damn Doctors said Ana died from complications on her way to the emergency room. Bull shit!" cried Derrick. Those two-timing, wife stealing, sons-of-bitches took her away from me. I didn't know what the hell they were doing when she went to the emergency room. Now they are telling me there was nothing they could have done to save her. Those mother asses! Who on earth do they think they are speaking to? Everything they told me was crap."
Derrick walked the girls to school early the next morning but again he returned home soon after with a bottle of alcohol in his hand. The departing of Ana sent him over the edge and unfortunately he had tremendous difficulty pulling himself together. Many days he forgot that he had a job to perform and ended up losing his job as a Middle School Teacher of thirteen years. Every day Derrick continued to wake up at six am sharp to get the girls ready for school but he left home soon after behind them.
Quite often the children were left all alone to fend for themselves not knowing when they will see their father or when he would return. A kind hearted neighbor took the girls in and cared for them in the absence of their father. Maya's Godparents dropped in on the girls on a regular basis and they made sure the children were well cared for.
Drunk as a skunk their father Derrick came home early one Saturday morning. The children were not at home because they had spent the night at the neighbor's house. He called out to them and said, "Come here girls, your daddy is home." One by one the children appeared before him. They weren't scared to see him drunk because they grew accustomed to seeing their father in worst condition as the one he is in presently.
"Misty come here. You are daddy's oldest girl. How about we pay your Uncle Winston a visit on Sunday? I believe a visit is long overdue girls. It was the first time Misty and her baby sister smiled and laughed out loudly since the passing of their mother. They loved their Uncle Winston.
Uncle Winston unconditionally showed them the time of day but his wife Mildred didn't like children one bit. She was a totally different story. Their Aunt Mildred, wife of Uncle Winston usually sits in her favorite chair knitting and refuses to talk or play with them when they pay him a visit. Once Misty made a huge mistake — she walked up to her Aunt and gave a big hug. It was around the Christmas holidays, a special time of the year. Aunty Mildred got angry and yelled out very loudly, "Child don't you ever do a thing like that ever! Do you hear me little girl, ever.
Uncle Winston was suddenly troubled by his wife's behavior and dropped the batch of hot cookies he removed from the oven on the floor.
"What is the matter with you Mildred? Why do you have to scream? They are only children. My brother's two daughters. You disappoint me," said Winston to his wife. "Honey," said their Aunt Mildred to Misty, "I am very sorry for my rudeness, it will never happen again. You see child I don't feel well all day today please forgive me." she said quietly. Uncle Winston smiled and thanked his Mildred for being understanding and gave her a kiss on her cheeks.
Sadly when his back was turned she made funny faces at them and gave Misty the evil eye. About a year ago, before Ana's sudden departing, Derrick took the family to visit their only Uncle. Ana caught her sister-in-law making funny faces at the girls. It upset her but she chose to remain silent for the moment.
Maya calmly walked up to Mildred and asked, "Can I have some water please Aunty? It's hot and I am very thirsty." Mildred did not suspect anyone was paying attention to her bad behavior so she softly said to Maya "Why don't you people stay in your home? Why did you have to come here to bother me?"
Mildred was afraid and felt restless and uneasy after seeing her Brother-In-Law on that day. He always gives her the creeps which made her snap. She said in a hushed tone in her voice, "Don't come back here anymore little girl, do you understand?" Ana was very angry and immediately confronted Mildred about her nasty behavior but Mildred just laughed and said she was only joking. Ana was not easily convinced. She knew quite well how manipulative the woman can be. She took the girls, left the home and refused to return to her brother-in law's dwelling ever again. Ana told her husband Derrick that for quite some time she noticed Mildred making ugly faces at the children but only when she thinks no one is looking. Ana said to Derrick, "Honey, your sister-in-law is very rude to our children for some time now. I do not appreciate what she said to the children especially the ugly faces she keeps making at them when they visit their Uncle Winston.
Ana warned her husband, "As long as I live, the children will not be visiting for a while. Are you listening? The children never said anything to us that Mildred makes them feel unwelcome while visiting with Winston."
"Well Ana," said Derrick, "it is your words. Remember you mentioned to me about a year ago as long as you live the children will not be visiting Winston because of Mildred's bad behavior? You are not with us any more Ana. I am the man of the house Derrick warned.
He took his time when he spoke but with anger in his voice. I alone make the decisions in the house from now on because one day you woke up and chose not to be a wife and a mother to the children. Well woman, from now on you can go to hell all by yourself. You have the guts to speak to me? It is your choice Ana." said Derrick softly. Mumbling and cursing just about everyone, blaming them for his wife untimely death.
Finally he fell asleep and the children had some peace and quiet until the wee hours of the morning. Derrick and the girls had a late start the next day.
On Sunday afternoon, he took his girls to visit their Uncle Winston in Queens and left soon after to take care of some important business. Winston knew all along that his brother's presence frightened and aggravated his wife every time she saw him.
He sexually abused her when he was a young man but Mildred didn't remember and had a clue that her husband's brother was the person responsible for the crime. At first Winston didn't seem to matter one way or the other about the children but eventually he fell in love with the children and they loved and adore him very much.
Derrick told them that he would be back at 4 p.m. to pick them up. Maya was happy because they would have the chance to spend four hours with their favorite uncle. They always had lots of fun and enjoyed the time they shared with him.
Uncle Winston promised them that when they were old enough, he would take them to visit his horse farm in Boston. Misty once had the opportunity to visit
Uncle Winston's farm and enjoyed every minute of it. Maya never did because she was too young and needed someone to supervise her.
Uncle Winston smiled, "Oh I just loved the holiday season." said Winston. "I also enjoy spending quality time with both you girls. Misty and Maya, this time of the season brings back lots of beautiful memories of Derrick and myself when we were boys. I will forever cherish the adorable smiles and laughter coming from you girls. They are priceless."
Uncle Winston always loved to see the children's reaction when he mentioned the word Christmas. He said quietly to Misty and Maya, "Christmas is three months away. Is there anything special you girls want for Christmas? Misty, you first. Tell me what you would like Santa to bring you for Christmas."
The older girl had a sad look on her face but didn't say a word just held a fainted smile. "Okay then, I think a surprise present is perfect for Misty."
Maya ran to Uncle Winston and put her little arms around one of his legs, hugging it tightly. Their Aunt Mildred looked up with her brows furrowed. She always kept her distance when they visited their Uncle. She would sit in a corner and pay them no attention, never engaging in conversation and barely looking at them. She never played with them and always looked scared and very unhappy to see them.
For that reason their mother had stopped visiting for the holidays. The situation always made her unhappy and frustrated. Aunt Mildred kept looking at her timepiece while pacing back and forth mumbling to herself.
That quiet Sunday afternoon, after they had talked for hours with their Uncle Winston, it was time for the girls to head back home. He told them to get their things together because their father would be there soon. Misty thanked their uncle for the cookies he had baked and asked if it was okay for them to come back and visit him soon. Aunt Mildred didn't like what she was hearing and glared at them, while Uncle Winston noticed right away. "Oh no you don't. That's not very nice of you, Mildred," he scolded. "They are my brother's children! Why are you behaving so rudely towards my nieces? He was upset about his wife's behavior but did not say anything and pretended not to notice. He decided to scold Aunt Mildred but not in the presence of the children and held his peace.
Winston Richardson never liked the way his wife reacted to his brother's children.
He always thought she should have shown them love, respect, and attention. After all, they were his nieces and her step nieces.
Winston and Mildred didn't have any children of their own. Mildred's unwillingness to bond with the girls hurt Winston very much because he always wanted to have children of his own, and he felt like Misty and Maya were the closest he would ever get. He was forty-five years old. Mildred had just turned forty-three and there was little hope that he would ever be a biological father.
