Affection by Amani Boyd (miss read books .TXT) 📕

The day before her mothers funeral, Gabrielle, looked through her old pictures of her mother when she was still young, beautiful and alive. The pictures were in a shoe box under her bed. She hung over her bed, her hair drooping down. She found the box, it was next to her white cat Mr. whiskers, he was asleep next to it. She took the box and Mr. whiskers out from under the bed and layed them on her bed. She opened the black box that had the words "Mommy and Me" taped across it. About thirty or more pictures filled the box. She took a picture out, it was of her mother when she was about in her early thirties before illness, she was wearing a light blue dress and white sandals. Next to her was Gabrielle she wore a white dress and black heels that made her look taller than her mom. She scanned through a bunch more pictures, she stopped at a picture of her mother when she was just twenty one, she was holding a pink bundled blanket in her arms.
Gabrielle knew who the bundel was. It was her, sixteen years ago. She didn't notice she was crying until her eyes started to sting, and a tear landed on the picture. She put the box on her night stand and wiped her eyes.she opened her eyes to Mr. Whiskers rubbing his fur along her skin. She picked him up and stroked his fur.
Gabrielle was in her room looking for something to wear to her mothers funeral. She picked out a back dress and white flats. She tried to stop herself from crying several times in the last thirty minutes. Memories of her mothers appearence flashed through her head, she remembered two weeks ago she went out of her way to make breakfast for her. Her mother was a true angel and it hurt to bad think about her.
Gabrielle went downstairs, complete silence. She was the only one in the house, besides her uncle Kenny who was at the market, he traveled all the way from Texas to comfort her.. She Listened, pleading for a sound, She closed her eyes, trying to stop the on coming tears she could feel running doen her cheek bones. There were framed pictures in the foyer. Mostly of her mother and some of her and other family members. Dad wasn't in most of them. She hated her dad, But her mom always told her that he has his own way of living, but if he keeps living his way, he wouldn't be alive much longer. She sometimes hated her mother for sticking up for him, even if he was a "cheating bastard" her uncle would say. She shook of the memories. suddenly, she heard the turning of a lock, she knew it was her uncle Kenny, He opened the door, Kenny stood a good height of six three, he had a full head of hair that was silky and black and, he was surprisingly in his early forties. "You ok kiddo?" He asked. She nodded. "I got you something to snack on while I was out." He handed her a box of fruit Roll ups, the kind with the tounge tattoos. "I knew they were your favorite, you used to beg me to buy them for you when you were eight." He joked. Gabrielle let out a low chuckle. "Nice to see you laughing kid." He said, he knew how much it hurt to lose a mother at a young age, him and her mother lost his mom to cancer at the tender age of seven.
Gabrielle and her uncle were sownstairs in the dark watching Tv and eating popcorn. Mr, Whiskers layed in Gabrielles lap, purring. "I go get some more popcorn." Uncle Kenny said taking the green bowl of cernals of of the coffee table. Gabrielle watched the moving pictures of the television set. She wasn't really interested in watching a movie, she just wanted to take her mind of of her mother, but she knew she couldn't

June ninth 2003:

It was summer, Gabrielle and her mother were outside, it was the day of her Tenth birthday. Her mother drove to the cake store with her aunts and uncles. She was left in the house with uncle Kenny.Obviously. They waited about thirty minutes for her mother to ride into the drive way. When her car pulled into the driveway only moments later with a car full of balloons and cake. "Hey theres my big girl!" A deep voice said from behind the car. Gabrielle looked around the car, when she saw her dad step out from behind the car. Her face lit up as she ran to the car and was picked up by her dad. "Daddy I knew you'd come, I knew it!" Gabrielle's mother walked toward the porch only to be greeted by her Kenny. "Why'd you invite him?" He asked. "Kenith, It's her Tenth birthday, She only gets one, She deserves it. And be nice." She said going into the house with the cake. Gabrielle's aunts followed, with balloons and party decors. Gabrielle and her dad walked up the steps. Kenny looked at Her dad with discust. "Kenny." Her father said. "Henry." Kenny said with a hint of hatred. "Come on daddy, I wanna show you my room." Gabrielle said. She took her dads finger with her small hand and guided him upstairs to her room. She showed him everything, from where her first tooth came out to where her family pictures were. Her dad felt bad, only because her wasn't in most of them.
An hour later, The whole family were downstairs, Kenny and Cornilious, her uncles, Mandy and Layla, her aunts and her mom and dad, who were surprisingly getting along. Ok, lets get started before the icecream melts." Her aunt Mandy said. Her mother lit the candles and the started singing, it was about a sixty second song so it was over quickly. The family moved from the kitchen to the living room. Telling jokes and sharing stories. "Ooh, I got one." Mandy said. I remember when Gabbe was first born and you were baby proofing everything from the stairs to the chairs." Mandy said making everyone laugh, especially Gabrielle who was sitting in her mothers crossed legs eating cake. "Ok, wait until you have a baby, you'll be the same way." Her mother said. "No, Im not having any babies anytime soon" Mandy said. "Hmm mm" they all said. Gabrielle's dad looked at his watch, it was eight thirty. "Well it's getting late, I best be on my way." They all turned there heads to look at him. Gabrielles mother was furious. "Henry can I talk to you for a minute, alone?" She asked. He nodded. They both left for the porch and the arguing soon erupted. Gabrielle pretended not to hear a word, she just ate her cake in silence. "Come on Gabbe, Lets get you to bed." Her aunt layla said. Mandy, Kenny and Cornilious stayed downstairs, just to be safe.
On the way upstairs, Layla tucked Gabrielle in her bed, kissed her forhead and went back downstairs. Gabrielle got out of bed and went to her window to hear her mother and fathers conversation. "Can you just wait until she goes to sleep to leave, gosh you're so selfish Henry!" Her mother said. "Don't you think I want to stay Sharon? I have important stuff to do." He said in protest. "More important than spending one night with you daughter?" she asked. "Listen Sharon, I love Gabrielle with all my heart, but"-
"You know what, just leave, I'll make up another lie telling her you had other important stuff to do." She finger qouted around the word "Important" "See, that right there, you do that all the time." He said. "Do what Henry?" He rolled his eyes. "You're pushing me away from her right now"- He let out a slow chuckle -"I won't be surprised if she grows up to hate you for pushing me away from her." He said. with one swift blow, Gabrielle's mother punched him in the jaw, causing the rest of her siblings to join the brawl. Her aunts picked her mother from on top of him while her uncles held her back. "How would you know anything about her? your never around, to hell with you Henry, and your never seeing her again, you hear me? never again!" Her hollard voice was raspy. Her brothers and sister carried her into the house. Her father got off of the ground and clutched the lower half of his jaw, making sudre it still worked. But he froze when her saw his daughter in the window. He noticed she witnessed everything that just happend. He shook his head and went to his car and drove off.
When everyone left, Gabrielle could, here her mothers weaping from the next room. She got out of her bed and walked her way to her mothers room, the door was wide open. She climbed in her mothers bed and attached herself to her. Gabrielle saw a shaddered picture frame of her father and mother on the floor. She looked at her mothers hand, there were no scars no blood, nothing. Gabrielle remembered a lullaby that her mother used to sing to her when she was a baby. She started singing:

"Close your eyes,
Go to sleep,
Dream sweet dreams,
And be happy.

You are tired,
So very tired,
Close your eyes,
And go to sleep.

Close your eyes,
Go to sleep,
Dreams sweet dreams,
And behave.

Close your eyes,
Dream sweet dreams,
I'll be here when you wake."

Her mother turned around and held Gabrielle in her arms, tightly. "I love you mommy." Gabrielle said. "I love you too." her mother said kissing her forhead. That was the one memory Gabrielle would never forget.

The funeral went by swiftly, some people said a few words and others place flowers on Gabrielles mothers closed casket. Her family did a bit of both. When the three hour ceremony was over, Gabrielle and her family went to her house to deal with their grief. When they got in the house, No one did or said anything for a while, until Gabrielle stood up and cleared her throat. She exused herself from the living room because she could feel tears streaming down her face.
In her room, Gabrielle plopped herself onto her bed, face in pillow. She cried for about five minutes until she cried herself to sleep.
When Gabrielle awoke from her two hour sleep, she could smell dinner through the crack of her door. She went downstairs and in the kitchen only to be greeted