Author’s Notes:
Wow, did you think I was gone? I was, in a way. I’ve been very busy with school and work, and working on the re-write for my “Untitled” story. So a little after a month later, I’m back!
Another one of those “out of no where” deals for this theme. I didn’t know where to go with this one, but it got me to write.
What do you guys think?

Enjoy!
-HennessyRoyce

Forget-Me-Not

“Unkie James!”

A little girl ran across a lush green lawn, her two pig tails bouncing in the wind. Her bright sepia eyes were wide with amusement as they landed on her favorite uncle. He was leaning against the passenger’s side of a royal blue 2005 Cadillac Escalade; his arms crossed across his broad chest. The sounds of South Central, California, buzzed all around them, vibrated and throbbed with a life force all its own.

She stopped short of him, batting her fan of eyelashes up at the man nearly 10 times her size.

“Hey there, munchkin.” He ruffled his hand in the center of her wavy brown hair. She was dressed in her finest. Today was a big day for her, it was her fifth birthday.

“Mommy bought me a dress.” She chirped happily. Innocently, her nimble little hands pulled at the sides of the dress, bringing out the white and pink lace.

James smiled. Without having spoken to his sister he already knew the dress had been a luxury she could not afford. It had been just last week that she had called to borrow money. Suddenly, it made sense why. A twang of regret passed his mind briefly, for having judged her so harshly. The money had not been for substances she could have gone without, for once.

As if on cue, Alisha came into the doorway of the modest house she shared with their brother, Garret. Her curly, unruly hair was pulled away from her 21-year-old face that betrayed its true years. Without her make-up, time’s not-to-gentle touch was all too evident on her high cheek bones.

“You look like a princess.” He said down to the girl. She bowed gracefully, showing off her gap-toothed smile.

“I lost a tooth yesterday.” She declared happily.

“Well, aren’t you the lucky one? Your birthday’s today and you lost a tooth yesterday?”

She giggled. “Yeah!”

“I have something that might make you even luckier.” James brought a box from behind his back, wrapped in light pink paper with all of the frilly, girly things that made his stomach churn, and her heart swell. Instantly, he watched his niece’s eyes reflect the mid-August sun back at him. The motions in his stomach lay dormant.

“Is that for me?!” She yelled, charging at him.

Skillfully, James brought the box away from his niece, over his head. He knew she would never get there on her own.

“Yes, but you can’t have it just yet.”

She pouted. Her bottom lip extended forward, trembling, while her large doe-like eyes shimmered incessantly. “B-but why…? Was I bad…?”

James leaned down, setting the box to his far left. Soon it was out of sight, and thus, forgotten. He touched his finger to his cheek. “Nothing like that. I just need a little payment first.”

The girl giggled. On her tip toes, her cool lips pressed to her uncle’s cheek. She came back down, rocking on her heels. “I’ve kept up my end of the deal…now gimmie!”

For an instant, James regretted how at such an early age, she had learned such a cardinal law of the world. But he supposed, it was inevitable.

“Gimmie!” She declared again.

Laughing, James handed her the box that she could have easily fit into twice over.

“Phoebe!” Her mother called from the doorway. In a flash she was behind her, taking the box away from the cherub at her knee.

“Honestly James, you’re going to spoil this girl.”

His hazel eyes caught his sister’s. With her hands on her hips, she looked so much like their mother it made his chest ache with longing.

James stood, ignoring the image of his mother standing next to Alisha out on their front lawn.

“She’s only going to turn 5 once. Let her live a little.”

Alisha’s eyes softened, caving her. She handed the box down to her daughter, glaring knives at her brother.

“I swear, you are going to be the death of me James.”

“No.” Phoebe interjected with a frown beyond her years. She then lost interest in the adult’s conversation, tugging furiously at the paper on the box until it revealed a brown box. The flaps easily gave. With a large squeal Phoebe pulled a pink dress, matching shoes, and accessories from the box.

The lines on Alisha’s face darkened, staring at James. “You shouldn’t have.”

“Nothing’s too good for my princess.”

She ran off then, leaving the present on the lawn. “Where is she going?” James asked his sister.

Alisha sighed, rubbing forehead. “I don’t know.”

Phoebe emerged from the house, leaving her pig tails chasing behind her. When she came up to his side, she stood on her tip toes once more.

“I have something for you.”

James glanced at his sister. She shrugged.

“For me? But it’s your birthday.”

“I know…” She pulled something from her pocket. She kept it in the palm of her fisted hand.

“What is that?”

Finger by finger, she pulled her hand open to reveal a crumbled flower. The light blue petals were stuck together and wilted. Confusion crossed James’ face.

“It’s called a…a don’t forget me.” Phoebe said.

Alisha shook her head with a knowing smile. “A ‘forget-me-not’, silly.”

“Oh yeah, a forget-me-not. I want you to have it…because I don’t want you to forget me.”

He kissed his niece’s forehead, pushing her bangs away with his lips. “I won’t.”

“My nigga! Is that a flower!?”

Laugher emerged from the backseat of James’ car that night, as the 4 companions pointed at the small vile resting on his dashboard. Inside, the remains of the flower were pieced together.

“Yes, it’s a flower.” James replied dryly.

The backseat erupted in laughter once more; grown men nearly reduced to tears. James sharply came to a stop in the middle of an empty road. “Get out of the car.”

Suddenly the car was silent except for the occasional hiss of the bass coming from the woofers in the trunk of the car. “What?” One asked.

“Out.”

“You’re not serious, are you?”

“Do I look like I’m in the mood for any your fuckeries, Tyler?” James barked into the back of his car, turning off the music with a slam of his fist to the radio.

“Damn, you don’t have to be that way.”

James did not bother to reply. Instead, he contented himself in the fact that one by one, they were leaving his car. Within a matter of seconds, he was left to himself. He gave the dashboard radio a quick flick out of irritation, bringing it to life. The music blared around him at nearly deafening volumes. James drove, with the sole of his Timberland boots mashed to the accelerator. At the next red light he finally eased the white-knuckled grip he had on his steering wheel. He kept his eyes on the small vile, until the flicker of the green light, and blaring of horns behind him brought him back to reality.