Sweep Me Off My Feet

Chapter 1

Angela Carter’s eyes fluttered open and she sighed loudly when she realized the kid’s noise in the room were not part of her dream but her son, Brandon, who was trying hard to wake her up. This was what he usually did, every single morning without fail. It was a little frustrating especially on mornings like these ones when she just really needed those extra twenty minutes before her alarm went off, but she could not imagine her life without Brandon even though he came into her life a little earlier than she would have planned for it.

“Good morning, mama’s little man,” she said as she reached for him and pulled him up. She kissed his chubby cheeks and then planted one more kiss on his forehead. “How are you doing?” she asked.

“Good, but I’m hungry, mama. I want breakfast.”

“Oh, my little monkey is hungry, isn’t he?” she said, tickling him tummy sending him into fits of giggles. “”Did you brush your teeth?”

He nodded, and she frowned.

“No, you didn’t.”

Brandon smiled at her guiltily.

“No, I didn’t.”

“Well, then go ahead and get those teeth brushed. I’ll get your breakfast ready, all right, baby?”

“Yes, Mummy.”

She kissed him again before he jumped out of her bed leaving her alone in her bed.

At only 22 years of age, Angela was doing more than most people did in their forties. Her four-year-old son was her world and she did anything and everything she could to make sure she provided for him, but even though she worked crazy hours at her job, she hardly made enough to get by. She was paid a little more than standard minimum wage, but even then she found that what came in was a lot less than what she needed for her rent, utilities, and a sitter. Things had recently become a lot better with her managerial position, but unfortunately, she was not working in a Fortune 500 so her new title did very little for her bank account. Sometimes, she even felt like she put in a whole lot more into her job now than before when she was just stocking the shelves. She sighed softly when she caught a glimpse of the stack of bills she had yet to go through. She had neatly packed them away in the kitchen and every single time she began feeling overwhelmed, she would consider making that dreaded call to Brandon’s father, but again, every time that thought would cross her mind, she shuddered. It had been almost five years since she had seen or spoken to Brandon’s father. Matter of fact, he was more of a donor than a father. It took a lot to be a father and she could not even dignify him with the honor of being called a father. Not even if it meant her and her son having beans on toast to survive because if that is what it took, then that was what she was going to do.

She rubbed the side of her temple to soothe an itch as she stirred the oatmeal she was preparing for Brandon reminiscing on how things were before. It was not always like this. It was a little different back then. Back when she met Brandon’s father….donor. She was much younger than she was now. An innocent high school girl who happened to be looking for love in all the wrong places…

Angela Carter was a talented student at McKinley High School. Her high IQ coupled with her talents in debate and performing arts were un-rivaled. But the biggest disadvantage was her background. She might have been a talented student, but she was also scarred from growing up in the foster system. As it was, she was one of the few people who fit the stereotype. An African American girl who grew up in the foster system under the care of a guardian who was only doing the job for the allowance. Perhaps it was that factor that led her to look for the attention she never got out in the streets or the company she kept in school, she was not really sure. All she knew was that at sixteen years of age, she thought she found the man of her dreams. A young, good looking man who had no problem spending money on her and making her feel like she was the only woman in the world. For the first time in her life, everything was good. Everything was as it should have been. It felt good being wanted, being needed. It did not take long for her to make him the centre of her universe. Everything that happened in her life was all about him. She was a little disappointed when she found out what he did for a living. He was one of the people who was fuelling one of America’s biggest problem: drugs, but he also assured her that he was just a businessman.

“This is what I do, baby. It is not who I am,” he had told her, looking right into her eyes

“Do you know how many kids I saw overdose while in foster care? Hundreds,” she pleaded her case.

“I never use my own product.”

Angela shrugged.

“That is what everyone says.”

“Well, a lot of people might say it, Angie, but I actually mean it. The first and greatest mistake you would make in my business is to get high on your own supply. You get started that way and I guarantee that your business will be over in less than a few weeks. Two months tops.”

Angela looked into his eyes.

“It is not just about you using it that has me worried, Deshawn.”

He slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her close.

“What is it, Angie? What is it that has you all knotted up inside that pretty little head?” he asked as he looked down at her. The look in his eyes was more than simply inquisitive. It was also lustful and as far as she was concerned, fu*king hot. She looked at him and shrugged.

“You are fuelling a problem…and then there is the whole safety issue…”

He pressed a finger to her lips.

“You are worried about me.” He smiled. “That’s sweet.”

“Don’t do that.Don’t try to be cute about the fact that I am worried about you,” she pointed out. “That line of work is dangerous, babe. I don’t want to wake up one day and find out that I lost you to some crack head who is just pissed off he didn’t get his next fix for free.”

Ï am fine…I don’t use my product.”

“What about the cops?” she asked. “Should I walk around watching my every step because I might randomly get searched in the street….” Her voice trailed off when he kissed her.

“Angie, you are my entire world and you have to believe me that I would never let anything happen to you,” he said.

“It wouldn’t be up to you…the way these things work…” She shook her head and he kissed her again.

“Believe me, I will always come back to you.”

She was too young to know it at the time, but they were just words. He never meant anything he said to her. Matter of fact, he had probably the same words to different girls a number of times. She was just another silly girl who believed him. His latest conquest. At the time, they were living the dream, at least from Angela’s point of view. It was all about glamour and crime, like a re-enactment of Bonnie and Clyde and she thought that it was always going to be like this. But everything changed when she told him that she was carrying his child. It should have been an unforgettable moment, the day he learned about his next generation, but like so many other men, he just loved being with a young girl who knew nothing about life. But when sh*t got real, he showed his true self. He had urged her to give the baby away and that way, nothing would have changed.

“What do you mean that nothing is going to change?” she had asked.

“The life we live is not one that we should be bringing children into. We can give the kid up for adoption…” he tried to say before she put a hand up, stopping him mid-sentence.