I sigh because I’m really too busy to visit them during the week. I have the children’s books that I’m busy drawing and writing for the publishers and it takes up way too much time. I turn around from watching the dishes and look at them.

*Remember when I went to America to complete my training?* I ask and they nod my way.

*The woman who owned the daycare passed on last week and left her daycare to me* I say and my father’s eyes widen. My mother opens her mouth ready to say something but Genna cuts her off, *Can I go with?* she asks making me roll my eyes.

I look at my father who has his hand on my mothers who are now sitting down on his lap and he says to me, *Baby, are you sure you want it? I know you are saving up to open your own daycare but this is all the way in another country and although I am not against you going but this daycare, if I remember correctly, it’s in the place where there are drugs, guns and shooting – it’s not safe baby girl, can you think this over first before you make your decision?*

My heart tightens hearing his words. I’m scared yes, last time I went over and on my walk back to my mothers’ friend’s house, I was gunned down and my bag was taken and necklace. The only things in my bag were my phone and wallet that only had a hundred dollars in it that was used for my lunch. The necklace was a cheap thing that I got as a gift but I can’t just not go because of a past experience.

Material things, I don’t care for but the children need me there, they need someone who is qualified in case of emergencies. I shake my head and wipe away the tears that are forming, *I know dad but I can’t not accept it. It might be dangerous but so what? The education of those children is more important. It’s a dangerous place yes and if I get r – raped or worse killed, there is nothing I can do. You raised me to follow my heart and my heart is with those little children. My life is in the lord's hands and I will leave my life with him. I’ve already made up my mind and it’s a no brainer that I will go to where my heart leads me.*

My father wipes the tears from his wife’s eyes and from his own. *When are you leaving?* he asks me and I inform him of my plans. Mr Cross is helping me get a workers visa and told me that I need to join the church that is near the daycare l because apparently the pastor owns the day care’s building and gets an income from the daycare. I’ll try and see if I can get the place from them but I don’t mind joining the church but I am not someone who they can walk over and demand shit from, I may not look like it but I can be cheeky too.

*-*-*-*-**-*-*-*-*

*Two weeks later*

I managed to find a place for myself a place a few houses down from the daycare. After unpacking my stuff, I sit on a bean bag that I brought with me from my old place. I still have to put the pillows on the couch and I’m not in the mood.

It’s Friday and I plan to have the children back on Monday. I met with the pastor of the church and he is a nice man but the price is fucked up. Apparently Janet owes them money and I need to get it to them by the end of this month which is at the end of this week or else the daycare shuts down and there is no way in hell I’m letting a corrupt pastor shut down the church.

He had a bitter look on his face when I told him that I’m joining the church and asked him for the forms that are like membership wise. We had it at our old church too but it wasn’t so bad, I got free gifts and books dedicated to the lord. His ass thought he was clever when he started preaching about the bible and I answered him good – bless my mother for forcing my lazy ass to church every Sunday and special days.

I’ve been adding the names and number of the parents to my tablet and saving it on my back up and google accounts in case I get robbed. I didn’t bring my good mobiles and tablet. I bought a cheap Samsung tablet, one of the old galaxy models and swapped mobiles with Genna, her ass was so happy she got an upgrade while I rolled my eyes.

I brought my laptop with and when I’m done with it, I’ll hide it under the broken floor I found that I’ll fix up. It’s nothing too important on it and it’s an eight-year-old laptop that survives on life support – maybe I’ll just take it to the daycare with me since I can’t remember if there is a computer to use, to print out things.

I know there isn’t a printer so I brought mine with for all my stuff. I saw one in the pastor’s office, I asked him if I could use it for the colouring pictures but he turned me down after looking at me like I was crazy.

I’m down to the last fifty of the contacts I add and I hear a knock on my door. I’m in grey sweat pants and a tank top with no bra on, my hair is a mess with it damp and all curly. I complain and pray to the lord that I’m not about to be jumped and robbed.

I wait for another knock and get up. “I’m coming,” I scream while staring at the door. No more knocks come from the door and I slide down onto the ground, listening. I start counting, 1 2 3 4 5 6 and another knock lands on the door. I get up and open it slowly with narrowed eyes.

An elderly woman’s back is facing me. I clear my throat, “Hello?” I say and she turns around with a smile on her face. She barely has wrinkles, it’s just her grey hair and grandma jersey that gives it away.

“Hello dear,” she greets me cheerfully. “I’m your neighbour, Alice Miller, welcome to the neighbourhood, I brought apple pie,” she says while holding up the pie dish. I smile at her warmly and take the pie dish from her.

“Come in Mama Alice, I’m Gennivee Swartz, thank you for welcoming me,” I say and watch her as she walks in. I close the door behind her and make my way over to the kitchen with the pie dish. I put it down on the table and bring one of the kitchen tables chairs over.

Patting the chair I say, “Sit please, and I hope you aren’t offended by me calling you Mama Alice.” She shakes her head and smiles at me as look at her. She sits down and I walk back into the kitchen. Grabbing two plates, a knife and forks, I quickly cut the apple pie into slices and plate for her and I a slice each, mine slightly bigger than hers.

Handing it to her, I gently sit back down on the bean bag chair and cross my legs. I take a bit of the pie and start squealing in joy and move my body, going for seconds. Mama Alice starts giggling and my head snaps over to her, fuck I forgot that she was here!

“You seem to be enjoying it,” she says and I embarrassedly nod my head. “I don’t enjoy just anyone’s food, but Mama Alice’s hands seem to work magic apart from my mothers,” I say and she looks at me surprised.

“You’re not from Atlanta right Gennivee?” she says while looking at me cautiously. Why is she looking at me like that?

I shake my head, “No ma’am, I’m from Montreal, Canada and my thick accent is from my dad’s part of the family, he is from Germany,” I say and she nods her head.

“What brings you to the neighbourhood?” she asks and I don’t look at her. Something feels odd, she doesn’t seem that friendly, more likes she’s investigating something.

“Work. I now own the daycare two houses up,” I say and she gasps making me look at her. I raise a brow at her and she covers it with a smile.

I go back to eating my pie and listen to her movements. From the corner of my eye, I can see her looking around. After a moment of silence, I look up at her and see her staring at me. She sighs and puts her fork down on the plate that is on her lap, “Well Gennivee, I came over to warn you about a few things. This neighbourhood isn’t all nice and quiet as it seems, there are drugs and gunfights every other time, so be careful. You are new here so the man that owns this part of the hood will pay you a visit as he does everyone, you’ll have a very tough time living here if you don’t do what he wants and do not trust that pastor, he sexually harasses woman sometimes so be careful around him,” she says making me raise a brow at her.

I nod my head slowly. She suddenly seems so nice after speaking and I guess it’s just my imagination but I’ll take her words for it. “I know this is a bad neighbourhood, Mama Alice, I’m very familiar with it, I followed my heart that told me to come here and I will, with the lords’ help and blessing fulfil my duty as a teacher to help the children, if something happens to me then so be it. It’ll be my time to suffer and or my time to die,” I say and get up with my empty plate.

I take hers and walk to the kitchen. Placing the dishes in the sink and turn around to see Mama Alice standing. I smile at her and tell her that I’m going to head out to take a look at the daycare centre because I haven’t been there and she is welcome to join me but she refuses, saying that she still has her husband waiting for her at home.

I close the pie dish and place it in the fridge, then pack my mobiles in the laptop bag. Shrugging it over my shoulders, I slip into my grey vans and grab my keys. I close the door, locking it behind Mama Alice and myself. She shows me where she lives and I see her husband on the front porch across from my house. I wave at him and walk over to her house with Mama Alice.

Her husband, Michael, is nice too and said I should call him Papa instead of the Papa Michael. After a short conversation with them, I say my goodbye and walk over to the daycare. From the outside, I can see that it needs a paint job. The gate also needs to be fixed too.

I walk in and close the gate while turning my body to face the street and I can see the curious gazes looking at me. I smile at them and wave my hand then turn around to walk up the pathway. Instead of going inside, I walk around and look at the grass that is dry. The concrete is cracked and the swings are broken, it can’t be used. The slide is rusted and the obstacle tired are uselessly deflated.