JASAMINA
As I lowered myself to the chair beside Anya, I noticed the way she kept staring at Jaimie, and I couldn't help but smile. It was nice to have another woman in the house to share the joys and struggles of motherhood with. Jaimie yanked on my hair, drawing my attention away from the girl for a moment, but I smiled at my baby as I untangled my hair from his fisted hand.
"Can I hold him?" Anya asked tentatively, redirecting her attention to me.
I nodded with a smile and lifted Jaimie towards her. Anya carried him and laid him tentatively in her arms, staring at him with open curiosity. She looked like a natural, and I couldn't help but notice how well she held him. I tried not to think of the dreadful fact that Tann was leaving, and I felt a pang of sadness as he was in the room packing with his brother.
"He's such a cute baby," Anya said without looking away from Jaimie. "I wouldn't have known that he's a boy if Xazix didn't tell me. How old is he?"
"He'll be six months in four days," I replied automatically.
We sat in comfortable silence as Jaimie wriggled and pulled at Anya's long hair. She laughed and soothed his chubby pink cheeks, and I smiled as I watched them both. "You're so good with a baby," I blurted out.
Anya spared me a glance and nodded shyly. "I grew up around most of them," she said, and then paused. "Life can be unfair, you know," she said unexpectedly.
In her eyes, I saw a different kind of maturity, one that went way beyond her age. She doesn't look a day over sixteen or seventeen. "Yeah, life can be really unfair," I replied, my thoughts going to my husband, Ludale. "Tell me about yourself," I said, curious to know more about her.
"I grew up in Cedom, a whorehouse popular here in Texas. I lived with my mother. Mama tried a lot to shield me from the kind of life there, but some things can never be prevented, I guess." Anya took on a faraway look.
As I listened, I felt a kinship with her. This is a girl who life had slapped around too, like me. I had a feeling that we would become best friends as time went by.
"Mama died a few months ago, so there was no one else. The mother general started making preparations for my debut as a whore, I had to run away. I've been on the streets since then. I roamed to Mr. Mark's gate, and that was how Mr. Xazix found me," Anya continued.
As she spoke, Jaimie started fussing, and she handed him back to me. I breastfed him while I listened attentively, feeling pity for what Anya had been through. I knew what it was like to have no one and to roam the streets. I proceeded to tell her about myself, how I ran away from my husband's house, roamed the streets, and how I found Tann. Before I was done, Anya had tears in her eyes, and Jaimie was already sleeping.
"So, you see, I am like you," I told her gently.
She surprised me by getting up from her chair and coming to sit with me. She wrapped her arms around my neck. "I just met you, and yet I suddenly feel like I've known you forever," she whispered.
"I feel the same way," I replied sincerely, nuzzling her arms around my neck.
"We are both the fittest." She whispered.
"The fittest?"
"The survivors. The fittest." She explained.
I smiled a bit and nodded. She isn't wrong. We are both the survivors and the fittest. Including Tann.
Just then, the creaking of a door pulled us apart. I stared at the bedroom door, watching Xazix as he came out of the room. Tann followed closely behind him.
He was all dressed up, his bag hanging loosely beside him.
.
.
5
JASAMINA
As Tanner came out of the room with his bag, my eyes were immediately drawn to him. I watched him as he made his way towards us, and Anya got up too, but her attention was focused on Tanner's brother, Xazix. Despite my efforts to divert my gaze, I found myself unable to stop looking at Tanner.
My heart raced as I whispered hoarsely to him, "All ready?" I shifted Jaimie, who was sleeping soundly in my arms, to the crook of my shoulder. My throat felt dry, and I swallowed hard, trying to moisten it.
Tanner nodded in response, and we all made our way out of the house. As we stood at the front door, Xazix turned to us, his eyes on Anya. "I know you're a good girl, Anya. I'm glad you're going to stay here with Jasamina. Try not to make things hard for her, alright?"
Anya nodded shyly, her eyes downcast. "I'll never make things hard for them," she murmured softly. She then looked up at me and smiled, "I like her and she likes me too. I like baby Jaimie too."