My first night on the street was difficult, not it was harder than that. I found Robinson Ave. and the place was shithole. Old dilapidated buildings, nasty looking convenience stores, bars, all kinds of women, and of course men. I was asked for a 'date' by young guys, old guys, middle aged guys, and guys not quite in any category. There were rough looking men in rundown auto's, respectable looking fellows in more expensive cars, then there were the other ones - the ones that gave me the willies. All in all, there must have fifty offers of which, I accepted exactly two.
One was a kindly looking Black grandpa type. That one was my big mistake, he fucked me, then put me over his knee and spanked me raw, took my money, tossed me out of his car and yelled at me to get my nigger ass back home. At midnight, without a penny to my name, I sat on the grimy ground of the park with my back to the locked door of a restroom balling my eyes out.
"What you doing out here child?" a soft voice asked me, I looked up at a woman that wasn't all that old, or all that big. Her chocolate milk skin was a light splotchy mocha color, her hair was nappy, she was dressed in a slinky red dress and stood with one hand on a hip. She scowled down at me. I just sat there looking at her, "You deaf?" she asked me, I shook my head.
"Then open you little mouth and motherfucking answer me, what the fuck you doing out of you house at midnight in this neighbor hood?" She tapped her toe as she spoke, it was obvious she was getting perturbed with me.
"I got no where to go," I said. "I did what they wanted but the last one took my money."
"Runaway huh? Well alright then, they call me little momma, you can just call me momma. Okay I got me a room tonight let's go there, we'll get you some McDonalds on the way - you like happy meals?" I nodded my head. "What's your name child?"
"My name's Lakeisha," I said.
"You like that name?" I shook my head, "Don't worry we will find one you do like."
That night watching TV a movie was on called Thoroughly Modern Millie and said, "I like her name."
"That's a nigger slave name," she told me.
"She ain't no nigger or a slave," I protested.
"But Tilly and Millie were the most common slave names for house nigger women," she said.
"I don't care I like that name."
I've been Millie since that day.