After a very filling soul-food meal at Queenie’s Restaurant on 103rd Street in Flushing, Samuel, Ree, and the twins went outside to take a stroll down the street toward the subway station.
“Anybody for ice cream?” Samuel asked, holding Ree’s hand as they slowly walked.
Having received the best news of his life, Samuel was on cloud nine. Ree was expecting a baby, his baby. He had never felt this good in his life. Even the fiasco with Jeffrey paled in comparison with the news Ree shared with the family at the restaurant.
“Samuel, twins,” Ree had said, a soft, shy smile playing around her lips. “I have something to tell you.”
The twins looked first at each other and then at their mother. Samuel, just as unsuspecting as the twins, looked expectantly at his wife as well. “What is it, Ree?”
“I am going to have a baby!” Ree exclaimed. A shout of joy came from Samuel as he realized what this meant—he was going to be a daddy. Not just to the twins, his own baby as well.
“Mom, you’re going to have a baby?” asked Joyce, incredulously looking from her mother to her stepdad. “But how? Aren’t you too old?” Joyce asked seriously.
Jeffrey sat in horrified silence. He hadn’t thought about this. He would have to stop the hit against Samuel and just live with it. The hit was supposed to go down tonight on their way home.
Eddie figured if it happened while the family was together, no one would suspect Jeffrey had anything to do with it. But Jeffrey couldn’t let it happen now. He realized his mom must really love this man to have a kid with him. And it would be his fault if the kid did not have a dad to grow up with.
“Jeffrey, son,” Ree asked, concerned since Jeffrey hadn’t said anything after her announcement. “Are you all right? Don’t you have anything to say?”
“Umm, congratulations,” was all he could get out of his mouth. He looked from his mom to Samuel who was beaming like the moon. What was he going to do? He couldn’t let it happen now, could he?
“Mom, I don’t feel so good,” Jeffrey said, not looking well at all. “Can we go home now?” he asked, hoping they would miss the guy Eddie was sending to take Samuel out tonight on their way home.
“Jeffrey, you do look a bit sick,” Ree agreed, feeling his forehead for a temperature. Sensing none, she looked at Samuel, signaling it was time for them to go home.
Samuel paid for the meal, left a tip, and led the family out to the street. When they hit the sidewalk, Jeffrey looked around to see if he recognized anyone that would be a threat to Samuel.
As he turned to look at Samuel and Ree, he saw him. C-Murder Crawford quickly approached Samuel, a knife in his hand. All Jeffrey could do was react.
“Nooo,” he yelled, grabbing Samuel by the shoulders and spinning him away from C-Murder. As C-Murder’s fist came down with the knife, driving it deep into Jeffrey’s back, Jeffrey looked into Samuel’s eyes, a stricken look on his face as he breathed his last words, “I’m sorry.”
The knife found its way to Jeffrey’s heart with no other route. C-Murder quickly released the handle of the knife and spun around, running back in the direction from which he had come. None of them remembered seeing the face that committed the crime. All they saw was Jeffrey’s face as he passed from this life to the next.
“Nooo,” bellowed Hatred. The set-up had been perfect. C-Murder had hidden in the alley the family would pass as they left the restaurant headed toward the subway. He couldn’t miss. But he did. Destroyer was furious.
“There will be Hell to pay,” shouted Destroyer, contemplating his next move. The man was supposed to die, not the boy. At the very last moment, the boy had obviously changed his mind. He succeeded in saving his mother’s husband while losing his life.
“Oh my God,” Ree screamed as she gathered her son into her arms. “Somebody call an ambulance, please!” she shouted as blood ran through her fingers from the wound in her son’s back.
Samuel and Joyce stood back, stunned at what had just occurred.
“He saved my life,” Samuel repeated over and over. He finally sprang into action as he realized Jeffrey needed medical attention quickly. Running back toward the restaurant they had just left, Samuel wondered at the strength his wife was showing in the face of disaster concerning one of her—their—children.
God, please let the ambulance get here in time to save Jeffrey, he silently prayed, running into the restaurant to use their telephone.
Joyce felt as though she too had been stabbed when her brother collapsed to the ground. She recognized the face of the guy who stabbed her brother. He was one of the thugs Jeffrey hung out with. Why would he want to stab her stepfather and instead stab her brother? Something wasn’t right but she couldn’t put her finger on it.
Joyce ran to her mother and brother as her mother sat on the ground cradling Jeffrey and screaming for help. People milled around trying to see what had happened in the diminishing light. Joyce looked at her twin just as he opened his eyes, tears flowing from the corners down onto the pavement.
“I’m sorry,” Jeffrey said faintly as his life’s blood coursed from the wound in his back, blood gurgling from his mouth.
Joyce put her ear next to his trembling lips as Jeffrey said those two words again, “I’m sorry.”
Why would Jeffrey be sorry unless … no, that couldn’t possibly be the reason. She knew Jeffrey had changed a lot over the past year or so but it couldn’t possibly be what she was thinking. In fact, she wouldn’t let herself think that. Not Jeffrey, not her twin.
Joyce held her brother’s hand as her mother cried and rocked Jeffrey like he was a little boy again. Marie stopped rocking when she felt her son’s body quiver then become very still. Not wanting to believe but knowing it was so, Marie screamed one long heart-wrenching cry of agony as she realized her son, Jeffrey Earl Jones, had taken his last breath.
Joyce felt the slackness in her brother’s hand as she held onto it. She looked at her mom’s face as she cried, sobbed, asking God to bring Jeffrey back. Joyce looked at her brother. His eyes glassy, his jaw slack, Jeffrey had stopped breathing. Joyce crumpled to the ground as she realized that her brother, her twin, was dead.