Chapter 33
“Mommy, Mommy, whose house is this?” little Anthony asked as he got out of the car.
“Why do you have to ask so many questions, Anthony?” Tammy said as she unstrapped Sinniyyah from her car seat.
“I wanna know who’s house it is, Mommy,” Anthony continued, looking around at the unfamiliar area. It was a far cry from where he was used to living. There had to be about twenty kids out on the street, riding their bikes and running up and down the sidewalk. Anthony had never seen this many white kids in one place before, although there were a few black children among the crowd. This definitely was something new for him.
Darious, who was in the garage with the door up, walked out to the driveway, surprised that Tammy had the kids with her. She walked up to him with Sinniyyah in her arms, waiting to see what he was going to say.
“Are you sure?” Darious asked, wondering if she was ready to bring her kids into his life.
“Mmmm hmmmm.” She nodded, leaning in to kiss him.
This was a big step for their relationship, but Tammy felt comfortable enough to have Darious around her kids on a more permanent note; plus, she was tired of always having to find a babysitter in order to spend some quality time with her man. Tammy felt that if they were going to be together, then Darious might as well get to know the kids. He’d only seen them a couple of times, and that was due to Tammy trying to give Chris some respect by not having his kids around another man. That way of thinking had run its course, and it came by way of the fact that Darious wasn’t just another man, he was Tammy’s man and the person she planned to spend the rest of her life with. Darious being a part of her kids’ lives was inevitable, and that was something Chris was going to have to learn how to respect.
* * *
When Ralphy pulled up to the block, Scoop was in the cut, sitting on some steps a nice distance away from the heavy dopefiend traffic heading for the workers. The moment Scoop saw Ralphy pull up, he removed the gun from his waist and set it on his lap. He wasn’t sure what type of shit Ralphy was on, or if he’d put it together that he had something to do with the shooting at the dentist office, but just to be on the safe side Scoop had his gun at the ready.
“What it do, big homie,” Scoop greeted him, extending his fist for some dap, which Ralphy returned.
“Yo, I think we might have to go to war with these niggas on the west side,” Ralphy said, easing his arm out of the sling.
“War? Niggas don’t go to war like that anymore.” Scoop chuckled. “Especially when the beef is personal. And what makes you think it was the niggas from the west side?” Scoop asked, trying to see where Ralphy had come up with that idea.
“Man, it had to be. Them niggas came for blood not money. I don’t know how, but I got a feeling Dre’s people know I had something to do with his death.”
Ralphy didn’t sound all that sure, which made Scoop feel like he was in the clear. “Yo, my nigga, you ain’t been out here in a while, and I tried to warn you.”
“Warn me about what?” Ralphy shot back with a little attitude behind it.
“This street life ain’t you anymore. You’re a family man now, and that’s where you belong. Shit gets ugly out here if you’re not careful,” Scoop told him.
Ralphy was a little shocked by what Scoop had said. It was as if he didn’t have any respect for Ralphy’s G card anymore. The more Ralphy sat there and thought about it, it also sounded like Scoop didn’t want him out there on the streets at all. It wasn’t what he said, it was how Scoop said it that caught Ralphy’s attention.
“So you’re gon’ put dis work in wit’ me or what?” Ralphy asked, but only to check Scoop’s temperature on the matter.
“Homie, I really don’t got the time for war. I’m trying to make some money right now,” Scoop said, turning his head away to look down the street. “Just let that shit die down before you get yaself killed,” Scoop said, before getting up from the steps and walking off down the street toward his workers.
Ralphy knew right then and there that Scoop was no longer on his side. He didn’t know if or to what extent Scoop had something to with the shooting, but if it came out that he did, Ralphy wasn’t going to hesitate in putting a bullet through his head, so-called friend or not.
* * *
Just about every Sunday, Ms. D had a dinner, and it was a guarantee that everybody would show up. She fried chicken breast, fish, and a few other seafood creatures like shrimp and crab cakes. Mashed potatoes with gravy, macaroni and cheese, greens, corn, and white rice were also on the menu. Her house smelled like a soul food restaurant, and in the midst of the great smell, the aroma of her specially made apple pie blended in the air. Mrs. D could cook her ass off.
“All right, somebody clear this table off,” Mrs. D yelled out from the kitchen.
Lamar wasn’t getting up from in front of the TV and neither was Ralphy. The football game had them locked in, so it was up to the females to get the job done. Lisa couldn’t do much of anything with her wound, and Falisha was upstairs in Mrs. D’s bedroom talking on the phone. Tammy and Kim were left to take care of the dinner table.
“Are you okay?” Tammy asked, seeing the blank look on Kim’s face as she sat at the table.
Like many women, Kim still had the abortion on her mind, and she wanted so bad to tell Lamar what happened. She just didn’t know how he was going to react to it. She loved him, and didn’t want to risk losing him. At the same time, she didn’t like hiding things and keeping secrets from him. It just felt wrong all the way around the board.
Mrs. D finally got everybody to the dinner table. Little Anthony, Sinniyyah, and Naomi all sat at the kitchen table, with Mrs. D going back and forth to check up on them. As soon as everyone was seated, Falisha said grace.
“Heavenly Father, thank you for this food you have provided for us, and thank you for allowing friends to come together and enjoy this meal. God, I ask that you protect us from the evil plot of the devil, and to make us all strong enough to move on. God knows that strength is what we’re gonna need. And please protect us from these wolves in sheep’s clothing. In the name of Jesus. Amen!”
Lamar looked up at Falisha knowing that after that sarcastic prayer there was more to follow, and nine times out of ten, it wasn’t going to be good at all.
Mrs. D even gave her a look as if to say, “Don’t start ya shit.”
Falisha kept her cool and began to eat along with everybody else. For the first few minutes, it was pretty much silent except for the sounds of spoons and forks hitting the plates and a couple of moans from the delicious taste of the food.
“I got an announcement I wanna make,” Tammy said, wiping her mouth with the napkin. I’m moving next week,” she said, taking a sip of her juice.
“What? I know it’s not with that boy,” Kim spoke, surprised to hear that coming from her.
“His name is Darious and he’s far from a boy,” Tammy quickly corrected her. “Besides, he makes me happy.”
“That’s right, girl. That’s all that matters,” Falisha cut in.
“You know Chris gon’ kill you and him when he gets home.” Ralphy chuckled.
“Chicks ain’t got no loyalty nowadays. A nigga go to jail, and a female is so quick to forget about everything a nigga did for them before he got there,” Lamar said with a slight attitude. “I don’t respect it,” he concluded, taking a bite of his chicken breast.
“Lamar!” Kim yelled, smacking his arm, “Don’t be rude.”
“Nah, nah, that’s cool, Kim. I’m not mad at Lamar. He’s only saying how he feels. But let me say this to all the niggas who’s locked down in the pen: I didn’t put a gun to nobody’s head and make you be a trap boy. Chris did that on his own. I would have stood by his side if he worked at McDonald’s in order to provide for his family. He knew what he was doing, and the possibility of being taken away from his kids. But, guess what, he kept doing it. Meaning he didn’t give a damn about me or our kids. He left this pussy out here so he could be around a bunch of men and dicks. If you think I’m about to put my life on hold for the next ten years, you and every other nigga got another think coming,” Tammy said, pointing her fork at him.
Lamar sat there and continued to eat his food. He really didn’t have anything else to say. Chris had always been a cool dude to him and, from the outside looking in, it looked like Tammy was leaving him when he most needed her.
Ralphy, on the other hand, had something he wanted to get off his chest. He cleared his throat, reached into his back pocket, and pulled out an envelope. Inside were the divorce papers signed by him and Lisa, and ready to be processed. He held on to them for good reasons and the most important of them was that he wanted to make sure a divorce was what he really wanted.
“Me and Lisa been together for a long time now, and I know everybody is aware of what happened between us. I just wanna say that when you love somebody as much as me and Lisa love each other, you can make it through anything,” Ralphy said, taking the papers and ripping the up into little pieces, “Me and Lisa are back together.”
“You just sayin’ that ’cause she got shot. Nigga, the streets is talking,” Falisha said, biting down on her fish.
“You out of pocket, Falisha,” Kim said.
“Look who’s talkin’,” Falisha shot back. “Don’t you got something you wanna say, since everybody got announcements?”
“I got an announcement,” Lamar said, reaching into his pocket for the ring.
“And who you screwing now?” Falisha shot at him. She wasn’t taking any prisoners today. Her hormones were running wild and she was just saying whatever came to mind. Lamar was so shaken he put his ring back inside his pocket and continued eating without attempting to respond to Falisha’s comment.
“Damn, you cold,” Mrs. D said, shaking her head at Falisha.
“Yeah, and don’t think that I don’t know you got cancer. You like a fuckin’ mother to me, and you hide some shit like this from me . . . from us.”
Mrs. D leaned over and backhanded Falisha right in her mouth, splitting her bottom lip on the side. Falisha knew she was wrong, and that’s why she did nothing but cover her mouth with her hands and remain quiet while Mrs. D said what she had to say.
“Yeah, I got cancer, but that’s my business. I was going to tell the rest of y’all, who didn’t know, on my own terms, not yours,” Mrs. D said, cutting her eyes over at Falisha. “Now, if y’all don’t mind, I wanna enjoy the rest of this meal without the negativity. So if you don’t have anything positive to say, then don’t say nothing at all,” Mrs. D concluded before digging into her plate.
Everybody was in agreement with trying to salvage what good was left in the Sunday dinner. Silence took over the table, and just when everybody thought that the day was over, Falisha rocked the table with her own shocking public announcement.
“Well, how about one more quick announcement. I’m pregnant!” Falisha said before turning around and walking out of the kitchen on her way to the bathroom.
* * *
Johanne sat in her hospital bed looking at the positive pregnancy test the nurse had given her. She was so astonished by the good news she could barely feel the metal rods keeping her shattered shin bone in place. This whole time, she had no idea she was absolutely with child and the more she looked at the test, the more excited she became.
“Excuse me, Nurse. Is it possible for you to find out how far along I am?” Johanne asked, reaching over and grabbing her cell phone off the stand.
“Sure, just give me a minute,” the nurse responded.
Although Ralphy said that he’d be back around eight o’clock, Johanne couldn’t help but to try to call him. She wanted to give him the news right away, hoping he would be just as happy as she was. Unfortunately, her few attempts at calling him ended up going straight to his voice mail. She thought about texting him, but that was a little too cheesy. Johanne would have to wait; but, in the meantime, in between time, she was going to bask in the beautiful gift of motherhood.