Two Weeks Later
“Hey, you ready to get out of here?”
Deanthony was stuffing shirts and jeans into a small, flower-printed suitcase Ma let me borrow to put his clothes in. “I’ve been ready to go. You know I can’t stand hospitals. Where’s Ma?”
“At the house, cooking enough food to feed a village.”
“Fried chicken?”
“Ham, greens, black-eyed peas, biscuits, and two Dutch apple cheesecakes.”
“Damn, here I was getting used to all the weight I was losing, and Ma’s going to put it right back on me.”
“I’m sure you won’t miss the hospital food.”
“True. It will be nice to get a decent meal.”
“How are we feeling today?” Eboni, the RN, asked, rolling the wheelchair into Deanthony’s room.
“Like I just walked off a battlefield, but if I get to take you home with me, I’m sure I will start feeling much better.”
“Don’t pay any attention to him, Ms. Brooks.”
“I haven’t yet.” Eboni smiled.
“Oh, my brother didn’t tell you? I’m allergic to wheelchairs.”
“It’s hospital procedure. Now sit down.”
“I love it when they’re feisty.” Deanthony sat down in the wheelchair like he was told.
“Remember what Dr. Wilkinson told you about getting plenty of rest. Don’t overdo it and don’t pull your stitches.”
“Yes, Mama,” Deanthony teased.
Deanthony didn’t speak much as we drove back to the house. “So how are you and Bree doing?” he finally asked.
“We’re taking it one day at a time. Things aren’t great, but they’re good.”
“I’m glad, with everything that’s happened, y’all have been able to patch things up.”
“She wanted to move out, but I recommended we seek counseling instead to help us cope with everything that has gone on to try to get things back on track. Neither one of us is perfect. We all have made mistakes.”
“What happened to Tangela?”
“She’s laid up with a head wound. The bullet to her leg missed an artery. The police has round-the clock surveillance on her. Next stop: prison.”
“I hope they put her ass under the jail,” Deanthony said.
“Listen, I was going to wait until after dinner to tell everyone, but Bree and I are going to try and start a family.”
Deanthony smiled at the good news. “That’s great, man. I say it’s about damn time y’all gave me a niece or nephew to spoil.”
“Have you decided if you’re going to stay here, or make another go at the acting thing in L.A.?”
“I really haven’t put much thought into going back to Cali. Right now, I think I’m going to chill in Tallahassee for a while until I decide what to do. I’m done running away. It’s time I face my problems head-on.”
I could smell the soul food before we even got to the house. Mama didn’t even give me a chance to get to the door before she ran out in the driveway, an apron wrapped around her robust waist, her arms outstretched for a hug.
She wrapped her arms around Deanthony in an embrace that seemed long-awaited. “Thank the good Lord.” Ma started crying.
“Come on now. Stop all that crying. This is a time to celebrate.”
We all sat down around a table of good-smelling food. I said grace, giving a special blessing to Uncle Ray-Ray and Edrick, the only daddy we knew as far as Deanthony and I were concerned. As the days, weeks, and months came and went, things between Deanthony and I got better. For the first time since Uncle Ray-Ray’s passing, we were starting to become a family again.