If it Aint One Thing it's Another

Ladelle woke up with his ankle cuffed to the hospital bed. What the fuck? Yeah, he knew why he was cuffed. He remembered the undercovers saying they wanted to ask a few questions before he passed out. That was the setup right there, and now his ass was cuffed to a bed.

He pushed the button on the side of his bed, and a West Indian nurse came into his room. He covered the lower part of his body so she wouldn’t get a glimpse of the python. The last thing he wanted was for her to go into shock and pass out. At his request, she brought him something to drink and told him that his mother and girlfriend were waiting to see him.

They entered his room with flowers and get-well cards. His mother approached his bed and leaned over and kissed him on the forehead. His ex-girl, Lydia, gave him a peck on the lips and pulled up a chair alongside the bed. Ladelle told them about how Biz got out of the truck and some kid just started shooting at them. His mother told him she had spoken to Petie. Petie was going to say he let Biz use the truck for a couple of hours, and the next thing he knew they were arresting him at the hospital. She told Ladelle to tell the police he was a robbery victim, or that he’d gotten caught in some sort of crossfire. That way they wouldn’t connect Ladelle to the shooting that left Rasheed dead. They didn’t know if it would work, but it sounded good. Ladelle’s mother prepared to leave and told him she’d be back after taking care of some business.

Renee saw Ladelle’s mother leaving the hospital, and she felt glad about getting some time alone with him. She got a visitor’s pass and headed to his room. Before opening the door she heard him say, ”...and I should’ve never left you to begin with, Lydia. You know you my heart. When all this shit is over with, we gonna try again.”

”Okay, but this little accident don’t interfere with your performance, daddy? Because if it does, I’m gonna have to lay you back and ride you like a rollercoaster until you get better,” Lydia said before vividly describing to Ladelle all the new positions they would have to try.

Renee opened the door and walked into the room. She kissed Ladelle on the forehead and acted as if she didn’t even see Lydia. She removed her coat and took Ladelle’s hand. If Lydia didn’t know any better, she would have thought that Renee was fucking Ladelle. Lydia knew she was Petie’s wife, but she didn’t understand why she was being so affectionate toward Ladelle. Ladelle, feeling a little uncomfortable now, sat up in the bed and started to introduce them.

”Excuse me,” Lydia said. ”I’m gonna step out and leave you two to talk. I’ll be back in ten minutes, daddy.” As Lydia was leaving the room, Renee handed her her coat and said, ”It’s cold outside. Take your time.”

Ladelle got right to the point when the door closed behind Lydia. ”Check this out: that’s my girl, Renee, and all that attitude you just gave her, I ain’t like that shit one bit. In any event, me and you is dead. Too much shit is going on right now and a nigga is ready to settle down, so...”

Renee had put on her coat, picked up her pocketbook and headed toward the door before Ladelle finished his statement. ”Dead, huh? I’ll show you dead. Then I’ll show that chicken head your bite marks on my thighs.” She slammed the door and waited for Lydia to come off the elevator.

When Lydia stepped off the elevator, she was shocked to see Renee standing there. She was holding a cup of hot chocolate, preparing to get back to Ladelle’s room, but the look on Renee’s face said otherwise. Renee spit in Lydia’s face and when she turned to walk away, Lydia threw the hot chocolate on her.

”You Payless-shoe-wearin’, ninety-nine-cent-store-shop-pin’, metro-card-usin’ bitch!” Renee shouted and slapped Lydia into the nurses’ station. The nurses backed away from the desk and watched, waiting to see a fight. Lydia snatched off her coat and even though she couldn’t fight, she threw up her hands like she could. Renee punched her, grabbed a handful of her hair and knotted her up. By this time security had come to the floor and escorted Renee out of the hospital.

When Lydia got back to the room, Ladelle looked at her like she had just stepped out of a wrestling ring. A nurse came into the room and gave her some A&D ointment for her scrapes and a busted lip. Lydia couldn’t believe that Renee had jumped on her like that. She went to the mirror, put the ointment on her lip and tried to fix her weave. Renee had pulled out some of her tracks, and there were patches of hair missing in certain areas throughout her head. She looked a mess.

Ladelle couldn’t get a word in; Renee was yelling at the top of her lungs, talking about how she was going to tell Petie this and tell him that. What the fuck is wrong with her? Did she think that shit was gonna last forever? Ladelle thought.

Renee was still riffin’ when he hung up the phone. He looked at Lydia, who was searching around in her pocketbook for some glue to fix her tracks. Renee had fucked her up. Ladelle didn’t know Renee had a knuckle game like that.

He laid back and looked at the cuff on his ankle. Shit was critical. The last few months had been nothing but drama. And now Renee wanted to tell Petie, his main man, that he had been digging her out. What else could go wrong? he thought.

Petie stood before the judge and was arraigned on two felony charges. Bail was a dead issue since he was on parole. Ladelle was also arraigned on charges at his hospital bed, being that he was in the truck when someone opened fire on them and the police report said that witnesses saw them return fire. However, the cops hadn’t yet tied Rasheed’s murder to Petie and Ladelle because Biz was in possession of the gun that killed him when the police shot him to death.

Petie’s lawyer told him that he could be placed at the scene of the crime because of police witnesses. Petie didn’t believe there were any witnesses; niggas in the hood minded their own business. He knew that was just a scare tactic. But he also knew that his priors would support the charges; his rap sheet was nothing but violence and gun play. He knew he was going up with a new number. But that didn’t scare him. This would be his fourth state bid, and parole would just put his time on the back. He’d tell his lawyer on the next court date that he’d cop out to lesser charges because there was no way he was going to trial. Petie knew Ladelle would feel the same way. Ain’t no big deal, he thought. As long as they weren’t talking football numbers he’d do the time—easy.

Venus, Share, Will and BJ were at Share’s brownstone watching the news. The reporter was giving continuing coverage involving the officer who had been shot. The bulletproof vest he wore saved his life. Meanwhile, charges were now being filed against Petie and Ladelle because the truck was registered in Petie’s name, which made him an accessory to the murder of Rasheed Millen, and Ladelle’s prints were found on the gun.

Venus turned the channel. She was tired of all the violence. She could have been dead, and Share could have been in jail for killing Giselle. All this shit because of Petie. That nigga was bad news from day one, she thought.

Venus never told Share about all the times Petie came to the bank and tried to hit on her. And she never told her about the time he grabbed her ass so hard that it hurt for a whole day. ”When I’m done with Share, I’m coming after you,” he’d always say. Venus gave Petie props on his good looks—his smile, his six-pack, the tattoos, his walk, side burns...everything. But his personality and his big ego made him ugly. Venus was happy he was locked up and out of her friend’s life. Beside that, she and BJ’s relationship had gotten stronger, and they were both relieved that all the drama was behind them.

They played scrabble and spades until late in the evening when Venus and BJ left to go home. Share and Will made love through the night and held each other in the darkness. Yeah, everything is all right and back to normal, Will thought. And he was where he wanted to be forever—in Share’s world. Everything was everything.

The courtroom was packed. Petie was sentenced to three and a half to nine years, and Ladelle was sentenced to three to six years. It was all good; they had been blessed with so little time.

Renee brought Darnell and Dante to Rikers Island so they could see their father before he went up North. Petie was looking better and his scars were healing quickly. She would stand by him no matter what, but only for the sake of their sons.

Ladelle and Lydia had a small wedding while he was out on bail fighting the case. They made love all over the apartment the night before he turned himself in. Ladelle had told her the truth about he and Renee, and she forgave him. She just hoped that Petie never found out.

A count was taken and Petie got into the shower. Mike-Mike was already there. Petie walked up behind him, rubbed the soap between his ass cheeks and slid up in him. After a few moments Petie busted off and washed himself. Mike-Mike left the shower first, and then Petie dried off and went to his cell. He lay on his back and looked up at the ceiling. He thought of Share and smiled. He had big plans for her. I’ll be back, he thought.