Chapter Forty-Seven

Renee woke up early. She didn’t sleep much last night. She kept thinking about how Darnell was treating her and how quickly he and Dante had turned on her. She felt like she was losing them.

She went into the boys’ room, woke up Darnell first and then Dante. She then went to the kitchen and made some eggs, turkey bacon and toast for them. Rhonda worked last night, so she would be coming in at any moment. Renee made enough for everyone.

Darnell showered and dressed. He came into the kitchen and gave Renee a hug. ”I love you, Mom. I’m sorry,” he said kissing her on the cheek.

Dante came into the kitchen a few minutes later and sat down to eat with Darnell. Renee soon joined them and they ate in silence until Dante broke the ice. ”Mom, I’m not coming straight home after school; I’m going to play ball.”

”Are you telling me or asking me?” Renee said.

”I’m asking,” Dante replied.

”Okay, but after you come in and do your homework and change your clothes,” Renee said.

”But Mom...”

”Dante, you heard what Mom said. And remember, Daddy told us not to give her a hard time,” Darnell said firmly.

”My bad. I’m sorry, Mom,” Dante said.

They all finished eating and Renee cleared the table as the boys left for school. She was thinking about Darnell saying that Petie had told them not to give her a hard time. She didn’t know what to make of it. Petie was a good, responsible father. She couldn’t take that away from him no matter what. She just wished he would stay out of trouble long enough to be in Darnell and Dante’s lives. Oh, well, she thought. There were some things she had no control over, and that was one of them.

The phone rang while Renee was watching the news. Who could be calling this early? It was Petie, telling her he had to see her. It was about the boys; he knew she would listen then. He told her to meet him at Pan-Pan’s so they could talk. Renee got dressed and headed to Pan-Pan’s in a cab.

Petie patiently sat a block away in the Chrysler and watched Renee get out of the cab and enter the restaurant. He wanted to see if she was trying to set him up. He didn’t trust her, especially after what Roz had said. He watched Renee sit down and then come back out and stand in front of the restaurant. Then she called him on his cell phone. He told her to wait; he was on his way. He watched her go back inside and sit down.

Petie got out of the Chrysler and locked the door. He put his backpack over his shoulder and hailed a cab. He paid the driver to back up to the front of Pan Pan’s. He got out of the cab and entered the restaurant. He spotted Renee sitting in a booth and went and joined her.

Renee looked stressed out. ”There’s fifty thousand dollars in this backpack,” Petie said sitting it down next to her. ”It’s for my sons; don’t spend a dime of it on you—ya heard? And stop talking shit to them about me, Renee. What goes on between me and you ain’t got nothing to do with them. I want regular phone contact with them. I don’t need to speak to you, but don’t try and come between me and my little men—you’ll lose.” Before Renee could speak, Petie got up from the booth and bounced. He went outside and caught a cab back to the Chrysler and drove back up the block to the hotel.

Patrice was in the shower when Petie got back to the room. He had paid the desk clerk for another day, just in case Roz didn’t have his new ID ready. He remembered her saying she needed a Polaroid picture.

Petie watched TV until Patrice came out of the shower. He gave her a thousand dollars and told her to go to 125^th and buy herself some clothes, two cell phones and a Polaroid camera. Patrice didn’t ask any questions; she just dressed and did what she was told to do.

Petie called Renee. She answered on the first ring. ”I just wanted to make sure you got back in safely,” he told her. ”Now before you start asking me questions, don’t bother. Just get my clothes together, and I’ll meet you somewhere to pick them up. Pack up everything in the suitcases and make sure I got pictures of my men in there—ya heard me?”

”When and where do I meet you, Petie?” Renee asked. Petie liked that; she was keeping shit simple.

 

”As soon as possible at the Y on 135^th up the block from where I just left you,” Petie said.

”All right, I’ll go back to the apartment and do it now. When I’m finished I’ll call you,” Renee said and hung up the phone.

Petie called Roz and told her he would see her in the afternoon. He told her he was heading down south and that he would need the ID today. ”Don’t worry, baby boy,” she said.

Petie hung up the phone, lay on the bed and looked up at the ceiling. He had plans to see Darnell and Dante at their school. He figured he would go pick them up and put some money in their pockets. He wished he could take them with him, but he knew that was far from possible. Renee would make sure that they were all right. She was the best mother in the world as far as Petie was concerned. No matter what happened between them, he knew there was nothing he could say about her in that department. She lived her life for their sons ever since they were born. Petie gave her credit when it was due, and definitely when it came to their sons.