“Do you need help with anything?” Indigo asked.
“No beautiful. But, I thank you for making him come here today. I know it wasn’t easy. I’m just so happy. I cooked all of your favorites Boston. Y’all sit down and we’ll eat in a minute,” Kissy said as she disappeared to the back of the house.
“You good?” Indigo asked as Boston looked around one of his childhood homes.
“I’m straight,” he replied with a nod. He stood in front of the fireplace, looking at all the pictures and memorabilia. Indigo left him alone and went to the kitchen by Kissy.
“How has he been?” Kissy asked.
“Same old Boston. Stubborn as hell,” Indigo replied as she opened the refrigerator and grabbed a bottle of wine.
She and Kissy bonded when Boston came to live with them. She too tried to get Carla to let Boston stay with her, but she refused. Kissy kept up with Boss and made sure to be active in his life. Boston wasn’t very vocal when it came to his feelings, but Indigo kept her in the know. Indigo loved the fact that Boston respected her and didn’t judge her for who she was. Kissy identified as a woman and that’s how he addressed her. He respected her the same way he respected his uncle Ray.
“Is he still refusing to see your therapist?” Kissy asked.
“Yep,” Indigo replied.
“That bitch Carla is a low down dirty hoe but karma is real. I hope she gets a double dose of it,” Kissy fumed as she moved around the kitchen. She hated Carla with a passion and she never tried to hide it.
“Yeah, we saw her not too long ago and it wasn’t good. Boss had a mental breakdown and he hasn’t been right since then,” Indigo replied.
“You don’t even know the half. I let a lot of shit go for Boston’s sake. He’s been hurt enough and he doesn’t need any more bullshit on his plate. I’m happy that he has you though.” Kissy smiled.
“You know I’m not going nowhere,” Indigo replied.
She wanted to say especially since he’d been fucking her into a coma every day, but she kept that part to herself. She and Boss had been getting it since they left Miami. Justice still worked more than he was home but Indigo no longer complained. Her time was well occupied, so she didn’t care that he was too tired for sex. She was satisfied and Boss made sure of it. She was hoping that Justice did an overnight shift soon because she was gonna be laid up with her best friend all night whenever he did.
“Come on lovely, help me carry everything out,” Kissy requested as she grabbed a pan.
Indigo grabbed a few items and helped her set the table. Kissy said grace and they dug into the stuffed shrimp, pasta and salad that she’d made. Boss loved her homemade cheesy garlic bread, so she made more than enough for him to take some home. He was smiling and happy and Indigo hadn’t seen him that way with Kissy in a while. He avoided her as much as possible but it was nothing personal.
Hours had passed and things were going well until he ventured to the back of the house to his old bedroom. Kissy was drunk off her ass and had dozed off in her recliner. Boss had been gone for a while, so Indigo went to go check on him. She found him standing in the middle of the floor staring at nothing in particular. Everything was exactly as it was when he was a child. Even the awards that he’d won for being on the honor roll and having perfect attendance still hung on the wall. His medals for track and all his pictures were just as he remembered. The race car bed and room theme was outdated, but Boss loved his room from the moment he laid eyes on it. His uncle Ray and Kissy went out of their way to make him feel loved and he appreciated them for that.
“Boston,” Indigo called out softly. She got concerned when he didn’t answer, so she walked over to him and touched his arm. He flinched as he spun around like he just realized that she was there. Indigo’s heart broke when she saw the tears that were rapidly falling from his eyes.
“I hate this shit Indie. This ain’t even me right now. I don’t do all this soft, feminine ass shit. That’s why I didn’t want to come here,” Boss said as he fell down into the chair that was near the window. He pulled her down into his lap and buried his face in her chest. Indigo let him get himself together before she said anything.
“Crying doesn’t mean that you’re soft or feminine Boston. It means that you’re human. You remember what my mama used to tell us. Tears are nothing more than liquid prayers. You have so much bottled up inside of you and it’s not healthy. You never dealt with the issues that you have with your parents and you never properly grieved the loss of your uncle. Hell, you never even grieved the loss of my mother. You don’t have to be strong all the time Boston. You know that I’ll always be here for you but I can only do so much. Shit seems to be getting worse. Let me make you an appointment with my therapist. Please,” Indigo begged.
“Fuck it. Make it happen,” he replied, making her smile in excitement.
“Really? You better not be playing with me,” Indigo warned.
“I’ll go, as long as you come with me.”
“I can’t come with you, Boston. The key is one on one interaction,” Indigo noted.
“Well, forget it.” He shrugged uncaringly.
“How about we ask her if I can hang around for your first session? Then, you can go by yourself after that,” Indigo said.
“What do you mean my first session? How many times do I have to go?” he questioned.
“Until you feel better Boston. It usually only last for an hour at a time. I went every week for a year until I felt strong enough to handle things on my own. Only you will know when that time comes,” Indigo answered.
“Just tell me the time and date. As fucked up as I am, the shit can’t hurt.” Boss shrugged.
“I’m so happy,” Indigo said excitedly.
“Yeah, you finally got your way. What do I get for doing what you asked?” Boss inquired while lifting her dress and squeezing her ass.
“Whatever you want baby,” Indigo replied as she stood up and locked the bedroom door.
She pulled her dress over her head and walked back over to him. Boss licked his lips as he admired her perfectly toned frame. Kissy stayed sleep the entire time while Boston and Indigo made some new memories in his old bedroom. He was never nervous about anything but letting someone besides Indigo get inside his head terrified him. He had buried the bad memories a long time ago. Now, he was about to face them head on and he didn’t know if he was ready.
“ This shit ain’t working for me. I don’t have kids for a reason. I like to get up and go whenever I feel like it. Kids are a burden that I don’t need. That’s why I never fucked with women who have them,” Dennis said as Carla stood there in tears.
“Just give me a chance to fix it. My brother or sister will get him for the weekend if you want to go somewhere,” Carla replied.
Boss was sitting at the kitchen counter eating cereal but he’d heard every word that was spoken. They didn’t try to whisper or have the conversation in private. Dennis looked at him with disgust, no matter how much of a good boy he always tried to be.
“Nah, that ain’t good enough for me. I like to travel and see the world. I need my bitch to be able to pick up and leave whenever I say so. I’ll be back to get the rest of my shit later,” Dennis said as he headed for the door with his duffle bag thrown over his shoulder.
“Dennis, please, I can fix this. I can be ready whenever you need me to be. Don’t leave baby, please,” Carla begged.
“I’m going get a room for a few days. Call me whenever your shit is handled,” he replied while sneering at Boston.
“Dennis! Dennis!” Carla yelled as she chased after him. He got into his two-door Mustang and sped away, leaving Carla screaming and crying. Boss hated to see his mother cry, so he got up and tried to comfort her.
“Don’t cry mama. It’s okay,” he said while wrapping his little arms around her neck. It was almost as if his touched repulsed her and Carla quickly pushed him away. The look that she gave him was one that he’d never seen before and he was terrified.
>
“Get off of me! I can’t even keep a damn man because of you,” Carla cried.
“I’m sorry mama,” Boston said as tears fell from his eyes. He didn’t know what he had done but he swore that he would never do it again.
“Let’s go!” Carla yelled as she grabbed his arm and pulled him down the hall to his bedroom. She started grabbing all of his clothes and shoes from the closet and stuffing them into garbage bags. Boss was crying and scared because he didn’t know what was going on.
“Boston? Boston, are you here with me?” Dr. Everette, the older black female therapist, asked as she repeatedly called his name.
“Yeah, I’m here,” Boston replied while Indigo sat quietly in a chair in the corner of the room.
“You were telling me about your mother before you zoned out,” Dr. Everette reminded him.
“There’s not that much to tell. Her nigga said that he didn’t want me there and he got his wish.” Boss shrugged.
“How so?” Dr. Everette questioned.
So far, that was the part of therapy that Boston hated. It was only his first session and it would probably be his last. Dr. Everette kept asking questions but she wasn’t giving him any advice. He was tempted to snatch the notebook that she kept writing in just to see what was on it.
“She packed my shit up and dropped me off to her sister. My auntie was cool with it for a week or two until she found out that my mama wasn’t giving up any money or benefits for her to keep me. Then, I ended up by my grandma. She was never okay with me being there and she made it known. She said she’d raised all of her kids and she wasn’t about to start all over with me. She was about to get the state involved until my uncle Ray showed up and got me,” Boss rambled.
“How did you feel when you went to live with your uncle Ray?” Dr. Everette asked.
“Loved,” Boston replied.
“How so?” she questioned.
“What’s up with all these questions? I thought you were supposed to fix me,” Boston snapped.
“Fix you how Boston? Are you broken?” Dr. Everette asked.
“No. Broken things can be repaired. I’m destroyed,” he replied.
“How so?” Dr. Everette asked, angering him once again.
“Man, fuck this! Let’s go Indie. I can’t believe that you were coming here paying for this fraud ass bullshit,” Boston fumed as he stood to his feet.
“Boston please,” Indigo begged, right as her phone rang.
“Who is that?” he asked her just like he always did.
“It’s Treva. I need to make sure that Monroe is good. Sit down and finish your session while I step out to take this call,” Indigo replied. Boston grudgingly took his seat and waited for the timer to go off. He’d already paid for the bullshit, so he figured that he might as well stay.
“Does she know?” Dr. Everette asked him.
“Here you go with the questions again. Does who know what?” Boston countered.
“Indigo. Does she know that you’re in love with her?” she questioned.
It was her first time meeting Boston but she picked up on it right away. She’d been seeing Indigo for a while and she knew without a doubt that she felt the same way about him. Indigo talked about her best friend all the time, so Dr. Everette already knew a lot about him.
“She’s known since I was ten years old and there’s not a day that goes by that I don’t remind her,” Boston replied as he looked her in the eyes to show her how sincere he was.
“So, you are capable of having loving relationships,” Dr. Everette noted.
“Who said that I wasn’t?” Boston inquired.
“You did,” she replied.
“No, I said that I love the people who love me. There’s a difference,” Boss corrected.
“I heard all about your mother, uncle and Precious. What about your father?” the doctor asked.
“What about him?” Boss countered.
“Is he in your life?” she inquired.
“Nope and he hasn’t been since I was six,” he answered.
“Why is that? Did he and your mother get divorced?” she asked.
“They were never married. He got locked up and my life went to shit after that. I feel like he didn’t give a fuck about me either. If he did, he would have remained free to make sure that I was straight.”
“Do you have a relationship with him now?” she inquired.
“Nope and I don’t have a desire to,” Boss replied.
“So, earlier you mentioned that you have trouble sleeping. Let’s talk about that,” Dr. Everette requested.
“Nah, I sleep just fine. I just don’t like to sleep alone,” he corrected.
“Why is that?” she asked.
“Because, that’s when your thoughts catch up with you. My body is relaxed but my mind isn’t,” Boss admitted for the first time ever.
Most days, he was on the go from morning to night. He didn’t have time to stop and think about anything. When his days ended, he would be left alone with his thoughts but he found a way around that. His uncle or Kissy usually stayed with him until he fell asleep. When he lived in the group home, they didn’t have their own room so that worked out fine too. Even when he lived with Precious, she or Indigo stayed with him until he fell asleep or one of them slept with him all night. That was why he was so fucked up in the head now. He never thought about his problems and he didn’t know how to deal with them now. As always, anything that was left untreated always got worse over time, which was why he was sitting there talking to a therapist now.
“What happens when you think about things?” Dr. Everette asked, right as the timer went off.
“Well, it’s been real,” Boss said as he got up and prepared to leave. His session was over, so his business with her was done.
“Wait a minute Boston. I’d like to see you again. Do you think that’s possible?” she asked him.
He wanted to decline right away, but something inside of him wouldn’t let him. Admittedly, he didn’t feel as bad as he thought he would when speaking of his past. Maybe that therapy shit wasn’t as bad as he thought it would be.
“When?” he countered.
“In one week if possible,” she answered.
“Yeah, I’ll be back,” he said.
“In the meantime, I want you to do something for me,” she replied.
“I’m listening,” Boss said as he folded his arms across his chest.
“It doesn’t have to be tonight or even tomorrow night, but I want you to try sleeping alone. Do you think that’s something that you’d be willing to try?” the doctor asked.
“I’ll see,” Boss replied as he walked out of the office and right into Indigo.
“Are you done?” she asked.
“Yeah. Is everything okay?” he questioned.
“I don’t know. I’m about to go see what’s going on with Monroe before I go to work. Treva said that she hit her or some shit,” Indigo sighed.
“Come on, I’ll go with you,” Boss replied as they walked over to his car. Indigo had to go work at Bear’s bar for a while but she had to make sure that her cousin was straight first.
“You can announce last call in a few minutes Bear. It’s almost closing time,” Indigo said as she looked at her watch.
Bear’s Place didn’t close late because it was frequented by a mostly older crowd. He opened at noon because he and his girlfriend cooked food and a lot of people came there for lunch. Ten was the latest he stayed open and that made it easier for Indigo to work for him as well as Dixie. Her pay was decent but the tips were something serious.
“Yeah, I’m ready to call it a night. I’m tired as hell. Are you going to Dixie’s tonight?” he asked her.
“Nah, I’m tired too. I’m going home.” Indigo yawned.
“How’s Boston?” he asked.
“He’s good.” Indigo smiled.
“Tell him that that drink is here whenever he’s ready,” Bear noted.
“I’m working on him Bear
. He’ll come around soon,” Indigo promised as she watched him walk away.
She was hoping that she was right because she wanted him and Bear to at least talk. Boss had gone to his first session with her therapist that day and she was excited that he’d agree to go back. Indigo didn’t get a chance to talk to him about it because she had to deal with Monroe. Her cousin was swearing that Treva was trying to kill her and Indigo found out why. Monroe had been refusing to take her meds and Treva had been sneaking it into her food and drinks. Unfortunately, Monroe caught her earlier that day and beat her down. When Indigo got there, Treva was locked up in the room with a busted lip and swollen eye. Monroe and Ellis were cuddling on the sofa watching a movie like everything was all good. In the end, Indigo made her cousin take her meds and apologize to her girlfriend for what she had done. Things seemed to be okay after a while and she left and went to work.
“Seriously,” Indigo sighed when she heard the front door chime, alerting her of a new customer. She looked up and had to do a double take when she saw who it was that walked through the door.
“What’s good Indigo? Where’s your bitch ass best friend? Or is he your nigga again?” West asked as he took a seat at a bar stool right in front of her.
Admittedly, West was in his feelings and he had every reason to be. Boston’s name was ringing bells out there in the streets and he felt some kind of way about it. According to what he’d been hearing, Boss had some of the best dope around. West didn’t want to do business with him anymore. He just wanted his former friend to put him down with his connect. That way, he could get money on his own. Boss owed him that much for turning his back on him when he got locked up. Sending him money was nothing. He had several bitches who did that too. If all went according to plan, West would take all of Boston’s customers and put him out of business. He already had some money stashed away and he was ready to work. The nigga that they used to get dope from was locked up and nobody else had dope as good as what Boston was putting out. Aside from that, niggas weren’t too fond of dealing with dudes who had just been released from prison. A lot of them were rats, so he understood why.
To Boston, With Love Page 12