To Boston, With Love

by Chenell Parker

  “Lucky muthafucker,” Boss spat angrily as he made his way back towards the exit.

  He had searched the entire facility and Justice wasn’t there. Boss used the badge to unlock all the doors that led him back outside. As soon as he got to the last door, he heard it beep before it opened. It was almost as if time stood still when he locked eyes with Justice. They both stood there, stuck, both shocked to see each other. After a minute, Boss snapped out of it and pulled out his gun.

  “Fuck!” Justice yelled as he took off his hard hat and threw it at Boston. He was desperately trying to buy himself some time.

  Shock was an understatement compared to how he felt. Seeing Boston on the streets was bad enough. Now, he had to worry about seeing him at his job too. He was wondering how he even got in there, but that wasn’t relevant at the moment. Getting away with his life was.

  Justice knew that he should have left it alone but his wounded pride wouldn’t let him. He got in his feelings one day and called Indigo to give her a piece of his mind. Granted, he was very disrespectful towards her but he felt disrespected by what Lacey had told him. Now, he was running for his life and dodging bullets that he didn’t even hear being shot. He knew that Boss was shooting though because he’d shot out a few car windows in the employee parking lot. Justice was running and praying for his life. He promised God that if he got him out of that situation alive that he would never utter Indigo’s name again. He swore that he would never call another woman out of her name and he would be leaving for Florida the same day. His brother was ready for him to leave anyway. Justice made the mistake of telling him about what he’d done to Indigo and he was angry. He felt like Justice put him and their entire family at risk since Indigo knew where they all lived. Justice now realized how right his brothers was. If he walked away with his life, he wasn’t going to the police or anyone else. He was just getting the fuck up out of New Orleans.

  “Don’t run lil bitch!” Boss yelled as he tried to keep up with Justice.

  That nigga was acting like a stuntman out there. He was rolling on the ground and diving over cars and shit. He was doing fake moves and shit like Boss had time to be playing with him. The cat and mouse game was getting old, so Boss stood still until he saw Justice run out from in between two cars. He raised his gun and fired two shots when he did. Both shots hit him in the arm and Boss was pissed that his aim was off.

  “Ahhh! Fuck!” Justice yelped in pain.

  It felt like somebody had poured scalding hot water inside of his arm and the pain was excruciating. He wanted to stop running but his adrenaline had started pumping. He wanted to look back to see where Boston was, but he was too scared to do it. That street shit wasn’t for him and he wasn’t about to pretend like it was. He was almost to the back of the building and he was hoping to get to the back door before Boston caught up with him. Boss lifted his gun and was about to fire again until he saw two female employees getting out of their cars and start walking towards them.

  “Fuck!” Boss hissed.

  They were so engrossed in their conversation; they didn’t even see him. Still, he would never want to take an innocent life. Besides that, Justice ran his punk ass right to them, begging them to help. Boss didn’t want to be seen, so he ducked down in between two cars and stayed low. He did that until he was back up front where his father and Draco were. He peeled off the stolen items as he ran and jumped back into the truck.

  “The fuck happened! Everybody’s car alarms are going off,” Draco said as Bear drove away.

  “I got that nigga, but luck was on his side today. That nigga turned into a fucking superhero on me,” Boss replied.

  “Man, Bear had to knock ole boy out again. That nigga woke up on us,” Draco laughed.

  “He’ll be alright,” Bear replied.

  “You got the shit out of your system now, bruh. It’s over,” Draco said as he looked at Boss.

  “I’m good on that nigga. I’m sure he got the point,” Boss replied as he pulled out his blunt.

  Since it was still kind of early, he and Draco went to his father’s house and played a few games of pool. Indigo was at the house doing a few things and he was picking her up whenever she was ready.

  “Grandma, please stop. That’s why I didn’t want you to come over here,” Indigo said as she hugged Beatrice.

  She and Jaci had gone to the house to hang up a few pictures and Beatrice insisted on going with them. The painters were done painting most of the rooms and Indigo was getting an early start on decorating. They had already replaced the floors that she requested and another crew was starting on the exterior paint. Indigo knew that it wasn’t a good idea for her grandmother to accompany them, but they picked her up anyway. Indigo was in a good mood at first, but her grandmother was bringing her down. Beatrice had been crying off and on as she reminisced about her one and only daughter.

  “I’m sorry Indie. This house just brings back so many memories,” Beatrice said as she dabbed at her eyes with the tissue.

  “I know it does grandma but we’ve had lots of good memories here too. That’s all that I want to focus on,” Indigo noted.

  “I just don’t think you living here is such a good idea Indie. Are you even gonna be able to sleep at night?” Beatrice asked.

  “Yes grandma. Boston and I talked about it and we’ll be fine. This was our childhood home and we’re gonna make this our children’s childhood home as well.”

  “What children? Are you pregnant?” Beatrice questioned.

  “No!” Indigo yelled, as Jaci doubled over with laughter.

  “I was about to say. You and Boss got married kind of fast. You would have probably had to take a blood test to see who the daddy was,” Beatrice said, making Jaci scream.

  “If I was pregnant, it would be my husband’s baby and that much I’m sure of. But, I’m on birth control and I just got off my period,” Indigo pointed out.

  “My sister said that you and Boston was fucking but I didn’t want to believe it. She was right though,” Beatrice said.

  “You and auntie Bernice need to stop being so messy. That’s why y’all are always getting into it with somebody in y’all complex,” Indigo fussed.

  “Fuck them people. That’s all on them if they wanna tell us all their business,” Beatrice replied, forgetting all about being sad.

  “I know that’s right,” Jaci said. She liked when Beatrice cut up, so she was egging her on.

  “When are you and your boyfriend getting married?” Beatrice asked her.

  “I don’t know,” Jaci replied with a frown.

  Marrying Draco was something that she really wanted and Indigo was sorry that her grandma even mentioned it. Indigo thought that Draco was gonna propose when they were in Hawaii, but he didn’t. At least that’s what he told Boston that he was going to do. He never mentioned it again and they never asked him about it after that.

  “He’s not gonna marry you,” Beatrice said, before she sipped from her can of Budweiser beer.

  “Grandma!” Indigo yelled.

  Now was not the time for her grandmother to be outspoken. That was a sensitive subject for Jaci and she needed her to leave it alone. Beatrice was known to speak her mind, so she knew that wasn’t going to happen.

  “No Indie, let her talk,” Jaci said as she gave Beatrice her undivided attention.

  “You’re giving him all the privileges of a wife without the ring. Why should he marry you when you already treat him like your husband?” Beatrice inquired.

  “Don’t listen to her, Jaci. Justice and I lived together for years and we weren’t married,” Indigo pointed out.

  “And look at how that turned out. You cheated on him and married the man that you cheated with. Besides, Justice did propose to you. Her man ain’t even do that,” Beatrice noted.

  “Stop it grandma. They’ll get married when the time is right,” Indigo said.

  “My late husband proposed to me after only four months of dating. By month five, we were husband and wi
fe,” Beatrice stated proudly.

  “Wow. That was kind of fast,” Jaci said.

  “No, that was a man who didn’t have time to play games. Trust me, it doesn’t take long for a man to know who or what they want. And I didn’t have to open up my pocketbook and give him none of my change,” Beatrice said as she pointed to her private area.

  “Oh, my God,” Indigo groaned.

  “We never even lived together until after the wedding. I didn’t do no cooking, cleaning or fucking until after he put a ring on it. Y’all got shit twisted nowadays,” Beatrice said as she continued to sip her beer.

  “You’re right.” Jaci nodded.

  “Jaci, don’t,” Indigo said while shaking her head.

  “You got a husband Indigo, so you don’t know how she feels. I’m just saying. Why pay for the cow when he’s getting the milk for free?” Beatrice replied, as Jaci looked away sadly.

  “Come on grandma. I need help with something,” Indigo said as she walked away. She waited in the hallway bathroom until her grandmother walked in right behind her.

  “What do you need help with?” Beatrice asked.

  “Nothing but I need you to let up on Jaci. That’s a sensitive subject for her and you’re only making it worse,” Indigo whispered.

  “How? By telling her the truth. I don’t hold my tongue for nobody and you already know that,” Beatrice replied, right as Indigo’s phone rang. It was the third time the unfamiliar number was calling, so she decided to answer that time.

  “Hello!” Indigo yelled into the receiver.

  “Indigo! Thank God you answered,” a woman said in relief.

  “Who is this?” Indigo asked.

  “This is Amanda, Justice’s mother. We’re on our way to New Orleans now. How is he?” Amanda inquired.

  “How is who Amanda?” Indigo questioned in confusion.

  “Justice. I know that you were probably too distraught to call but the hospital notified us. Thank God it was only two arm shots that were in and out,” Amanda rambled, confusing Indigo even more.

  “I’m sorry Amanda, but I have no idea what you’re talking about. Justice and I aren’t even together anymore,” Indigo informed her.

  “What! Since when?” Amanda asked.

  “Since he blacked my eye and choked me until I passed out,” Indigo snapped.

  “My God. I’m so sorry Indigo. I had no idea. He came to visit us for a while and I asked him about you. He had us all under the impression that work prevented you from coming. I have to tell you that I’m surprised to hear this. That’s not like Justice at all,” Amanda replied.

  “Yeah, I didn’t think so either,” Indigo said.

  “Did you even know anything about him being shot?” Amanda asked.

  “No, I didn’t. I’m married now Amanda. I don’t have any communication with Justice at all,” Indigo answered.

  Truthfully, Indigo didn’t know that Justice had been shot. Now that she did, she knew who was responsible for it. Boss was adamant about getting at Justice and he finally got his wish.

  “Married. Wow,” Amanda said, shocked by the revelation.

  Justice had been very busy in New Orleans and he had a lot of explaining to do. She didn’t know what happened between him and Indigo, but she didn’t condone him putting his hands on a woman. He knew better and that wasn’t how he was raised. She was happy that he was moving to Florida. He needed to put New Orleans behind him and get a fresh new start. Her boys were working men and that was the first time that anything like that had ever happened to any of them. Amanda assumed that it was a robbery or something. After talking to Indigo, she wasn’t so sure anymore.

  “I’m happy that his wounds weren’t fatal and I hope he has a speedy recovery,” Indigo replied, ready to be done with the call.

  “Thanks Indigo. I appreciate the concern. I won’t hold you. Have a good night,” Amanda said.

  “You do the same,” Indigo replied, before she hung up.

  “That husband of yours done went out there and shot that boy up,” Beatrice said while looking at her granddaughter sideways. She heard both ends of the conversation and pieced it all together.

  “You are the nosiest old lady that I’ve ever met. Boston is out with his father. He did not shoot anyone,” Indigo defended.

  “Yeah right. His daddy is a killer too. That’s what he went to jail for, ain’t it,” Beatrice noted.

  “Grandma stop, please. Keep all of that to yourself. You need to stop being so messy,” Indigo fussed.

  “Okay, I won’t say nothing else. I’ll wait until I get home and talk to Bernice. At least she don’t get offended about nothing that I say,” she replied as she walked away.

  Indigo didn’t care about her grandmother’s apparent attitude because she was used to it. Precious used to call her mother out on her bullshit all the time and Indigo did too. She talked everybody’s business and people were stupid for even telling her anything.

  Once they hung a few pictures and put some other things in place, Indigo called Boss to come pick her up. Draco’s car was parked out front, so Jaci was waiting on him too. Indigo hated to see her friend look so down. Thanks to her grandmother, Jaci would probably be depressed for a while. When Boss walked into the house a few minutes later, Indigo looked at him and frowned.

  “Not now Indie. We’ll talk later,” he replied before kissing her on the lips.

  “You ready to roll baby?” Draco asked as he looked over at Jaci.

  “I guess,” she snapped as she grabbed her purse.

  “What’s wrong with you?” he questioned.

  “Just take me home Draco. With the way I feel, I might not even sleep there tonight,” Jaci fumed as she stormed out of the house.

  “The fuck is wrong with her?” He frowned as he walked out of the house behind her.

  “You see what you did,” Indigo fussed as she looked at her grandmother.

  “I didn’t do shit,” Beatrice denied.

  Once they locked up the house, Indigo and Boss went to take her grandmother home. Indigo swore that Beatrice wasn’t setting foot in their house again until they were all moved in. She had caused enough trouble and poor Draco was probably paying for it.

  “Tell me what happened,” Indigo said to Boss as soon as they were alone.

  “I kept my word. The nigga ain’t dead.” Boss shrugged.

  “Boston,” Indigo sighed.

  “We’re good baby. The nigga ain’t dead and the shit is over with. The fuck is up with Jaci?” he inquired while changing the subject.

  As far as he was concerned, Justice was a non-factor. Boss did what he wanted to do and he’d made his point. He wasn’t even worried about him getting the police involved. It was Justice’s word against his and he had his father and Draco as an alibi if he needed one.

  “My grandma is what’s up with her.” Indigo frowned as she ran the entire story down to him.

  She laughed when Boss told her about how he got into Justice’s job. He was so extra, but that was nothing new. He always did go to the extreme when it came to her and that only made her love him more.

  I t was game time and West couldn’t contain his excitement. His lil bitch at the club had everything in place and ready to go. He thought he was about have a problem with transportation when Lane started complaining about him always using her car. A few minutes with his face buried in between her legs was enough to squash that.

  “How long are you gonna be?” Lane asked as she used the sheet to cover her naked body.

  “I shouldn’t be no more than an hour or two,” West replied.

  “Look, what we’re doing is cool and all but getting my pussy licked ain’t helping pay no bills. Lacey ain’t here no more, so all this shit is on me now. I don’t need no dead weight,” Lane said as she sat up and looked at him.

  She was slipping and even she had to admit that. Lane was all about her money and she wasn’t about to let West knock her off her square. She let good sex and even better head cloud h
er judgment. She couldn’t even be mad that her sister left. She shouldn’t have had to pay bills for another nigga to reap the benefits. Lacey got her an all utilities paid townhouse and Lane was thinking about doing the same.

  “Dead weight,” West repeated in offense.

  “That’s what I said. It was cool for you to come through and stay for a night or two. But, you’ve been here for a minute and haven’t offered me a dime.”

  “Is that what this is about? Money.” West frowned.

  “The fuck you think! I got bills Westly. I don’t have nobody in here going half on bills no more,” Lane pointed out.

  “I told you that I got you, girl. I got something in the works right now. I’m about to hit a lick that’ll have me straight for a while,” West bragged.

  “Nigga, please. You’ve been saying that shit since you came home,” Lane replied while rolling her eyes.

  “I know baby but it’s happening… tonight,” West assured her.

  “Don’t be out there trying to rob niggas in my damn car,” Lane snapped.

  She knew how that could go. West would do dirt in her car and she would end up losing her life behind it. She’d heard about things like that happening lots of times before.

  “I’m not going rob nobody girl. This is an easy lick that will benefit us both. Trust me, baby. I got you. I got us,” West promised before he kissed her and walked away.

  West was all smiles as he hopped into Lane’s car and made his way over to Dixie’s. He parked his car in the back right where his boo told him to. It was on the side of the dumpster and it smelled bad as hell. Still, a little funk was a small price to pay for the payout that he was hoping to get at the end of the night.

  He was almost an hour early, but he wanted to peep things out first. He had to make sure that everything went according to plan and he couldn’t afford to fuck up. West smoked a blunt to calm his nerves as he waited for his phone to ring. He knew without a doubt that he had to be on point when he went after Boss. If he didn’t kill him, he was basically committing suicide.