Love Without Loyalty

by Kaige Keira

  “Yes, baby,” Dina said into the receiver.

  “Are you cooking tonight, mama,” Autumn asked. She reached her car and was about to get in when she heard somebody calling her name.

  “Order out, I got called in to work a shift,” Dina said. Autumn was trying to respond but the view in front of her caused her heart to stop. Chicago was jogging over to her with his shirt off.

  “Autumn are you listening to me,” Dina asked. “Autumn?”

  “Mama let me call you back,” Autumn said. She quickly hung up the phone as she waited for Chicago to reach her. His abs were glistening with sweat and Autumn had to admit the young man was fine as fuck.

  “You about to leave,” Chicago asked as he approached her. Autumn nodded her head as she tried to swallow the log that was forming in her throat.

  “What are you doing later on tonight,” Chicago asked. Autumn was about to answer until she heard a familiar voice behind her answer the question for her.

  “She already got a date,” Avery said. Autumn quickly turned around. She couldn’t hide the smile that suddenly appeared across her face. She saw he had a bouquet of flowers in his hands. Her heart swelled with love as he looked at her.

  “I have a date,” Autumn said when she turned around to face Chicago. “We can study another time.” She was trying to spare him from embarrassment. Chicago nodded his head and then jogged off to join the other guys that was playing football.

  Autumn shook her head as she looked back at Avery. “I thought we was meeting up Friday,” Autumn asked as she approached him. “Who are the flowers for?”

  Avery smiled as he handed them to her. “I was running some errands and when I saw these, I thought of you. I just wanted to surprise you.” Autumn smiled as she smelled the flowers. Avery stepped back to admire her beauty. Autumn was rocking a sweat-pants and a white t-shirt. Her long hair was in a bun on top of her head and her face was makeup free. Autumn was in her natural state and rocking the hell out of it.

  Autumn stepped up to him and planted a kiss on Avery’s lips. She was shocked at how soft they were. Avery deepen the kiss by pulling her close to him. “Maybe we should stop,” Autumn said as she pulled away from him. Avery was confusing her senses. She never wanted to fuck a man so bad until now. “So, movies this weekend?”

  “Whenever you ready, kid,” Avery said as he looked down at his watch. “I got to go talk to Blessings so I will text you later alright?” Avery looked at Autumn as she nodded her head. He smiled as he kissed her on the cheek. “Damn, you look beautiful today.” Autumn blushed as she watched Avery walked away.

  “I think my dumb ass in love,” Autumn said to herself. She was definitely feeling something.

  AUTUMN WALKED INTO the house and head straight to the kitchen. She had promised her mother that she would cook for her and her sister to avoid spending unnecessary cash. Autumn grabbed the steaks out of the fridge and placed them on the counter. “Tori,” Autumn called out. She decided now was the best time to talk to Tori. Autumn just wanted her sister back. They used to be close but ever since Tori discovered boys, her whole demeanor has changed. Autumn tried not to judge her sister, but it was hard to do. Here she was eighteen and still a virgin, while her sixteen-year-old probably have had more dudes then the average teenager.

  After some time has passed, Autumn didn’t hear anybody walking down the stairs. Autumn checked the time on the microwave and realized her sister should have been home by now. It was going on five o’clock. Autumn turned the stove on and decided to see what was taking her sister so long. Autumn bounded up the stairs two at a time and stopped when she reached Tori’s door. She was debating on whether or not she should knock, when she noticed the door was already ajar.

  Autumn opened the door slowly as she held her breath. She flipped on the light switch and gasped when she saw her sister sprawled across the bed. Autumn quickly ran to her sister side. “Tori,” Autumn yelled as she slapped her sister across her face. Autumn looked around and noticed the needle that was on the floor, not too far from Tori’s body. “Oh my god, Tori. What did you do?”

  Autumn quickly dragged Tori’s unconscious body to the bathroom. She pulled Tori’s body into the tub. She hurriedly turned on the shower making sure the water was cold and letting the water hit Tori’s body so it can shock her system.

  Tori slowly stirred as Autumn quickly ran downstairs to the kitchen to grab her cell phone. She didn’t want to call the police due to the fact they were in a prestigious neighborhood. News like this would travel fast and soon her mother would be the talk of the suburbs. Autumn called the one person she felt she can trust.

  BLESSING PULLED UP to her apartment building and noticed Priest’s car was in its usual parking spot. Blessings sigh as she got out of the car and dreaded the conversation they were about to have. He stood her up last night and Blessings was stuck looking stupid at the restaurant. She didn’t bother calling him because after about thirty minutes of waiting for him to show, she blocked him. He was putting her through the ringer, and she was getting tired of it.

  Blessings walked through the front door and smelled dinner on the stove. Her stomach growled as a reminder she hasn’t really put something in there since last night. Blessings walked into the kitchen and leaned up against the wall. “So, you finally decided to show up?”

  Priest looked up from the stove and smiled. “I thought you might be hungry, so I decided to cook for you.”

  “I was hungry last night but nobody showed up,” Blessing reiterated angrily. “Unless you were Casper the fucking ghost, you surely didn’t make an appearance.”

  Priest winced when he felt the hostility in Blessings words. “Something came up and I had to handle it.” Blessings scoffed as she rolled her eyes.

  “So, you couldn’t text or call me,” Blessing asked as she folded her arms. “Once again, you didn’t communicate. I waited at that restaurant for over an hour. But best believe, I didn’t leave out by myself.”

  Blessings turned around and headed to her room. Priest was close on her tail. “Stop fucking playing with me, Bless,” Priest said as they reached the room. Blessings was lying and she knew that last statement would hit a nerve. But she was tired of him dropping everything to do whatever but when it comes down to her, she couldn’t even get a fucking message in a bottle.

  “Who the fuck is he,” Priest asked as he stood by the bedroom door. Blessings looked at him and rolled her eyes. Now he is showing concern. Fuck his show of emotions. Blessings sat on the edge of the bed and looked at the picture of him and her that was sitting on the dresser. The picture was only a few months old but already it seemed like a lifetime ago.

  “What happened to us,” Blessings asked softly. She looked up at Priest and waited for a reply. She was in love with him ever since she was thirteen years old. He saved her from a drug dealer who was trying to fuck up Mark for not paying. Unbeknownst to her, Mark decided his little sister would help settle his debt. If it wasn’t for Avery and Priest, who was in the area, Blessings didn’t know what would have happen to her.

  “We just going through a rough patch right now,” Priest stated as he sat down beside her. “We will get through it. Just hang on. Patience.”

  Blessings rolled her eyes. “For how long?” Blessings suddenly stood up in front of him. “You disappear and leave without a text or a call. Then show back up like everything is still ok. It’s not ok, Priest.”

  Priest reached for her hand, but she jerked away from him. “Don’t,” Blessings said sternly as she walked out of the room. She grabbed her book bag and headed out of the door. Priest was putting her in a bad headspace. She didn’t know if they would last forever anymore. Something wasn’t right. She was sure of that. One day, he was the ideal boyfriend. Now all of a sudden, it’s like she is living with a complete stranger. How the fuck did they get here?

  Blessings hopped in her car and drove over to her mother’s house. This was the last place she wanted to be, but she needed to talk to h
er mother. Her mother was the only other person who can set her straight besides Avery. But since Avery was adamant about staying out of their business, her mother was the next choice. Blessings exited her car and walked inside her mother’s house. She can taste the faint aroma of grilled porkchops.

  “Ma,” Blessings called out. She walked into the kitchen to see Yvonne talking on the cell phone. Yvonne looked up at Blessings as she enters. “You looking,” Blessings said in a challenging tone. She never did care for Yvonne. Anybody that willingly fucks with a lame ass nigga like Mark, was suspect in her eyes. She didn’t even fuck with Mark.

  Yvonne rolled her eyes as she walked back towards the basement door. Blessings looked around the kitchen until she discovered a plate wrapped on the stove. Blessings grabbed a fork out of the utensils draw and grabbed the plate. Leave it to her mother to fix her daughter a plate of her favorite meal. Baked macaroni with grilled porkchops and a roll on the side. Blessings started digging in while she walked around the house in search of her mother.

  She found her mother sitting in the backyard, rolling a blunt. “Ohh, I’m telling,” Blessings teased as she grabbed a seat next to her mother. Blessings was the exact replicate of her mother except for the eye color. People used to always come around and comment on how much Ms. Nancy kids favored her, especially Blessings. Mark had the same skin tone as Ms. Nancy, but his features was that of their father. Duke and Nancy Richards was married for twenty beautiful years before Duke suddenly fell ill. He was diagnosed with stage two breast cancer. Many people in the neighborhood couldn’t believe that a man could have gotten breast cancer, let alone Duke. He was in denial the whole entire time. By the time Nancy was able to convince Duke to start taking treatments, it was too late. The cancer had spread rapidly. The cancer had spread to multiple areas of his body and it was nothing the doctors could have done. So, Ms. Nancy had to watch the love of her life wither away in front of her. Gone was the strong man who picked her up and carried her over the threshold of their home. Gone was the man who made sure to play football with his son and barbies with his baby girl. The man she loved had started to cease no more. Ms. Nancy stayed by Duke’s side for the duration of his life. The doctors had given him three weeks to live. But Duke stayed alive until after Blessing’s tenth birthday which was six weeks later. He was sitting right at the kitchen table, smiling and laughing with his baby girl. He passed shortly afterwards.

  “Mind your business,” Ms. Nancy said as she lit the blunt. “This is high grade reefer. You wouldn’t be able to handle it.” Ms. Nancy laughed as she handed her daughter the blunt. “Tell me your sorrows, my child.”

  Blessings sat back in the lawn chair as she told her mother everything. “Am I wrong, mama,” Blessings asked her mother as she passed the blunt back.

  Ms. Nancy took her time answering. “It does seem like he is cheating. Maybe he is handling some business. You can’t tell me Priest not out here doing something illegal.” Blessings sighed as she rolled her eyes.

  “Mommy,” Blessings said softly. She knew that Priest was in the streets. But this doesn’t feel like a street matter. Whatever it was, it was going to break her. She can feel it whenever Priest comes around. It’s like he was expecting her to leave but was prolonging it.

  Ms. Nancy touched her daughter’s hand. “You are a smart girl. You will figure it out. I raised you and taught you the game that niggas play. Just listen to your heart. It will tell you everything you need to know.” Ms. Nancy took another pull of her blunt.

  The slide door suddenly opened, and Blessings felt her skin crawl. Mark came walking outside with his shirt off. His once glorified body was now sporting a beer belly. Mark has definitely changed. On the inside and out. Blessings groaned as she kept her eyes on her plate.

  “Ma, I need a few dollars so I can go to the corner store,” Mark said as he ignored the fact that his sister was sitting right there.

  “Boy, I give you a roof over your head and unfortunately I feed your ass,” Ms. Nancy said as she rolled her eyes. “How about going to get a job so you would be able to afford the fake piece of ass you got staying in my basement.”

  Mark sucked on his teeth as he looked away. “She gone leave one of these days. She already coming in all hours of the night. Either she trying to get back with Avery or she is looking for another sponsor. You were just a dick to ride on and make her happy when her main nigga was busy.” Ms. Nancy looked at her son as he walked off mumbling underneath his breath. “He hates when you tell him the truth.”

  “Why do you even have him here,” Blessings asked. “Especially with her. She just so trifling. He is too. Avery is his cousin, but it always seems like he is competing.”

  Ms. Nancy sighed. “Boys will be boys.” Ms. Nancy bust out laughing as she looked at her daughter’s facial expression. “When you get much older you will understand. Right now, your trying to find your place in the world. Don’t rush growth, baby. It comes faster for others and unfortunately for some, it comes later on life.” Ms. Nancy stood up to stretch. She pulled her daughter up to her feet and gave her a hug. “You just continue be the blessing me and your father always knew you could be. One day, you will be the firefly that light up people lives with the biggest spark imaginable. But don’t try to shine that light to bright so early.”

  Ms. Nancy kissed her daughter on her cheek and walked off. Blessings sat back down as she ponders over her mother’s choice of words. She knew what it meant. But damn it if she wanted to do it. Blessings sighed as she looked down at the plate of food sitting on the table in front of her. Yea, things were definitely about to get complicated.

  Chapter 7

  Autumn sat inside of Touro Hospital waiting area as she waited for news regarding her sister. Avery was out grabbing them a bite to eat and it was just Autumn sitting there by herself, alone in her thoughts. She had known her sister had to be on something. But crack? Tori’s life wasn’t complicated. She didn’t grow up in a rough neighborhood. They stayed in a gated community where the cheapest house was worth three hundred thousand.

  Autumn sighed as she rested her head on the back of her chair. She was praying nobody from the hospital her mother works at will find out about this. Dina was all about appearance and how you handle yourself in the world. The last thing Autumn wanted was for people to be talking behind her mother’s back.

  Avery walked in carrying Denny’s and a Walmart bag. “Any word yet,” Avery asked as he sat down next to her at the small table. Autumn shook her head as her stomach growled when she smelled the food.

  “I didn’t even text my mom,” Autumn sighed. She sat up straight when Avery placed the breakfast platter down in front of her and then stuck a straw in her cup.

  “You seem like an apple juice kind of girl,” Avery said as he gave her a smile. Autumn laughed as she dug into the eggs.

  “You know, on our last date, you were the only one asking all the questions,” Autumn said as she poured syrup on her pancakes. She stuck her thumb in her mouth to lick the syrup residue off. “So, I guess it’s my turn now.” She needed something to get her mind off Tori.

  Avery laughed as he sat back in his chair. “Fire away.”

  Autumn took another bite of her food. “How old are you?”

  “25.”

  “Why are you single?”

  Avery paused before answering. “My ex-fiancée cheated on me with my cousin.” Autumn stopped chewing as she looked at him.

  “I’m so sorry to hear that,” Autumn said sadly. She dropped her fork and pushed her chair back from the table. She walked over to him and sat on his lap as she looked into his brown eyes. “You are an amazing man. I see it by the way you go above and beyond with me. Any girl would be lucky to have you.”

  Avery smiled as he traced her lips with his fingers. She had the most beautiful pair of lips he has ever seen. They were the right size and matched her perfectly. “You are an amazing young woman.”

  Autumn laughed. She wasn’t trying to breathe becau
se she knew her breath smelled like the food she was eating. But the way he was staring at her made her forget about all that. He didn’t care she was a full figure young woman. She had more curves than just a little bit and he wanted it all. The way he made her sit across his lap that way her vagina was sitting directly on top of his dick made her gasp. He was definitely working with something. Avery placed his hand on the back of her head and pulled her closer for a kiss. They didn’t care they was in the middle of the hospital. Once they were in each other personal space, it was just them. Nobody else mattered.

  “Miss Coleman,” somebody said in the room. Autumn quickly broke the kiss as she looked up at the doctor. Embarrassment was written all across her face. “Your sister is fine. We were able to administrate naloxone and reverse the overdose. Your sister would be out shortly, but we would like to keep her overnight. Do you know if this was a suicide attempt?

  Autumn got out of Avery’s lap and stood up. “I think so,” she lied. “She been highly depressed lately.”

  The doctor wrote something on the chart and then looked up at Autumn. “We can keep her here for 48 to 72 hours for suicide attempt as regulations would have it. A nurse would be in here shortly to let you know when she is out of the operating room.”

  The doctor walked off and Avery went to stand behind Autumn. “I didn’t know she was depressed. Just seems like she had got a bad bag of drugs.”

  Autumn turned around and looked at him. “She isn’t but at least here they will be able to monitor her and hopefully get a therapist up here. She been like this since she was fifteen. I’m just trying to stop her from destroying her life before it even gets started.” Autumn sat back in her chair and rested her head in her hands.

  Avery squatted down beside her and took her hand into his. “I know this great rehab facility. My aunt had brought my cousin there when he started having a serious drug problem. Maybe you and your mother can look into that.”