“We going to get him from Sue’s house now,” Alicia answered. A lone sob found its way out of her throat and into the phone. To prevent any more from escaping, Alicia held her breath as she waited for Skinny’s response.
“Tell him to call me when y’all get there.” Skinny wriggled into a pair of jeans as she held the phone in the crook of her neck. “And you ain’t told me which hospital.”
“”Jackson.” Alicia squeaked out. She couldn’t hold her sobs much longer.
“A’ight,” Skinny replied, snapping her phone shut. Now fully dressed, she snatched her keys and purse from the dresser and sprinted towards the door.
***
Skinny paced back and forth between the waiting room chairs mumbling to herself. Every so often, she would flail her arms. She looked as though she’d gone mad. The behavior was making everyone, especially Alicia, more nervous.
“Skinny! Please sit down,” Alicia pleaded, but Skinny showed no sign of having heard her.
“Sis, just let her be,” E said, patting Alicia on the knee.
“But she making me more nervous!”
The ringing of a cell phone filled the waiting room. E, Alicia, Skinny and Sue all checked their phones. Everyone except Skinny returned their cell phones to their original locations.
“Hello?” Skinny answered. She walked towards the mechanical glass doors and stepped outside.
With Skinny now outside, everyone could breathe a little easier. To pass the time, Sue and Alicia watched the silent news broadcast in the waiting room. E glanced around the room at the other people in the waiting room. Over at the far end, he thought he noticed someone he knew, but he couldn’t tell for certain. The girl had her face slightly turned away from him, and it obscured his ability to see who she was. After watching the girl twist a tissue in her hand over and over for about five minutes, he finally decided that she probably wasn’t going to turn around.
Skinny rushed back into the glass doors and looked around frantically, worried that the phone call had caused her to miss the doctor. After spotting E, Alicia and Sue, her heart rate dropped closer to normal. Now alittle calmer than she had been before the phone call, she took a seat on the other side of E. Placing her elbows on her knees and her head in her hands, she fought the urge to cry.
“Here come the doctor,” Alicia said.
“Are you the family of Balle Williams?” the doctor now standing in front of them asked.
Everyone stood and nodded. Unbeknownst to anyone in the group, another family member had joined them as the straight-faced doctor delivered the news. “We’ve removed the bullet, but it wasn’t easy. It was located just inches from his spine. He has also lost a lot of blood from the wound itself. We’re giving him some donated blood now. The next twenty-four hours are crucial in his prognosis, so we’re just going to have to see how he does.”
The heart of everyone standing there sunk. Sue’s loud, uncontrollable sobs filled the waiting room as she ran away to the restroom, holding a tissue to her face. E wrapped his arm around Alicia as she quietly sobbed. Skinny stiffened her body and stood up straight. “Can we see him?” she asked.
“Yes,” the doctor nodded. “But only two at a time, and not for long. We need to concentrate on getting him some rest. I’ll send someone down when he’s ready.” With that, the doctor disappeared behind the swinging metal doors into the inner depths of the hospital.
Turning to face E and Alicia, Skinny suddenly noticed the silent intruder. Her eyes narrowed and her fists balled. “What the fuck you want?” She was ready to pounce.
The girl took a step back. She looked like a frightened little child. It was that moment that something clicked inside E’s memory. “Sis! She’s good,” he said, thrusting his arm in front of Skinny.
Skinny turned her narrowed eyes towards E. “What the fuck you mean?”
“This the girl I told to stay with Lil’ one,” E replied, keeping his tone calm and quiet to help ease Skinny back down.
“I-I’m Shawn,” the young girl stuttered, her eyes still teary pools of fear. She took a nervous step forward and extended her hand towards E. In it, she held the money he had given her just hours before. “Here’s your money.”
E dismissed her with a swat of the air. “Keep it, it’s yours,” he replied before turning and walking back towards his seat.
Skinny relaxed back to her new state of normalcy, which was really quite far from her regular normal, but she knew she had to hold it together right now. Everyone needed her to be strong, especially Balle. Looking around at the worried faces that surrounded her, she decided it was time for a food run. She needed to get away from all of this, even if for just a moment. And food might help improve everyone’s morale. “Y’all want something to eat from McDonald’s?” she asked.
Everyone spoke up and gave their orders, everyone except Shawn. Skinny looked over at Shawn and asked, “What? You don’t want nothing?”
Shawn looked over at Skinny and then at everyone sitting around her. “You talking to me?” she asked, pointing a finger at her chest.
“Yeah.” Skinny raised a hand slowly in acceptance of Shawn’s presence. “You good. Matter fact. You can come help me bring the food back.”
Shawn looked nervously over at E, silently asking him if accompanying Skinny was safe.
E cocked a sideways smile. “She good. That’s my sister and Lil’ one’s old girl.” But Shawn stayed planted in her spot.
Rolling her eyes, Skinny charged forward, took a hold of Shawn’s hand and pulled her up from her seat. “Come on, girl. I ain’t gonna do nothing to you.” Reluctantly, Shawn followed.
As the elevator doors closed Shawn and Skinny inside, Skinny turned and faced the young girl standing next to her. “What do you think of our Family?”
Shawn bit her lower lip, unsure of how to answer. Hesitantly, she replied, “You seem cool…why you ask me that?”
Skinny smiled. “’Cause I know my son. He ain’t gone let nothing as fine as you pass him by.” She then turned back towards the elevator doors.
Shawn quietly considered Skinny’s statement for a moment. “So you telling me he really was trying to run game on me while he was lying there fighting for his life?”
The elevator dinged and the doors opened. Stepping forward, Skinny shrugged. “Depends on what he told you.”
Shawn followed a few steps behind Skinny. “What if he told me I was his soul mate?”
Skinny grinned, stopped, turned and faced Shawn. “Welcome to the family.”
“What you talking about?” Shawn asked, again following Skinny as she walked down the long hallway.
Skinny laughed loudly. The sound echoed against the corridor walls. “He ain’t run no game on you. He meant what he said,” Skinny answered, talking over her shoulder. Shawn picked up her pace to catch up. “Come on,” Skinny said. “I got some clean clothes in the car. Let’s get them bloody clothes off you.”
“Thanks for everything,” Shawn said as she and Skinny passed through the doors out into the parking lot. She pulled the money from her pocket again. “And give your brother back his money,” she said, shoving it towards Skinny. “He won’t take it from me.”
Skinny shook her head. “Shawn, look. Anybody that works gets paid in the family. E paid you to stay with Lil’ one, so that was your job at the time. That’s yo’ money. He ain’t gone take it back from you, not through me or anybody else.”
“Can I ask you another question?” Shawn asked as she and Skinny climbed into the Charger.
“Yeah, wuz up?”
Shawn’s brow creased in confusion. “How is Balle your son if y’all look the same age?”
Skinny chuckled. ”It’s a long story. If you want to know, you gone have to ask Lil’ one ‘cause I don’t know if he wants you to know all that yet.”
Even more confused than she was when she’d started the conversation, Shawn silently watched the city lights pass by through the passenger window as they made their way to the
closest McDonald’s.
After Shawn changed inside of the car, she and Skinny went into McDonald’s to order before heading back to the hospital. The wait back at the hospital was excruciating. Everyone ate in silence. It seemed as though they had waited for hours, but just ten minutes after everyone had finished eating, a nurse came and met them in the waiting room.
“Are you the family of Balle Williams?”
“Yes,” Skinny answered as she stood. Shawn also stood. Everyone had agreed that they would be the first two to visit Lil’ B.
After sitting with him for fifteen minutes, Skinny and Shawn headed back down to the waiting room so that Sue and Alicia could go for their turn. E would go last.
While waiting for E to return from his time with Lil’ B, the women discussed who would stay with Lil’ B overnight; the nurse had informed them that only one could stay.
“I’ll stay with him,” Shawn said. Alicia looked over at Skinny, her mouth hung open in shock.
“I’m gone stay with my baby,” Sue said firmly. She stood up, head shaking and hands on her hips.
“Ma,” E’s voice came from behind them. He’d entered the waiting room just in time to hear the end of the conversation. “Let Shawn stay. She proving her loyalty.”
Sue pouted and threw her body back into the chair heavily. “A’ight. But I’m gone be out here tomorrow.” Her arms remained crossed over her chest.
Skinny handed Shawn a small piece of paper. “It’s on you Shawn. If you get ready to leave, just call this number and let us know.” Releasing a loud sigh, she turned towards Sue and signaled with her arm that it was time for them to go.
***
“Man, Raw, something ain’t right,” Richard said, rolling over on his bunk. The movement sent a sharp pain through his lower back.
“What you mean, fam?” Bam called up from his own bunk.
“I just feel it.” Richard pulled himself into a seated position. That only intensified the pain further. “My back been fucking with me all night.”
“What? You got back problems?”
“Naw, man.” Richard slowly climbed down from his bunk. Holding his lower back with one hand, he turned to face Bam. “Something done happened to one of my niggas. This how I felt when my big brother got hit up.”
Richard’s noticeable pain was a little unnerving to Bam – his color was paler than normal and grimaces of pain would cross his face every few seconds, particularly when he shifted tried to move.
“Go jump on the phone,” Bam replied, wondering if he should help Richard walk over to the phone. “Go see if everything cool.”
“I know what I’m going to do.” Pulling himself into an upright standing position, Richard fought through the stabbing pain and walked towards the correction officer’s desk. “Ms. Jackson, call baby girl. See if everything okay.”
Kita stood up from her seat and picked her cell phone up off her desk. “A’ight,” she replied, looking a little confused. “Let me go to the bathroom. I’ll call her in there.”
As she walked away, the pain in Richard’s back intensified. He tried to wait patiently for her to return, but the pain was now almost unbearable. After ten minutes that, to Richard, felt more like an hour, he finally saw her walking towards him from the bathroom. “What happened?” he asked before she’d even reached him.
“She say Lil’ one got shot in the back tonight.” Tears filled Kita’s eyes. “They at the hospital now.”
The moment the news hit his ears, the pain in his back stopped. “I knew it. I knew something wasn’t right. I felt that shit!” Richard began to pace the floor in front of Kita. Every few seconds, he would grab his ear between his thumb and forefinger. His breathing started to pick up and he could feel his heart racing in his chest. He couldn’t remember ever struggling this much to control his emotions. Turning to a worried, frightened Kita, Richard held out his hand. “Let me hold your phone. I got to call somebody.” He fought to keep his voice under control, but his tone still more closely resembled the low growl of an animal.
Seeing the fear in Kita’s eyes, Richard forced a smile to his face. He thought how scary that smile must look right now, but he hoped it was enough to calm her, at least a little. He wasn’t angry with her, but he was, most definitely angry.
Kita nodded and handed over her cell phone. “A’ight.” She couldn’t really understand why she felt so afraid. She knew she had no reason to fear Richard. Watching Richard walk away, she suddenly realized that her uneasiness wasn’t a fear of him, but a fear of what he was going to do to the poor soul that had shot Lil’ B.
About the Author
Richard A Robinson, pseudonym R.A. Robinson, born January 24 1985 in Miami, Florida is an expert in personal branding for the crime-fiction audience, e-book author, and contributor to a locally recognized Blog. Richard wrote most of the Thuggin In Miami series while serving a four-year sentence within the Florida prison system. Born, raised, and currently living in Liberty City, he has first-hand experience in the events, livelihood, and lifestyle of the “hood”. His motion-picture method of writing places the reader in the passenger seat, while he drives them through the storyline.
Acknowledgement
First off I want to thank God for opening my eyes to my true talent, something I have grown to love doing, writing. I am extremely grateful to have met Mikel Mittal “Comcast” who pushed me to publish this novel. Thank you for believing in my talent, and wanting to collaborate with me to make this a success. A heartily thanks you to Cathy Givens for taking on this project, and structuring the home on top of my foundation, (without you, Cathy, I do not know what we would have done). Thanks to Debby Hockley (a great friend) for bringing us Linda Roberts (our copy-editor) into this project, this has been long overdue. Thank you Hosean (the fake Skinny) for putting your two-cents in, and discovering new ways for us to promote this series. Rest in peace to my father Adolphus E. Gary “Big Wine” I love you; thank you for teaching me about life. A loving thank you goes out to my lovely grandmother Bessie A Robinson, now deceased, I love you so much. My sisters Tasha, Tawana, and Alicia I love y'all with every part of me; no matter what choices I have ever made, you’ll have stood beside me, you’ll are my backbone, and I wouldn't trade you’ll for nothing in the world. To all my friends from 18th Ave: E (I love you bro.), Big-J, Fly, Ham, Mondo, Renzoe, Bigman, Soup, Richmond, Hater (I see you on that fly G-14.), Manny-Boo (we made 66th street. I remember those nights.), Mango, the Twin's, My cousin Nay-Nay (I’m waiting on you to get home), and anyone else that I could have missed. I want to thank the whole 18th for holding me down in those mean streets. Hey Zoë, I haven’t forgotten y'all boys, y’all family too. Lebo, Cedd, Timbo, Quan, Nephew (Rest In Peace), Twin, and Charlie y'all my brothers from another mother, I love y'all. My big sis Gina, and Pop (I love y’all). Lil Pop, Baby, Big Baby, Zod, and all the rest of my nieces, and nephews that I have missed, you all are amazing. Thank you to all of my supporters, and fans of the Thuggin In Miami series, continue to help grow this movement by telling your friends, and family, I love and appreciate all of you. Enjoy this novel, enjoy this series, and live life for the purpose of obtaining what each one of us are destined for, and that is GREATNESS.
-R.A. Robinson
Message from the Author
I wrote this novel under duress; it was written while sitting in the “box” for weeks on end. Writing calmed my rowdiness, and was the only thing that felt natural, and real to me. I needed something to do, to keep my sanity, and my sanity lied within the pen. Now, I have learned that there is a greater purpose for my writing.
I wrote this novel to impose a story to the children, young adults, and adults within all classes, and communities. In my past, I lived a wild and reckless lifestyle. I have a gift, and prison allowed me to find my gift. Today I think to myself that if I had just spent more time studying, spent a little more time working on my education, just a little more time out of the streets, and inside of my books, maybe I would have ran down a
different path to end up at this same point in my life, my destiny.
I believe that everyone on this earth has his and her own purpose, everyone has a gift, and everyone has a destiny. My message to the world is, “Don’t let your peers, or your environment lead you astray. Follow the lit path, and it will guide you on your way, TOWARDS YOUR DESTINY.”
-R.A. Robinson
Table of Contents
Title page
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
About the Author
Acknowledgement
Message from the Author
Table of Contents
Title page
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
About the Author
Acknowledgement
Message from the Author
The Family Is Made (Part 1) (Thuggin In Miami) Page 19