“Is Gran gonna be all right? Where are you?”
“It doesn’t look good, Terelle. I can’t find Cassy. I haven’t heard from her in weeks. She’s back out there, you know.” Back out there meant Terelle’s mother had succumbed to drugs again.
“You’re going to have to get to the Crozier-Chester Medical Center as soon as you can.”
“Where’s that?”
“In Chester.”
“Why’d you take Gran to a hospital so far away?”
“We were on our way to Dover, Delaware. Gran was tired of Atlantic City; she wanted to try her luck on the slot machines in Dover. I was driving down I-95 and she started breathing funny, then she started having some type of seizure. I pulled off at the first exit—Edgemont Avenue in Chester, Pennsylvania.” Aunt Bennie gasped as she recalled the ordeal and began sobbing again.
“Terelle, I gotta get back to check on my mother. I don’t know if she’s going to make it. You have to get here as soon as possible, okay?”
“Okay, stay calm, Aunt Bennie. I’m gonna call SEPTA travel information to find out how to get there. I’ll be there as soon as I can,” Terelle assured her aunt.
Aunt Bennie let out a small whimper before hanging up. Stunned by the news, Terelle stared at the phone in her hand. She pressed the numbers to Marquise’s cell phone and got his recorded message. Irritated, she quickly redialed. The phone that was intended to be the link for her to reach him whenever she needed him was turned off. She slammed down the receiver, picked it up and pushed redial once more and again she got his voice mail. Beyond pissed, she stubbornly jabbed each digit again. The phone was still off! She wasn’t trying to hear one damn word about him being tied up in a meeting. Her Gran was at death’s door and she couldn’t reach him? This was inexcusable.
Terelle scooped up Markeeta and began to dress her, bundling her in extra layers in preparation for the long journey they were about to embark upon in the freezing cold. Oddly, instead of thinking about Gran, Terelle’s thoughts were focused on Marquise—where the hell was he?
Needing to justify her limited concern for her grandmother, Terelle thought about the two years she’d spent in foster care. Aunt Bennie would have taken care of her, but she was in the army—overseas somewhere. Her grandmother, on the other hand, had been right there in Philly—running her speakeasy. “I ain’t got no time to be raising nobody’s damn kids,” Gran had told the social worker when asked if she were willing to allow Terelle to live with her.
Terelle found herself tearing up at the memory. She vividly recalled the day when she was introduced to her new foster-family fear. She remembered the fear—the feeling of abandonment. She forced the memory from her mind and skipped ahead to the day Aunt Bennie came and rescued her. Aunt Bennie lived with Gran, and that’s where she took Terelle, promising a discontented Gran that she would assume full responsibility for her niece. Gran responded by grumbling under her breath. The words nuisance and burden came out loud and clear. Terelle had no memory of Gran ever uttering a kind word to her.
Still, Gran was blood and Terelle was obligated to show some support. Besides, Aunt Bennie sounded like she was falling apart. Terelle had to get to the hospital to help keep Aunt Bennie straight.
Ten minutes later, the phone rang. “Yizzo! What’s crackin’?” Marquise asked cheerfully.
“My grandmother had a stroke and I needed to get in touch with you. Why the hell was your phone off?” She fumed.
“I’m sorry, babe. I must have pressed the off button by accident. Is she gonna be aiight?”
“I don’t know. She’s in a hospital—somewhere in Chester. I’ve been busy getting Keeta ready; I haven’t even had a chance to call SEPTA to find out which buses ride out there.”
Terelle paused. “I just remembered…there’s a commuter train to Chester that leaves from 30th Street Station. Can you meet me and Keeta there in about a half-hour?” Terelle asked breathlessly.
“Sit tight. I’m gonna tell my man Jocko what happened and see if he’ll let me hold his wheel. I’ll call you right back.”
Terelle’s downturned lips formed into a slight smile as her anger slowly melted away. Marquise—her knight in shining armor was on the case; she could relax. Feeling relieved and proud, she waited for Marquise to call back.
A few minutes later Marquise called to tell Terelle he had access to his business associate’s car and would be there shortly.
Terelle quickly changed into a pair of jeans, a heavy sweater and boots.
A half-hour later, Marquise arrived. He escorted Terelle to the car and strapped Markeeta into the backseat. Terelle was surprised that the borrowed car was a beautiful Mercedes-Benz.
“Jocko has a nice ride,” she said as she adjusted the seat belt and arranged herself in the front seat. “Someone at work drives a car just like this. I’ve seen it parked on the lot…” She paused in thought. “I think it belongs to one of the doctors.” She turned around to check on Markeeta—to make sure Marquise had strapped her in properly. “Saleema swears her truck Jezebel is the shit,” Terelle continued, chuckling. “She’d kill for a car like this.”
“I told you…Jocko and his boys ain’t playin’. Them Jake niggas is all about money.” Marquise glided down Woodland Avenue and turned onto Grey’s Ferry Avenue.
“I know that’s right,” Terelle agreed. Marquise looked extremely handsome as he wheeled the Benz. Terelle wished they could afford a new car, but there was no point in even dreaming about a car that cost more than most houses in their neighborhood. “I’ll be glad when we can get our own car, Quise. We don’t need anything as expensive as this—I’ll be grateful for anything with wheels and a motor,” she said, laughing.
“I saw the new F150—that jawn is the shit! It’s fuckin’ wit the new Cadillac truck, so you know that jawn is hot?” Marquise spoke excitedly as he merged into eastbound traffic on I-76. “If things work out with Jocko, I’m damn sure gonna git that truck.”
“You expect to be makin’ that kind of money, Quise?”
“Damn right,” Marquise said with conviction. “Shit, we gon’ need a money-counting machine and a safe if things work out accordin’ to plan.”
“But for now…wouldn’t it make more sense to get something we can afford…and then move up to an expensive truck?”
Marquise stuck in a CD and started blasting Biggie’s classic, “Juicy.” “I’m not tryin’ to think small,” he yelled over the music. “I’m goin’ after what I really want and I want a fly-ass truck with some bangin’ twenty-inch spinnin’ rims. That’s right, I’m gon’ put some dubs on my truck!” Moving his neck and shoulders rhythmically to the beat, Marquise rapped along with Biggie while he drove.
Terelle didn’t know what to say. The Jamaicans seemed to be changing the way Marquise looked at life; the jury, however, was still deliberating on whether the change was for the better.
A shocking gasp escaped her lips when Terelle was finally admitted to Gran’s room. The helpless-looking woman lying in the bed surrounded by wires, tubes, and monitors hardly resembled her feisty grandmother.
“Gran?” she whispered as she worked her way around the pole that held the feeding tube. “Can you hear me, Gran?”
“I don’t think so,” Aunt Bennie replied solemnly. “She’s still sedated. God, I hope my mother pulls through this. I had to sign all kinds of papers and it was so hard making those kinds of decisions.”
“What kind of decisions?”
“My mother didn’t have a living will and I had to give permission for them to keep her alive with a feeding tube and to put that thing—that trachea tube or whatever it’s callled—in her throat to help with her breathing or something. I really don’t know what I was signing. I signed whatever they said she needed to stay alive. I could have used Cassy’s support, though. It’s not fair the way Cassy never has to be accountable for anything…” Aunt Bennie burst into tears.
“I’m so sorry, Aunt Bennie,” Terelle said, consoling her aunt wi
th a tight hug. “I’m here now…I can stay with Gran. Do you want to go home and get some rest?”
Aunt Bennie shook her head vigorously. “I have to be here when my mother wakes up.” Aunt Bennie wiped her tear-streaked cheeks.
Marquise was in the waiting area with Markeeta, and Terelle was glad he didn’t have to witness this sad scene in Gran’s room. He would have just stood around fidgeting, not knowing what to do or say.
“I want to stay here with you, but they won’t let Keeta in the room, so I’m gonna tell Quise to take her home. I’ll be right back. Okay?”
Sniffling, Aunt Bennie nodded. There was appreciation in her bloodshot eyes.
Marquise looked up expectantly when Terelle entered the waiting area. “How’s your grandmother doin’?”
Terelle shook her head regretfully. “Not too good. I’m gonna have to stay here with Aunt Bennie…I know you have to take the car back to your friend…”
Marquise nodded. “Yeah, I told him I’d only be gone an hour or so. You gonna be all right here with Keeta?”
“That’s the problem…Keeta isn’t allowed in the room, so…you’ll have to take her with you. Think your friend would mind dropping you and Keeta off at home?”
Marquise gripped his chin thoughtfully. “I’m not sure…you think Saleema or one of your other friends can watch Keeta? Um…I have to get back ’cause we were in the middle of some important business when you called.”
“Marquise! What’s your problem? I don’t know if Gran is going to make it through the night and you’re talkin’ this shit about finishing up some important business.” Terelle’s eyes blazed in indignation.
“Calm down, babe.” He grasped her hand. “I’m sorry. Look, don’t worry about Keeta; I got that covered. You stay here and look out for your grandmother. Can you get a ride with your aunt?”
“Yeah, she’ll take me home,” Terelle said with a sigh.
“Aiight. Hit me up later.” Marquise kissed Terelle and left carrying Markeeta.
When Terelle returned to her grandmother’s room, she found Aunt Bennie hovering over Gran’s bed; she looked completely wiped out. She gazed at her grandmother and quickly looked away, telling herself she was there only to support her aunt because her grandmother had never been there for her. Terelle cast another look at Gran and winced. Gran had always seemed larger than life, but now she appeared so pitifully small and fragile. When had that happened? Gran had been a large woman, a threatening being with a loud booming voice who had terrorized her own two daughters throughout their childhood and even after they’d become adults. Terelle had been raised to fear and respect her grandmother. Though she no longer feared her, to this day, not once had she ever raised her voice to Gran. That respect was motivated by love—a feeling Terelle had been unaware of until that moment. Seized suddenly by the fear of losing her grandmother, Terelle burst into tears. Her sobs shook her shoulders.
“Don’t leave us, Gran,” she cried. “Please, Gran…I love you…Don’t die.”
Aunt Bennie gathered Terelle in her arms. Though tears fell from her eyes, Aunt Bennie tried to comfort Terelle. “Don’t cry, baby,” she said. “Everything is going to be all right. Your grandmother is a fighter; she’s gonna pull through this.” Aunt Bennie released Terelle and looked her in the eye. “But when she gets herself together and starts cussing out the doctors and nurses, we’re gonna miss the peace we’re having right now. So let’s enjoy it!” Aunt Bennie laughed as she wiped tears from her eyes.
And through her tears, Terelle smiled, then laughed aloud. Aunt Bennie was right. Mean ol’ cantankerous Gran was gonna wake up and commence to cussing out everybody—from the doctor on down to the cleaning crew. Terelle shook her head. The hospital staff had no idea of what they were in for.
Chapter Forty
Marquise was missing. He had promised Kai he’d be gone for only an hour, but six hours had passed and he hadn’t so much as picked up the phone to let Kai know he was all right. But, the hell with him, she decided suddenly as she switched mental gears; she needed to know her car was safe, that he hadn’t wrecked it. Why in the world did she trust an unlicensed driver with her most prized possession?
There were consequences for getting caught driving without a license in the City of Philadelphia. She couldn’t shake the distressing image of Marquise getting pulled over for running a stop sign, a red light or committing some type of traffic violation. When the police discovered he’d been driving without a license, her car would be impounded. The notion of her car being impounded made Kai grimace. Oh, the thought of the scratches, scrapes, and dents her Benz would incur during the brutal towing was pure agony. She’d have to sit through the shameful ordeal of traffic court, and then pay exorbitant fines to retrieve her car from the impoundment lot.
Kai considered calling the police to report her car missing, but thought better of the idea. Marquise had mentioned something about his recent release from prison.
Adding a car theft charge to a convicted felon’s record could mean a prison sentence. Moreover, did she really want her good dick locked up? Hell no!
Still…good dick or not, she was getting frustrated to the point of rage. She called his cell phone again and listened impatiently to his recorded message: Yo, I peeped your digits and I ain’t got no rap…you know what to do…Hollah!
Ugh! He thought he sounded cool, but to Kai, he sounded immature, ignorant, and insulting. How dare he turn off the phone she’d so generously provided for the express purpose of instant communication whenever she felt the need? The sheer gall of that man!
The moment she parted her lips and inhaled in preparation of leaving Marquise a scathing message, her doorbell rang.
“I’m sorry I took so long,” Marquise said with a guilty smirk as he entered her condo.
“Where’s my car?” Kai demanded. “I was two seconds away from reporting it stolen.”
“You was gonna git me locked up?” He scowled in disbelief.
“You told me you’d be gone for an hour. Keeping my car without so much as a phone call is criminal behavior and criminals deserve to be in jail,” Kai said, unable to conceal her contempt.
“Damn, Shorty. That’s kinda harsh, don’t you think?”
“Fuck you, Marquise, and stop calling me Shorty! Give me my keys.” She shook curls from her face as she held out her hand and patted her foot in impatient agitation.
Marquise stared at her as if wanting her keys back was an unreasonable request. Reluctantly, he dug into his pockets and pulled out the key ring.
In a flash of temper, Kai snatched it from his grasp. “Why in the hell did it take so long for you to get back? You knew your phone was off and I couldn’t call you…so why didn’t you have the decency to call me?” She screamed at him. “Do you think I bought you that fucking cell phone to listen to your stupid voice mail every time I call? I bought it so I can stay in touch with you—particularly when you’re gallivanting around in my car.”
“Yo, I said I’m sorry. Why you makin’ a big deal outta nothin’.” He sighed. “Now, kill this shit!” he advised testily.
Kai ignored him. “And in case you didn’t know, allow me to inform you that I didn’t give you the keys to a fucking hooptie. No! I trusted you with an expensive foreign automobile that most people will never even get the opportunity to sit inside—let alone drive! I’m absolutely appalled that you’d mistake my kindness for weakness. I won’t tolerate this kind of treatment…it’s appalling…and totally unacceptable,” she said, backing away. She opened her mouth to tell him to leave, but before she could speak, Marquise was upon her, his lips pressed against her lips.
She felt herself melting in his arms and helplessly parted her lips.
Marquise broke the kiss. “I can’t even begin to tell you all the shit that went down while I was out…”
“Did something happen to my car?” she asked, alarmed.
“Naw, the ride is cool. I got a little carried away and lost track of the time.”
“But I thought you said you needed to borrow the car because your grandmother was sick.”
“Yeah, she was…but when I got there she decided not to go to the hospital. She talked to her doctor and he called in a prescription and I went and picked it up for her. Then, on my way back here…I ran into my man, Jocko. He’s a Jamaican brother who’s gonna put me down wit a side gig. Anyway, he wanted to slide through this new dip…a club that just opened down the way.”
“Down the way?”
“Yeah, Southwest—on Chester Avenue. So anyway, we went to the club and niggas we knew was up in that dip twenty-deep, so we hung out for a minute, you know…bustin’ it up with the fellas…and like I said, I lost all track of time.”
“That was completely irresponsible of you.”
“I know, baby. I fucked up and I’m so sorry. It won’t happen again.” He gave her a lingering look that went from her face to her red polished toenails.
Kai felt her anger dissipating. She focused on the bulge in his crotch. “Young man,” she said, faking a stern tone. “I hope you realize you’ve lost your driving privileges.”
Marquise dropped his head, pretending to be distraught. He raised his head and looked at her through narrowed eyes. “What will good behavior git me?” His top teeth scraped against his bottom lip seductively.
“Let’s find out.” Kai smiled sexily and unzipped his pants.
Chapter Forty-one
Monday morning was far from being the blue Monday Kai typically experienced. She awakened feeling euphoric. She sang as she showered and washed her hair. With a huge grin plastered on her face, she got dressed for work. The only thing missing from her merry Monday morning was Marquise lying in bed beside her. But that would change soon enough.
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