Ethic came out of the shower, and YaYa looked at him in shock. She knew better than to ask too many questions. Indie was calling from jail; his line was being monitored. “Are me and Sky safe?” she asked. She knew that if Parker had been killed, it was directly related to something Indie had done. She hated her, but she didn’t wish death on her.
“Yes, you’re always safe,” Indie replied. “I know this is a lot to ask, just please go get King. Einstein has already taken care of the logistics.”
“Why me? He doesn’t know me. Why not Elaine? What about Parker’s parents? Where are they?” YaYa asked.
“I had Einstein contact her moms, she’s coming in from out of the country, YaYa, but she won’t be here for a few days. King has no one in the meantime. I’m already worrying my mama half to death with this case. She’s old. I don’t want to put this on her too. You’re my wife. I’m begging you to please do this for me. It’s important,” Indie replied.
YaYa sighed. “Yeah, okay, I’ll take care of it.”
An automated voice interrupted the call. “You have two minutes,” it announced.
“We’re running out of time here, Indie. I will see you at the new bail hearing tomorrow morning,” Einstein interjected.
“Bail hearing?” YaYa asked.
“Yeah, there’s a good chance the judge might grant bail,” Indie said.
Before she could respond, the call ended. YaYa hung up the phone and looked at Ethic, who stood watching her intently.
“I’ve got to go,” she whispered.
“Go? Go where?” Ethic asked, not missing the rattled expression on her face.
“That was Indie. His son’s mother is dead. I have to go get his kid. He’s with social services,” YaYa informed him, shaking her head in disbelief. YaYa felt horrible. She didn’t like Parker, but her heart broke because there was now another motherless child in the world. How did this happen? she thought.
Ethic couldn’t reveal his prior knowledge of the situation, but he could see the fear in her eyes.
She didn’t know what this meant. Parker was the only element causing conflict in her marriage. A part of YaYa felt like shit, because there would definitely be no tears shed over Parker’s death. The only piece of sympathy she could muster was for King.
“Indie’s lawyer also appealed to the courts for another bail hearing,” YaYa said.
“And that changes things? For us?” Ethic asked.
“I don’t know. I can’t have this conversation right now. I’ll be back,” YaYa replied. YaYa was halfway to the door when she stopped suddenly and then turned on her heels to race back to him. She kissed him, deeply, and whispered, “Now that you’re back, I don’t want to let you leave again. I’m going to figure this out. I promise.”
She turned and walked hurriedly out the door. Frustration filled her as she got into her car and drove off. It seemed as though every time she convinced herself that she could move on from Indie, he sucked her back in. Ethic was back and invested in her. He was willing to take her away from everything and help raise her baby, even if it wasn’t his. She knew that love got no deeper than that. He loved her. Even the things that other people would condemn her for, he cherished. Yet here she was, running out on him to be there for Indie. She didn’t know what kind of hold Indie had over her, and she wanted to say fuck him. She wanted to leave him on stuck and walk away into the sunset with the better man, but Indie had been there first. He had been the first person to show her love. Wasn’t that worth something? It was like a tether that kept her chained to him. She wasn’t sure if it was because he was her soul mate or because she felt she owed him, but she would have to figure it out before she ruined Ethic in the process.
* * *
King sat at the desk of the social worker quietly looking at his feet. He didn’t know this woman, and he refused to speak to anyone unless they were telling him where his mother was. He had gone from the police station right into the custody of the state, and no one had told him anything. He tried to pretend like he wasn’t afraid, but his red eyes revealed that he had been crying. He was just a little boy, but he was carrying grown-man burdens, and it seemed that the social worker didn’t really care at all. All she keeps asking about is my dad. She doesn’t even care about me. She won’t even tell me where my mama at, King thought as he fought back his emotions.
“What does your father do for a living?” the woman asked as she looked at him over her wire-framed glasses. Her forced smile didn’t resonate in her eyes, and King shrugged in response. He hadn’t come up in the streets and he was clueless regarding the code that his father lived by, but he could sense that this woman was not on his side. King would rather not speak than to say the wrong thing. His silence was viewed as defiance, and the social worker was growing frustrated.
“King, you are not going to see your mother again until you answer our questions,” the woman said harshly. “When you cooperate, you can see her.”
King perked up. “She’s here?” he asked. The relief he felt made the tears that had been building fall down his face. He wiped them away quickly, embarrassed.
The woman had no remorse that she was filling him with false hope. She was well aware of Parker’s death, but she could care less. She was willing to use any tactic to get King to speak to her.
“She will be here soon. You need to answer some of my questions so that you can leave when she arrives,” the woman pressed. There was a knock at the door, and when King saw YaYa enter the room, he frowned.
“Where is my mama? You said she was here. Where is she?” King asked as he tried to get by YaYa and into the hall.
“No, King,” YaYa said as he ran out of the office frantically looking for Parker.
She turned to the social worker. “You told him that his mother was coming?” YaYa asked. “How dare you! King!”
King turned to look at her. His chest was heaving up and down because YaYa’s presence meant something was severely wrong. He knew his mom well enough to know that she wouldn’t send YaYa to get him. She would be here herself if she could.
“Where is she?” King asked, lip quivering.
YaYa’s eyes misted as King stared at her. He could see her distress. He could tell she was silent because she didn’t know what to say.
I shouldn’t be the one telling him this, YaYa thought. Why would Indie put this on me?
“King, sweetheart, your mom isn’t coming. She…” YaYa paused, and King sobbed.
“She what?” he wailed, desperate for answers.
“There was an accident, King. She isn’t coming, sweetheart.” YaYa’s gut twisted in agony. This wasn’t her place. She wasn’t supposed to be telling this child this. “I’m so sorry, King.” YaYa couldn’t bring herself to say the words she’s dead, but King knew.
He charged at YaYa. Arms swinging. Anguish caused him to act out. He was just a boy. He didn’t know how to process this. “No! You’re a liar! You’re a stupid liar!” he shouted. YaYa wrapped her arms around him to stop him from hitting her, embracing him in a hug. He resisted at first, but eventually sobbed into her stomach as she held him closely. She closed her eyes, and a lone tear escaped her. She had never witnessed grief like this. He was a child that had just lost the one person in the world that had been with him since the day he was born. She was his comfort zone, his strength, and his confidence. Now, she was nothing more than a memory, and as King held on to YaYa, he had no idea how he was going to live without her.
* * *
YaYa didn’t know what to say or what to do to console King. He sat in her passenger seat with his chest poked out and his chin held high, trying to hold in his sorrow. He was so filled with woe that it contaminated the air inside her car, and YaYa rolled down her window just a bit to let in some fresh air. She couldn’t breathe. She didn’t know Indie’s son very well at all, but seeing him hurt was crippling for her. He’s just a kid, YaYa thought. A kid that will never see his mother again. She knew that she wasn’t the right person
to help him through this. She wasn’t even his blood. He needed his family right now. She drove to Elaine’s. “Come on, let’s go inside, and your grandma Elaine will take good care of you,” YaYa said. “I’m sorry, King.”
They exited the car, and YaYa could hear Skylar bouncing off the walls. She had left her there so that she would have time to recuperate from the abortion procedure. She knew that Elaine wouldn’t be able to handle both children, especially with King in such an emotional state.
Elaine opened the door, and when she saw YaYa standing there with King, her mouth dropped in surprise. Elaine looked back and forth between the two of them, peering curiously at YaYa.
YaYa reached out to hug Elaine, taking the opportunity to whisper in her ear, “Parker is dead.”
Elaine gasped and then bent to hug King. He broke down in her arms. “I know, baby, I know,” she soothed. “Come on in.”
Confusion, panic, and worry took over Elaine’s face as she led them inside.
“Skylar! Leave your granddad alone, baby. Your mommy is here!” Elaine called.
“Mommy!” Skylar ran right into YaYa’s arms.
“Hey, baby girl. Did you behave?” YaYa asked.
“Yes, I did, Mommy. Who is that boy?” Skylar asked.
YaYa put her daughter down and then bent so that she was eye level with her. She knew that Skylar wouldn’t remember King. They had only ever met one time and only briefly. “That is your brother, King,” YaYa explained. “He is daddy’s son. He’s sad, baby. He’s going to need a lot of love from you so that he knows that he has family that cares about him. Can you do that?”
Skylar looked at King and nodded. She ran over to him. “I’m your sister, Skylar,” she said.
“I remember,” King replied.
“Let me show you where you’re going to sleep,” Skylar said. “I have my own room here. You can use it if you want.”
King looked at Elaine for approval. “Go ahead. She’s the mini-boss. She will show you where to go.”
As soon as the children were out of earshot, YaYa spoke. “I don’t know details, Elaine. All I know is that she’s gone. Indie called and told me that King was with a social worker. I know you can’t handle Skylar and King. She can come home with me,” YaYa said.
“I thought you needed me to keep her all week? So that you could get the apartment together?” Elaine asked. YaYa hadn’t had the heart to tell Elaine what she had been planning to do about the pregnancy.
“We’ll be fine,” YaYa said.
“Skylar!” Elaine called. She came flying down the stairs and into the kitchen. “It’s time to go home.”
“Aww, can King come?” Skylar asked.
King came down the stairs, and YaYa searched for an appropriate answer.
“Would you like to come, King?” YaYa asked. She was put on the spot. She didn’t want to say no, but she was hoping that he would. “Maybe we should let him spend some time with Grandma Lai and Grandpa Bill?”
“I’ll come,” King said.
“Are you sure?” YaYa asked.
He nodded.
YaYa sighed. “Okay, let’s go.”
Suddenly she was playing mom to two children, one of which was the son of a woman she despised. She knew that children were innocent by-products of the mess their parents made, so she tried really hard to remember that King had no fault in any of this. She ushered them both to her car and headed back to her apartment.
When she arrived, she ushered them inside quickly. For some reason the idea of caring for King made her feel clueless. How could she comfort a child whom she had no history with? Nothing she could say could erase the pain he was going through. Not even time would heal this wound. He had been taken off his mother’s breast prematurely. He had been stripped of her too soon, and he would walk around underdeveloped because of it. There was no substitution for a mother’s impact on a child’s life. Not a father, not a grandmother, not a stepmother in the world could replace a mama. YaYa knew that from experience. She had built so much resentment up for Parker and King. She had looked at them as an entity that would take her husband away. Parker may have been plotting to do so, but King was just a baby. He was a scared little boy who was hurting beyond comprehension.
She guided them onto the elevator, and when they stepped off and she opened the apartment door, she gasped in complete shock. She had been gone all day, and Ethic hadn’t wasted a moment while she was away. The entire space had been transformed. Ethic had filled the apartment with brand-new furniture, and the walls had been painted gray with accented design wallpaper to liven the industrial space. The custom chandelier he had installed and the Persian rug that covered the concrete floor made it feel like home. He had even hung artwork on the walls. She heard the sound of a drill humming from the back room.
“You guys sit here, I’ll be right back,” she said as she guided them to the new sectional couch. She walked into the second bedroom, and her heart swelled at the sight of Ethic on his knees, putting together a bunk bed. This man was a good man. I would be so foolish to let him go again, she thought as butterflies filled her stomach. She knocked on the door frame, alerting him to her presence, and he turned off the drill. He stood, but before he could say a word YaYa was across the room. She kissed him; down deep in his soul, kissed him.
“You didn’t have to do any of this. How did you do all of this?” she asked, amazed.
“You needed it, so I made it happen. When you’re ready for an upgrade into a new place, you just say the word. Until then, you should be comfortable here. Everything is furnished and top-of-the-line. I called a grocery service and put a twenty-five-hundred-dollar credit on an account for you. They’ll deliver. You don’t even have to go shop, just make a list and e-mail it to them. I started a bank account at Chase. I’m the primary, and there is paperwork waiting for you with Mary at the branch a few blocks up. Once you sign, you’ll be an owner of the account. There is thirty thousand in there right now. I’ll deposit more each month. You can spend freely, it’s yours. I’m not in the streets anymore, so I’m not amassing millions of dollars, but I’m comfortable. I saved a lot of money when I was hustling, and I invested it into a legit business that does well. I just want you to be straight, and I know you have too much pride to ever ask.”
“I can’t accept this,” YaYa said.
“You can and you will,” Ethic replied. “Did you handle your business?”
She nodded. “Indie’s son is here. He asked to come, and I couldn’t really say no. I hate to ask you this, but with him and Skylar here, I don’t really think you should—”
“I got you. I get it. Shit is still unresolved in your situation. I’ll finish up in here and then go grab a hotel,” Ethic answered.
YaYa nodded. “Thank you for understanding.”
“I’m a patient man. You have some thinking to do. I’m in town for another week. Everything I offered is still on the table,” he said as he placed a hand on her stomach. “If you need anything, don’t hesitate. I want you. I want this baby. The choice is yours.”
17
“Counselors. We are back here again to revisit the notion of bail?” Judge Remick asked as she presided over the silent courtroom. YaYa’s stomach was in knots as she sat next to Skylar and King. Elaine walked in, and YaYa motioned for her to join them. They all sat together, united, in the row behind Indie, showing their support. He turned around to give her a wink before facing the judge.
“Your Honor, due to new circumstances involving my client’s child, I would like to petition the court to reconsider bail,” Einstein began.
“And what new circumstances might there be, Counselor?” the judge replied.
“The mother of Mr. Perkins’s son has passed away. His son, who is in the courtroom today, would benefit greatly if Mr. Perkins was granted bail. This young boy needs his father to help console him at the funeral service. Losing one parent is hard enough without the other being away. Mr. Perkins is prepared to surrender his passport
and comply with any conditions that the court may impose in order to be home to console his son,” Einstein said.
Judge Remick sat completely still as she looked at Indie for a few moments. Her hands were folded in front of her, and YaYa held her breath as she waited for a decision.
“Okay, Counselor. I’ll play ball. Bail is set at one million dollars, and Mr. Perkins will turn over his passport to the court.”
“Thank you, Your Honor,” Einstein said.
“I’m sorry for your loss,” Judge Remick said to Indie.
YaYa stood. “You’re coming home?” she asked Indie in shock.
“I’m coming home, ma,” Indie replied.
“We don’t have a million dollars, Indie. There’s nothing left,” YaYa said.
He was escorted away before he could respond, leaving the burden on YaYa to figure out.
“Is Daddy coming home?” Skylar asked.
YaYa nodded. “Soon, baby, soon.” She looked hopelessly at Elaine. “What am I going to do?”
“You don’t need it all. We just have to come up with ten percent. We will think of something,” Elaine said. “You get the kids home, and I will go home and speak to Bill to see what we can come up with. We don’t have the entire amount, but we can scrape up something. We have twenty thousand in retirement that we can use, but that still leaves eighty thousand.”
“What about King?” YaYa asked. “Aren’t you taking him with you?”
Elaine looked at King and Skylar playing in the aisle of the courtroom. “I think he’s right where he should be. You’re his mother now. You have to get used to having him around. I know it’s hard, but you’re doing what any good wife would in this situation. I’ll be in touch.”
YaYa watched Elaine walk out of the courtroom. Any good wife? Was this the duties that marrying a man entailed? King wasn’t a bad kid, so it wasn’t that. She was just uncomfortable. She wasn’t his mother. She wasn’t his family, and somehow he had been dubbed her responsibility. She couldn’t remember exactly where she and Indie had gone wrong. Things didn’t used to be this hard. It didn’t use to take so much effort to fit the pieces of their life together. When they had envisioned their forever, none of this had been in the dream. YaYa wrangled King and Skylar and then walked out of the courthouse.
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