Mica was enjoying herself too, dancing and rubbing up on one of Kemp’s friends, JB. I was glad to see her loosening up because being depressed wasn’t attractive. I couldn’t stand a woman laying up worrying about a man. Even though he was dead and hadn’t just stepped off, the way he was acting he probably would have left her ass eventually anyway. Mica was the kind of girl that was cute but she was the only one that didn’t realize it. She always had low self-esteem and though she may not have realized it, it was true. If a guy paid any attention to her she always wondered why. I mean, how hard is it to look in the mirror? There were a lot of women who wished they had her looks. I thought it was pathetic, but it was something that I could definitely use to my advantage.
Soon, the lights were coming on and people began to disperse into the streets. For some reason I didn’t feel right. I guess you could call it women’s intuition but I knew that something was about to go down. I heard arguing from a distance. It was a mixture of men and women’s voices. I grabbed Mica’s hand to pull her down the street toward the parking lot. She was busy trying to look back and see what was going on. Being the wife of a drug dealer I learned to keep it moving. I was not interested in a fight—hell, niggas don’t fight anymore, they shoot first and ask questions last.
“Mica, come on girl, let’s go!” I yelled, continuing to tug on her arm.
“Girl, I’m trying to see what’s going on.”
“Unless you want to get shot you better come on.”
The more I tugged the more she moved away, and I was ready to leave her ass. If she wanted to be stupid it would be her funeral, not mine. I started to walk a little faster and within a few seconds I heard her heels as she ran to catch up with me. We hadn’t even made it to the car before gunshots erupted. I got down on the ground and pulled Mica down with me. I knew that some shit was about to go down and I was glad that I didn’t stick around close to the door. I heard people screaming and scattering all over Delaware Avenue. After a few minutes the shooting stopped and seconds later the crying started. I peeked around the side of the car to see who was hit. I saw someone that resembled Black lying on the ground. Oh shit! I thought, where the hell was Kemp? I got up off the ground and began to run over to where he was. Kemp came flying around the corner with his gun still in his hand.
“Kemp, what the fuck happened?”
“Diamond, go home,” he yelled. Even though I had ulterior motives for being with him I was glad that he hadn’t gotten shot. I mean, I hadn’t found out everything that I needed to know. It was too soon and losing him right now would just ruin everything. Kemp and his friend JB bent down and picked Black up off the ground. He was still alive but blood was pouring out of him like a faucet. I didn’t know what the hell had happened but I prayed that Black would make it through okay. They ran toward Kemp’s truck and placed him in the backseat. It was like a scene from a movie and as many times as Kemp hollered at me to go home I didn’t budge. I was stiff. I thought about Black’s family and his children. What if he didn’t make it through this? Kemp walked over to me as JB got in the driver’s seat of Kemp’s truck.
“Diamond, get in the car and drive the fuck home! I mean that shit.” He pushed me toward Mica.
Tears began to fall from my eyes. I was scared. I didn’t know what happened and I knew that I should have listened but I couldn’t. I was almost frozen in that spot. Mica came behind me and grabbed me by the arm. Kemp stared at me as he backed up to get in the car. Once he got in the car JB pulled off. I watched them drive away and hurried to the car. The cops swarmed the area. There were two dead bodies in the street around the corner on Spring Garden Street. The cops gathered any witnesses and questioned them. I told them that I hadn’t seen anything, which I really hadn’t. I was given a card with a number to call if I remembered anything. We left the scene and I drove home quietly. Mica agreed to drive home with me and stay until I heard from Kemp.
Once we got in the house we sat on the sofa. I turned on the TV and laid my head back to rest it on the back of the sofa. I dozed off without even realizing how fast the time had passed. It was almost seven o’clock in the morning when I realized it. Mica was on the other end of the sofa asleep. I got up and dialed Kemp’s number. I knew he hadn’t come home and I didn’t have any missed calls so I knew he hadn’t called. It took a few rings for him to answer it.
“Babe, what’s going on? Why didn’t you call me?”
“I’m still at the hospital, Diamond, I’m sorry. Black is still in surgery. They said he should make it out okay.”
“That’s good to hear.” I felt a little relieved that he was going to be okay. I knew that Kemp wouldn’t tell me anything more especially over the phone so I didn’t pry for any more information. I knew that he wouldn’t be home anytime soon so I went back to sleep on the couch. In my mind I knew that whatever beef they had wouldn’t be over but I was satisfied that Black was alive. All I could remember is seeing his body lying on the ground, still. I could imagine a chalk outline on the ground tracing the spot where his body had been laid out. The good thing was that it was only in my imagination.
Chapter Twenty-four
Mica: Sucka for Love
I woke up with a pain in my neck. I wasn’t used to sleeping sitting up on a sofa so I was suffering for it. Last night’s excitement was a little more than I’d expected. In all the years that I had dealt with Tyson I’d never witnessed anyone being gunned down. Besides my father, I didn’t even know anyone who had been shot. Was this the life that I wanted to continue with? I didn’t really know the answer to that question and I knew that it didn’t really matter since I didn’t have a choice. Diamond was still sleeping on the other end of the sofa. I couldn’t imagine being in her position. I mean, I would love the money, the jewels, and the power but all of the other shit that came with it was for the birds. I wasn’t really trying to have to duck from bullets each time I went out for a night of fun. I got up and headed upstairs to use the bathroom.
For the first time, I got a chance to look around their house. It was definitely like something in a magazine. I walked toward the end of the hall and pushed open the door that led to their bedroom. The bed was huge with posts on each end that almost reached the high ceilings.
The linens were beige and cream, which matched the wood of the bed and hardwood floors. There was a huge area rug with the same colors in it. I moved close to the bed that was perfectly made. I could tell Diamond’s side of the bed from Kemp’s by the items neatly placed on their end tables. I bent down and placed my nose close to the sheets and could smell cologne. I wasn’t crazy but I needed to at least imagine that it was my place. Even though it hadn’t been that long since I was with a man, it was long enough for me to feel lonely.
I peeked in the drawers to find everything folded perfectly. Who the hell had time to organize things like this? I mean, both of them were pretty busy so unless they never touched any of these things they had to have a maid. After awhile, I felt like I was intruding too much and I would have been too embarrassed if she walked in here and caught me snooping around. I left out of the room and just as I was walking into the bathroom Diamond was coming up the stairs.
“Hey girl, you were knocked out down there. I was looking for a washcloth so I could wash my face and stuff,” I lied, because I was almost caught coming out of her room.
“Oh, they are right in the bathroom closet behind the door.”
“Okay, thanks, how are you feeling?”
“I’m okay, girl, just stiff as hell,” she laughed, as she rubbed the back of her neck.
“Did you hear anything about Black?”
“Yeah, I talked to Kemp he said he was still in surgery but was expected to make it out of it okay.”
“That’s good. Well, could you drive me back to the apartment today?”
“I thought we were going to hang out for the day. I’m stressed, girl, I need some company.”
“Okay, we can hang out, what did you have planned?”
“I wanted to go shopping but I also wanted to stop by and see my mom. It’ll be good for her since she hasn’t seen you in years. I know she’d be happy to see you.”
“That’s cool, I’m gonna freshen up and if you drive me by the apartment I can change and we can hit the road.”
“You can wear something of mine. You’re not too much bigger than I am and I got tons of shit I haven’t even worn yet. When you’re done in there just look in my closet and grab whatever you want.”
I was glad that we were getting back on track. I hadn’t really had a lot of friends that I could hang out with. I missed it and I felt like things were going to happen for the better. I thought about last night, before the shoot-out and how much fun we had. JB seemed like someone I could get used to. He wasn’t as fine as Tyson was but he was definitely more attractive with the money he had. I know it sounds like something a gold digger would say, but I wasn’t a gold digger by a long shot. I was just used to a certain kind of lifestyle and the only men that I was attracted to were men that could help me keep it up. I had my eye on him and I was going to try and get any information on him that I could.
After freshening up in the bathroom, I went back into Diamond’s room where she was now in the master bathroom taking a shower. I opened up the double doors that led to her huge walk-in closet. There was so much to choose from, I didn’t know where to start. I’d never seen so much designer shit in one place in my life. I had been treated well by Tyson but he’d never spoiled me like this. I took down different articles of clothing and put them close to my body, modeling in the mirror. I felt like a kid in a candy store. If there was one thing that I loved, it was to dress up. Normally, I didn’t feel like I was pretty or desirable. I always needed someone to tell me that I looked pretty and even then I still didn’t believe it. Putting on one of her outfits would definitely boost my confidence and a little boost was just what I needed. I settled on a black Betsey Johnson dress. It was a casual dress and would work perfectly in the spring air. I put it on and it fit perfectly. How Diamond and me ended up the same size, I’ll never know. I was always a little thicker than her especially in the thigh and booty area but over the years she’d filled out in the areas where she was once lacking.
She came into the room and looked at me with a smile.
I stood there waiting for her approval.
“Good choice, I love that dress. It looks good on you,” she said.
I was relieved. For some strange reason I felt like I needed to hear her say those words to me. I was desperate for attention and I was going to try my best to be as perfect as possible. I knew that was what I had to do if I wanted to snag a hustler. Diamond quickly got dressed and put on her makeup. She looked as if she was ready to go walk a runway, definitely not like she was going to pay her mom a visit.
Once we got into her two-door convertible Mercedes-Benz, she let the top down. She turned on the radio and instantly began singing along with the popular Beyoncé tune “Get Me Bodied.” I did like the song, so I started singing and dancing along with her, quickly forgetting about the wind and my hair.
Driving through the old neighborhood brought back so many memories. Even though it wasn’t the best neighborhood it was what I called home. I didn’t know anything better existed until I met Tyson. All I knew were abandoned houses, drug dealers and fiends. The streets were filthy but we skipped and ran all around them as if they were invisible. I smiled inside, thinking of being a kid again. Having my brother to watch my back and keep me safe. Though my dad was abusive, I missed him. What girl wants to grow up without a father? There were a lot of things that I didn’t get a chance to learn from him. I was forced to fend for myself when my mother’s depression turned her into a shell.
Soon I turned my attention off of the sad things and focused on the good. At least I made it through okay because there were plenty of people that had fallen victim to the same society that I grew up in. We parked in front of her grandmother’s house. I laughed because everything looked exactly the same. Even after the years passed she still had the same lawn chair on her porch and a bunch of flowerpots hanging around the awning. Diamond looked at me, probably wondering what the hell I was laughing at but I straightened up when she turned back around. She walked up to the door and began to knock. It took a few seconds for someone to open the door.
“Diamond?” her aunt asked, as if she wasn’t sure who she was. I knew that she didn’t come down here very often, but damn, how could you forget your niece. I soon realized that she did know who she was but was just startled by her visit.
“Why are you acting like you don’t know me?” Diamond asked, turning her face into a frown. She was clearly annoyed.
“I’m not, Diamond. I’m just surprised to see you, that’s all,” Cicely replied, still holding her spot blocking the door.
“Well, the good thing is that I didn’t come to see you or else I would’ve been crushed by the warm welcome,” Diamond replied sarcastically. “Where is my mom?”
“Your mom?” Cicely asked, still playing dumb. I didn’t know what the hell was going on here but I could tell that there wasn’t going to be a happy ending to it.
“What’s up with you today? I don’t think I’m speaking in another language.”
Cicely stood there silent as if there was something that she wanted to say but just couldn’t muster up the courage to say it. What the hell was going on? Now I was curious. Diamond was becoming more agitated and soon she pushed her way past Cicely and went into the house. She stood there staring at me as if she wanted me to do something. What was I supposed to do? I didn’t even want to move from the step that my feet were planted on. I heard Diamond in the house calling her mother’s name over and over again, then I heard her grandmom call out her name from a distance. I assumed that she was upstairs because I heard the sound of Diamond’s shoes on the hard wood. It was so strange because I was still standing on the steps and Cicely was still standing at the door with a blank look on her face as if we were stuck in time or something.
Within a few minutes Diamond came flying out of the house, pushing Cicely out of the way and heading toward the car. She had tears streaming down her face. I didn’t know what to say.
“Diamond,” I called out to her. She didn’t turn around to face me.
“Let’s go!” she yelled in response.
I ran to the car and got inside. I could barely close the door all the way before she was speeding off down the street. She was crying hysterically, wiping her eyes to make sure that she could see the road.
“Diamond,” I called out her name again. “What?”
“What happened?”
“If I had a gun I would shoot that bitch! I mean, I knew that she hated me but she took this shit to another level.”
I sat there quiet, still confused. I didn’t know who or what she was talking about.
“My mother is dead,” she cried.
“Dead?” I asked, confused.
“They buried my fucking mother and didn’t even tell me. How could they do that shit?”
“They did what?” I had to ask again to make sure that I was hearing her correctly. Who would do that? I mean, you would have to be a real fucked-up individual to neglect to tell someone their mother died.
“She died, Mica, she fucking died and they didn’t bother to tell me.” She stopped at the light and put her head down on the steering wheel. I put my hand on her back and tried to quietly let her know that I was here for her. I knew how it felt to lose a parent and it was something no one wanted to experience. She probably felt bad since her relationship wasn’t as close as she would have liked it to be. The reality of that is once they’re gone you can never get the chance to make up for the time that was lost.
The light turned green and the cars behind us started to beep their horns. She wasn’t in any condition to drive so I told her to pull over so I could take over from there. She did and I was glad that I didn’t have to argue with her to do so. Peop
le rarely make the best decisions when they’re upset and I wasn’t trying to be a casualty of something that I didn’t have any part in causing. She got out and walked around to the passenger side, glancing at me before getting inside. I didn’t know what to say so I stayed quiet. What could you say at a time like this? Nothing that I said would make her feel better or come close to bringing her mother back.
I figured that we would just go back to her house and get in contact with Kemp to let him know what had just happened. She continued to sob as I made it down the expressway toward their home. I made sure to glance at her every few minutes to make sure she wasn’t having a nervous breakdown or anything like that. Shit, that was the last thing that I needed to happen right now.
We pulled up to the house about a half hour after leaving her grandmom’s house and the driveway was empty, which meant that Kemp wasn’t home. Damn, where was your man when you needed him? She got of the car once I parked and walked like a zombie up to the front door. I followed behind her.
She went upstairs and within a few minutes I heard the bathroom door close and the water began to run. I wanted to ask her Kemp’s number so that I could call him but I’d leave that decision up to her. If she wanted to call him I figured that she would have called him herself. Since she didn’t, I would mind my business and relax downstairs until she came back down. A few minutes later the phone rang and startled me. I let it ring a few times before I answered it. It was strange that I felt comfortable enough to answer her phone, but deep inside I was hoping that it was Kemp so that I could tell him what happened.
“Hello,” I said in a low tone. I didn’t want Diamond to hear me.
The Black Diamond Trilogy Page 16