Her Sweetest Revenge 3

by Saundra

  “Okay, I’m going back to gear up for Leslie; she should be here soon. Just send her right back when she arrives.”

  No sooner than I sat my bloody-red Coach bag down and turned on my curling iron set, Leslie popped through the door.

  “What’s up, chic?” Leslie spoke as she glided across the floor and landed right in my chair.

  “Shit, girl. Ready to lay your wig to the side.” I meant every word: doing hair always helped me relax.

  “I hope so because I need it. I been so busy I couldn’t even get in here last week.”

  Yes, Leslie was one of those every-week clients. And she didn’t look for a discount just because we were cool. I despised people like that. No, she paid full price on the strength for me to keep her looking fabulous.

  “I know with your new dating life and all,” I joked.

  Leslie had recently met someone who kept a smile on her face. She kept his identity a secret, though. She had never brought him around.

  “Oh no, he ain’t the reason. I’m talking about the things I been dealing with, period. Things just been crazy, but it’s all good, though. I’m getting it together. What about you?”

  “The same old thing, coming up in here daily and gettin’ it in. I been helping out with Rochelle’s clients so I have been super busy. It’s all good, though, because that’s what we do, have each other’s back.”

  Leslie shook her head in agreement. “I feel you. How is Rochelle doing? It’s been a minute since you said anything.”

  “She a’ight, just gettin’ lots of rest. I went by her crib today before I came in. You know Rochelle, she can’t wait to get back to this salon. But I told her to chill. She don’t need to be in a rush. We got her back.”

  “And you are right, she needs to grieve first. If she grieves properly, she will heal a lot faster,” Leslie advised.

  We had both dealt with the death of a loved one, so we knew what she was going through. But on the other hand, I worried about Rochelle even more because it had only been a short two years since she had lost Li’l Lo. And I personally knew that she still suffered from that, because he was truly the love of her life. Todd’s death was just a thick piece of damage layered on top of that devastating pain that she was still trying to suppress.

  Before I could make any more comments, my phone started to ring. The ringtone told me that it was my mom. Normally, when I’m doing hair and my phone rings, I don’t answer it. But not only had she called me once, she hung up and called right back. That told me that I needed to answer. I paused for a minute to dry off my wet hands, reached for the phone, and hit the talk button.

  “What’s up, Ma?”

  “Mya,” she all but screamed through the phone. “What took you so long to answer?”

  “I’m at the salon doing hair.”

  She should have known that. I’m always at this salon.

  “Oh, I don’t mean to interrupt, but I called to let you know he can come home today. They are releasing him tonight.”

  I almost asked who she was talking about, but when she said “they are releasing him,” I knew without a doubt she was talking about Dad. My hands started to tremble. I had been waiting a long time to hear those words. Words would not come. The cat had my tongue, as they say. My heart and soul screamed with happiness.

  “Mya,” Ma screamed my name through the phone again. Matter of fact, she screamed so loud that Leslie heard her. I guess it took me too long to respond to the news.

  “Is everything okay?” Leslie asked, making eye contact with me.

  “I’m here, Ma.” I spoke through choked-up tears. “Just a little shocked.”

  “I know, baby, me too. All of our prayers have been answered. I haven’t been able to tell Monica yet, though. She is in class and has her phone off, but she’ll be here in about an hour. So I will tell her then.”

  I knew Monica would cry. She was sensitive that way.

  “Okay, ummm, what time do we need to be there to pick him up?”

  “They just told me tonight. You know he has to be processed out and that can take a while. But I don’t want him to have to wait around one minute after he is released. So as soon as you get done there, call me. I want you guys to pick him up. I’ll wait here.”

  That was real talk. I understood where she was coming from.

  “For real, and he won’t have to wait. Soon as I’m done I’ll hit you up,” I agreed, then ended the call.

  Leslie’s eyes were glued to me. I had told her all about my dad being in prison, so I was sure she had some idea what we were talking about.

  “Okay, what the hell is going on?” She held her head up and water dripped down the back of her smock.

  “My dad is coming home today.”

  The words sounded strange rolling off my tongue. I had held my breath for six and a half years not knowing if those words would ever happen. I had prayed for this at least a million times.

  “That is awesome, Mya.” Leslie smiled and leaned back into the sink.

  “Ohh, wait, I need to call Hood.”

  As if he read my mind, his ringtone chimed on my phone. Before long, I was spilling the good news on him. After a little planning, we concluded that we would head down when I was finished up at the salon. We would sit there until they released my dad through those gates. I had waited long enough. I was ready to hold my dad. If this was a dream, whoever pinched me first would get the shit slapped out of them.

  Chapter 3

  The ride to the prison was, by far, the longest one I had ever taken. As many times as I had visited my dad, I could not remember it taking so long. I was nervous as hell that something would go wrong and he would not be released. I barely said one word to Hood on the drive but he understood why, so he drove with his left hand and held my hand with the other. It helped to calm me down. When we finally arrived, my legs almost buckled as I climbed out of the car and they stiffly met the concrete. Eventually, I took one step in front of the other until we were inside the prison. Guards casually stood around sipping coffee and laughing at inside jokes as we quietly stood in the lobby area waiting. I wished he would hurry up and come out. I wouldn’t feel satisfied until I saw his face. Nothing would be certain until that moment.

  As soon as I saw his face when he strode around the corner, I knew my dreams had come true. I wanted to run to meet him halfway, but my feet were stuck to the floor.

  “Baby girl,” were the first words he uttered as he wrapped me tightly and securely in his arms.

  I had not been held in my father’s arms for a long time because these walls forbid it. I wept like a baby from the warmth and security of his embrace. The moment was surreal because I had wished for it for so long. My emotions were mixed. I was happy that I had my dad back and sad that Li’l Bo would never have this chance to see him freed from prison.

  I finally found the strength to let my hands drop from around his waist and I took a step back. I took a good look at him with his tall frame. He was still strikingly handsome and he looked as though he had not aged a bit.

  “Hey, Daddy.” I smiled.

  A single tear slid down the corner of my inner eye onto my nose, then to my top lip and into my mouth as I let out a slight laugh. I sounded like I was twelve years old. I was still a daddy’s girl, and after all this time nothing about that had changed. Hood stood back and watched us reunite. He was more than aware how much this meant to my family and me. I glanced back at him and found him with a huge smile spread across his lips. He was big on family just like me; unfortunately the only family he had was his momma.

  “Hood, what’s up, son?” Dad glanced around with his sight set directly on Hood.

  “Ain’t nothin,’ Mr. Lester,” Hood spoke back as he stepped toward my dad.

  They locked hands then patted each other on the back like guys do. I smiled; it warmed my heart to know that they accepted each other. They always shared good conversation when Hood and I went up to visit him.

  “Well, are you ready to
go home, Dad?” I asked for formality only. The answer was clear.

  “Hell yeah, I been waitin’ for years to leave this dump.”

  He skimmed over his shoulder for a brief second then turned back, facing me. The look on his face told me his next question before he uttered a word. Family.

  “Where is your mom, Monica, and Imani?”

  He viewed his surroundings as if he had just noticed that they were not there.

  “They all at home. Monica was at school when we hit the highway. And Mom decided to wait at home. Come on, hop in, let’s not waste another minute hanging around here.” We headed to the parking lot without looking back. Hood popped the locks on his all-black Escalade as we approached. I decided to sit in the back and let Hood and Dad ride up front together. I wanted to be sure that Dad was as comfortable as he could be. Dad let the leather seats soothe him as he settled in. I could see his shoulders relax from the comfort.

  “Damn, these seats feel good. It’s been a long time since I sat on anything leather. And I can’t lie. I miss that shit.” He was stressed, but his grin never faded. Dad was used to the best of the best before he went up.

  Hood looked at him and smiled. “No doubt, Mr. Lester. And rest assured, you can borrow this truck anytime you feel like you need it.”

  Ironically, the ride back to Detroit was quick. Before I knew it we were pulling up to the condo where Ma and Monica lived. Inside, Monica threw herself into my father’s arms with so much force he stumbled backward, and that is where she stayed for at least five minutes. Her face was buried in his chest and all you could hear were her whimpers. The sight of my sister holding on to my father for dear life broke my heart, but in a good way.

  A smile covered Dad’s face but the tears that raced down his cheeks told me that he felt the same. Slowly, Monica released herself and started to wipe at the wetness on her face.

  “I thought I would never get the chance to hug you again, Daddy,” Monica admitted. “This is one of the best days of my life.”

  Monica rubbed at her nose and sniffed; we were both Daddy’s girls.

  “Mine too, sweet pea. There wasn’t a day went by that my heart didn’t ache to see all of you. And to be home with you all is just not real yet. ”

  His eyes browsed the room until they found Ma, who had been standing in the same spot since we entered the condo. Realizing who he was gazing at, Monica stepped out of the way. With one immense step, Mom was in his embrace. They hugged and kissed each other as if they were the only two in the room. Monica and I looked at each other and laughed.

  “Hold up, you two, there are kids in the room,” I joked.

  This was exactly the way I remembered them being with each other in the past, very much in love with each other and always showing affection in public. Ma was alive with him—I think that is part of the reason she suffered so much when he got locked up.

  “Ummm hmmmm,” Monica cosigned and we all laughed.

  While laughing, Dad’s eyes landed on Imani. She was standing still watching all of us. She hadn’t uttered a word. Dad walked slowly over to her and lowered himself down to her level. Imani reached out and wrapped her tiny arms around his neck. Monica immediately shot a look in my direction and both of our mouths dropped open. We were in shock because Imani never went to anyone she didn’t know. It was natural for her to play the shy card. But to our dismay, she warmed up to him quickly.

  Dad turned to us. “Now what’s that good food I smell? Who cooked?”

  “Who you think?” Ma put her hands on her hip. “And I made your favorite, too, spaghetti with catfish. I even threw in sweet potatoes, so you better be hungry.”

  “Dang, woman, you did all that? I guess you have been waiting on me.” He winked at her and rubbed his stomach. “So you just fill me up a plate because I’m starving.”

  “Hungry, too, Grandma,” Imani said in her toddler voice.

  We all started laughing.

  “We all are,” I followed up. “Let’s eat.”

  While eating, we talked about some of everything from the past. There was not one person at the table who didn’t have a huge grin on their face. Looking around the table, I just could not believe that we were all back together as one big family. But Li’l Bo’s presence was definitely missed. To be honest, time had not healed the pain much and his name came up several times as we reminisced. The hurt was strong on Dad’s face and he could not fight back the tears for much longer. So he relaxed and let them ease down his cheeks. I got up from the table to grab the Kleenex, when suddenly there was a knock on the door. We all kind of froze in our spots because not one of us was expecting company. Then Ma suddenly remembered.

  “Oh, that is probably Big Nick. I called him.”

  Ma got up from the table, looked through the peep, then opened the door.

  Big Nick stepped inside, looking only for my Dad. He handed my mom the bottle that he had cradled in his hands. Making his way around the table, Dad and Big Nick shook hands then hugged, slapping each other on the back.

  “Man, it’s good to have you home,” Big Nick mouthed with excitement.

  “It’s good to be home. Man, I forgot how fresh the air could really be. That air behind them walls is polluted.”

  We all laughed a little, but we knew he was serious.

  Before long Dad, Hood, and Big Nick retired to the living room laughing, talking, and sipping on the Hennessy that Big Nick had brought with him. After helping Ma and Monica clean up the dishes, I decided it was time to leave. I’d had a long day and I was tired.

  The sun was shining bright and I was feeling good. After eating breakfast with Hood at IHOP, I headed downtown. Monica had dropped Dad off to see his parole officer, but she had class so she needed me to swing through and scoop him up. Seeing his parole officer was my father’s first order of business as a free man. He would have to abide by all types of rules and regulations, but we were all willing to do whatever we could to help. Dad was waiting outside when I pulled up.

  “Hey, Dad,” I spoke as he climbed inside the truck.

  “What’s up, Baby Girl?”

  Hearing him call me that outside of those walls was strange. Normally when he called me that we were on the phone at the prison where the window blocked us from touching each other and muffled the sound. In person, it sounded clear.

  “Why you standing outside?” I asked out of curiosity.

  “Look, I spent enough time with law enforcement while I was locked up. While I’m free, I plan to keep my distance between them and me. So as soon as I’m done meeting with my PO, he can kiss my ass ’cause I’m outta there.” He chuckled.

  I laughed, too, because I didn’t blame him at all.

  “I feel you, Dad,” I said while using my side mirror to check traffic as I eased away from the curb. Jumping back into the heavy traffic, I headed straight to the salon. I wanted to show Dad my new baby. I knew he would be proud.

  Once inside, I introduced him to Pam and Trina as I showed him around the entire salon. Then we headed back to my booth area.

  “I’m so proud of you, Baby Girl, this place is really nice. I mean you got it all together.”

  He looked around and continued to admire everything. I beamed on the inside. It felt good to know my dad approved of the salon.

  “I’m also glad we are finally alone because I have been wanting to thank you for holding our family together while I was away.”

  “You don’t have to—” I tried to speak up but he cut me off.

  He held up his hand gently to silence me but it was all love.

  “No, I need to say this.” He paused for a brief second. “When I first got locked up, I knew things would not be good for you all at home. I knew your mom would not be able to handle things. But, like I said before, that was my fault because I pampered her. But you”—he shook his right forefinger at me—“you stepped in and stepped up to the plate. And you held this family together. Now I know we lost Li’l Bo along the way. But there was nothin
g you could do about that.”

  Tears rolled down my face as I listened to him speak.

  “I am so proud to have you as a daughter. You are a force to be reckoned with, and with your strength, this family will always remain together. You have showed us the true meaning to the word family. I love you, Baby Girl.”

  “I love you, too, Daddy.”

  “Now look.” I stepped away and grabbed some Kleenex off the counter behind me. “All these tears have got to stop. I am going to mess around and cry a river,” I joked.

  I had been crying off and on for two days. It was time to put a lid on it and enjoy this new beginning. I wanted to enjoy him being home. No more tears.

  “Sorry. I didn’t mean to make you cry, but that had to be said.”

  He turned and surveyed the room again.

  “So I noticed Rochelle is not here. How is she?”

  That question was bound to come up sooner or later. I was not surprised. He hit a soft spot, but Rochelle had been a part of our family forever, so I knew he cared.

  “Well, she is still off. I told her to just chill for a minute.”

  “She still is taking it hard, huh?”

  “Yeah.”

  I wanted to change the subject. Talking about Rochelle would only bring more tears to my eyes.

  “So anyway, what’s up with your parole officer? What did he say?”

  He rubbed his face, letting me know that this was a stressful conversation for him as well.

  “Talking about a job. ‘Find gainful employment’ were his exact words. Oh, and don’t have no hot urine drops and keep my nose clean, of course.”

  “Oh, well, that sounds like normal parole officer talk to me,” I said sarcastically with a smile.

  “I know, right.” He smiled also. “Like I need some young kid who looks like he just graduated high school supervising me.”

  The look on his face told me that he was not happy about that. But I decided not to dwell on that; I wanted to think positive for his sake.

  “Well, I can hire you here at the salon,” I offered, but my tone made it clear that it was settled.