Petie couldn’t hold out anymore. He busted off, draining himself inside of Patrice’s ass. He slid out of her and went to the bathroom to wash himself off as Patrice lay on the bed with her thumb in her mouth. Just like Share, he thought when he came out of the bathroom and looked at her. He had to admit it: Share had him bent.
”You aiight?” he asked Patrice.
”Yeah, I’m just tired,” she said as she pulled the covers up over her and adjusted the pillows.
”Get some rest,” Petie said. He turned on the TV and began to flick the channels with the remote that was on the nightstand next to the bed. He looked back at Patrice and saw that she had turned onto her side and was already going to sleep. Petie just sat in the chair and watched her as he thought about his next move.
When Petie woke up the next morning, he gave Patrice money to get them something to eat. He got in the shower after she left and thought about what he was going to do with her. He liked her, but she smoked crack and that was a no-no.
He was already out of the shower and getting dressed by the time Patrice got back to the room. He told her to be quiet while he called Renee. As usual, she didn’t come to the phone. Rhonda told him that Renee said for him to turn himself in and stop calling her. He hung up the phone wanting to go over there and push her head into the wall.
He told Patrice to give him a number where he could reach her. She told him she didn’t have a number, which didn’t surprise him.
”Aiight, check this out: meet me back here tonight between nine-thirty and ten o’ clock. We’ll get another room.” He paused for a few seconds. ”Listen, no smoking tonight,” he added. ”We just gon’ be on some Chuck Chill out shit”.
”Okay, no problem,” Patrice said. She didn’t ask Petie for any money and he liked that. Most chicks who smoked always had their hand out. She didn’t. He peeled back sixty dollars and handed it to her for her pocket. He told her to get her smoking out of the way now, because tonight it was a rizzie. He knew she’d be back; they always came back.
Petie and Patrice checked out of the room. After dropping her off, Petie called Roz and told her that he was on his way. So much pussy, so little time.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Renee woke up Darnell and Dante and got them ready for school. Darnell had begun to ask a lot of questions about his father. Renee didn’t really know what to say; she never bad mouthed Petie to the boys and she wasn’t about to start now. They meant the world to him, and that was the only thing she gave him credit for.
Renee called her mother in Pennsylvania to let her know about her diagnosis.
”Oh, Renee, I prayed when that epidemic hit that it wouldn’t touch anybody I love. Good God, when did you find out?”
”Not too long ago, Mom. I’m scared. I don’t know what to do or who to turn to. I just wanna die,” Renee said on the verge of tears. She really didn’t know where to begin, so she told her mother everything, starting with meeting Share. Renee and her mother were best friends, so she felt more than comfortable telling her about Petie’s infidelities. There were no secrets with them.
Her mother told her just what she wanted to hear; she told her to pack up and come home. Renee hung up the phone and cried, not only because her secret was safe with her mother, but mainly because she didn’t turn her back on her.
Renee was ready to start a new life. She had only one more secret, but she thought it was best to keep it just that—a secret.
Share’s nurse came and looked in on her. She was getting her stitches out in a couple of days and her body was healing slowly. Will was very supportive in spite of everything that had happened.
Share was lying down when Renee called her to see how she was doing. They talked about her diagnosis and Renee told her that she was also positive. They had bonded in such a short time under strained circumstances, and the way they communicated with one another made it seem like they knew each other much longer than they actually had. Renee told Share she was relocating to Pennsylvania and that she wanted to keep in touch with her.
”If there’s anything I can do for you, please let me know,” Share said. ”Even if you need financial help, feel free to ask me for it.”
Renee thanked Share for her offer and told her she appreciated her being so understanding, considering the circumstances. They talked a little while longer and agreed to stay in contact with each other no matter what. It was all good.
Renee brought Rhonda home with her to get some clothes and other things she needed. Renee wasn’t surprised when she saw the police outside her apartment door. They approached her and asked if she knew her husband’s whereabouts.
”No, I don’t know where he’s at and I don’t care,” she told them before putting her key in the door.
”Mrs. Mickens, can you give us a description of the vehicle he’s driving?” one of the officers asked her.
”Sure I can. As a matter of fact, I even have a recent picture of the car.” Renee went inside the apartment, came back out and gave the police a picture of the Navigator and the license plate number. They thanked her and got on their merry way. They actually already had a full description of his wheels; they had previously obtained the information from the Department of Motor Vehicles.
Renee and Rhonda put some clothes in a bag, and Renee packed some personal things for herself. She ran across an old picture of her sons with Ladelle and tears came to her eyes. She thought about Dante...the guilt was killing her.
Rhonda called her from the other room, bringing her out of her trance. ”What you wanna do with this nigga’s clothes?” she yelled out. Rhonda hadn’t liked Petie from day one, and if it was up to her she would torch all of his shit.
”Just leave them where they are,” Renee said. Her sister had told her that she would put all of her stuff in storage until she got herself situated.
”As far as his shit goes, I’m gonna throw it down the fucken incinerator,” she said, not minding Renee’s request.
”No, I’m going to give him his clothes. He’s going to need them...eventually,” Renee said. They left in silence and went back to Rhonda’s house.
Renee waited for her sons to come in from school so she could sit down and talk to them. She didn’t know where to start. She wanted to tell them the truth, but she didn’t want to look like the bad guy. However, she knew she needed to have a heart to heart with them so they would understand what was going on. Renee wanted them to know that Petie loved them to death, but they had to move on so they could have a better life. Dante would understand, but Darnell would put up a fight. Renee could hear his mouth already. She called her mother to find out about the schools and the job market in her area.
”Girl, don’t worry about no job. That’s not important right now. You just get out here, and we’ll get the boys in school. Then you’ll have time to get yourself employed. All right, baby?”
”Yes, Mom, you’re right,” Renee said before hanging up the phone. She began to cry like a baby. So much had happened in such a short time. She reflected on her life and realized that she had nothing to show for herself. Maybe Rhonda was right; years ago she had said Petie was the worst thing that ever happened to her.
As if she had been reading her thoughts, Rhonda came and hugged her and told her that everything was going to be all right. Renee held her close, and it was then that she knew everything would in fact be all right.
Venus sat at the kitchen table with a fifth of gin in front of her; she wasn’t dealing well with BJ’s death. She felt a loneliness that she hadn’t felt in years, and she was angry. But she didn’t exactly know with whom. She just knew that she was and the best thing to do was drink at the moment.
She really wanted to get at Annette...that bitch. What really got to Venus was how she came to the funeral and performed. The nerve of her! She couldn’t wait to go to Annette’s next court date, hoping that the judge would hit her in the head. Venus poured herself another drink, this time straight with no chaser. She’d be toasted bef
ore the night was up.
Venus called Share, and they spoke on the phone for hours about all the drama they had endured. Share told her to come over and spend the night; they could both use the company. Venus did-n’t really want to be alone, so she took her best friend’s offer and told her she was on her way.
Chapter Forty
”Where you been?” Lydia asked Ladelle when he got home. He really wasn’t in the mood to be answering any questions.
”I had to make a run. Everything is all right; don’t worry yourself. I don’t want you putting no stress on my unborn,” he said as he rubbed her belly. She placed her hands over his as it moved across her stomach.
Ladelle was thinking about what had gone down between him and Petie. He wanted to talk about it, but not with Lydia. She wouldn’t really understand, but there was no one else he could confide in. He thought about calling his mother but decided not to. He made up his mind to visit Lou’s grave the following day and talk to him. Even though Lou couldn’t talk back, Ladelle knew he’d be listening.... His whole team was dead behind Petie’s dumb shit, and the nigga had the nerve to pull a gun on him. Ladelle wanted to forgive him, but he couldn’t. The nigga had put a burner in his face and pulled the trigger. The only reason he was still alive was that the safety was on. Nah, he couldn’t forgive that.
Ladelle thought back to when he and Petie first met. They were in the fourth grade and they had teamed up immediately. They did everything together. Petie was a wild child even then, and Ladelle chased the girls. Ladelle remembered how all Petie wanted to do was rob the other kids, while he just wanted to sneak in the girls’ locker room. As the years went by, the two grew closer, calling themselves brothers.
Renee had moved into the neighborhood. She was friends with Ladelle’s cousin, who introduced her to both he and Petie. Even though Ladelle was attracted to her, he stood by and let Petie claim her. One thing led to another, and Petie and Renee got engaged. They got married after she got pregnant with Darnell.
When Darnell was fourteen months old, Petie caught charges and went Upstate for two to four years. Renee and Ladelle began spending a lot of time together; he held her down while his man was up North.
Ladelle remembered how much Petie loved his son. All he talked about was his baby boy. Ladelle couldn’t tell him that he was boning Renee while he was behind the wall. He knew it was foul, and he and Renee decided to keep it a secret.
Renee seemed to change after Dante was born. She always wanted Ladelle to be around. He didn’t mind because they were like his nephews anyway. He had a special bond with them that could never be taken away.
Ladelle was hurting. He had wanted Petie to know that he needed to change his life, and the only way he could get a fresh start was to clear his conscience. But Petie had taken it to another level. Ladelle thought that maybe he shouldn’t have told him, but he thought it would be best if he heard it from him and not Renee.
Lydia called Ladelle to the phone. It was Renee, and she wasn’t in a good mood. Ladelle was surprised by her call, but what surprised him even more was Lydia giving him the phone without beefing. But she knew what time it was and she had forgiven him. And she knew Renee wasn’t a threat to her. Ladelle picked up the phone, wondering what she had to say to him. ”Hello?” he said.
”Ladelle, all I want to know is why you found it necessary to tell Petie about us all of a sudden?” Renee asked getting right to the point.
”Because I needed to free myself of that bullshit. It was time to come clean and get that dirt out of my life,” Ladelle said, hoping she’d understand. Lydia listened in on another line in the apartment, waiting to here what Renee had to say.
”Did it ever occur to you that lives would be affected when you decided to confess? Did you take the time to think about anybody else but yourself?”
”Listen, I already told you why I did it, and if you got a problem with that then I don’t know what to tell you. This phone call is over. One,” Ladelle said and hung up.
Lydia hung up her line and asked Ladelle what Petie said when he told him about his affair with Renee. ”Does it really matter?” he replied. Then he finally told her that Petie put a gun to his face before getting up and going to the window. Lydia could feel his pain. Ladelle knew he was wrong for fucking Renee, but he’d never put a burner in Petie’s face under any circumstance. The whole shit was unbelievable, and he couldn’t swallow it.
”I’m sorry, baby,” Lydia said moving in close to him. ”I understand how close you were with him, but sometimes we outgrow people. I know you’re hurting and I know that was your man, but you’ve got to move on. Right now you’ve got to back up and let him go through what he has to go through to get where he needs to be. You’ve got to start living for your child.”
Ladelle really wanted to forgive Petie, but he couldn’t. He knew Lydia was right; he had to live for his unborn child. Ladelle started to cry like he hadn’t cried in years. He said a silent prayer for Petie and one for himself.
Chapter Forty-One
Petie got back to Queens and called Rhonda’s house. This time he asked to speak to Darnell.
Darnell came to the phone in a heartbeat. ”What’s up, Dad?” He hadn’t spoken to Petie in a while, and he was happy to hear from him. ”I miss you, Dad. When I’ma see you?”
”I miss you, too. Your mother’s actin’ like a real snowflake. She won’t take my calls, and she’s trying to keep me from seeing you,” he said, knowing that he was planting a seed in Darnell’s mind.
”Why she actin’ like that, Dad? What’s wrong with her?” Darnell asked. Petie knew Darnell was going to ride with him.
”I don’t know. I think she’s goin’ through some kind of crisis. Listen to me, Darnell: no matter what your mother tells you, and I don’t care what it is, always know that I love you to death—ya heard? No matter what, know that your father is a lieutenant. And don’t let your mother turn you into no wuss. The streets is military, so you gotta be a soldier. And if anything happens to me you gotta take care of Dante, because he’s soft like your mother. You hear me?” Petie said.
”Dad, why you talkin’ like you’re about to die or something? Stop talking like that; you’re scaring me. Anyway, when am I gonna see you?”
Petie hated the fact that he hadn’t seen his sons in weeks. The last time he saw Darnell was when he was in the hospital. ”Soon,” was all Petie could say. He really didn’t know when he would see him again.
Darnell told Petie that every day all the kids at school talked about his picture being on TV. He said it kind of turned him into a celebrity. And he said that whenever he was asked about him, he’d just say, ”Yeah, that’s my dad. He ‘bout it like that.” Petie listened to Darnell and thought about how much he sounded like him. Damn, he wanted to be in his boys’ lives so badly, but the way things were going he didn’t know if he ever would.
”Where’s your brother?” he asked Darnell.
”Outside with some girl from school,” Darnell replied. Petie thought that maybe Dante wouldn’t be a wuss after all.
Petie told Darnell that if he needed anything at all to call him, even to just talk. He could tell that Darnell didn’t want to get off the phone, so he told him to call him tomorrow when he came in from school.
Darnell hung up the phone and went outside with Dante. He didn’t want to be in the house with his aunt, and he definitely didn’t want to be around his mother. They were the enemy as far as he was concerned; anybody trying to keep his father away from him was an enemy.
Petie thought about the conversation he had with Darnell. He smiled to himself. He knew it was just a matter of time before Darnell flipped on Renee. He could see Darnell now, spazzin’ out on her. Dante would turn on her eventually, but it would take some time.
He thought about Ladelle fucking Renee, and it no longer made him angry. Petie always knew Ladelle was a pussy playa, but he violated when he crossed that line. However, it wasn’t like Ladelle had put a gun to her head and
took it. Nah, that wasn’t the case. Renee gave that shit up willingly. Now he knew why she hadn’t been giving him any pussy.
Petie turned on the news and saw a picture of his Navigator plastered across the screen. He sat in shock as the reporter gave a full description of his vehicle along with the license plate number. Oh shit, he thought. They were closing in on him for real. He knew he’d be captured. It was just a matter of time.
He called Roz on her cell phone to tell her what he had just seen on the tube. She was in Jamaica with her peeps. Petie told her he was going to need a set of wheels quickly. Roz had all kinds of connections, so she could make that happen. ”I bet your grimy-ass wife told the cops something for your shit to be on the news like that.” Petie thought that maybe she was right.
”I don’t think she would go out like that,” he said trying to defend her, even though he didn’t believe what he was saying. Maybe she would do something like that, considering the way she had been acting lately.
”Oh, you don’t think she’d do that? Well, then, why all of a sudden they got your shit on the air? I bet you a brick they threatened her and she sold you out. They applied some pressure and she broke,” Roz said making a lot of sense to Petie.
Petie thought about Renee saying he should turn himself in and all that other bullshit he wasn’t trying to hear. Maybe she did sell me out. Who knows? he thought.
”Yeah, you’re probably right. But anyway, see about that car so I can get around.”
”I’ll make it happen. In the meantime, just be easy and stay in until I get back,” Roz said.
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