Complicated 3

by Chenell Parker

  Nakia sighed in aggravation as she handed her sister some Kleenex. Between Nicole and her mother, she really was drained of all time and energy. She usually tried to go see them both on Sunday’s when she was off from school and work. The shelter that Leslie was in was nice, and they offered a lot of programs. Thankfully Leslie was trying to do better and took advantage of the help that was being offered to her. Nicole was usually harder to catch up with because she didn’t have a steady place to live. Most times Nakia had to catch her at the club, jail or in the hospital. She barely recognized her sister anymore because she looked so bad. Nicole was a shell of her former self, and she looked like she’d aged twenty years overnight. Every time the phone rang with an unknown number Nakia got scared thinking that something had happened to her sister.

  “I’m not trying to judge you, Nicole. I want to help you get better,” Nakia said.

  “You can’t help me get better, just leave me alone,” Nicole cried harder.

  Nakia pulled her sister’s frail body into a hug and rocked her back and forth. Nicole hugged her back because she really needed that at the moment. She regretted so many decisions that she made in her life, but it was too late to right her wrongs. Nakia was the only consistent thing in her life. She loved her unconditionally no matter how many times she tried to push her away.

  “I’ll never leave you alone, and you know that,” Nakia said as she kissed her sister’s cheek.

  “I need to get out of here Nakia. I feel like I’m going crazy,” Nicole said as she looked around at the white walls.

  “You can’t get out of here. You weren’t even breathing when you came in. Do you realize that you almost died on the streets?” Nakia asked her.

  “I wish I would have. There’s nothing left for me here,” Nicole mumbled.

  “I hate when you say stupid shit like that. I’m about to leave and go see mama. I’ll see you a little later. You want me to bring you some food or anything back?”

  “What I want I know you won’t bring, so don’t even bother,” Nicole replied.

  “You don’t ever have to worry about me buying drugs for you. I’m trying to help you get off of it. Love you and I’ll be back later,” Nakia said as she kissed her cheek and left.

  She did a lot of studying the day before, so she dedicated the entire day to spending time with her family. She picked up a few hygiene items for her mother, and she was now on her way to drop them off to her.

  “How is she doing?” Buck asked when Nakia got back into the car.

  “Same as before. She lost a lot of weight since the last time I saw her. She keeps talking about dying and all that crazy stuff,” she replied.

  “She’ll be alright. She needs to stay in the rehab and let them people help her,” Buck said.

  “I know, but she won’t listen. As pretty as Nicole was at one time, she looks older than my mama right now,” Nakia said sadly.

  “Don’t trip baby. We gon’ get her right, even if we have to tie her ass to the bed and feed her,” Buck said making her laugh.

  She and Buck decided to take things slow, but they did make thigs official a few weeks ago. Asia was a pain in the ass, but it was nothing that Nakia couldn’t handle. She called Buck’s phone at least ten times a day until he blocked her number. That still didn’t stop her from calling from other numbers, though. She even showed up to Zyra’ house until Buck threatened to beat her ass. She never made the mistake of coming there again after that.

  “Come on, I want you to get out with me,” Nakia said when they pulled up to the women’s shelter where Leslie was living.

  “Damn, I must really be in. I get to meet mama and everything,” Buck joked as he got out of the car.

  He followed Nakia in and checked in with the receptionist. Once she logged their identification and checked the items that Nakia had for Leslie, she led them both into the visiting room. When they passed by the kitchen area, Buck got Nakia’s attention and pointed to one of the women who was working in the kitchen. She had on a hair net and apron, but he would recognize her from anywhere.

  “I see she finally got a job,” Nakia replied when she saw Mekhi’s mother Carolyn prepping food in the kitchen. Her children cut her off, so she really didn’t have a choice.

  She and Buck took a seat in the well-kept visiting area and waited for Leslie to come in. It didn’t take long, and she was walking over to them about five minutes later.

  “Hey baby,” Leslie said as she hugged her daughter.

  “Hey ma,” Nakia said hugging her back. “I got some stuff for you.”

  “Thanks,” Leslie smiled while looking at the items in her bag.

  “And I want you to meet somebody. This is my boyfriend, Brandon,” Nakia said calling Buck by his real name.

  “Hi Brandon, it’s nice to meet you,” Leslie said as she extended her hand.

  “Same here,” Buck said shaking her hand.

  He’d heard all of the stories about Leslie, but she didn’t look like the same person that Rylee and Nakia spoke of. She seemed so sweet and soft spoken, but he knew that looks were deceiving.

  “I went to see Nicole a little while ago,” Nakia spoke up.

  “How is she?” Leslie asked.

  “Not good. She’s lost so much weight since the last time I saw her. She left the rehab again too,” Nakia informed her.

  Leslie dropped her head and tried not to shed the tears that were threatening to fall from her eyes. Her daughter was so far gone, and it didn’t seem like she could be helped at that point. Nakia tried to tell her otherwise, but she knew that it was her fault for the way that her daughter turned out. Unlike her sister, Leslie never preached the importance of hard work and education to her daughters. They saw her depending on men and other people to get by, and they started to do the same. Nakia always did try to do it on her own, but Nicole followed right in her mother’s footsteps. Not even married men were off limits to her, and she proved that when she started sleeping with Mekhi. Leslie knew that she was dead wrong for condoning it, and she lived with that shame every day of her life.

  “I’m keeping Nicole in my prayers, but I have some good news for you,” Leslie smiled.

  “What?” Nakia asked her.

  “I got my GED!” Leslie yelled.

  “Oh my God! Are you serious?” Nakia asked excitedly.

  “Yes, I failed the test the first time, but I took it again a few days ago and passed. I wanted to surprise you with the certificate, but it didn’t come in the mail yet.”

  “I’m so proud of you mama. Now we have to get you an apartment and a job, so you can get out of here.”

  “I’m working on that too. I’m taking clerical classes now. The agency said that when I’m ready they’ll help me find a house and pay my rent up for three months. I want to have a job first so I can handle my own bills,” Leslie beamed proudly.

  This was the first time in her life that she was doing something on her own, and it felt good. She wanted to be a better example for her girls, and she prayed that it wasn’t too late.

  “How is Rylee?” Leslie asked after a few moments of silence.

  “She’s doing well. Her twins are getting so big. They’re crawling now,” Nakia said as she pulled up some pictures on her phone.

  “Aww, they are too cute. I wish I could meet them,” Leslie smiled.

  “You will ma,” Nakia assured her. “Just give it time.”

  “Tell her that I asked about her,” Leslie said referring to Rylee.

  “I will ma, but our time is up. Call me if you need anything. I’ll be back next Sunday to see you,” Nakia promised as she gave her a tight hug.

  “I’ll be looking forward to it. Let me walk y’all out,” Leslie said as she led the way.

  She spoke to a few women and introduced Nakia and Buck to everyone on their way out. When they passed by the kitchen, Nakia decided to ask her mother a few questions.

  “Do you know her ma?” Nakia said while pointing towards the kitchen.
r />   “Who, Carolyn?” Leslie answered.

  “Yeah. Does she work here?”

  “No, she lives here. The kitchen is just her work assignment. She’s a bitch, so nobody really talks to her that much,” Leslie replied.

  “She lives here,” Nakia repeated. “So she’s homeless?”

  “Yes, we all are,” Leslie shrugged.

  “You know that’s Mekhi’s mother right?” Nakia questioned.

  “Rylee’s ex-husband Mekhi?” Leslie asked just to be sure.

  “Yes,” she replied.

  “What the hell is she doing here? Her son has a big ass house and lots of money.”

  “He had,” Nakia informed her. “But that’s a different story for a different day. We’ll talk about it next week when I come to see you.”

  She and Buck talked to Leslie for a few more minutes before they finally left and headed back to the car. Nakia couldn’t wait to grab her phone to tell Rylee about Carolyn. Rylee always said that no good would come to her, and she was absolutely right. Her karma was catching up with her just like it was doing her son.

  Chapter 27

  Two weeks after visiting Nicole in the hospital, Nakia was running up there once again. Nicole got out two days later and went right back to her old ways. She ended up overdosing in the bathroom of a fast food restaurant, and they had to break the door down to get her out. This time was worse than before, and the doctors didn’t think that she was going to pull through. She was in ICU, and a machine was basically breathing for her. Nakia was devastated, but the situation was out of her control. She had to come to terms with the fact that her baby sister was dying.

  “Hey boo,” Rylee said when she and Zyrian walked into the hospital.

  Nakia and Buck were seated in the waiting room waiting for a chance to see Nicole again. ICU visiting hours were different, and they couldn’t go back there whenever they wanted to. Leslie had been back there for most of the day, but she had to go back to the shelter. They had already agreed that Nakia would be the person that the doctor could talk to since their mother couldn’t be there as much.

  “Hey,” Nakia said as she stretched and yawned.

  “We bought y’all something to eat,” Zyrian said handing them the plates of food that he was holding.

  “Thanks, cuz,” Buck said as he took the bags from his hand.

  Zyrian and Rylee sat down while their cousins enjoyed the seafood plates that they stopped and got for them. They had about thirty more minutes before they could visit again, so they were able to take their time and enjoy it.

  “What are they saying about Nicole?” Rylee asked.

  “Nothing much. The machine is breathing for her, but I’m sure they won’t let that go on for long. Her organs are shutting down, so it’s only a matter of time,” Nakia replied.

  “Damn, well you know I’m here for you if you need me,” Rylee said.

  “I know you might not want to talk about this right now, but does Nicole have life insurance?” Zyrian asked.

  “No,” Nakia said as she dropped her head.

  “Don’t stress about that Nakia. We’ll make sure that she gets the proper burial when the time comes,” Rylee assured her.

  “We got you Nakia, but you really need to start making arrangements for that right now,” Zyrian said.

  “Yeah, the doctor told my mama the same thing earlier. I don’t even know where to start,” she said as a few tears escaped her eyes.

  “I’ll help you. After all, I’ve had to do it three times already,” Rylee said while hugging her.

  They sat around and talked a little longer until it was time to visit.

  “Y’all can come to the back. The nurse is cool, she won’t say anything,” Nakia informed them.

  Rylee wanted to say no, but Zyrian grabbed her hand and pulled her along. She didn’t have any hard feelings towards her cousin anymore, but she didn’t want to see her in that condition. She hated hospitals because it always reminded her of death. Even the smell of hospitals turned her stomach inside out. When Nakia gave them the visitation passes to go into Nicole’s room, Rylee felt like she was about to start hyperventilating.

  “You alright baby?” Zyrian whispered to his wife as they walked down the long hall.

  “Yeah, but you know I hate hospitals,” Rylee replied.

  “Bring your scary ass on. If you pass out I swear I’m leaving you right here,” Zyrian teased.

  “Shut up Zyrian. You play too much,” she fussed right as they got to the room.

  Nakia and Buck walked in first followed by Zyrian and Rylee. Nicole was so tiny that it almost looked like the bed was empty. Rylee’s heart broke when she saw all the machines that her cousin was hooked up to. She looked like a completely different person who Rylee and Zyrian barely recognized. Nakia stroked her sister’s hair and talked to her hoping that she heard every word that she was saying. She let her know who all was in the room with her, and each of them spoke to her as well. Nicole was basically a shell with no movement or life in her at all.

  “Hello,” the doctor smiled when he walked into the room.

  “Hi,” Nakia smiled back. She introduced Rylee and Zyrian since he had already met Buck earlier that day. They watched as he looked at the monitors and wrote down some numbers and other information.

  “Any changes?” Nakia asked sounding hopeful.

  “Not any good ones, unfortunately. The excessive drug use accompanied with her condition is bringing her down at a rapid pace,” the doctor replied.

  “What condition?” Nakia asked.

  The doctor looked at her like she was crazy before looking at everybody else in the room. Nakia caught on to his facial expression and asked everyone to leave. Zyrian, Buck, and Rylee stepped out in the hallway while Nakia and the doctor started talking.

  “You think she’s pregnant or something?” Buck asked them.

  “I don’t know, but the baby is all fucked up if she is,” Zyrian replied.

  When Nakia dropped her head and broke down crying, they knew that whatever he said couldn’t have been good. Then, if that wasn’t bad enough, one of Nicole monitors started beeping like crazy. Nakia was shoved out of the room as two nurses ran in followed by another doctor. They closed the door, and it seemed like an eternity before they opened it up again. Once they did, everybody already knew the outcome. Nicole’s body was covered from head to toe with a white sheet. Nakia collapsed in Rylee’s arms as the reality of the situation finally hit her. Her sister was officially gone.

  ***

  Mekhi got up from the bed and barely made it to the bathroom before he started throwing up again. He’d been feeling like shit for the past two weeks, and the bed had been his only comfort. He hadn’t been able to hold anything down for days, and his fever was coming and going. Brandy wanted to take him to the hospital, but he didn’t think his condition was serious enough for that. She’d been bringing him soup every day, but she hadn’t come over for two days. She called him earlier and said that she would be there, and he was looking forward to it. Aside from her and his siblings, Mekhi really didn’t talk to anybody. Carolyn was around, but she’d stopped calling him a long time ago. When he stopped financing her lazy lifestyle, she didn’t have too much to say to him anymore. His sisters told him that she was living in a homeless shelter, but that was all on her. Big Moe was dead and gone, and nobody seemed to know anything about his murder. Mekhi wasn’t crazy, though. He knew that Snake and Grim had a hand in his demise. He tried to let them know that he didn’t have anything to do with it, but he didn’t know if they believed him or not. He was still breathing so maybe they did. He wasted no time cutting China completely off because he didn’t need that kind of drama in his life. Mekhi had actually been thinking about taking all of his money and just starting over fresh somewhere else. New Orleans held too many bad memories, and he just wanted to be done with it. He created most of the mess himself, but he still didn’t like having to clean it up.

  “Yeah,” Mekhi said
when he answered his phone.

  “Open the door. I’m coming up,” Brandy replied.

  He usually didn’t let many people know where he lived, but Brandy was really his only friend now. Janice had been there a few times, but he hadn’t talked to her since he confronted her at her house that time. Mekhi felt weak and dizzy, but he found the strength to get out of bed. Once he unlocked the door, he made his way to the sofa and laid back down. He was a little disappointed when Brandy walked through the door empty handed. He was looking forward to some soup or maybe something cold to drink.

  “You didn’t bring no food or nothing with you?” Mekhi asked her.

  “No,” Brandy mumbled as she stood near the front door.

  “The fuck is wrong with you?” Mekhi asked.

  She was acting weird, and he wasn’t in the mood for it. She usually made herself at home when she came over, but now she was acting like a total stranger.

  “Nicole died,” she said as she wiped the tears that escaped her eyes.

  “The fuck you crying for? She was a dope fiend. How long did you expect her ass to be around?” Mekhi snapped sarcastically.

  “That’s not all that killed her,” Brandy yelled at him as she cried uncontrollably.

  “What’s wrong with you girl? I don’t feel good, and I don’t have time for your bullshit.”

  He was losing his patience with her standing there crying like a damn fool. She wasn’t even all that cool with Nicole for her to be performing like she was.

  “Man, call me later Brandy. You blowing me with all that fucking crying,” Mekhi said as he got up to let her back out.

  “You need to get tested Mekhi,” she said stopping him in his tracks.

  “Tested?” He repeated. “Tested for what?”

  “AIDS. Nicole had full blown AIDS when she died,” she informed him.

  “Okay, but what that got to do with me? I got tested a year ago, and I’m good. Besides that, I stopped fucking with Nicole a long time ago,” Mekhi replied.

  “But you were fucking China,” Brandy yelled.