Pandora's Box

by Coffee

  “…just meet us here, Hurry!” Reds hung up with Shenae.

  He kept his eyes glued on G’Corey but gave a stiff order to Reds. “Get out!” His lips barely moved.

  “Munch, baby, why?” She was alarmed by his unnatural tone.

  “Reds, I’m not saying it again. Get out. The fuckin’ car! Go!”

  His last word came out so forcefully, she jumped. Tears came spattering from her eyes but Munch couldn’t let that soften him. She looked at him fretfully and moved her mouth to call out his name but no sound came out.

  Munch reached over her and opened the car door himself and then looked at her with disdain and somehow she knew what he was about to do. She wanted to beg him otherwise but he was an impenetrable brick wall.

  “Oh, my God, baby,” she cried as she scooted out slowly.

  As she placed a foot onto the asphalt, he said, “Reds, I love you, ya heard me.”

  “Then don’t do it, Munch. No, Munch. Listen to me. No…” was all she could say when she saw him pull his Dessert Eagle from underneath his seat.

  He heard her cries but he was resolute in his decision regardless to the consequence. No guts. No glory. That’s how he lived, plus he made a promise to BG that G’Corey would suffer the same fate as he even if the cost was his life. He put that on everything.

  He stepped out of his car with his weapon at his side. Reds ran to the other side of the street and covered her mouth when she saw the scene flash in her mind before it happened. She didn’t see it ending good for them.

  G’Corey was griping and shaking his head side to side when he caught a glimpse of something moving out of the corner of his eye. And when G’Corey turned his face to the side, he saw Munch wearing the look of man who was blood thirsty.

  G’Corey opened his mouth to alert the policeman who had him hemmed up but he was silenced before he could make a sound.

  With the skill of a marksman, Munch took aim at G’Corey’s head. Squeezing one off, the bullet exploded his melon into red confetti.

  The next shot he took hit Santemore in the neck, forcing him to grab at his skeeting wound before he dropped to his knees.

  That was for disrespecting BG. God bless the dead.

  Minnie fainted.

  Reds screamed. “Munnnncccchhhhhh!”

  Yuriah yelled in a boisterous voice, “Nooooooooooooo!”

  Every officer on the scene turned their weapons on Munch and without warning, they each opened fire.

  Pow! Pow! Pow! Pow! Pow! Pow! Pow! Pow! Pow! Pow! Pow! Pow! Pow! Pow! Pow!

  Munch got ate up by an assault of bullets. His body jerked and blood splattered from his mouth.

  Then suddenly, his gun fell from his hand. Seconds later, he crumpled to the earth behind it. And that’s when the police ceased fire.

  Munch lay in the street with his eyes staring up into the heavens.

  No man knew the hour of their death but Magnolia Munch knew when that time came for him, he would die on his feet.

  The five shooting officers rushed over to Munch with their guns trained on him, prepared to shoot again if they had to. But they lowered their weapons once one confirmed that he was dead.

  A week later…

  A private ceremony was held for Munch. Only Yuriah, Minnie, Kamal, Shenae, Keyz, Shaunie, Reds and Ace were in attendance. They didn’t want the traditional second line. Instead, they wanted to send a soldier home in the same manner he lived. Surrounded by family that would lay their life down for him or lay it down.

  Reds stood off to the back. She wanted to pay her respects but she wasn’t strong enough to do more than show up. The women stayed with her and fenced her in a sister circle, prepared to catch her if she was to faint again.

  The men were visibly strong but on the inside they were broken pieces. Munch’s death affected them for different reasons but his demise reached inside of their chests and squeezed at their hearts just the same.

  The pastor spoke blessings over Kareem’s time amongst the living and after the last of his eloquent words were articulated, each man individually walked up to his casket and placed significant pieces inside of his coffin.

  Yuriah placed a picture of himself, Kamal and Munch from ’88 underneath his hand. “We with you wherever you go. From the cradle to the grave. Love you, bruh.”

  Kamal didn’t smoke but for his boy, he’d blaze one. He had two rolled blunts. One he slipped in the pocket of Munch’s shirt and the other he sparked for himself. “Here’s to those better days we talked about. I’ma get wit’cha again, one day.”

  Keyz pulled a Dessert Eagle from his waist and placed it at his. “You won’t be needing this where you goin’ but in case you run into a devil, send that bitch back to hell. I’ma miss you, big dawg.”

  Finally, it was Ace’s turn to leave him with a memorabilia but his walk over to him turned into sludge. He couldn’t do it. He broke down. “I ain’t got no mo brothers, mannnn.” He started crying.

  When his own brother was murdered, Munch stepped in and took him under his wing. And he never discriminated between BG and Ace. What he gave his blood, he gave to him. “Who got me now? Huh, bruh? Who?” Ace cried out to him.

  Yuriah stepped up and grabbed Ace by the shoulder. “You got me.”

  Kamal and Keyz stood alongside him. “And me,” they both responded.

  Ace turned around and hugged Yuriah. And the fellas double patted his back. He may had been forced to grow up early to survive the pitiless streets but he was still a kid in need of a father figure.

  After a few more emotional seconds passed, Ace composed himself and headed over to Munch.

  “Death is guaranteed to us all, so don’t cry fa him and don’t cry fa me when I go. Just make your life mean something while you here before your time is up, ya heard me.”

  Reflecting on the words Munch told him at his graduation somehow gave him strength. He cleared the croak in his throat, walked over to him and addressed him like the man he raised him to be.

  “You asked me what I was gon’ do with my life. I didn’t have an answer then but I know now. I’ma go to Nicholl State just like you wanted to do. I’ma carry that torch, big brudda.” He reached into the breast pocket of his jacket and pulled out BG’s diploma. “I know you don’t wanna get to heaven without this, so give this to our boy and save me spot at God’s table, ya heard me. I love you, man.”

  When Ace stepped away, the quartet of young men from Minnie’s church stood around the casket and began singing Boyz II Men as Munch was lowered into the earth alongside his brother and father. The McMillan men were reunited again.

  Then, one by one, each man doubled tapped their chest, pointed to the sky and then to their brother, whom they buried a G as they grouped together and walked out of the cemetery.

  And I’ll take (take with me) with me the memories (take with me the memories) to be my sunshine after the rain/It’s so hard to say goodbye to yesterday…

  Epilogue

  Two years later…

  Minnie

  Minnie looked out of the window from the passenger’s seat as Yuriah chauffeured her, Reds and the baby to her friend’s baby shower. The special occasion was a jubilant one but her mood wasn’t. However, she promised Samiyah that her and the family wouldn’t miss it when she spoke with her earlier that morning.

  “Today just isn’t my day,” she mumbled under her breath.

  “Baby, what was that?” Yuriah asked as he lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it.

  She looked his way, smiled weakly and then she shook her head no as to tell him never mind her statement. She then turned her head back out toward the window and thought back on the aftermath of the rape.

  Two years ago…

  “Minnie, baby, what’s the matter?” Yuriah gently called out to his wife as he approached her from behind, careful not to startle her. Ever since the incident, two and a half months ago, she’d become timid of her own shadow.

  She turned her head slightly over her shoulder to
verify it was him although she easily identified his voice. Not to mention they were home alone in their eight hundred square foot apartment, but she had to be sure. G’Corey violated her in such a way that she was mistrusting of even the things she was once sure of.

  “Yes,” she whimpered.

  He placed his hands on each side of her arms and slowly tightened his grip around them. He learned to be extremely gentle since the rape because every touch surprised her. She was getting better but she was still plagued with remembrance.

  “You’ve been standing at the sink, washing the same plate for the last twenty minutes. What’s on your mind?”

  Before she could answer, tears rolled down her face. “I’m pregnant.”

  He spun her around and hugged her securely, kissing the top of her head. Yuriah thought of this day and imagined how he’d respond when he heard those two words. Never did he imagine he would feel burdened.

  “Did you take a test?”

  “No, but I’ve missed two periods and I’ve been having all the symptoms from my first.”

  “How long have you known?”

  “For some weeks.” She looked up at him, trembling. “Baby, I’m scared. What if it’s his?”

  “But what if it’s mine?”

  Then suddenly, Minnie’s body started to shake as if a cold chill came over her. She pushed away from Yuriah and covered her mouth to prevent herself from saying the blasphemous thoughts swirling her mind.

  “Let it out, baby.” He approached her but stopped when she stepped back.

  “I keep seeing G’Corey’s face while he was on top of me, taking me like he had the fucking right!” She screamed so loud it shattered a piece of Yuriah.

  He went in and hugged her again. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t there to protect you.”

  Minnie cried and inwardly, Yuriah cried too. Her pain was his but he couldn’t fold because of it. He was her rock. Always had been and always will be.

  After several minutes, Minnie simmered herself to a semi-calm and sloshed her tears away. She reached for her phone that was on the kitchen counter and made the call she dreaded making.

  Yuriah watched on in silence.

  The phone rang twice in Minnie’s ear before the receptionist picked up. “Dr. Sonja Forrest’s office. How may I help you?”

  Minnie didn’t say anything.

  “Hello? How may I help you?” The lady repeated.

  Clearing her throat, she spoke. “This is Minyoka LeBlanc and I need the earliest doctor’s appointment you have.”

  “We have a two o’clock today. Is that soon enough, ma’am?”

  Minnie’s heart raced. “That’s fine.”

  She sighed heavily as she walked back into Yuriah’s arms and sobbed some more.

  Later that afternoon…

  Minnie sat nervously on the table as she waited for her doctor to return with her results.

  “It’s gon’ be a’ight, baby. I’m with you.”

  Minnie nodded her head but remained silent. It was hard to believe as he did because nothing since the day G’Corey broke into their home has been alright.

  The push of the door caused both of their heads to sharply turn in its direction.

  “Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. LeBlanc, you’re pregnant.” Dr. Forrest smiled at both of them but neither returned her joyous expression. Feeling slightly uncomfortable from their lack luster reception, she continued. “Well then, if you can go ahead and lay back for me, I will do a vaginal exam before I perform an ultrasound and tell you how far along you are.”

  Minnie lay there tensed and unsure. Yuriah massaged her hand. “Breath, baby.”

  She exhaled slowly.

  The doctor then retrieved the ultrasound machine, explaining that the measurements of the baby would allow her to determine how far along she is and the due date of expectancy.

  “You are ten weeks.” She headed over to her calendar so she could then tell her the arrival date for baby but Minnie stopped her.

  “Doctor? What I need more than that is to know the paternity of my baby. Is there a way I can find that out now or do I have to deliver to know?”

  “You can find out now. I will do a simple procedure called Chorionic Villus Sampling or CVS for short. I will insert a thin needle into the vagina and through the cervix, guided by an ultrasound. I will then obtain small pieces of the chorionic villi, which has the same genetic makeup as the fertilized egg. And as far as the potential father of your baby, a swab test collecting a saliva sample from the inside of his cheek will be all that’s required of him. Both samples are then sent to a DNA center.”

  Minnie looked at Yuriah. “We want to have that done. How long before we know the results?”

  “It ranges anywhere between three to five business days.”

  “Let’s do it.” Minnie didn’t hesitate.

  A week later…

  “I can’t open it.” Minnie held out the letter of the prenatal paternity results for Yuriah to read.

  He opened the envelope and pulled out the single sheet of paper. He read over it but Minnie wasn’t able to read his reaction. “Have a seat next to me,” he said.

  “Baby, just tell me. Baby!”

  “Baby? Baby, we’re here.” Yuriah had to tap Minnie a few times to jolt her to the here and now.

  She avoided eye contact as she unbuckled her seatbelt so he wouldn’t see the gloss on them. “Oh, okay.”

  They both opened their doors. Minnie stepped out, but Yuriah turned to look over his shoulder.

  “You comin’?”

  “Yea, one sec. I need to change Kareem’s pamper.” Reds fanned her nose as she made stinky, scrunchy faces at her son.

  “A’ight we right outside.”

  “Okay,” she acknowledged before focusing back on her big boy. “Who’sa stinky baby? Say, Kareem Nicholas McMillan.”

  The toddler cooed at his mother’s voice and playful touches.

  Yuriah and Minnie began removing presents out of the trunk of the truck. Minnie wasn’t enthusiastic about today and he couldn’t pretend he didn’t notice.

  “I know what’s bothering you and if this is gonna be too much, we can drop off these gifts and leave.” Yuriah knew how hard it was for Minnie to be around pregnant women.

  Minnie took the last two gift bags out before closing the hatch.

  “I have to be here and I’m trying to get into a better mood, it’s just hard, you know?”

  Yuriah shook his head to show his understanding.

  “It’s been two years since the abortion and I do need to forgive myself for my decision but every time someone I know rejoices over being pregnant, it reminds me that I haven’t conceived since I made that awful, murderous choice, which brings me back to why. But I couldn’t carry my rapist’s baby.” Minnie shook her head because guilt told her it was her baby too. “And then the thought of not giving you any children makes me feel inadequate as a woman.”

  Yuriah placed the gift wrapped box down and walked up on his wife. Looking her squarely in the eyes, he spoke. “Well, you shouldn’t. If you gave me nothing more than what you have already, you gotta know that’s enough fa me. You’re enough fa me.”

  Something about the conviction in his dark browns made her feel assured that she was indeed enough. “Thank you, baby. I needed to hear that.”

  “And I’ll tell you every day of my life if that’s what it’ll take, ya heard me.”

  “I hear you,” she nodded.

  Reds got out of the truck. “Oh, my God. That’s the last time I’m giving this boy beans.” Kareem giggled. “I’m not playin’ with you, stinka man.”

  “Let’s get this show on the road.” Yuriah picked up the gifts from the ground and nodded his head for both ladies to go before him and into the hall.

  Samiyah

  Samiyah spotted Minnie and the crew the moment they walked through the door. She put down her shrimp and sausage jambalaya and chicken drummets, wiped her fingers and mouth with a wet one and then wal
ked over to them.

  “We come bearing gifts,” Minnie smiled as she held up the two huge gift bags filled to capacity with unisex items since she didn’t know what she was having.

  Samiyah gave her a hug and kissed her cheek with hers. “Thanks, sis.” She then looked over at Yuri. “What’s up, brother-in-law?”

  “I’m coolin’. You?”

  “I’m getting some serious heartburn but I can’t leave the spicy foods alone. I’m Creole down to my soul, I guess.” She laughed. “Oh, silly me. I’m just a talking. The gift table is to your right and Kamal and Keyz are over there.” She pointed in their direction.

  “A’ight.” Yuriah took the bags from Minnie, kissed her and then headed over to the table to drop them off.

  “Give me my munchables.” Samiyah wiggled her fingers in anticipation for Kareem.

  “Hey to you too, Samiyah.” Reds passed him to her. “I just don’t get no love when he’s around.”

  Samiyah nuzzled his neck with her nose, then she looked up at Reds. “You said something?”

  Reds looked to Minnie. “See what I mean?”

  “I’m only kidding, chick. How are you these days? Did you ever finish your book, The Card I Was Dealt?”

  Samiyah asked one out of the two questions that were always difficult for her to answer. The other being, How are you holding up today?

  “Yea, I did. It was so emotional for me to start. Hell, it was hard for me to finish but it’s what Munch wanted.” Reds fanned her eyes to prevent herself from crying but she couldn’t stop them. They were already freefalling.

  She hadn’t learned how to deal with the weight of not telling him she was pregnant before they left the house that afternoon. In her mind, she believed it would have made the difference in his decision to retaliate against G’Corey and the cop he killed before his life was stole right before her eyes.

  She spent every day wishing she would have because she was filled with depressive regret. It wouldn’t have stopped him from going to Yuriah’s but maybe it would have altered his mind frame.