by Oasis
Jewels tugged her door open and was headed to the store. She was startled when she found two strangers standing there making goo-goo eyes at one another.
Nancy looked at the huge, brown-complexioned woman, and the people camped out on the living room floor. “Is Jewels Madison here?”
“Who wants to know?” Jewels became nervous when the uppity-looking white woman used her full name. “If you’re here to collect some money, she ain’t got it. The bitch still owes me.”
“I’m Nancy Pittman with the Department of Social Services.” She extended her hand. “This is Officer Howard.”
He flashed a badge.
Jewels eased the door up, blocking their view. She gestured toward Nancy’s hand. “It’s against my religion to shake hands. Jewels ain’t here. What y’all want?”
Secret opened the door before it could close all the way. “Aunt Jewels, Mommy said bring back a dozen eggs, too.”
“Good morning, Secret. Remember me?”
She slid behind Jewels for protection.
Both men hushed themselves when the eyesore waitress wobbled to the horseshoe-shaped table with their meals. “Can I get you anything else?”
Hector waved her off.
Well, fuck you, too. She feigned a smile because policy said so. But she was just about fed up with the customers-are-always-right cliché. Nine times out of ten they were wrong. And she was tired of dragging herself in to work every day to wait on ignorant people hand and foot. Not for one minute did she like plastering a smile on her face as if she approved of their rudeness.
Being that Hector was right-handed, and his right arm was resting in a sling, it was a difficult task to eat with his left. He stuck his chewing gum on the edge of his plate of tater tots. “If you would have let me waste Miles when I wanted to, the police wouldn’t be breathing down our necks. I can’t even take a whizz in peace.”
“Chill out, my friend.” Squeeze leaned forward. “They don’t have nothing; there’s no way for them to get anything.” He spooned a mouthful of scrambled eggs, then rinsed them down with a swig of Sunny Delight. “You act like you don’t understand that citizens honor a different set of principles than criminals. It’s no surprise that he went to the cops and told what he assumes. That’s what law-abiding citizens do. Our tracks are covered. Relax and enjoy your food.”
Hector jerked a thumb toward the parking lot. “Them cops tried to send me back to—”
“May I refill your drinks?”
Hector lost it. “Did we fucking ask for refills?”
The collective chatter of conversations and knives and forks scraping against plates came to a stop. The diner full of customers zoomed in on Hector.
“Don’t fucking bother us again unless I fucking ask you to.” He took a ten-dollar bill from his pocket and slammed it hard against the tabletop. “This is the only reason you’re proving to be a fucking pest. Take it and stay the fuck away!”
“Don’t take it personal.” Squeeze looked at the wounded waitress. “He hasn’t taken his angry pills yet.”
And I’m supposed to smile. The customer is always right. “Kiss my ass.” She took her apron off, tossed it in a trash can, and walked out the front door. “I’m not putting up with that bullshit anymore.”
Hector pushed his plate to the center of the table. “I don’t need Crutchfield watching my every move, looking for an opportunity to make me violate parole.” He glanced through the window with contempt at a dark blue Caprice.
“You’re not gonna eat this?” Squeeze wasn’t the least bit bothered by the detective’s presence.
When Hector didn’t respond, he pulled the plate to his side of the table. “If Miles winds up on the missing list, the cops will really be on us. This here will pass if you let it. There isn’t even the slightest possibility that they’ll find Jap. It’s a cold case.” He sprinkled salt on Hector’s tater tots. “Go home and fuck your old lady; relieve some of that build-up, then meet me tonight at six. Cutty has a Maybach he wants me to check out. Lifted it in Solon. If I like it, I need you to drive one car back.”
Hector grunted. “We need to shake this nasty flea first.”
“Relax. He’ll shake himself. The more I talk to you, the dumber it feels like I’m getting.” He cut away the last portion of meat from the T-bone. “You have no understanding.”
“Understanding of what? Don’t start with your philosophical babble.”
Squeeze laughed. “You’re giving Crutchfield exactly what he wants. He’s fucking with you and you’re letting him.”
Crutchfield walked directly to their table. “Squeeze. Hector, I hope you’re taking care of that arm. Mind if I sit down and ask you two hoods a few questions?”
CHAPTER 10
The ruckus echoed throughout the narrow hall. Nancy struggled to hold on to Secret.
Kitchie tugged Secret’s arm. “Let her the hell go, lady. What the fuck is wrong with you? This is my baby; you can’t take her!”
“I assure you I can, and I am.” She got a firm grip on Secret. “These children are custody of the state, and as it stands, you’re harboring runaways.”
GP stepped between Junior and Officer Howard. “Runaways, we’re their parents. My kids ain’t going nowhere.”
“Fuck that shit. That bastard, Reynolds, put his hands on my baby.” Kitchie pulled up Secret’s sleeve. “You see these fucking welts? I don’t whip her like this. I’ll be damned if somebody else is going to do it. Bullshit!”
“Look,” GP said. “Go back to your ideal worlds and get the hell away from us. My kids ain’t going nowhere. Not today.” He aimed his eyes at Officer Howard like a double-barreled shotgun.
Officer Howard unsnapped his side holster. “Don’t make this situation any worse than it is.”
“Get the fuck out of here, then. You’re making it worse.” GP punctuated his words with his hands.
“Mr. Patterson, please—”
“Please, my ass.”
“Mr. Patterson,” Nancy said, “think about the behavior you’re displaying in front of the children.” She had had no idea that she would be confronted with this much resistance.
“My behavior is because of my kids. Instead of concentrating on putting mine in a home, you need to get the rest of them kids out of that place. Y’all smart motherfuckers is the dumbest motherfuckers in the world. But y’all swear you got all the right answers for everybody else.”
A neighbor stood in her doorway, watching the commotion while relaying it to a third party on the telephone.
Jewels was ticked off and growing more vexed each time she flushed a portion of her drug supply down the toilet.
“Mr. and Mrs. Patterson, there is a right and a wrong way to go about this.” A spasm of irritation crossed Nancy’s face.
“Don’t let them take me, Daddy,” Junior spoke with bitter resentment. “I wanna stay with you.”
“Mrs. Patterson, get a hold of yourself.” Nancy pulled Secret free of Kitchie. “Is this the behavior you want reported to the judge? This display of aggression will not act in favor of you regaining custody.”
“Please, Mommy, I don’t want to go.” Secret bit down hard on Nancy’s arm.
“Ow! You’re hurting me!” She pried her arm from the set of teeth. “That wasn’t nice, Secret.”
“Enough is enough. I’ve had it.” Howard took out a set of handcuffs. “There’s room in the car for the two of you.” He pointed at GP, then Kitchie. “Whatever your problem is with juvenile court is not my concern. We’re here to do our jobs. The next time either one of you interferes with Ms. Pittman or myself, I’m taking you in for obstructing official police business.”
“Mierda! This is bullshit. You—”
GP gave Kitchie a look that screamed out, Would you please shut the hell up?
“Here’s my information.” Nancy thrust a business card toward Kitchie. “I’ll personally see to it that you and Mr. Patterson see the judge tomorrow. If you want custody back, court is t
he standard operating procedure.”
Kitchie dropped to her knees, hugging Secret around her waist. “I love you.”
“Come with me, Mommy.” Secret’s lips quivered. “Don’t make me go; he’s gonna beat me again. Please come.”
“Let’s go, son.” Howard offered Junior a hand. “You’ll be back with your parents before you know it.”
Junior viewed the white hand as everything but friendly. He squeezed his father’s hand tighter. He looked into GP’s pained face, shaking his head. “Beat him up, Daddy. I wanna stay with you and Mommy. You…you said that you was gonna protect us.”
GP died inside. He lowered his head in defeat, dodging Junior’s gaze. “I’ll be there first thing in the morning to get you. I promise.”
Howard tried to cut the tension with a smile. “It’ll be fine.” He grabbed Junior while gauging what he could of the family’s hurt.
Junior snatched away from Howard and turned to his father. His eyes narrowed with contempt. “I hate you. All you do is lie to us. I wish I had another daddy.”
GP died for the second time in less than two minutes. He looked as if he wanted to cry. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” His words were delivered at a whisper.
When Nancy and Howard led the children away, Kitchie broke down with a hysterical cry. Tears dripped from GP’s chin as he watched Junior stomping away. The child looked as if the only thing that would make him happy again was GP’s death.
Jewels came to the door and witnessed the aftermath.
“Honey child, them crackers just took them poor children away.” The neighbor held the phone between an ear and a shoulder. “Sure did.”
“Mind your fucking business.” A vein formed in the middle of Jewels’s forehead. “Go in the house and shut the door before I stall that pump in your chest. My conscience won’t bother me if I let your old ass have it.”
The neighbor’s door closed without hesitation.
“GP.” Jewels knelt beside Kitchie. “GP…GP! You fucking hear me!”
GP was still staring at the area from which the children had been taken.
“GP!”
“Huh?” He finally snapped out of it.
“Help me get Kitchie in the house.”
“Look what the cat dragged in.” A tall girl nudged Nise, then pointed into a courtyard.
Secret and Junior climbed from the backseat of Nancy’s SUV. Nise thought about how easy Secret had broken her nose. “Yeah, I see.” She adjusted a cheap pair of sunglasses on her face, which did a piss-poor job of concealing her black eyes.
“What’s up, then? Now you can get some get-back. You know I got your back.”
“Nah, I’mma let it go.” Nise turned away from the window overlooking the courtyard when Secret and her little brother were escorted up the cobblestone walkway.
The tall girl sucked her teeth. “I can’t be madder than you are. If you’re cool with your beat-down, then I’m cool with it, too.”
“Fuck you! If you have my back, you would have had it then!”
Nancy pushed Mr. Reynolds’s office door open. “Look who I found.”
He turned away from the computer screen. “Oh my, you two really gave me quite a scare.” He came from behind the desk. “I was worried sick about you two.”
“They scared all of us,” Nancy said.
Mr. Reynolds ruffled Secret’s curly locks. “It’s a blessing you’re all right.”
“Keep your hands off me.” She pulled away from his reach and held Junior as if to protect him.
“Uh, Mr. Reynolds, may I have a word with you?” Nancy nodded her head in the direction of the hall.
“Sure. Sure.” He followed Nancy and pulled the door closed behind his dump truck.
“Secret claims you beat her. They’re both frightened to stay here. She has belt markings on her back and arms. Can you explain that to me?”
“You’re aware of how creative a child’s imagination is. They’ll say anything to get their way. The last time I saw Secret, there was not a scratch on that child, Ms. Pittman. I assure you.”
Nancy didn’t enjoy the vibes she was feeling. All she could register was the full-of-shit air he had about himself. “Our office has received complaints in the past on the way you care after these children.”
“If somebody wasn’t talking about me, Ms. Pittman, then I’d feel like I wasn’t doing my job. I’ve been in this business nearly thirty years. I know exactly what I’m doing.”
“For your sake, and the children in your care, I hope so. Secret and Junior just went through a very emotional experience. Make sure they’re comfortable.”
Mr. Reynolds smiled. “That’s my job. They’ll be taken care of well.”
She turned toward the exit. “I left a copy of their file at the front desk.”
Mr. Reynolds listened to the click of Nancy’s Payless high-heels until they left the building. He wobbled into his office with a scowl on his fat face. “To run away is to break the rules.”
Friday morning had taken forever to arrive, and time was still moving too slowly for GP. He paced the marble floor in the crowded hall of the juvenile court building. “What’s taking so long?”
Kitchie opted not to answer. Instead, she glanced at him from a bench seat, then shifted her eyes back to the floor.
Jewels came down the hall, soaking wet. “I had to park two blocks over.” She stood there, dripping puddles.
A lady seated beside Kitchie watched the water accumulate around Jewels’s alligator boots. “It’s raining out there?”
“Nah, I’m standing here pissing on myself.”
The courtroom’s oversized mahogany door swung open. A peanut-shaped-head bailiff with a wrinkled uniform rubbed his stubble beard. “Mr. and Mrs. Greg Patterson.”
GP signaled Peanut-head with a wave; Kitchie started toward him.
“The judge would like to see you in his chambers. Follow me, please.” He held up a hand to Jewels. “Where are you going, sir?”
“She’s family.” Kitchie pushed past him.
Peanut-head examined Jewels closer. “I apologize.”
Inside the judge’s chambers, the air conditioner’s cold hiss gave Kitchie goose bumps; perhaps she was a little nervous, too.
Judge Brooks sat hunched over in a leather chair as if his back were causing him a great deal of pain. “Have a seat.” He motioned toward several empty chairs around the table.
“Good morning.” Nancy tucked a lock of hair behind her ear as Judge Brooks suffered a short coughing attack.
“Pardon me,” he said. “Why don’t we get this over with? My caseload is already behind schedule today without the extracurricular work, Ms. Pittman.”
“My apologies, Your Honor.” She handed him a manila folder. “The Pattersons were released from jail, as you will notice there, and I would like to get their children back in the home ASAP. They’re runners.”
He took the folder. “I didn’t give you a choice in the matter. Have a seat.” He stared at Jewels.
Jewels followed the order—this time. Old motherfucker, swear he tough. Punk! I’d like to catch his bitch ass in the street; bet he’d change his tone.
He coughed the entire time he studied the contents of the folder. “Mr. and Mrs. Patterson.” He never looked away from the folder. “I’ll relinquish custody from the state back to you in this matter, providing that your residence passes a home evaluation and inspection.”
“But, Your Honor, we recently lost our house to foreclosure.” Kitchie eyed him with the hope of a worried mom. “We’re staying with the children’s aunt.” She gestured toward Jewels. “It’s a temporary arrangement until we get back on our feet and save enough money to get our own place.”
After what sounded like a painful cough, Judge Brooks cleared his throat. “This isn’t the same residence the children were found in yesterday, is it?”
GP didn’t like the negative connotation in the judge’s question. “Yes. There’s enough room for us and we’re
welcomed.”
“I’m enjoying their company; gives me the chance to spend more time with my niece and nephew.” Jewels settled on the back of the chair. “If—”
Judge Brooks threw up a vein-ridden hand. “Ms. Pittman has concerns about the area the children were found in, and I’m well aware of the things that go on around your apartment, Ms.… I never caught your name.”
Jewels sighed. Here comes the bullshit. “Jewels Madison.”
“Ms. Madison, I can’t understand how you endure, unless some-how you’re involved in the drug activity there. The environment you stay in is unhealthy for the children. Hell, Cliffview Gardens is unhealthy for adults.”
“I’m being stereotyped because of where I live. What goes on outside of my building doesn’t have anything to do with us or the kids. They’re in good hands and have more than enough supervision between the three of us.”
“Excuse me, Your Honor.” Nancy tapped her ink pen against the table top. “Things are not only going on outside of her building but on the inside also.”
I can’t believe this shifty bitch. Kitchie burned a hole through Nancy with a narrow gaze.
More ink pen tapping. “When an officer escort and I went to Ms. Madison’s apartment, there was an addict smoking crack in her hall, who incidentally almost hurt me trying to flee. There was even drug paraphernalia littering the hall floors.”
Judge Brooks passed a hand over his ash beard. “Relatives get first priority. I’d much rather place the children with family than to leave them in the custody of the state at the taxpayers’ expense. Is there someone else?”
GP focused on the judge. “Here in Cleveland, all the family we have is right here in this room.”
Nancy crossed her skinny legs. “The children have grandparents in the state of New York, who maintain on a fixed income and are not capable of taking care of the children for any period of time.”
Judge Brooks sighed. “It’s final. The children remain in the custody of the state until Mr. and Mrs. Patterson can provide appropriate living arrangements in a proper environment.”