Synergy

by Georgia Payne

  “It’s ok, it was a long time ago. But the name is perfect.”

  Jason smiled. “Guess we got ourselves a Rio”

  “My family’s gonna freak.”

  “Freak in a good way, right?”

  “Yeah” Dee smiled.

  There was a minute of silence. Jason took all of the information in and let it register. He thought about a nine-year-old Dee losing her big brother. He couldn’t imagine it, especially losing him in such a tragic way, taken too soon and without warning. He thought about her siblings too, thinking Kiki must have only been a toddler. Then he wondered about Jarell. He was sure Jarell was a few years older than Dee, though he wasn’t exactly sure by how much.

  “He must have been around Jarell’s age, right?” Jason asked, seeing Dee was now tearless.

  “They were twins”

  “Wow”

  “Not identical, but pretty similar.”

  “I didn’t realise”

  “Yeah. It was hard on him”

  “Poor guy”

  “He was with him when it happened so I guess he thought he coulda’ done something.”

  “You can’t think like that though”

  “I know”

  “Was it completely random?”

  “Gang related. I guess there was some shit going down and they just got in the way.”

  “Did anybody get caught?”

  Dee scoffed. It was a sarcastic notion.

  “You’re kidding right? Gangs don’t get caught. Police don’t give a shit if a ghetto kid gets shot.”

  “But they investigated?”

  “Not for very long. No leads, no witnesses willing to say ‘nuttin, so case was dropped, just like that.”

  “Did people see it?”

  “It was like, five in the afternoon so some mo’fucker seen something, but nobody wants to say shit. You speak out on shit like that, you next. Just the way it is.”

  “I can’t believe it” Jason sighed. He was utterly speechless that things like that could happen. He knew it happened somewhere but it was hard to stomach that it happened to somebody he knew, to somebody he cared about. He had a feeling that this wasn’t the last of the things she was keeping quiet from him. He could only hope she felt comfortable enough to talk to him about them, because Lord knows bottling things up is never a good thing.

  Chapter 27 – Touchdown

  The plane ride home was less eventful than the first for Dee. She knew what to expect this time round, and she was excited to get home and see her family. More than anything, she was looking forward to seeing Tushaun, especially after his father hadn’t shown up that weekend to spent time with him, she wanted to show him that one of his parents still cared. Just before she’d set off for the airport, she’d received a text message from Kiki reading ‘Got some news when u home x’, so she was also curious to find out what the news could be. She wondered whether it would be about Kiki, or maybe about Tushaun. It worried her thinking about the possibilities, because by default, she was a pessimist and always thought as one, though Jason eased her worries, reminding her that the news could be something good. After all, it would explain why she wanted to say something before she was even home. Dee admired that quality in Jason; that he could see the bright side of situations, seeing positive when there was uncertainty.

  Jason’s parents and grandparents had sent them away with plenty of food, probably more than the pair of them could go through in a lifetime. While his grandma Lily had baked cakes and pies and cookies, Joy had made a batch of her famous casserole. They’d boxed them up for the pair in Tupperware boxes, which now lined the bottom of multiple bags, some for Jason to take back to his hotel, and some for Dee to take home to her family. Dee appreciated the fact that they’d thought about her, treated her as one of them while she stayed with them, and made extra food just so she could feed her family too. She’d never felt so accepted by strangers in her life, and it was a weird feeling.

  Since their conversation the night before, when Dee opened up about her brother, Jason had seen a different side to Dee. He understood she’d been through things that he could never fully understand; things that she would always carry round with her. So far he understood that she’d lost a brother, had a mother that was difficult to cope with at times, though she had never fully talked about specifics with Monique, and she had struggled to bring up a son practically on her own, without the help of her ex. He thought there was probably more difficulty in her life than she’d mentioned, but he wasn’t in a hurry for her to reveal them. He'd wait until she was comfortable.

  During the short flight, the pair of them were pretty quiet as they digested the weekend’s events, thinking about what had happened and what was to come. Jason had realised during the weekend at home that he didn’t have to come back to Detroit after all since all recording was finished, and the album was out for release. However, after speaking about it with his parents, he decided it was a good idea to stay close to Dee, to be there for her if she needed anything during her pregnancy and to continue to get to know her, to spend time with her, so they could prepare to be a real family. He could always jump on a plane to go home every now and then during the coming months when he needed to, and his parents understood and supported his decision. Dee had told him he didn’t need to come back, that she would be fine on the plane home if he wanted to stay at home a little longer, but although he knew she was capable, he didn’t want to leave her, especially as it was only her second time flying.

  Jason looked at the seat next to him where Dee had turned her attention away from the window, and sat staring vacantly, looking deep in thought.

  “You okay?” he asked, watching as her concentration broke.

  “Yeah, just thinking.”

  “About what?”

  “Just, what’s gonna happen once the baby comes, where we’re gonna live and when you’re gonna see him, stuff like that.”

  “You know my original offer stands”

  “To buy me a house?”

  “Yeah.”

  Dee twisted her face up, almost as if she was thinking, but she looked unsure.

  “I just want to look after you.”

  “You don’t need to”

  “But I want to” Jason explained, putting the emphasis on ‘want.’

  As Jason thought about the situation in his own head, he realised that Dee was probably never going to say yes to him buying her a house. She would probably never let him do it if she was given a choice, nor would she accompany him on viewing houses, or even accept the idea. He realised that maybe the way to handle this was to not give her a choice. Dee was probably used to being independent and making her own decisions her entire life; she’d probably never been forced into something before. All he wanted was for his baby to be safe and well, in a house that provided that for him, where his mother didn’t have to worry about paying bills or struggling to look after him. He wanted them both to be happy and safe, and he didn’t see why that was such a bad thing.

  Money wasn’t anything to him if he couldn’t look after the ones he cared about. He would never dream about spending money on frivolous things if his loved ones weren’t looked after, and now Dee was in his life, she was his loved one; her, his baby, and Tushaun. He decided once he got back he was going to start making plans, whether she was involved in them or not. If she didn’t move into the house, he would, and then it wasn’t a wasted effort, he could still have somewhere to stay other than a hotel so he was close to them, and maybe over time, they would get closer to the decision to live together as a family if everything went well.

  Even if the house was still in Detroit, it could be a little further away from the rougher area and he could set it up with security features so he was sure they were safe, he could get her a car too so she had easy access to her family and friends. Once the thought of a car popped into his mind, he thought about the fact Dee didn’t drive. Suddenly, he realised it may not have been the fact she couldn’t afford a car, maybe
she couldn’t drive altogether. Or maybe she just never needed one in her small neighbourhood with everything at walking distance.

  “Hey Dee” he said, distracting her once again from staring out of the plane window.

  “I never thought to ask before. Did you ever learn to drive?”

  “Yeah, I have my license”

  “Did you ever have a car?”

  There was a pause, and Dee sighed next to him.

  “I know it’s not cool but, me and my homies used to just drive each others, rather than everybody pay for their own car. Jarell used to let me drive his too.”

  “Oh. I just wondered if you ever did drive”

  “I’m actually on a suspension”

  There was a look of embarrassment on Dee’s face, and Jason could see it. He made sure his reaction didn’t overreact.

  “Oh, ok. How come?”

  “I was young, and stupid. I got done for a DUI, I’m not proud of it.”

  “We’ve all been young Dee”

  “I bet you never got a DUI”

  “No, I didn’t, but I always had a driver” he chuckled.

  “Oh, I always had a driver” Dee mocked, and suddenly the pair were laughing.

  “So when’s the suspension over?” Jason asked.

  “Early next year”

  “Cool”

  Jason made a mental note that maybe a car wasn’t the best choice for now, but early next year he could start to make plans for one. He was surprised to hear Dee got a DUI, but he had to keep reminding himself that this girl was a few years younger than him. She was still young, and had so much responsibility already. Considering she’d told him she was young and stupid, he couldn’t judge. Everybody had done stupid things when they were younger, and while he’d never been charged with a crime, he’d done some stupid things himself looking back on his teen years. He’d grown up in the industry, and there were things that were hard to avoid. He’d tried cocaine and Ecstasy as a teenager, lost his virginity at fourteen, had unprotected sex, and generally made some bad decisions. There was never an excuse, but he appreciated people that could learn and move on from mistakes.

  “Are you going back to the same hotel?” Dee asked Jason once the pilot had announced they were about to land.

  “Yeah, I like it there”

  “I feel bad that you came back”

  “Why?”

  “You could have spent more time with your family”

  “I can go see them whenever I want, don’t worry. Means I can spend time with you”

  Dee smiled, and Jason found himself smiling back. He loved it when Dee smiled, and if anything, he thought she didn’t do it enough. He hoped that the more time they spent together, the more he would see her smile.

  Jason arranged for the car to drop Dee at her house first so she could leave her suitcase there, before taking her to her moms. She insisted she could walk to the next street but Jason insisted just as hard that he didn’t mind waiting. He had no plans for the night, and with Tom staying in Tennessee, he didn’t know what he would do with himself. He never had a lot of time to himself, and when he did, he found himself bored, so in a way he was dreading the long evening to himself. Once Dee had been dropped at her mom’s house, the car took him back to the hotel that he’d become accustomed to over the past few months. It was beginning to be a home away from home, and the staff gave him a warm welcome upon his return. Though he’d managed to keep a low profile, even using a different name upon check-in, there were a few people wanting pictures in the hotel lobby upon his arrival, to which he didn’t oblige. He could never do enough for his fans, however inconvenient or annoying at times, he owed them everything he had.

  He’d told Dee he would call her tomorrow, and left her to be with her family. He knew she was excited to see her family after a few days away, especially Tushaun. He understood for somebody that had never even been on a plane before, she’d probably not spent a lot of time away from home. He thought about the fact she’d probably never had a real vacation, and he felt sad to think about it. He thought about the amazing vacations he’d had as a child, and imagined not having them as memories. Some of his best memories were from vacation, especially Disneyland. He couldn’t wait to take his own child on some of the best vacations he’d had, and for Dee to experience them right alongside them.

  Chapter 28 – Kiki

  “Mama!” Tushaun shouted as Dee made her way through her mother’s front door. She could hear him before she saw him, but before long, her little boy raced his way into her legs, and she picked him up in a sweep, kissing him all over. She squeezed him tightly, realising how much she’d truly missed him, and she told him so. In around three weeks time, Tushaun would be turning three years old. She’d watched him grow from a tiny baby into her precious little boy, and she couldn’t believe how fast the time was passing. She was so proud of his character already, and she knew he had big things in his future. She refused to let him grow up a gangbanger or a drug pusher; she wanted him to lead a normal, legal life, something that no one in her family had really managed to do.

  Dee carried Tushaun into the kitchen to see where everybody was. She smelled food, and upon arrival she saw her sister was stirring something in a pan.

  “Hey” Dee greeted, and Kiki turned around from the cooker to greet her sister.

  “What was Memphis like?”

  “Good. His parents are real nice.”

  “That’s good”

  “What you cooking?”

  “Mac and cheese, for this guy’s dinner”

  “Where’s mom?”

  “She took an extra shift at the Laundromat”

  Monique had always had multiple jobs, and while Dee would be the first to admit she hadn’t been the best mother growing up, one thing she couldn’t deny was that her mother worked hard for her money. She always made sure she had food on the table for her kids, and that they had clothes on their back, which was more than could be said for some mothers. She’d worked in the local Laundromat since they were kids, as well as a local convenience store and a bar at night. She was actually a hit with the punters – her larger than life attitude kept people coming and she’d got to know every regular that came in for a drink, something people appreciated. It meant she often found herself keeping change for tips, which worked out for her. While some people were lucky to find one full time job, Monique had always had to divide her time between jobs due to poor contracts and poor pay, it was the only way to live.

  “Have you had him all day?” Dee asked, realising her mother’s promise to look after Tushaun had fallen through.

  “Pretty much”

  “Thanks Keeks”

  “It’s Okay. We’ve had fun haven’t we, T?”

  Tushaun agreed enthusiastically and Dee put him down as her back started to hurt.

  “You ready for your dinner?” Kiki asked him, as she turned off the stove and fished out a bowl from the kitchen cupboard. Tushaun said he was, before seating himself at the table ready. Dee got him some cutlery from the drawer as Kiki plated his food up and placed it at the table.

  “Wait a little bit, it’s hot” Kiki told him, and he nodded in understanding, swinging his legs under the table, waiting patiently.

  Dee loved that Kiki had such a hands-on role with Tushaun. She truly was the best aunty she could have asked for, and at only sixteen years old, she was so mature for her age. Even when Dee first had Tushaun, she offered to help and learnt to change a nappy, even though she was only a teenager.

  “So what’s your news?” Dee asked haphazardly, as she looked in the fridge for something to drink, not expecting anything out of the ordinary. Once she found a carton of orange juice, she took it out and found a glass to pour it into. She couldn’t help but notice the whole time she manoeuvred, Kiki hadn’t said anything.

  “Okay. Don’t freak out.” She finally said, and Dee agreed as she continued pouring her drink.

  “I’m pregnant”

  Dee stopped pou
ring her juice and placed the carton down, turning to her sister.

  “What?”

  “It wasn’t planned or anything, but, it’s done now.”

  Dee blinked, utterly shocked. “What” she repeated.

  “I said don’t freak”

  “I’m not freaking, I’m reacting” she insisted, her tone of voice growing a little mad.

  “I told mom already”

  “You told mom before me?!” Dee exclaimed, and Kiki sighed.

  “Only because I didn’t want to tell you both at the same time. I knew mom was gonna react bad, and then you’d stick up for me and y’all would end up in a fight just like when you told her you were pregnant.”

  “Shit, Kiki”

  “I know”

  “How far are you?”

  “Three months”

  “Shit Kiki!”

  “I know. I didn’t know.”

  Dee tried to process what she’d just told her. She couldn’t believe that of all people, her sixteen year old sister was pregnant. She thought she had more brains than that, after all, she was the brains of the family, she’d always done well in school and Dee thought she might actually have a shot of making something of herself. What sort of life was she going to have now, getting pregnant at sixteen. She was still in school for a start, was she going to have to drop out? Even if she didn’t, she’d end up missing a lot of school and work, she might fall behind; end up not graduating just like her and her Jarell and their mom. She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t disappointed. She never expected this news when she’d first text her, and in a way, she now felt mad at Jason for making her believe it could be something positive, she knew she always had reason to suspect something bad.

  “Are you mad?” Kiki asked, a sheepish look on her face.

  “I’m fucking disappointed.”

  “Don’t say that”

  “You’re too smart for this shit, though”

  “I know, I’m an idiot, but I can’t change it now”

  “Does J know?”

  “Yeah, he’s real supportive.”

  “As long as he sticks by you. Tell him I’mma kick his ass if he don’t”