Crazy In Love

by Yoshe

  Yadi threw something at Sean, barely missing his injured head. She began screaming obscenities at him and medical staff ran into Sean’s hospital room. Security was called immediately and Yadi had to be forcibly removed from the area. The nurses ran over to Sean to see if he had suffered any additional injuries. Fortunately, she left Sean unscathed. Relieved that their patient was okay, the nurses walked out of the room to watch the drama unfold with the crazy visitor.

  “We have to get police protection for Mr. Daniels!” the head nurse stated to one of her colleagues, as they left his room. “There’s no telling who did this to him and they got these crazy people coming to see him! He doesn’t need this type of drama because he’s a recovering patient!” She picked up the phone to contact the head of security at Kings County.

  Yadi was escorted downstairs to the lobby. She had the wild-eyed look of a deranged woman and her hair was all over the place. Yadi looked around at the small group of people that had gathered around to look at her.

  “Miss, your things were retrieved from the room, and either you leave the premises, or you run the risk of being arrested,” the hospital police officer said, while handing Yadi her belongings and pointing to the door. Her breathing became more rapid. She had to try to calm down because she couldn’t afford to get arrested. She had almost forgotten that she was an officer too.

  “I’m fine, I’m fine, just leave me alone, please!” she exclaimed, wriggling herself from their grasps.

  The officers looked at each other. “Well, so that you know, you are not allowed back up to Mr. Daniels’s room for the rest of his stay here. If you decide to visit on your own accord, you will be arrested for trespassing!”

  Yadi sucked her teeth and walked away, leaving the officers wondering about her behavior.

  “We should have taken her ass to to the G building!” one officer exclaimed, referring to the mental ward at Kings County Hospital. Yadi walked outside and the night air hit her face like a ton of bricks. She walked back to her car with a defeated attitude, not realizing that she may have sealed her own fate.

  Chapter 39

  The knock on his cell door startled Shamari. He jumped in his sleep but he did not wake up from the beautiful dream he was having. He was physically and mentally exhausted because, after all, being in the Bing took a toll on an inmate’s mental state. He had not been able to get a good night’s rest because he had to be subjected to catcalling and yelling throughout the day, and of course, someone banging on their cell door all night.

  So far, he had seen a few officers being drenched with urine by a disgruntled inmate or two, or maybe having a tray of hot grits thrown at them since he’d been there. He looked at the savages who were once men, who smeared feces all over the wall of their cells and who masturbated to female correction officers through their opened cell slots.

  He also couldn’t believe some of the idiosyncracies that were entertained by the officers and supervisors that worked there. They stayed entertaining outrageous requests from inmates by giving them extra sugar or multiple boxes of Kellog’s Frosted Flakes cereal, just to have order in the housing area. Shamari was upset because he hadn’t been able to make a phone call. One of the inmates would either break the phone or refuse to give it up. Therefore, he just chose to remain humble and pray that he would be sent upstate to begin his bid.

  Shamari stood against his cell window after hearing Jones’s high-pitched voice. He thought about her all the time, being that she was the closest thing to feminine that he probably would see for a while. She had an occasional conversation with him every now and again, which he appreciated. Shamari kept to himself and did not get involved in jail politics, choosing to listen to Jones instead of running his mouth with the various ingrates locked up inside their funky cells. Suddenly, Jones appeared in front of Shamari’s cell. He smiled when he saw her face.

  “Hey, Mr. Wallace! How are you?” she asked.

  Shamari rubbed his chin. “I’m fine, Miss Jones. How are you?” he replied.

  She smiled back. “Now that’s how you talk to a lady. Ask us how we’re doin’, show that you care, even if you really don’t!”

  Shamari laughed. “Nah, that ain’t true. I care.” Shamari changed the subject. “I got my things ready. Are you goin’ to escort me to the shower?”

  CO Jones put on her Nike baseball gloves and removed the department-issued handcuffs tucked in the waistline of her uniform pants so that she could escort Shamari to the shower.

  “Yeah, Wallace, I got you.” Jones opened the slot to Shamari’s cell and cuffed him. On the walkie-talkie, she instructed the officer to open Shamari’s cell. Carrying his toiletries in a pillowcase, Shamari walked alongside Jones, with his hands cuffed to the back. He felt himself getting aroused from the touch of Jones’s gloved hand and, as usual, enjoyed her Gucci perfume as she escorted him to the shower area.

  Once Shamari was locked in the shower, he put his hands through the slot to be uncuffed. Jones stood there for a few seconds in silence, as Shamari turned on the water.

  “You know, Wallace, you look like Ray J, Brandi’s brother,” she said.

  Shamari laughed. “Yeah, people say that all the time. It’s all good, though.”

  Jones continued to stand there and Shamari was confused. “Miss Jones, you a’ight?”

  “Put your dick through the slot, Wallace,” she whispered as she looked around to see if anyone was looking. A look of confusion came over Shamari’s face.

  “Huh? Put what?” he asked, not sure if he had heard her correctly.

  Jones came closer to Shamari’s face. “Pull your dick out your jumper. Hurry up!” she whispered.

  Shamari pulled his erect penis out of his jumper and put it through the waist-high slot. Jones took off her gloves and began massaging his erect penis. She looked at his love muscle and smiled.

  “You are a cutie, Wallace,” she stated in a husky voice. “Do you know what I would do to you?”

  Shamari was unable to answer. He was in a daze, enjoying the softness of Jones’s hand, jerking his dick back and forth. He imagined himself having sex with the pretty officer, cursing her for allowing him to be disrespectful. He was having a selfish moment, thinking that he should have been in the Bing since he arrived in the jail. Maybe then, he wouldn’t have been cut and he would have been enjoying Miss Jones’ hand jobs.

  “How does that feel, baby?” she asked in a sensual tone.

  “Good, Miss Jones, real good,” Shamari replied, while staring in her eyes through the gated shower pen. “Oh, man, you’re gonna make me cum,” he uttered as he prepared himself for a much-needed release.

  Shamari watched in disbelief, as his semen was washed away in the shower drain. He fell back against the wall as Jones stood there with a self-righteous look on her face.

  “You liked that, huh?” she asked.

  Shamari looked at Jones. “Hell, yeah,” he replied. “But why did you do that?”

  CO Jones paused for a moment. “You looked like you needed a stress reliever. There’s plenty more where that came from. Plus, you look like Ray J and I love me some Ray J,” Jones replied, fluttering her eyes flirtatiously. Jones backed out the shower area and walked away, leaving Shamari speechless and satisfied.

  Shamari was awakened from his wet dream by another loud knock on the door. The dream about Miss Jones jerking him off in the shower seemed real as shit.

  “Yo’, Wallace, you want a shower?” the male CO asked.

  “For what?” replied Shamari.

  “You headed for Downstate this mornin’. You’re outta here, shorty,” the officer replied.

  Shamari pumped his fist in the air. “Yesss!” he said aloud. He looked at the CO who was still standing at the door. “Yeah, I’m gonna take a shower. I’ll be ready in a few.”

  The CO walked away and Shamari jumped around in his cell. He was headed for Downstate, which was like the admissions facility for inmates headed to an upstate prison. He wanted to get off Riker
s and do his time. He had a son who needed him and his mother wanted better for him. After going through this ordeal, Shamari knew that he was not coming back to jail again. It was for the birds!

  The same CO had notified him earlier escorted Shamari to the shower. He went in the shower for about fifteen minutes. After he was finished, the officer locked him out of the shower and immediately escorted him to his cell.

  He packed up everything, giving away magazines and other impermissibles to a few of his fellow inmates. No more did he have to be fed through a slot or be handcuffed every time he exited his cell. Although he wasn’t exactly free, when he got upstate, he could be a lot more mobile than he was in the Bing.

  Shamari anxiously waited to be escorted to the receiving area, where he would wait for the Downstate bus. Sometimes inmates going upstate would be in the intake area all day, depending on how many state-ready inmates had to be picked up throughout Rikers Island. He hoped that that would not be the case with him.

  Shamari had gotten cool with the DOC staff, thanks to CO Jones, who went beyond the scope of her duties to make sure he was comfortable during his stay in Four South. He finally grasped that the COs were human beings too, and that they had jobs to do. They had to support their families, like he would have to help support his son when he came home. CO Jones, the steady three to eleven officer, was a little extra at times but even he reminded himself that she had a job to do and dignity to maintain, as well. They had developed a mutual respect for each other, making Shamari’s transition into manhood and maturity less complicated.

  He struggled emotionally after the death of Amber, realizing that life was too short to be worried about trying to make fast money and living the life of a gangster. It wasn’t until his baby mother passed away that he learned to appreciate the life that he had. He had a mother who loved him and extended family, as well, who looked out for his best interests.

  Even his uncles, who ran the streets and did their dirt, never meant for their sister’s son to be caught up in the streets like they were. He thought about everything these people had been trying to tell him for years, although his father’s death had said it loud and clear. It took him to go to jail to see that it was only the next step before death, and obviously, he loved being alive. Life had too much to offer.

  It was 6:15 in the morning and Shamari was told that he would not be leaving the housing area until 8 A.M. He asked to use the telephone and the COs obliged.

  A CO came to Shamari’s cell and slipped the slimline phone under his cell door. He called his mother’s cell phone and she picked up immediately.

  “Oh, Shaki!” she screamed. “Oh, my baby! Are you all right? Did you get the money I sent you last week?”

  Shamari laughed. “I’m straight, Ma’. I was callin’ you to tell you that they’re about to send me upstate.”

  Brandi got quiet and the tears began to fall. “Upstate? Already?”

  “Yeah, Ma, upstate.” Shamari felt a lump in his throat. “Ma’, it’s okay. Just look at it like I’m gettin’ closer to comin’ home. I’m gonna do this time and get back on New York City soil. And you can come see me up there. It’s six-hour visits up there.”

  Brandi cried silently. She didn’t want to upset Shamari before he left. “So what time are you leaving?”

  Shamari sighed. “It depends on the time the bus comes to get me. It’ll be other people on the bus from other jails, too, but I may not be stayin’ at Downstate that long. They just admit us then they’ll move us to another state facility, which will most likely be where I’m gonna stay for the duration of my time.”

  Brandi wiped her face. “My friend told me about your incident,” said Brandi. She was careful not to mention Sean’s name over the phone. “And he called you Shaki.”

  Shamari chuckled. “Yeah, I told him to call me that. I didn’t want to admit it but he is a good dude. He’s good for you, Ma’.”

  “You think so, baby?”

  “No doubt. Heard he was in the hospital, at least that’s the rumor. What happened?”

  “Somebody came in his house and knocked him upside the head while he was in the shower.”

  “Whaaat?” Shamari replied. “How did they get in?”

  “They think somebody had a key. They’re doing an investigation now.”

  “Dag, that’s effed up! Man. Tell him that I hope he gets better soon.”

  “I will, baby, I will. You just take care of yourself. We are gonna be fine out here, and as soon as you can get to a phone, you call me, okay?”

  “No doubt, Ma. I will most definitely do that. Oh, yeah, Ma, how’s the baby?”

  Brandi beamed. “Oh my goodness, Shaki! He is so adorable! He looks just like you when you were a baby! He’s getting so thick and he’s a good baby. I’m going to get him this weekend.”

  “So when I get myself settled in, could you please bring him to see me, Ma. I haven’t seen my son since he came into this world.”

  “Of course. I don’t really like that idea, but we don’t have a choice. Hopefully, this would be the first and the last time. It’s not good to bring a baby up there around all those germs.”

  “I know, Ma’, but I wanna see him. I need to bond with him, because when I get home, I wanna raise him. I’m gonna work on tryin’ to get me an apartment and a job.” Shamari paused. “I wish that Amber was here, Ma’.”

  “I know you do, Shaki. In her honor, you do the right thing by your son and yourself. You deserve more than being locked up in somebody’s jail.”

  Shamari sighed when the recording came on the phone.

  “Well, Ma’, my six minutes is almost up. I love you and tell the baby I love him, too. Oh, and tell your peeps I said thanks for everything.”

  Brandi tried desperately to hold back her tears. “I love you too, baby. Love you so much. And I’ll tell him.” The phone clicked off and Brandi pulled off the road and cried. She picked up her phone and called her secretary.

  “Hey,” Brandi said, when her secretary picked up the phone. “I can’t make it in today. I’m coming down with the flu.”

  Brandi turned her car around and headed home. She needed to regroup.

  Chapter 40

  Yadi sat in Captain Phillips’s office with a disgruntled look on her face and her arms folded across her chest. She listened intensely, as Captain Phillips practically chewed her head off.

  “Cruz, I am not happy with your performance in visits. Ever since I’ve been the area supervisor here, there has been nothin’ but chaos and I’m not feelin’ it! You need to shape up or I am goin’ to request that you are removed from your post,” Captain Phillips warned.

  “What do you mean, removed from my post? I think I hold my post down better than anybody does in visits! I come to work damn near every day and do exactly what’s in the scope of my duties. I read my directives and my rules and regu—”

  Captain Phillips cut her off. “Look, Cruz, save it! You think I’m stupid, don’t you? I’m not talkin’ about your work ethic; you do your job but you can’t get along with anyone! I don’t know what’s goin’ on in your personal life but whatever it is you’re bringin’ it here! I’ve been where you’re at right now, and if you don’t get some help, you’re goin’ to end up goin’ crazy.” Captain Phillips thought about the time she wanted to kill herself. “You really need some help. I’m about to call C.A.R.E. for you.” Captain Phillips picked up the phone on her desk.

  Yadi sucked her teeth and stood up. “You about to call who? Look, Captain Phillips, I don’t need no fuckin’ help! I’m fine!” she yelled. “I just got shit goin’ on at home and I’m tired of everybody actin’ like I’m the fuckin’ bad guy! What about everybody else and their problems?”

  Captain Phillips stood up and walked from behind her desk. She didn’t take Yadi’s reaction personally.

  “Cruz, I can look at you and tell that you are about to explode! You need to talk to someone about what’s goin’ on with you. Don’t take offense but I feel like some
thin’ just isn’t right with you.”

  Yadi opened the door. “Are you finished analyzin’ me, Cap? If so, can I go back to my fuckin’ post? I don’t have no time to be interrogated by no fuckin’ reformed ho!” she shouted, looking at Captain Phillips up and down. Yadi walked out the office, slamming the door behind her.

  Captain Phillips sighed and plopped down in her chair. She could have written Yadi up for being insubordinate but what for? She knew that Yadi had enough to deal with, starting with herself.

  On the way back to her post, Yadi did not have any regrets about the nasty things she said to Captain Phillips. “The bitch should mind her business”, Yadi mumbled under her breath. Captain Phillips had a shady history with the Department of Corrections. She was a woman rumored to have fucked inmates, so who was she to tell Yadi some shit about needing help? She chuckled aloud and walked back onto her post with a strange smile on her face.

  Due to the chain of events, it was going to be a long, drawn-out day. Visitors were filing in for the evening visits from 1 P.M. to 9 P.M. Yadi conducted her business as usual and tried to avoid Captain Phillips’s evil eye. She also distanced herself from Vanita. They walked around the post without as much as one word.

  It was a hostile environment due to Yadi’s mental instability but she was unconcerned about the growing chatter around her. She was more preoccupied with Sean and his well-being than she was her coworkers who had pooled together to get her removed from her post and possibly the facility.

  Yadi left her post later that day to go to meal, and the officers in the corridors gave her looks of disapproval. She began laughing aloud; pretty sure that everyone had lost his or her mind except for her. They are just hatin’, she thought, not realizing that she had been talking to herself and answering back, too. The tangled web of insanity was about to unravel.

  Captain Phillips walked on the post with Vanita. “Garrett, are you okay?” she asked.