by Lucinda John
“What are the chances that he’ll make it?” I asked.
“Right now, I’ll say that it’s a fifty, fifty chance that he’ll recover and return to his normal self, but there isn’t a cure for sickle cell, so he will still have the disease.
“Thank you,” I said holding on to that fifty percent of hope.
“You want me to call your sister for you?” Derico asked
“No. I just want to be alone with him.”
“Ok. I’ll be out in the hallway,” he said walking to the door.
“Derico?”
“Yes.”
“The person that did this to him, is he still living?”
He gave me a look that let me know that he handled that problem.
“Thank you,” I said before laying my head on Rob’s chest.
“I am so mad at you.” I said playing with the palm of Rob’s hand. “How could you do this to me? How could you put us in this predicament? You promised that you was gonna take good care of yourself. You made me believe that I was overreacting and that you would make it home to me every night. You promised that you’ll be here to hold my hand through the birth of our baby. Why would you do this to me? How am I supposed to raise this baby all by myself? What am I supposed to say to him or her when I get hit with the ‘where is my daddy’ question? Why did you lie to me? Why didn’t you tell me you were sick? How could you lay up in bed with me every night and not mention that you have sickle cell. I thought we were better than that. I thought that the love that we shared was too strong for secrets. What else are you hiding from me? What am I supposed to do? Oh, God!!” I cried burying my head in my hands.
“Is he ok?” a woman’s voice asked.
I kept my head down fearing it was one of the side bitches he had. I had to count to ten before I responded. If this chick said anything about fucking Rob, I was going to use one of the cords and choke her ass out.
Looking up, I saw Vivian, Chad’s mother standing there looking beautiful as ever.
“He’s somewhat ok,” I said clearing my throat. “How did you know he was here?”
“I came to visit a friend of mine when I saw Derico in the waiting room, he filled me in.”
“I don’t know what I’m going to do if he don’t make it,” I cried.
“You can’t think like that. You have to keep your thoughts positive at all times. Pray, Honey, keep praying and don’t stop. Trust me God heals all wounds. Don’t let these doctors tell you nothing. If Jesus could raise Lazarus from the dead then he is more than capable from waking Rob up from his nap.”
“Thank you, Viv. How are you feeling?”
“I’m doing way much better, especially since I’m able to spend a lot of time with CJ.”
“That’s good,” I said giving her a fake smile.
“Well, sweetie I have to get going, but I will be back soon to check up on him.”
“Thank you, Viv, it was nice seeing you again,” I said as she walked out the door.
Chapter 30
Chad
“Chad, you sure this is a good idea? You’re not even done with therapy,” my mother said.
“I’m going to have to show my face eventually and let them know I was alive and I wasn’t going to stay dead forever.”
“I know, but the plan was for you to finish up therapy look at you. You can’t even walk straight.”
“Ma, I’m good! I missed too much. Now my friend is in the hospital because he was shot by my other friend. Man shit crazy I have to get back out there.”
“Vic isn’t even dead yet.”
“Fuck, Vic! I ain’t scared of him. The only reason I let you talk me into this is because you were the only one that kept faith that I was alive.”
“I can’t lose you,” my mother cried.
“And you won’t. I’m a man ma and it’s time you understand that.”
“Well, if you moving back down to Miami, I’m coming with you.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way.” I replied, licking my blunt close.
“Chad, baby do you have to smoke that mess.”
“Ma just chill. If it was grandma, she would have told me to pass her the blunt,” I laughed
“That’s because your grandmother was a fool,” she said laughing with me.
The day I died, they had my mother come down to the morgue to identify my body. My mother told me once she got there and saw my face, she knew there was still life in me. She begged the doctor to put me on a life machine, but none of them listened until she pulled out her checkbook.
They had me set up in the attic of the hospital hooked up to the machines. My mother told me that she would pick up CJ and they would sit with me day in and day night. The day I wiggled my fingers on my own was the day she had me airlifted to North Wood Hospital in Alachua.
I had to undergo numerous of surgeries just to get some of my damaged nerves working again. Once I was up and alert, she had a physical therapist come down and help me learn how to function again. She told me that I was dead in Miami and that I could use this time to recover.
At first, I wanted to object, but I had to be one hundred percent if I wanted to take out Vic. My mother would fly out to Miami and get CJ for me so that I wouldn’t become a stranger to him. As for my business, I was basically using my cousin Derico to keep me updated on things.
When he called my mom’s to let me know that he had to body Carter because he was on some shady shit, I decided it was time for me to come home. I know me returning was going to cause a lot of confusion, but fuck it I didn’t give a fuck. All I wanted to do was be with my kids and be by my dawg’s side.
“Did you get everything?” my mom asked.
“I don’t know and it don’t matter I could just buy everything I need. I’m ready to go back home,” I impatiently said.
“Did you think of what you were going to tell Cinnamon when you got home?”
“The truth.”
It hurt me so much to have to put Cinnamon through all that grieving, especially while she was carrying my daughter. At the moment, my mom did what she had to do to make sure I was really dead before allowing them to bury me. If it wasn’t for my mother, I would have really been dead.
Before we could make it to my mother’s car, there was a yellow envelope sitting on the front porch with my name written in bold letters on it. The only person that knew I was alive was my mother and Derico. Picking up the envelope, I tore it open and my jaw instantly dropped at the contents that was inside.
“What is it Chad?” my mother asked noticing the look on my face.
I was so shocked that no words would come out of my mouth. She came over to me, grabbed the envelope out of my hand, and began flipping through the contents.
“Do you know who may have sent these?”
“Yes, but how did she know where I was?” I asked my mother.
“Your guess is as good as mine.” My mother shrugged “You don’t think Derico…”
“Nah, ma he never crossed paths with her.”
“Well, what are you going to do?” she asked me.
“I’mma figure this shit out,” I said stuffing the envelope in my duffle bag.
Getting off the plane felt good. The king is home; I thought as I walked through Miami International Airport. We caught a cab to my house and just as I expected, it was sold. Cinnamon sold the fucking house that I worked so hard to have built for us. It was too late to contact a realtor, so we decided to crash at Mama J’s house.
Walking through her house, was bittersweet. It felt good to be able to walk in her house and feel her presence. This house was the only thing I had left of Mama J and there was no way in hell I was selling it.
“Pick any of the many rooms and make yourself at home,” I said to my mother.
I went upstairs to my old room and headed straight for the shower. Leaning my cane up against the bathroom wall, I got in the shower and began washing myself.
My brother Vic really did a number on me. I had to get three surgeries on my left leg causing me to lose some feeling in it. With therapy, I was finally gaining some strength in it. With the help of my cane, I was able to get around. I wasn’t walking perfectly, but it was better than not walking at all.
Concluding my shower, I got out and stood in front of the bathroom mirror to shave. I was in need of a retwist really badly that I decided I was going to hit up Cinnamon for one. I know she was going to kill me if she heard on the streets that I was alive, so I decided to go see her first.
I styled myself in a pair of grey Canvas joggers by Gag, a black and grey Jordan t-shirt, and a pair of black and grey Jordans. Going through my jewelry boxes, I found a pair of two carat round diamond stud earrings that I put in each ear. Clasping my 18k gold Yachtmaster Rolex around my wrist, I sprayed my body with some Tom Ford cologne Mama J bought me that I never wore.
“Where you going?” my mom asked as I walked down the stairs.
“To see Cinnamon.”
“Do you need me to come with you?”
“Nah, ma I’m good,” I said looking and searching for the keys to my Audi A5.
“I know you are not about to drive,” she snapped.
“Ma please damn!”
“Ok, Chad, whatever. I’m going to find a therapist that can resume with your session tomorrow.”
“Yeah, ok,” I responded before walking out the door.
It felt so good to be behind the wheel of a car again. Blasting my Rich Gang Mix CD, I swerved through traffic and made it to Cinnamon’s house in less than thirty minutes. The car was driving so smooth that I decided to go around the block one more time before pulling in.
“Do you have a… OH MY GOD! CHAD IS THAT YOU?” Jamie yelled out.
“Yes, it’s me.”
“No, it can’t be. Damn I shouldn’t have smoked that Walt Waller Kush, I’m hallucinating and shit. I’m seeing the fucking dead and shit,” Jamie rambled on.
“Jamie, can you let me in?”
“Oh, shit! Ok, Mr. Chad’s ghost.” she replied.
I could tell she was high as fuck. Whatever that was she was smoking, I was going to make sure I stayed away from that shit. The gate buzzed so I pulled in and parked behind Cinnamon’s car.
“Who is it?” her sweet voice called out.
Instead of replying, I took my index finger and blocked the peephole. I wanted to see her expression when she opened the door and saw her dead husband standing there. I wished I had a camera to record this shit, because this was about to be one of the America’s Funniest Home Videos moment.
“How the fuck you gon come knock on my door and block the fucking peephole.” She yanked the door open, snapping as she rocked the baby in her arms.
“Can I hold my daughter?” I said causing her to really look at me.
“Who the fuck? What the fuck? When the fuck? Where the fuck? How the fuck?” She said unable to finish her sentence.
“Let me in and I’ll explain.”
She handed me the baby then stepped to the side and allowed me to come in. I sat on the couch with my daughter in my arm’s staring into her beautiful face. My mother told me she was born premature and had a slight breathing problem. Looking at my little girl was like looking at myself. Both of my kids strongly resembled me.
“I’m waiting,” Cinnamon said standing there with her hand propped on her thick hips.
She gained more weight with this baby and I wasn’t complaining. That baby fat was stacked correctly and it looked real good on her. She was dressed baggy sweat and her ass still was able to fill them out. Damn I was ready to dig in them guts.
“Sit down.”
I told her the story from beginning to end not leaving anything out. I told her about Prancer, and how she helped me get to Vic who was the one who killed my grandmother. I told her about Vic being my half-brother. I didn’t spare any details as I laid it all out on the table. By the end of my story, Cinnamon was looking at me as if I had three heads.
“So you mean to tell me, you let me go crazy, and all this time you was alive!”
“What you mean go crazy? If my memory served me correctly, you was ready to divorce me. Let me find out you was missing a nigga.”
“Hahaha really funny, Chad, I’m not joking with you!’
“I know and baby, I’m sorry. If it was up to me, I would have called you and told you everything, but my mother thought she was doing what was best for me at the moment.”
“Damn this some Young and the Restless type shit,” she said as her eyes roamed over my body trying to verify if I was truly who I said I was.
“How’s Rob?” I asked.
“He still ain’t responding.”
“Damn. I have to go see him. How’s Honey and the baby?”
“She holding up the best way she can and the baby is fine.”
“I can’t believe Carter would do some shit like that,” I said. “Damn man!”
“Dada,” CJ said staggering towards me while rubbing his eyes.
“Hey big man, did you just wake up from you nap?” I asked picking him up with my free arms.
Being able to hold both of my children was the best feeling in the world. No matter how mad I was at my mother for holding me hostage, I was glad she did. It was because of her and her clever thinking that gave me a second chance at life and this time, I was going to do everything right. Starting with Cinnamon. It was time that we stopped being childish and worked on our marriage.
“How about we get away for the weekend,” I suggested.
“We who?” Cinnamon replied.
“We as in me and you.”
“Who’s going to watch the kids?”
“My mother.”
“Why do you want to go away?” she asked with a confused look on her face.
“I want us to figure out what we’re going to do to fix our marriage.
“Fix? The papers for our speedy divorce can be drawn up again,” she said trying to convince herself that a divorce was what she really wanted.
“You know you don’t want a divorce.”
“Yes I do,” she said looking down.
“Ok let me borrow your laptop.”
“Why?” she asked trying to be difficult.
“Just go get the computer!”
She got up and disappeared in one of the rooms. I placed the baby in her rocker, and then got up and made CJ a snack. Putting the food in front of him, I turned on cartoons and waited for Cinnamon to return.
“Here,” she said handing me the laptop.
Double tapping the Internet icon, I went to the Miami Dade courthouse website and pulled up the divorce request I had my lawyer put in while Cinnamon was locked up. I hit the print button then walked to the printer to grab the paper.
“There you go,” I said handing her the paper and a pen.
“What’s this?’
“The divorce request. I’m not gonna play these games with you, Cinn. If a divorce is what you really want then, we can both sign, right here, right now.”
She looked at the paper, then unscrewed the cap of the pen. My heart began to pound out of my chest as I watched her scribble on the line. I didn’t expect her to actually sign the paper. I really thought she was bullshitting about wanting a divorce. She threw the paper at me and got up and left me sitting there.
Picking up the paper, a smile spread across my face as I read, ‘Till death do us apart.’ I was about to go in there and give her the business until my daughter started cock blocking. Picking up my princess, I got up made her a bottle, then fed her until she was fast asleep.
After placing her in the crib. I went in the kitchen in search for something to cook. Everything was frozen except for some chicken breast, so I made chicken tenders and fries for CJ and bake chicken breast, dirty rice, and green beans for Cinnamon and I.
We were sitting at the table like a family eating dinner when Cinnamon�
�s doorbell rung. She got up and answered the door, but never returned. A few more minutes passed and I decided to go see what was taking her so long. Cinnamon was in the doorway explaining to that busta nigga that daddy was home and he was here to stay.
The next morning, I woke up with a smile on my face. Last night, I reconciled with my wife, got the best head in the world, then got to wake up to her beautiful face. A nigga was floating on cloud nine and I wasn’t tryna come down yet.
Today, I planned on visiting Rob, but first I had to let my squad know I was back home. I had Derico running things in Rob’s absence and that nigga was doing better than I expected. I had to give my little cousin his props for him to only be seventeen; he was handling business like a grown man.
“What’s your plans for today? I asked Cinnamon as I prepared to leave.
“We’re gonna go visit Rob, and keep Honey Company.”
“Iight. Imma go holla at them niggas real quick then I’ll meet y’all there.”
“Be Careful,” she said wrapping her arms around her neck.
“I will,” I replied grabbing a handful of her ass.
Her ass was now fat to the point that some of it spilled out of my grip. Damn, I couldn’t wait until she allowed me to hit that thing from that back. Giving her a kiss, I smacked her ass hard then walked out of the door.
“What’s really good?” I asked as I walked through one of my traps.
“No shit! Boss, that’s really you?” one of my workers asked.
“I’m back like I never left,” I smiled giving him a pound.
After we chopped it up, I sat them down and talked about the beef with the Jamaicans. I was no longer interested in going to war with them, so I decided to give them what they wanted and have them pay for it. The Jamaicans wanted more territory. They were sick and tired of hustling on one little ass block in Opa-Locka while I had the rest of the hoods on smash.
I agreed to let them have Opa-Locka and in return they would pay me forty percent of their earnings and pay me in rent. The leader agreed to everything and the beef was now cooked. I ran everything past them and they all nodded their head in agreement.
The meeting was adjourned and everybody was back to doing what they were supposed to be doing. Derico and I headed to the hospital so I could shake Rob’s ass out of that fucking coma. It was too much money out here to be made for that nigga to kicked back sleeping.