A Trillion to One

by Chenell Parker

  Investing in cannabis was one of the best decisions that Trillion had ever made. He was skeptical at first because it was so expensive to get started. But, after three years in, he realized that the return was far greater than the investment. He got to sample weed from all over the world and that was probably the best part of it all. His brothers were always the first two who he called whenever he got something good.

  “How you been though, bro? I know you tired of me asking that shit but I’m just making sure that you’re good,” Rod said.

  “I’m straight bro. Shit was a little crazy for a minute but it’s all coming together now,” Trillion replied.

  It had been a little over three months since the truth about Jade was revealed. Thanks to Abby’s help, they found Jade’s remains and Leah was charged with her murder. It didn’t make sense to give her a funeral but Trillion did get a funeral home to lay her remains to rest. He also got a headstone for her grave to make sure that she wasn’t forgotten. She didn’t have any family but he wanted people to know that she was loved.

  Abby was cooperating with the police but Leah decided not to go to trial. They were gonna give her life without parole if she lost, so she accepted a fifty-year plea deal instead. Abby got sent to a special needs facility because she was considered a liability in prison. It would cost too much to care for her and they didn’t want the responsibility. Last he’d heard, she had a massive stroke and was now confined to the bed. Trillion also heard that Leah was having a rough time in prison. She got beat up a few times and had been on suicide watch twice. One of Rod’s female friends was a guard there and she remembered seeing Leah on the streets a few times.

  “You got you a good wife though, bruh. That’s what the fuck I need. I’m trying to find me one good woman and settle down,” Rod said.

  “Man, listen, I couldn’t have asked for a better wife even if I tried,” Trillion replied with a smile.

  Amore was everything that he could have hoped for and more. She dropped everything and was by his side the entire time during his ordeal. As of two weeks ago, she had officially adopted Tristyn and was listed as her mother on her newly issued birth certificate. Tristyn now had their last name and Amore got her vaccinations up to date. There was a good private school not too far from where their house was being built and they’d already registered her to start in a few weeks. Their house was supposed to be done weeks ago but lots of rainy days halted some of the progress. It was coming out even better than expected and Amore was out furniture shopping with her cousins.

  “I see that nigga Jordon finally did the damn thing. Him and Erica been engaged since forever,” Blue noted.

  “Jordon wasn’t playing with her ass no more. I’m happy that they finally got it together though,” Trillion said.

  Jordon and Erica got married a week after she came to the warehouse and proposed. They were in the process of looking for a house and Trillion was happy for them. Marrying Erica was all that Jordon ever wanted and he finally got it.

  “You got something else to smoke in here bro. Something regular. I’m good on all that foreign shit,” Rod said.

  “Yeah but I’m out of cigars,” Trillion replied.

  Since they hadn’t eaten, they stopped at a sandwich shop and grabbed some food. Rod and Blue complained the entire time because Trillion kept being stopped to take pictures with somebody. People were rude as fuck and they couldn’t even enjoy a simple meal without being approached.

  “You need to stop being so nice. Nigga can’t even enjoy a sandwich in peace,” Blue fussed when they got back into the car.

  “Fuck what you talking about. Being nice is what got my wife and kids living like the queens that they are. If all it takes is smiling for a few pictures, I’m good with that,” Trillion replied.

  “Shit, I know that’s right. I’ll show all thirty-two of these muthafuckers,” Rod said, showing all of his gold teeth.

  “Where to?” Trillion asked as he drove with no known destination.

  “To the store for cigars,” Rod spoke up.

  They weren’t far from the projects, so Trillion stopped at a corner store that was close by. As usual, the outside of the store was more crowded than the inside. All three men got out of the car and headed inside. One of the men was looking at Trillion a little too hard for his liking but he didn’t know why. He didn’t know him and had never seen him before in his life. When they walked into the store, a few chicks were standing by the coolers and they immediately recognized him.

  “Hey Trillion. Where is Amore and your kids? I love watching y’all videos and stuff,” one of the chicks said.

  “Can we get a picture?” another one requested.

  “Fa sho,” Trillion replied as he smiled for the camera.

  He grabbed a bottle of water and drank half of it down before he even made it to the register. Blue and Rod started flirting with two of the chicks in the store while Trillion went to get the cigars. He finished off his bottle of water and told his brothers that he would meet them in the car. As soon as he walked back outside, some dude walked up to him and asked to take a picture. When he complied, two more walked up and he flicked it up with all of them.

  “What type of bitch ass shit is y’all on? The fuck y’all so excited about taking pictures with another man for,” the man who mugged Trillion when he first pulled up said.

  “Chill out Viper. We fuck with dude on that social media shit,” one of the young boys said, making Trillion do a double take when he heard the name. He had never met Viper before but he knew that it had to be Amore’s ex. He looked like a fuck boy but that also explained the look that he was giving Trillion too.

  “Y’all out here acting like groupies and shit,” Viper snarled.

  He was standing out there bullshitting with some of the corner boys when Trillion and two other niggas pulled up. White boy was bold as fuck to be pulling up in the hood in a G-Wagon like niggas wouldn’t knock his head off to get that thang. Viper had been laying low for a while but he was happy that he decided to show his face that day. His name had been ringing in the hood like crazy and Skip wasn’t feeling that. The police had questioned him several times about Elise and Gianna’s murders but they didn’t have nothing on him. They only went by what a few crackheads said but it was nothing. Still, Skip was threatening to stop doing business with him and Viper couldn’t have that. He was bout his money and he wasn’t fucking that up for nobody. Now, seeing Amore’s husband standing there like he was a celebrity had Viper feeling some kind of way. It didn’t help that the dummies who worked for him acted like he was royalty.

  “What’s good fam? You want a picture too?” Trillion asked, pulling Viper away from his thoughts.

  “The fuck I look like to you? I ain’t no bitch.” Viper frowned.

  “Maybe you need to stop acting like one then,” Trillion replied, making the other dudes look around uncomfortably. They all knew that Viper had a bad temper and they tried their best not to provoke him.

  “Ain’t no bitch in my blood homie. Just ask your wife,” Viper smirked.

  “No need to ask my wife anything. I read the book so I know you’re a hoe, Cobra,” Trillion laughed while calling Viper the name that Amore referred to him as in her book.

  He was hoping to provoke him and his plan seemed to work. Viper was fuming as he tried to rush Trillion but he was ready. He hit him with a right hook so vicious, he felt his teeth when they connected with his knuckles.

  “Ooooh!” all the men who Viper was standing out there with yelled after the first blow.

  Viper tried to keep up but Trillion was born to fight. He was angry and every jab that he threw reflected exactly how he felt. He thought about some of things that Amore wrote in her book about Viper and he got angrier. He remembered some of their late night talks and his anger reached new heights. Amore was his heart and it pained him to know that she was going through hell at the hands of a man who claimed to love her so much. For every lick that he ever threw at her, Trilli
on tried to throw two more.

  “Fight back bitch! Fight me how you used to fight my wife!” Trillion raged.

  He wanted to kill Viper with his bare hands and he was trying. When Viper fell, Trillion started stomping him. He was in a zone until someone came and pulled him away. Trillion turned around, ready to swing on one of Viper’s boys but he calmed down when he saw that it was Rod.

  “Whoa lil brother, it’s me. Calm down. Ole boy is done for,” he said while pointing to Viper’s unconscious body. Trillion didn’t even realize he’d knocked him out but he did remember stomping his punk ass. His white Nikes had blood on the soles and laces.

  “Let’s go,” Blue said as he pushed Trillion towards his truck. Too many people were starting to gather and he didn’t need the extra attention. Trillion was a brand and he didn’t need to be out there on no dumb shit. He was hoping that nobody recorded it but he didn’t see anyone with their phones out.

  “The fuck happened bro?” Rod asked once they drove away.

  “He talks too fucking much is what happened,” Trillion replied.

  “Stupid ass nigga,” Blue said.

  “Of all the other words you can use, the N one must be your favorite. Damn, chill with that shit.” Trillion frowned.

  “Fuck all that. Ole boy needs to go through his entire crew and whoop their asses. How the fuck y’all all stand around and let your boy get done dirty like that? I mean, I would have shot whoever jumped in but they could have at least broken it up,” Blue said.

  “He’s a fucking clown. He can beat on a woman all day but can’t handle it when a real man steps to him,” Trillion replied.

  “That’s how it be. Pass me the cigars so I can roll up,” Rod requested.

  They rode around with Trillion, smoking and talking until they ended up by their mother’s house. Since Amore was out shopping, Trillion had some time on his hands. Relaxing with his brothers was all that he wanted to do until his wife and kids got home.

  “Grab her diaper bag baby,” Amore instructed Tristyn as she got Trinity out of her car seat.

  Trinity was almost six months old and she was fat as hell. Amore usually had her strapped to her chest in her carrier but they were only going into the house. After shopping for furniture all morning, she and her cousins hit the mall and went out to eat. Amore had a trunk full of shopping bags that were going to stay there until Trillion got home. She picked out some nice furniture for their house and she couldn’t wait to move.

  “Can we go swimming mama?” Trinity asked.

  “Maybe later baby. I’m tired. We’ve been shopping all day,” Amore replied as they walked into the lobby of their building.

  “Nana!” Tristyn yelled as she ran over to Trillion’s mother.

  Claire had a huge smile on her face as she picked Tristyn up and hugged her tight. She kissed all over her face as tears fell from her eyes. She hadn’t seen Tristyn or Trinity since she left the hospital that day and Trillion made it clear that she wouldn’t until she apologized to his wife. Claire tried calling him a few times but he never even answered. She missed Tristyn like crazy and she never got a chance to get to know Trinity. She had two granddaughters and she was miserable without them. After hearing about all the drama between Leah and Trillion, Claire realized how short life really was. She felt horrible about what her son must have been going through but he never answered when she tried to reach out to him. Claire spent thousands of dollars searching for Jade and now she knew why the trail always went cold. She was searching for a granddaughter who had been in her life the entire time. She was happy that she wasn’t missing out on a grandchild that she never got to meet though.

  “Hi sweetheart. I’ve missed you so much,” Claire said as she wiped her teary eyes.

  “I missed you too,” Tristyn replied.

  “Hi Amore,” Claire said as she smiled at Trinity. She was absolutely beautiful and looked exactly like her big sister and father.

  “What are you doing here?” Amore asked Claire, as if the building didn’t belong to her.

  “Can we talk? I won’t take up too much of your time,” Claire promised.

  “I’m listening,” Amore said as she shifted from one foot to the other impatiently.

  “Can we go somewhere else? We can do lunch if you want to, my treat,” Claire offered.

  “We just ate but you can come upstairs. But, let me warn you now, I’m not in the hospital with a stitched up coochie. If you come at me on some dumb shit, it’s going down,” Amore warned in a hushed tone so that Tristyn wouldn’t hear her.

  “I understand Amore and, I promise, I didn’t come here to start trouble,” Claire replied humbly.

  Amore nodded her head and swiped the card for the elevator. The ride up was quiet and even Tristyn remained tightlipped. When they got to the house, Claire looked around and smiled. She was pleased with what Trillion had done to the place. She hadn’t been up there since he moved in but she wasn’t expecting an invite.

  “You can have a seat,” Amore said as she gestured towards the sofa.

  “Thank you,” Claire replied as she sat down. The house was very clean and it smelled great.

  “Can I watch a movie mama?” Tristyn asked, shocking Claire with the way she addressed Amore.

  “Yeah baby, you can watch a movie,” Amore replied before Tristyn ran down the hall to her bedroom.

  “Can I hold her?” Claire asked as she smiled at Trinity.

  “Not until I hear what you came here to say,” Amore replied as she sat in a chair across from her.

  “Fair enough. First off, I wanted to apologize for my behavior that day in the hospital. I’m so used to always getting my way and it angered me that you didn’t fold or bend. Usually, money is all it takes to get my way with everybody,” Claire admitted.

  “Not everybody,” Amore corrected.

  “You’re right and, again, I apologize,” Claire said, hating that she had to bow down to someone who she felt was beneath her. She would do anything to be in her granddaughters’ lives, so it was worth it.

  “Even though I know you don’t mean a word of what you just said, I respect you for saying it. I appreciate the fact that you love my girls enough to humble yourself and admit your wrongdoing,” Amore replied.

  “I just want a relationship with my granddaughters. I’ve come to realize that it’s too late for Trillion and I. I just don’t want to make the same mistakes twice. I regret so much of my behavior when he was younger. I let jealously and prejudice cause me to lose my only child and that hurts,” Claire said as tears fell from her eyes.

  “I’m confused about something though. It’s very clear that black people, women especially, aren’t your favorite. Yet, you seem to genuinely love your granddaughters and they’re half black,” Amore pointed out. Trillion often told her the same thing but Claire didn’t see it that way. Her grandkids were a part of her and she loved them unconditionally.

  “Can I be transparent with you for a minute Amore?” Claire inquired.

  “Please do.” Amore nodded.

  “I don’t even know enough about black people to hate them for any reason. I only did what I was taught and what I saw my family do. I grew up hearing the N word so much that I started using it too. I heard all the stereotypes about black people for so long that I started to believe them. But, no, I never did have a reason to hate anyone of a different race. Now, Jackie is a different story. She took the two most important people in the world away from me and I did hate her for that,” Claire admitted.

  “She didn’t take Trillion from you. You gave him away,” Amore reminded her.

  “Yes and that’s a decision that I regret every day of my life. But please, I’m begging you and Trillion, don’t keep my grandkids away from me. I’ll play by whatever rules you put in place, just as long as I get to see them,” Claire said.

  Instead of answering, Amore got up and handed Trinity over to her. She didn’t like Claire and she probably never would but her personal feelings had
nothing to do with the kids. Tristyn never asked about Leah but she did ask about Claire occasionally. That alone let Amore know that she had to be missing her. Amore would never step foot in her house but she wouldn’t stop Trillion if he wanted to bring the girls over.

  “You need to know that whatever happens is not up to me. I follow my husband’s lead, so he’s the one who has the final say,” Amore noted.

  “I understand Amore. Aww, you’ve gotten so big. You’re so beautiful. I love you so much,” Claire said as she kissed Trinity’s cheek and made her smile.

  Amore heard the elevator a few minutes later and she knew that Trillion was home. She sent him a text when she was on her way and he told her that he would be there shortly. As soon as he walked into the living room, he frowned when he saw his mother sitting there holding his daughter.

  “You gotta be fucking kidding me,” Trillion snapped angrily. He’d finally calmed down after his fight with Viper, only to come home and deal with more bullshit.

  “Relax baby, I invited her in,” Amore said as she grabbed his hand. When she did, she noticed the scrapes and bruises on his knuckles.

  “I didn’t come here to cause trouble Trillion. I came to talk to Amore and see the kids,” Claire spoke up.

  “What happened?” Amore asked him.

  “It’s a long story,” Trillion replied as he walked over to his mother.

  Amore disappeared down the hall to check on Tristyn. She was in the bed sleeping, so she proceeded to the hallway bathroom to get the first aid kit. She grabbed the peroxide and a few cotton balls and went back into the living room. Claire was giving Trillion the same apology that she had given to her a few minutes prior. Trillion wasn’t buying it and his expression showed his annoyance. He didn’t want his mother in his personal space and she got the hint. When Trillion promised to bring the girls to her house the following Sunday, that seemed to make Claire happy. He took Trinity from her and put her in her swing. Claire left with a huge smile on her face and he was happy to see her go.