Addicted to an Addict

by Honey

  “This is my first and last time in jail, so I’m not trying to get used to being caged and shackled like a wild animal.”

  “I felt the same way my first time. I wasn’t ever coming back either. But after I served my five years and got back home, I started doing the same ole shit again. Drinking, drugging, and stealing to support my crack habit—that’s what I did. Now, I’m looking at ten years unless God has mercy on me.”

  Out of the six women on the van being transported to the courthouse, Mink was the only one dressed in civilian clothes instead of one of those god-awful, orange jumpsuits. So, quite naturally, she was feeling a sense of pseudo self-superiority when the truth of the matter was . . . She was no better than any of her fellow inmates. However, she felt like a queen amongst paupers in a brand-new navy business suit. She’d lost a lot of weight since the last time Josiah had shopped for her, so the skirt and single-breasted jacket were loose as were the flesh-tone pantyhose. The only thing he’d purchased for her court appearance and brought to the jail that fit was the shoes. The navy, size-8 Spectator Pumps looked perfect on Mink’s feet.

  “You look like a little girl. How old are you, chile?” After a period of silence, the veteran inmate sitting next to Mink decided to strike up a conversation with a younger woman on the other side of her.

  “I’m 23.”

  “Damn! You’re a baby.” She laughed and gave the young woman’s shoulder a friendly slap. “I’m Patsy. What’s your name?”

  “Angelica.”

  “You don’t look like you could hurt a flea. What’chu in jail for, girl?”

  Angelica’s eyes watered, and she swallowed a few times. “I helped my boyfriend and his boys rob a bank.”

  “Say what?”

  Every woman on the van looked at Angelica. Even the guard who was driving and the one in the passenger’s seat turned around and peeped at her for a hot second.

  “I wasn’t actually with them when they did it. I was a teller at the bank, and I set the whole thing up to go down on my day off.”

  “Do you have a lawyer, baby girl?” a fat white lady sitting on the back row asked.

  “No, not a real one. The court appointed me one. I couldn’t put my mama and my stepdaddy through all the drama and let them spend their retirement on an attorney for me when I knew exactly what I was doing. I did something stupid for a man who don’t give a damn about me. He snitched me out the first opportunity he got. His ass could’ve gotten away with the robbery if he hadn’t been so damn greedy. But because he got caught, he told on me and all his boys. None of that matters, though, because I helped plan the robbery, so I’m guilty.”

  “What’s your lawyer’s plan?” Patsy wanted to know.

  “He allowed me to make the decision based on his professional opinion. So, I’m going to plead guilty to accomplice to armed robbery and pray to God the judge will be lenient with me because it’s my first offense ever. Hopefully, I’ll get fifteen to twenty-five years. But if the security guard who got shot dies, I’ll catch an accessory to murder charge too. They got me on accessory to attempted murder right now, but it could change. Hell, if he dies, I could get life.”

  Mink’s heart dropped to her stomach. “How is that possible? You said you weren’t even there, so you couldn’t have shot anyone.”

  “It don’t matter,” the white lady blurted out. “Her actions contributed to everything her old man and his buddies did. They couldn’t have robbed the bank without her input, and the security guard would not have caught a bullet if they hadn’t been robbing the goddamn bank. So, she’s guilty of everything that happened by association and deed.”

  “That’s exactly how my court-appointed attorney explained it to me. So, what’s the use in fighting it? I’m going to put on my big-girl panties and own my shit. Hopefully, the judge will take my first-time offender status into consideration. And I’ll keep praying for that security guard.”

  Mink reclined her head and kept her mouth shut for the rest of the ride to the courthouse. While the other women discussed their charges and personal lives, she thought about her life since becoming addicted to heroin. She couldn’t remember a single time she had taken responsibility for her actions. No matter what she did, it was always someone else’s fault in her twisted mind. Josiah had made it easy for her by paying globs of money for treatment and allowing her to come back home with little to no consequences. All she’d ever had to do was apologize and promise never to shoot up again. But she never kept that promise.

  “Okay, ladies, you are to exit the van one by one and line up in a single file. Do not move unless given the order to do so. You are not to speak to each other or anyone else. Do not look around or make direct eye contact with free members of society. If your attorney is present, you will be allowed to speak with him or her by permission only after the proper credentials are presented. Do you understand?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  * * *

  Mink spotted Cassius, his paralegal, and Josiah as soon as she and the other shackled inmates exited the elevator. They all nodded at her, but she kept walking without acknowledging them as she’d been told. Deep in her heart, Mink knew Josiah would show up at court even though she had acted a damn fool on him the day before. It was just his nature to always be in her corner, supporting her and loving her although she didn’t deserve it.

  Shortly after the inmates sat down on a bench facing the courtroom, Cassius and Josiah approached both guards and presented their credentials. Josiah’s were temporary because they had been issued through Cassius’s law firm as a visiting attorney from Georgia.

  “Bishop,” the guard who had driven the van called out, “your attorneys are here.”

  He walked over to the bench and released Mink from the other inmates, but she remained handcuffed with her hands in front of her. He escorted her to a small room with a heavy metal door and a Plexiglas window. Cassius and Josiah were right behind them.

  The two bailiffs on post outside the room verified both attorneys’ credentials before one of them opened the door.

  Right outside the room, Mink turned to Cassius. “I would like to speak with Attorney Bishop alone please.”

  He looked at Josiah for his approval.

  “It’s fine.”

  “You have seven minutes,” one of the bailiffs said and then locked them inside the room.

  Mink sat down on a short bench attached to the wall, and Josiah sat on one just like it across from her.

  “I’m so sorry for how I treated you yesterday, JoJo. You didn’t deserve it just like you don’t deserve to put your life on hold for me any longer. I’m going to take the plea deal because I left here, running away from a senseless murder that I had caused. It’s my fault Brett killed Norm M. If I had kept my ass in Montana and worked the treatment program like I was supposed to, he would still be alive. I really screwed up, JoJo!” Mink doubled over and sobbed.

  “It’s okay, Mink. I’m going to visit you—”

  She held up her hands that were still cuffed together and shook her head. “No, you’re not. Don’t ever come up here again. Don’t even write to me. You are going to divorce me and go on with your life. I mean it, JoJo. You’re a young, successful, good-looking man who’s been living in hell for almost three years. It’s time for you and those little girls I’ve neglected and traumatized to enjoy life without me floating in and out like a fucking ghost. I want you to send those divorce papers as soon as you get home, and I’m going to sign them. And you might as well have sole custody of the girls. I can’t do anything for them, so I don’t deserve parental rights anymore. Prepare those papers and send them too. Do it soon. Do you hear me?”

  “Mink, you’re just talking crazy now. You don’t want to sever ties with me and the girls.”

  “Yes, hell, I do! And you should want me to. Wake up, JoJo. You’ve been married to me all this time, and I’ve been married to drugs. While you were faithful to me and loved me, I didn’t give a fuck about you. I didn’
t even love myself. Now, it’s time for a good woman to love you and take care of your needs. Pick someone who’ll love my babies like her own. Lord knows I didn’t love them enough to do right by them. I was a terrible mother.”

  “What am I supposed to tell Gem and Treasure?”

  “Tell them the truth. Don’t hold nothing back when you tell them either. I know they won’t understand right now, but they will one day when they’re older and more mature. Tell them everything about drugs and what they did to me. Nah, tell the how I allowed drugs to fuck up my life. Talk to them about boys, sex, peer pressure, and loving themselves. Don’t let my beautiful babies turn out like me. They’ll probably need therapy. Shit, I’m going get me some too as soon as I get settled at Rikers Island. I’ve got emotional issues I never told anyone about, including you, but it’s okay because I need to deal with my demons and not anyone else. And when the NA people come to the prison, I plan to throw myself into the program and work it like nobody’s business.”

  “Mink, I love you, and I will until I die. Let me be there for you. I love you.”

  “No! Your love has hindered me. You’ve been my enabler, JoJo. I never really tried to get my shit together because you didn’t require me to. As long as I knew you were going to be there to take me back and love me, I didn’t give recovery my all. Now, I don’t have a choice because the next seven years I’ll have to stand on my own two feet and help my damn self. So, if you really love me, I want you to leave now. There’s no need for you to go into the courtroom with me because I have an attorney thanks to you. Go home to our little girls and forget about me. Pour all the love in your heart for their mommy over them every day. Promise me, JoJo.”

  Sniffling and wiping his eyes, he whispered, “I promise.”

  “You were a wonderful husband, but I was too damn stupid to appreciate you. I used you and took advantage of your love. I’m going to pray that your next woman will treat you like a king. And she better treat Gem and Treasure like little princesses too.”

  The bailiff banged on the door and held up one finger.

  “Go on now, JoJo. I’ll be expecting those divorce and custody papers soon. I don’t want you to prolong the process. Take care of my babies like you’ve always done, and start taking care of yourself.”

  Epilogue

  Six months later . . .

  “Little divas, I’m home!”

  Gypsie hung her umbrella on a wall hook and walked farther into the dim house. Surprised that Gem and Treasure hadn’t come running down the stairs yet, she headed for the den, flipping the foyer light on along the way. The den was empty, but there was a note on the coffee table, written in bright red crayon, directing her to the formal dining room.

  “What the hell?” Gypsie snorted and walked in the direction of the one place in the house where they spent very little time.

  The moment she crossed the threshold, the scene before her made her heart go pitter-patter. The candlelit table was set for two with fine china, sterling silver flatware, and crystal stemware. Snow-white linen always added a touch of class to any occasion. And a fine-ass, chocolate brotha dressed in a pair of relaxed-fit jeans and a plain black T-shirt never failed to make her lust spike so high that she felt weak in the knees. Damn, he smelled good.

  Is this Negro playing Luther?

  “Hey, you. Have a seat, and I’ll pour you a glass of wine.”

  “Josiah, what’s going on? Where are the girls?”

  “They’re with J for the entire weekend. Aren’t you going to sit down?”

  “Oh yeah.” Gypsie was so nervous and shocked that she didn’t even realize she was still standing. “Thank you,” she whispered after Josiah made sure she was comfortable in her chair before he took his seat.

  “The family therapist released Gem and Treasure today. She expects them to flourish and adapt to any given environment in society. According to her summary, they have the tools to make good decisions and develop healthy, lasting relationships.”

  “That’s great. I’m happy for my little divas. I love those girls to death.”

  Josiah poured wine into Gypsie’s glass and his. “What about their daddy? How do you feel about him?”

  “I think Gem and Treasure have a wonderful daddy who loves them very much.”

  “Gypsie, let’s stop playing games. You know I want you, and you want me too, but we’ve been dancing all around our feelings because of circumstances. Initially, I was married to Mink, and after the divorce, I still wasn’t emotionally available.”

  “And now?”

  “I’m ready to love again and be loved. I’ve worked my way back from a very dark place, Gypsie, and you were a shining light all the way through.”

  “Maybe what you feel toward me is gratitude for taking care of the girls, Josiah.”

  “Nah, baby. What I feel for you has nothing to do with Gem and Treasure. I got grown-folks’ feeling for you.” Josiah reached over and took Gypsie’s hand in his. “I want you in my life as more than just my AA and my daughters’ caretaker. Let me love you the way you deserve to be loved, and you give that same kind of love right back to me. I want to wine and dine you and take you places you’ve never been before. There are so many things I want to experience for the first time with you. And when the time is right, I want to make love to you all night long until you beg me to stop and then start all over again at sunrise.”

  “I want that too, Josiah.”

  “Good.” He leaned in and kissed Gypsie’s lips softly. “You need to turn in your two-week notice Monday morning.” He kissed her again.

  “I can do that, but I need a letter of reference for my job search.”

  “No problem.”

  Josiah wrapped both arms around Gypsie’s waist and pulled her closer. Then he went all the way in for a deep and passionate kiss with a promise of better things to come over the weekend and for the rest of her life.

  What about the girls? a loud voice screamed inside Gypsie’s head. Reluctantly, she broke the kiss and looked into Josiah’s lust-filled eyes. “How are we going to explain our new relationship to Gem and Treasure?”

  “We’ll be honest, direct, and open with them. That’s the best way. When J brings them home Sunday evening, you and I will sit them down and tell them the truth.”

  “Which is?” she smiled.

  “I’ll simply remind them that their mother and I are no longer married. Then I’ll say something like Daddy and Miss Gypsie really like each other a lot, and we’re boyfriend and girlfriend now.”

  Gypsie tried to hold back her laughter, but she failed. “Are you serious, Josiah?”

  “I’m very serious. It’s going to work too. You’ll see. By the time we go on our Disney World vacation, we’ll be one happy family.”

  “We’re going on vacation? You, the girls, and I are going to Disney World?”

  He kissed her cheek. “Yeah.”

  “When?”

  “We’ll fly down to Orlando next month as soon as they get out of school for the summer. I think a week at the Walt Disney Resort will be a good way for us to unwind and have some fun after all we’ve been through over the past year. Don’t you think?”

  “As long as I’m with you, we can go camping in the backyard.” Gypsie leaned in and gave Josiah a hot, wet kiss.

  “Girl, if you keep playing with me, I’ll have to call J and tell him to keep Gem and Treasure until next Sunday.”

  “Go ahead. I dare you.”

  * * *

  “Mmm, Josiah, mmm, mmm, mmm . . .”

  Slow and easy, he stroked Gypsie deeply, filling her tight, juicy goodness to capacity. Each time he pulled out and reentered, her pussy hugged his dick unmercifully. His throaty groans of pleasure echoed throughout the room, mixing with the sound of raindrops tapping against the windowpane.

  Lazy, rainy-weather loving had never been this damn sweet. It felt so good that Josiah wanted to take a nap in the pussy and dream about it. The sting of Gypsie’s fingernails digging into
the flesh on his back brought a little pain to his pleasure as she wrapped her legs around his waist, causing his hardness to sink deeper into her slick walls and tap her G-spot. Each time his swollen head touched that secret place, she moaned sensually in his ear and sang his name.

  Gypsie may have been a petite woman, but she had some powerful hips that bucked and grinded in perfect coordination with Josiah’s aggressive strokes. And that little hip-roll action she hit him with each time his tongue latched on to hers in a sloppy kiss was about to make him prematurely nut if he wasn’t careful. He couldn’t let that happen, though, until he made her body do that familiar happy dance underneath him while her honey rained all over his dick.

  She was on the brink of explosion. Josiah could tell by the way her inner muscles had begun to clench and release him uncontrollably. And when he looked into her eyes, only the whites showed as they blinked repeatedly and rolled to the back of her head. Gypsie’s hips started pumping wildly. Josiah doubled down on his strokes and picked up speed.

  “Oh, Josiaaah!” She pressed her palms against his shoulders and humped him hard. “Mmm . . .”

  Surrendering to sexual euphoria, Josiah released warm semen inside Gypsie’s womb in response to her shudders and soft purrs. He kissed her passionately as he willed the room to stop spinning long enough for him to catch his breath. Weak and satiated, he rolled off of her body and pulled her on her side to face him. Hair tousled and beads of sweat dotting her nose, Gypsie had never looked more radiant in Josiah’s eyes. He studied her face covered with a post-orgasmic glow. Her eyelids were low, and her breathing was choppy.

  There was so much he wanted to say to her, but now wasn’t the time because she was falling asleep before his eyes. Josiah smiled, satisfied that he had loved Gypsie to exhaustion. Their first time together had far exceeded his highest expectation—and then some. Good things always came to those who waited.

  Josiah’s cell phone rang unexpectedly. He reached over on the nightstand and picked it up. It was Jeremiah.