Sugarpill

                   “Um, no thank you…it’s kinda hard doing this enough as it is,” squeaked Jassandra. She stared down to Jassandra, then me…Mrs. Hammond took a seat. “Let me guess…you’ve come by to apologize about Andre,”

                   Jassandra kept her head down, as I could see the tears falling onto her jeans. I searched for the words to say, as I tried not to look at her face. The scene felt very awkward…

                   “Although Andre had good intentions, the road he went down, I couldn’t follow him long ago…even though I tried to bring him back,” she stated. “I’m sure, as how you used to be his girlfriend, you could see the hatred coursing through the blood in his veins. Andre knew the only way to beat the system, was to be better than it, but his patience didn’t last that long. The day that rich girl in the Audi with the green eyes pulled up in front of my house, I knew he was messing with something that was way beyond his control,”

                   Pennel Phelps.

                   “She did him a small favor by setting the meeting up with the Navy so he could bargain for his father’s pension. That was all that Andre wanted in the beginning- for the Navy to give his father a fair shake…but even now, it was bigger than that. My son was hurting, but he went about the wrong way of tryin ta ease his pain,” she further went on. “I heard how he took it out on you two. I even argued with him, when I had heard he threatened your brother…but Andre was too far gone,”

                   “Mrs. Hammond! I’m so sorry…I didn’t want to- please forgive me!”- Jassandra fell to her knees, pouring her tears into Mrs. Hammond’s lap. She placed her hands onto Jassandra, trying to soothe her pain…she then looked to me.

                    “The night it happened…I tried to talk him out of it, but it was like- he was…intent on dying,” I said, as a tear rolled from my eye. “I’ll admit, Mrs. Hammond- Dre and I were far from bein friends…but I did not, want him to die. He had more of an upside than any of the people that he hung around…he would’ve made a fine Navy Midshipman,”

                    “Your father called…he came by earlier this week on Thursday. We talked…he used to work side by side with my late husband, Montrel…he told me, that the Navy was going to stick with the decision to give me the full pension…and that they would help cover Dre’s funeral,” she stated. “I know what kind of man your father is…he keeps his word, and tries to do what’s best. I can see it in you too,”

                    She then lifted Jassandra’s head. “I know you feel bad about it…it was not your fault. Andre had made his decision- as much as I try to wrestle with it, that is the conclusion of it all. That is why I can’t blame either of you…I wanted to- but then in God’s eyes, I would be no better than my son. It wasn’t as if he didn’t have a choice…Andre always had a choice, on how he needed to live. He just made the wrong decisions,”

                    She stood, pulling Jassandra up from the floor.

                    “I…I just, feel so awful,” cried Jassandra. “Dre did a lot of wrong to me…but I never wanted him to die, and I certainly didn’t want to be the one to pull the trigger…please forgive me,”