Through Thick & Thin

Chapter 5*

Chapter 5:

 

 

 

Night

"Toni what the fuck are you doing at my house?" I asked, arms folded over my chest as I talked to the extremely thin Toni through my screen door. I was half-asleep and it was almost four in the morning. I had to pick DJ up and that lil' nigga don't care if I slept for eight hours or two, he wanted to play Playstation, learn football, watch music videos, and whatever his young mind conjured up. This time was the only 'me time' I'd be getting for the next week. Which I didn't mind, I love my son and he loved his pops.

Imagine how I feel when I hear a constant bang on the door. I knew it was Saturday and the Jehova's witnesses came out, but not even they came this early. Toni was looking a mess, crazy hair all over the place in various lengths, some long, some short. Her nose was red and her eyes redder. The hell was up with this chick? I hadn't seen her and a while and when I do, she looks like a crackhead.

"Greetings Jerome! Can I come in?" She asked, pulling the oversized jacket onto her shoulder. I was thinking hell nah, but I took the polite approach. Wait, better yet, how'd this broad find my house?

"How'd you find out where I live?" She looked up at me with her big brown eyes that used to shine with life. I know I kid about how she'd lost her mind, but I really did care for her once upon a time and it's crazy seeing her in a lopsided wig, disheveled and a twisted face.

"Well, you remember my Mac? You know you can do anything with those things, Night," She smiled, covering her mouth and giggling. "Oops! I forgot your Jerome now. I tracked your phone number. This place sure is nice. It's really cold though." I knew she had to be on something then. It was mid-Jul, how cold could it be in the summer?

"Anyway, I'm having Draya's baby shower this week..." I watched her crusted lips move as her hands shook. Her baby was way past born by now, there was no way she could be talking about a baby shower. Sometimes I wondered if that was my seed she had carried. I hadn't seen the baby, but I shunned that thought a long time.

"Toni why are you even in Chicago? That baby been born." I sighed, ready to flop back down on my bed.

She giggled and pulled out a folded paper. She held it up, as if asking me to open the door to see what it was. I didn't trust her, and closed the door. I started to walk back to my room when she began yelling and banging on the door. Because it was a screen door in place, the noises were pretty damn loud. I was planning to just ignore it, tune it out, but something told me go back, and when I opened the door, I didn't see the Toni I knew.

It was the devil, and with a smile as wide as the Joker, she pulled the trigger. The first one grazed my shoulder and the second hit me right in the chest. As everything slowly started to fade, her words stuck with me.

"Did you really think it was over? You gave me this nasty shit! If I'm dying, you ain't outliving me, muthafucka! I'm dyi..." Blackness took over to match the feeling inside. All I could think about was my baby, Ebony and my only son.

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Ebony

"Trucks! And we're gonna watch football and play Halo." I laughed, turning into Jerome's neighborhood. I had been a little nervous because of the whole engagement thing, but I loved Anthony and I truly wanted to spend my life with him. I couldn't see myself with anyone else--not even Jerome. Sure, I loved him, but not to that degree. I loved him for bringing my son in the world, for the things he taught me, the way he treated me good at times, but my heart belonged to Anthony.