Yellow Brick Road (an Eazy-E Story)

TWENTY SEVEN

January 3rd, 1993 | 9:45pm

Eric had fallen asleep on my shoulder. We were in the middle of watching Candyman and before I know it, Eric's snoring loud as hell in my ear. The movie was almost over and we both had come to the conclusion that the Candyman was infatuated with the white female lead.

"This nigga chasing pussy through a mirror. He forgot what he was here for!" Was the last thing Eric said before he passed out on me. I laughed at his commentary, but even more-so his snoring. I had a breathing machine at my house for Eric to clear out his lungs and expand them to intake more oxygen.

I didn't want to wake him, so I let him rest for the last twenty minutes of the movie before the credits rolled on my big screen television. I rubbed his temples softly with my thumbs, raking my fingertips along his scalp to wake him up. "Baby, the movie is over." I said softly in his ear. He moved his shoulders before batting his eyes awake.

"Damn, I missed the end?" He yawned and stretched with his head still resting on my shoulder.

"Yeah. She saved the baby, but she burned alive." I said in disbelief. Eric kissed his teeth and sat up on my couch. "You need to run that machine before you leave, Eric. Your snoring is getting louder." I said. He looked at me, rolled his eyes and sighed. "Yes, mom." He said sarcastically.

"I'm not playing with your ass!" I hit the back of Eric's neck, causing the smack to echo off of the wall behind us. "Damn, woman!" He hissed from the stinging. "Go get the damn machine!" I yelled at him. He stood up and walked to my bedroom where the machine was located, in my walk in closet. I heard him rummaging through my closet.

"You lucky I love your ass!" Eric yelled out from my closet.

"Why you say that?" I yelled back from the couch.

"Cause I don't take you telling me what to do too lightly!" He yelled as he shut the closet door. He walked into the living room with the breathing machine cradled in his right arm. He plugged the chord into the outlet behind the couch and placed the plastic mask over his face.

I put his steroid in the cartridge holder and watched the vapors flow through the clear tube and into the clear mask. Eric breathed in deeply and coughed a bit before breathing regularly.

"I need you at your best. Your kids need their father in top shape. You can't perform on stage wheezing and shit." I said as I rubbed his back slowly. I let the tips of my almond shaped acrylic nails leave trails of patterns over his white tee.

"I know, I know." Eric said beneath the face mask.

"Well if you know, stop being so hard headed and stop letting me put you in your place. Shouldn't you be telling me what to do?" I raised my brow seductively as I waited for his response. "Oh, don't answer right now." I said quickly, almost forgetting he was doing his breathing treatment.

I got up from the couch and walked over to my record player. The last record I was spinning was Bootsy Collins and The Rubber Band. I lifted the needle and dropped it. Instantly, 'Can't Stay Away' began to bump through my surround sound set up.

I began to sway my hips to the beat, raising my hands above my head. Twirling my body in circles, I swing my neck to the melody. Letting my hair brush over my shoulders and across my face. I snapped my fingers along to the kicks of the beat.

"Oh, I can't stay away from you too long

Your melody, I taste them when you're gone

Your smile is like a punchline,

The part you sing all the time

Oh, I can't stay away from you too long!"