Crooked

Twenty-Nine

Crooked

Twenty-Nine

        As if he was a witness to a crime and Crook was the lead detective on the case, Leroy told it all. He recounted the day he initially met the white man. The description he gave Crook perfectly described Agent Banks down to a tee. He told Crook all about his distinctive ocean blue eyes, thin lips, and pale skin. He told Crook that the man introduced himself as "Liam" and was looking for Epiphany. He let Crook know that at the time he didn't think the white man was a threat, but that all changed today.

With their apartment trashed and Nicholas' ashes nowhere to be found, Leroy knew that it was time to neutralize the threat. The thought of the white man breaking and entering their home raised the hairs on Leroy's arms. He had to have been watching us, Leroy concluded. It was clear that the white man knew their routine. He knew that nobody would be home. He knew that Nicholas' ashes were in the urn. Leroy wondered just how much Epiphany told him about their life.

Leroy's hate for the man grew deeper as he disclosed that he and Epiphany no longer had a place to live. If it wasn't for Crook's generosity, they would be homeless. All Epiphany's efforts over the years to keep a roof over their heads came tumbling down and the white man was the cause of it all.

In Leroy's eyes, Epiphany had been selling her body to make ends meet since she was 15 years old. Leroy babbled over his sentences as he tried to find the right words to say. He didn't want to break the promise he made to Epiphany, but Leroy didn't know what else to do. He had to tell Crook the truth. He was positive that Crook was the only one who could help Epiphany out the hole she had dug herself in.

Leroy divulged details about what led Epiphany to take the route of sleeping with the white man for money. It all started on a cold day in November when their father's routine checkup turned out to be much more serious. Leroy knew something was wrong when two doctors came into the examination room to speak to their father. They used big words that his ten-year-old mind couldn't understand. "L-leukemia? What's leukemia" Leroy remembered asking his big sister. The tears in Epiphany's eyes said it all.

As the months passed, their father became sicklier by the day. Simple tasks like carrying grocery bags and walking up the stairs winded him. He no longer played basketball with Leroy on the weekends. Leukemia had reduced their father to a shell of himself. Epiphany began to fill the spots that he no longer could. She took Leroy to school in the mornings and picked him up in the afternoons. She cooked breakfast, dinner, and cleaned. When Epiphany began to miss days of school to help around the household, their father made the decision to check into hospice.

The decision left Epiphany and Leroy with no income. The only thing they could rely on was monthly food stamps, but that wasn't enough. They still had rent to pay and clothes to buy. When the first chemotherapy bill came along, Leroy couldn't believe how expensive it was to be sick. He remembered seeing so many zeros, he began to lose track. The bills continued to add up and before Epiphany and Leroy could blink, they were two months backed up on rent. The apartment's cable and wi-fi service were cut off. Bill collectors were calling their house phone every day for the missing payments.

Epiphany promised Leroy she would take care of everything. Two weeks after that conversation, Leroy was plagued with nightmares of their father dying. The vivid imagery wouldn't allow him to sleep. Wanting to be comforted by Epiphany, he made his way to her room and was stunned by what he saw. Epiphany was gone.

Initially, Leroy panicked. However, after some thought, he convinced himself that Epiphany went to the store. Leroy said a quick prayer for her safety before he eventually fell asleep. When Leroy awoke the following morning, Epiphany was in bed knocked out as if nothing ever happened. He noticed that there weren't any new groceries in the refrigerator.