Hood Love 2

Chapter 21

Dre

I looked at Erin, waiting for an answer to why Winston was at our house and why he just told me he's obsessed with my wife like it wouldn't be a problem.

"Dre how about we go back inside and let them talk? This isn't our business."

"It's my business when he come at me talking that bullshit!"

"Dre your crazy ass needs to hush! I am so tired of you and your smart ass mouth and your short temper! Don't make me --"

Erin got in her face, "Don't make you do what? I'm trying to keep my hands off of you but if you touch him, on my life you gon' get your ass handed to you, again."

"I'm a grown ass woman and you talking at me like i'ma child! Now you asking for an ass whooping!"

"Bitch, what's up?" Erin pushed her. Being that Brandy was in heels, she stumbled then feel right on her ass. "Get the hell away from my house!"

I followed Erin into the house and slammed the door behind me. She headed straight for the stairs and I was right on her heels.

"Erin where the hell you going? Come here!"

"What you want, Dre?" she turned around and faced me. We were chest-to-chest because I was one step below her.

"What that nigga Winston doing coming to our house? What you doing spending time with him?"

"I ain't tell him to come here and don't come at me 'bout another nigga when all these bitches still running behind you! You was half stepping and Winston wasn't so I let him take me out," she said shrugging.

"You don't know who or what you want. Why you even married to me if you wanna go out with other niggas?"

"Because I'm in love with your stupid ass, that's why I'm married to you! Don't like it? Too bad," she said, brushing past me. "You can go in the room and cool off if you'd like because I know your ego all bruised up and whatnot."

"Shut that shit up," I said going towards our room.

"Love you, too," she said from downstairs. I shook my head and slammed the bedroom door behind me.

Erin

I woke up in the middle of the night sweating and out of breath. Dre, not knowing what was going on, hopped up from the bed. I calmed down after a few minutes and wiped my tears.

"What's wrong, baby? Come here," Dre said from the end of the bed.

I crawled down there and laid in his arms, wiping my sweat with a towel that he got from our bathroom.

"It was a bad dream," I said crying into his neck as I sat on his lap. "Don't leave me, Dre. Okay? You gotta promise."

"What? I ain't leaving you for nothing in the world, baby. I promise. I'm right here, I ain't going nowhere."

"I can't raise our babies by myself. They can't be fatherless. You gotta stay out the streets, babe."

He lifted my chin, "Look me in my eyes, E. I'm good, we good, everything gon' be straight. I told you I'm here."

I nodded my head and held me tighter but I still cried because the dream felt so real.

I picked Marr and Kylynn up from school and took them to Wendy's to get something to eat. As I waited in the drive-thru, I saw an ambulance pass by with its lights on and it's sirens blaring.

"I wonder what's going on," Ky said.

"They're headed towards the south side so it really ain't no telling, Ky."

I passed them their drinks and food then pulled off, getting back onto the interstate.

We walked in the house and I plopped down on the couch, turning the TV on. I heard a reporter's voice coming through the speaker:

Breaking News! Three people were involved in a shootout on the south side of town this evening. Two were shot several times and have been rushed to the hospital but the third person, who has yet to be identified, was pronounced dead on arrival. Details coming at five.

"I wonder who they are," I said out loud to myself. "I bet daddy knows." I grabbed my phone and dialed his number. I waited but didn't get an answer. "That's weird, daddy always answers his phone."

Seconds later, the house phone rung and Marr ran to go pick it up. I walked into the kitchen behind him.

"Hey grandma, what's up?" he answered. "My momma? Hold on, grandma, here she go."

I grabbed the phone, "Hey momma."

"Hey, baby. Where are you?"

"Momma you called the house phone, I'm at my house. What's wrong with you?"

"Can you come over to the house? I can't tell you over the phone."

"Yeah momma, I'm on my way now. Give me like ten minutes."

I didn't bother putting the phone back on the hook. I grabbed my keys and ran to the car, followed by Ky and Marr.

When I pulled in my momma's driveway, I saw her standing at the door. As soon as I walked in the house, she embraced me.

"Momma why you crying? Tell me what happened."

"Sit down, baby. Come sit down."

"You're scaring me. Hurry up and tell me! Please!"

"Baby, Dre was in a shootout a couple blocks down from here."

"What? I saw it on the news! I gotta go to the hospital!" I said hopping up.

"No, Erin!" she said grabbing my arm.

"What you mean no? Let me go! Whats wrong with you?!"

"You don't have to go to the hospital," she said still crying. "You have to go to the morgue."

I froze and my eyes widened. I could hear my heart beating loudly and I felt myself hit the hard floor before everything went black.

As Dre's casket was lowered into the ground, my knees got weak, again. When we walked into the church, I almost fell a total of three times. Now here I am again, still weak.

How am I to go on with life? Dre was my all. He was my first everything! He's took my virginity, he was my first real love, my first heartbreak, my baby's father, my first husband. I've been through so much with him and I just don't know what to do now.

That night I had that bad dream and woke up sweating, this was the dream. That's why I told Dre to not leave me. I held on the him tight and was attached to him the whole day. Little did I know, that would be the last time I laid eyes on my love.

"You promised me, Dre! You promised that you wouldn't leave me! You promised me that you wouldn't make me raise our babies alone! Why did you break our promise?" I yelled, losing control of myself. "Baby come back to me! I love you!"

My daddy laid my head on his chest as I cried hysterically and Marr wrapped his arm around my waist, laying his head on my stomach.

I was picked up and carried back to the black limousine. I leaned over on the door and cried. Wishing it was really Dre's shoulder that I was leaning on.