All She Can Take

T W E N T Y - S I X

"I'll hit you later." He told Chante before grabbing his wallet off of the coffee table and disappearing out of the door. Sid watched Chante watch him walk down the hallway for a few moments before she cleared her throat.

"Someone better be dying. You just cost me round two."

Sid cringed at the mention of death. That wound that closed over her fathers death years ago was torn open again last night. She blinked her dry blood shot eyes. She hadn't seen a wink of sleep in several hours. The beige couch was soft and wrapped around her when she sank down onto it. AJ immediately wriggled free and started exploring the apartment he knew all to well.

"Umm, Frenchie told me that Phil is still locked up. It's kind of been on my mind all night."

"Aww, your little youngin' boo." Chante went down the hall and returned with a robe wrapped around her.

"He's not my boo. But he's always been nice to me. Just sucks to think of him in there."

Chante sank into the couch next to her.

"Yeah, I heard his people, they won't bail him out."

"His brother? Kru, right?"

"Yeah, I heard he fucked up some big hit on the dudes from Southside. Lost money, drugs, and shit." Chante sighed and Sid shifted uncomfortably.

"Okay, but that's his little Brother though. Why would he want to leave him in there." Sid hoped she sounded curious and concerned.

"He's always treated Phil like more of a son than anything. Wanted him to follow in his footsteps but Phil ain't about that hood stuff. It just ain't in him."

"Then why won't someone else get him out? Frenchie. Luke. Bomb. Anyone."

Chante chuckled.

"Nobody's trying to cross Kru. He won't hesitate to kill somebody."

The skin of Sid's arms immediately raised with goosebumps and her stomach stole away to the pits of her belly. She stood up too quickly and stumbled into the coffee table causing Chante to shoot up off the couch and AJ to stop trying to turn on the TV across the room.

"Sid, what's going on. Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Long hours at the restaurant. I just need a nap." She scooped AJ up in her arms and prayed that she wouldn't drop him.

"You want me to keep the baby for a few hours?" Concern was written all over Chante's face. Sid knew she must look as unstable and crazy as she felt. Probably leaving AJ for a few hours while she gathered her thoughts was the best decision but she also knew she didn't want to leave her child. There was no way she wanted to be away from him. She needed to be around her family and AJ was it. 

A phone call to her mother would have been beautiful. To be able to call her and let her know how scared she was. How out of control and unseated her world was. But she remembered the last time she tried to do that. The way her mother comforted and crushed her at the same time. The way she erected her hope and drove the bulldozer in the same breath. There was no way Sid could endure that again. So the same way she hadn't uttered a word about it in six years she wouldn't do so now. She pulled AJ closer.

"No, it's okay. He'll take a nap with me. Right, baby?" Sid stroked his head as he nodded yes.

"Okay, well, I'll come up later and check in."

Chante's words echoed off the hallway because Sid was already out of the door. Not wanting to be trapped inside of that elevator, she barreled into the stairwell and climbed the few flights to her floor. Fearing that she had to keep her body in motion or she would collapse and never move again. Back through her apartment door, she swept a bag of cookies of the kitchen counter and went into her bedroom. She put on a movie snuggled into bed with AJ. Pulling him close and holding him tight. She wanted to call someone but what would she even say? Where did the story start?