I'M COMING
Inola's words on the white sheet of construction paper shocked the room into silence. Everyone turned to look at her, their mouths hanging open as they just watched her. It was like some cruel joke where they were all waiting for her to say she was pranking them.
It had been a month and she was finally coming to see Omari in the hospital. She was following directions and going weeks apart like French told her, so now it was safe to go. Everyone exchanged looks but nobody said anything. After an awkward moment Collins scratched the back of his neck and turned to Enrique, saying something. Enrique then nodded his head and looked at his mom to translate the message.
We're leaving at eleven thirty so try to be ready by then. He signed.
Inola nodded her head and turned to go get started on breakfast. They had two hours before they left so she was good. She offered to make breakfast but Phara and Collins declined, saying they would make their own. Inola refrained from rolling her eyes and just got started on preparing something for her and Enrique. Joshua was on his feeding tube right now.
Once breakfast was finished and Inola took Joshua off his feeding tube, she went upstairs to get started on her other morning duties. Since everyone finished with half an hour to spare before the designated time to leave, they left early.
The van was full and so uncomfortable Enrique kept his eyes out the window. He didn't know why everyone was acting so weird but he couldn't wait to get out. It was stuffy and uncomfortable in here. The whole way there no one said a word to the other.
Inola was still dressed in one of her unusual outfits. This time she looked nice, though. A tall pair of six inch heels, a tight black pencil skirt and a white ruffled long sleeve blouse. She looked like a secretary in a high class firm or something. She had her fake Nicole Holland ID with her and a medium black bob with a bang. Her makeup was light and she was nervous.
When they pulled up to the hospital and parked, Collins helped to assemble Joshua in his wheelchair before Inola took over pushing him. They all made their way up to the floor Omari was on and entered the room, but they saw he wasn't in there. A passing nurse informed them a nursing assistant took him to use the bathroom down the hall. There was something wrong with the one in his room and they would have it fixed by tonight.
Inside the room Inola was shocked to see her friend Shea and her boyfriend Terrence. She didn't see their daughter Star, but she was most likely too young to be here. When the two spotted each other, Shea ran over and gave her a hug. It felt like years since they had last seen each other.
Sweetie, oh my gosh! Where have you been? Everyone is so worried about you. You just up and left and then you weren't coming to visit Omari. His mom was pretty pissed. Shea signed.
Inola wanted to choke Phara. She could tell the old woman was probably here spreading lies or putting ideas in people's head that wasn't true. Inola wasn't sure if she should extend that information to Shea just yet, so she kept it simple.
Girl, it's a long story. I'll have to tell you another day, but a lot is going on that she doesn't understand and instead of trying to believe me she's getting an attitude and thinking I'm doing Omari wrong. It's so annoying. Inola signed back. The one advantage about sign language was that they were able to talk about people right in front of them if they didn't know the language.
Shea just grabbed her in a hug again and kissed her cheek. I'm just glad you're okay. I missed you.
I missed you too Shea, how's Star?
At Terrence's aunt's house, one of the kids in his family is having a birthday party so she's over there having a blast.
Inola smiled, nodding her head. She then turned to Terrence and smiled, giving a small wave which he returned. Terrence was Omari's friend so Inola wondered if he thought she was in the wrong too.
Look at you, you look cute! Shea signed, spinning her around.
Inola playfully tapped her friend's shoulder just as Shea's smile suddenly fell and she made a head motion in the other direction. Inola turned to see Omari being wheeled in their direction by an employee. Her whole body seemed to get stiff and her palms became sweaty immediately laying eyes on him. She was so nervous she wanted to hide behind somebody.
His parents walked over to him when he got close. Phara kissing his cheeks and his dad patting his shoulder. Enrique ran over and gave him a fist bump. Shea and Terrence been here for a good hour already so they were just with him before he left for the bathroom. The only new face here was Inola.
Everyone seemed to part like the Red Sea when she slowly started walking toward him. Omari spotted her and his face transformed from friendly to instantaneous hostility. His lips picked up at the left upper corner, the muscles in his jaws popped and his eyes seemed to become a dark matte black. The way he was looking at her was short of any kind of love.
Inola bent down until she was leveled with his wheelchair. She had tears in her eyes which he ignored. She reached out to touch his face but he pulled back. The hall got painfully quiet as everyone tried to ignore the embarrassing moment of Omari's rejection.
"Can you take me back in the room please?" He asked the nurses aid, tilting his head back to look up at her.
She nodded and wheeled him past everybody and inside his room. He could stand but not for long periods of time. He was still healing from the infection the bullet wound caused. So when the nurse's aid got him as close to the bed as possible he quickly stood, grunting from the sharp pain on his side and sat on the bed fast. He pushed himself back against the metal post frame and then pulled the sheets up to his waist.
Everyone filed into the room afterwards, taking seats or standing if they weren't enough chairs for everyone. Inola walked in last but stood by the door, looking on sadly. It felt like she wasn't wanted here.
Small conversations started and Inola watched everyone talking like she wasn't even in the room. She watched Omari talking and laughing with everyone. Just his bright smile was enough to warm her heart but the fact he wasn't trying to share it with her hurt.
Inola knocked on the wall causing everyone to look her way, but she had tunnel vision on Omari. Mari can we talk alone?
Omari looked at her like she was dumb and it was only because her son was in the room he didn't violate. A moment alone? He's been in a coma and since then everyone else had visited him. Family, friends, coworkers, neighbor's and even associate's. His own fiancé, the woman he was suppose to marry one day was the only face he hadn't seen until today. It was humiliating to keep making up lies to people who had the same question of where was she?
She didn't deserve a moment alone with him. He didn't even want her here at this point.
Inola pulled her lips into a thin line and just stood there. Shea, trying to help her friend announced that her and Terrence were leaving. She felt bad. The less people, the less embarrassing it would be for her.
Everyone said their goodbyes to them and Shea hugged her girl, quickly signing that he was just mad and would get over it.
Inola then looked at her son, Baby do you want something from the vending machine down the hall?
Yeah, Enrique replied feeling bad for his mom. She gave him a few dollars to go by something from the vending machine. He left, now leaving her and Omari's parents in the room.
She couldn't talk, but the pleading look in her face was saying it all. She was also asking them to leave as well. Phara wasn't having it but Collins was more lenient. He wasn't really sure about the way she was treating his son either, but that was for Omari to decide.
"Let's give them a moment Phara." Collins said trying to help her up from her seat.
"No, pop's. I don't want to talk to her. Ya'll good, stay."
"Exactly. She had all the chances in the world and now she wants to come in here making lies to make herself look good." Phara complained.
"Mari just talk to her and see what she says. Okay? We'll be right in the waiting area. Five minutes and we'll be back. Alright son?"
Omari stared back at his dad because he was truthful when he said he didn't want to hear anything. But he sucked his teeth and gave in, lazily nodding his head. Phara was irritated by her husband and didn't know why he was trying to give that girl a chance to lie so bad. Walking out she kept her head straight not even looking at Inola.
Once the room was empty Inola closed the door and slowly made her way over to the bed. He still looked the same, just his beard had grown some and was in need of shaving, it was a little scruffy. She walked over to the bed and took a seat on the edge of it.
She gently turned his chin toward her and he still had that hardened look on his face as he stared at her. She tried to caress his face again but he moved.
"Stop." He said firmly, knowing she read his lips.
Mari why are you treating me this way without hearing my side of the story?
"You're side of the story? I was told by my mother and your son that you couldn't come because some bad people are after you, so you were told to keep a low profile by the guy you were living with while I was in a coma. That story? Does that sound about right to you or did they leave anything out?" Omari talked as he signed.
Surprisingly it was the actual story, with how Phara was acting she expected her to exaggerate and throw things in there that never happened.
"So you were living with some random nigga while I was laying in a hospital bed?" Omari asked, with his hands, looking her up and down. He was saying random but he doubted the man was anything but.
Omari it isn't like that! I was attacked in the parking lot of my job, he helped me and told me they wanted me dead.
"So why didn't you go to the police?"
I told him that but he told me police protection programs are dumb. I looked up success rates and they were very low. I didn't want to risk my kids lives going to them.
"So you risk it anyway moving in with a fucking stranger? Enrique told me he hates the guy! That he was so mean to them. He even called Joshua retarded. And told Enrique when he almost drowned, that next time he's gonna let him drown in his pool. That's the type of man you have my boys around!?" Omari spoke and communicated with his hands.
Honestly, Inola didn't know about the last part, but she wouldn't put it past French to say something like that. He'd gotten better overtime, though.
I had no choice Mari—
"No choice? You could've packed and left, you chose to stay." His hands communicated. "What's this man's name?"
His name is French. And I stayed for safety reasons! You were not awake to know what was going on. You can't now wake up and act like you knew what was best for me. You weren't in the situation. You're only so mad because you think I'm having an affair with him.
Omari scoffed. "Oh, I know you are. There's no question about that. You even had the nerve to bring him to my hospital room? You're real disrespectful." His mouth and hands moved.
Is this what your mother has been feeding you? This over the top bull that isn't happening? Inola signed.
"No she's been feeding me the truth. Don't turn this on my mother because you were living with another man. Then on top of that, you denied coming to see me because he told you too. So that's not from my mother, that's from my brain drawing a common sense conclusion that you're busting your pussy open for him."
It was clear no matter what, he wasn't going to register that this had nothing to do with a romantic affair and everything to do with her and her kids lives being in danger at the time. She hasn't even thought about French in a sexual way, because of the situation they were in. She couldn't even fathom thinking anything sexual pertaining to him with their lives in danger.
Do you really want to be disrespectful right now? Don't think because you're in a hospital bed that I'm going to hold back. You always want to be an asshole when you get mad. Don't make this get nasty Omari. You're being a dumb ass. Inola signed fast, getting mad.
"Get out my room." He said. She couldn't understand what he said but she understood the shooing motion he made with his hand.
If I am cheating like you swear I am, then why was Enrique able to tell you about him too? You think all of this is made up, so why would I bring my kid along to potentially tell on me? Wouldn't I leave him at my mom's house and go cheat? Why would Joshua be there too? He's a lot of work, so if I was just going there to open my legs like you think why bring my two kids? Huh?
Omari shrugged, "You tell me, you did it. And having Enrique there doesn't mean anything. That doesn't mean he'll necessarily snitch on you. As cool as me and little man are, you're still his mother. He'll always have your back first. So he can just be looking out for you and keeping it a secret."
Though this was technically true, Inola was disgusted Omari would think she would have her kids in a type of environment where she was purposefully trying to do wrong.
You know what Omari? You are fucking disgusting. I would never ask E to lie for me to cheat, because I wouldn't be cheating in the first place. For you to think that is such a garbage thing of you. Enjoy your time here in the hospital.
"Yeah and please don't come back." He signed to her.
That one really hurt her feelings. She kind of wanted to slap him. It's not like he could do anything to her, he was in a hospital bed. She was way quicker than him right now; but she thought against it. He never put his hands on her, so she wouldn't do it to him just because he couldn't defend himself at the moment.
Without another word, Inola walked out.