⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀TATIANA HURRIED TOWARDS the door as she heard continuous knocking. The kids all did their own things; rather playing, watching tv, or as for Pooh, sat on a pillow on the floor in front of the couch with half of her head braided down. "Coming!" Tatiana stated as she grabbed the door handle, undoing the locks timely. She pushed forward and watch the screen door then the back hardwood one open up to where she saw the outside. There stood Amos and Gyro as Amos gave a small smile. "Hey. Hey! C'mon." She leaned her body weight against the frame to allow them the space to walk by and inside. They entered inside the house as the air conditioning cooled their skin from its warmth that the beaming sun caused.
She let the door shut back and locked it as she pointed towards the kitchen you could see from the doorway. " I made a pot of spaghetti and corn on the cob. I'm fryin' fish na' because they had a taste for that with it." She announced, giving attention to the heating grease on the stove. It wasn't hot enough yet. She held the rat tail comb as the guys looked around. Gyro glanced at the kids faces and shut his eyes shut instantly, squeezing them in tightly. The guilt of blaming himself for what had took placed returned from the absence of Dyce-though he wasn't as close to the family as Amos and Latrell were. He cleared his throat and asked, "Uh, could I. . use the bathroom real quick?" He asked with a dry throat, pointing his thumb over his shoulder and reopened his eyes.
She nodded and directed him towards where it was located in the back of the house. Amos glanced around the room, speaking to every one of them and making sure they were okay. He suddenly felt arms wrap around his legs and he looked downward behind him. He saw Pooh's half Afro and grabbed her arm to pull her around the front of him. He lifted her into his arms as she hugged him tightly. "I missed you ossie." She softly said, making his heart flutter. He hugged her just as tight, swinging her from side to side slightly. "I missed you too, Pooh, I'm sorry. I love you, girl." He held the back of her head down to his shoulder.
Tatiana walked back up and took a deep breath. "C'mon Pooh, let me finish ya' hair. You hungry?" She said as she extended her arms out. He nodded his head from either side as he gave her to her. Tatiana sat Pooh down on her feet. "The spaghetti and corn ready but if you want to gone and fry ya' piece of fish, it's already battered and 'erthang." He nodded, heading over to the sink to wash his hands. He didn't have no problem because she'd took on a big responsibility suddenly by looking after bebe's siblings and her unresponsive mom. He was grateful and knew she deserved a break -he couldn't imagine how tired she was. All this she done to be a good friend.
"I appreciate you, T. Seriously. Like this some real shit you doin'." He commended as he lathered the soap into his hands while the water ran. She sat back onto the couch as it screeched some. Pooh crawled and rested her back against the couch as she aligned her head with Tatiana's hands, between her legs. She immediately begin to part the next section and comb it out starting at the end. She replies, "Thanks Amos. I got mad love for them, but this only showed me how strong Bebe is, y'know? This shit is not easy and they are a handful. Especially this spoil thang here." She flicked Pooh's ear.
Gyro could hear Amos and Tatiana talk in the distance as the kids closer to the bathroom talked amongst each other while playing their games. He lowered his head down into his hand again as he rinsed his face. He took a breath inhale and faced up into the dingy mirror, looking into his own eyes. He couldn't imagine what these kids were going through with losing their brother. He just felt he owed them and Latrell's family something. He should've never robbed those guys. He regretted being so money hungry, despite his intentions being wanting more for them. He faced down and shut his eyes, clutching the counter as he took a small step back. He exhaled as his mouth formed an 'o'. "Okay." He mumbled and grabbed ahold of the knob and exited.
"Dang, you must had to boo boo. I gotta go!" Hayden exclaimed to him as he rushed past, into the bathroom and shut the door. Gyro looked back and grinned slightly, wanting to laugh. He made his way back to the front of the house, seeing Tatiana back to doing Pooh's hair and Amos placing catfish fillets into the sizzling grease, flour covering his fingertips. "You good?" Amos asked once getting a glimpse of him. He nodded, clenching his jaw and put his hands inside his pockets.
"Yeah, I'm straight. Need some help?" Amos disagreed and head nodded towards the table.
"Nah bra', I'm good. You can go 'head and sit down. I gotcha." It didn't seem right to just sit around fresh out of jail. He couldn't bring himself to do it so he washed his hands and decided to help anyway. He pulled ten plates from the dish rack alongside the sink and begin spreading noodles and spaghetti topping on top of each. He had to place the plates all over the counters for each to fit. Once every one of them had the same amount of spaghetti, leaving the pot empty, he grabbed some small tongs and placed a corn on the cob on every one. As he placed it on one, he noticed a picture above him. On the picture was Bebe, Dyce, Pooh, Tyre and Rodrick smiling into the picture while Pooh and Bebe made duck lips and Dyce threw up the peace sign. He looked at it a while longer, still holding the corn in the tongs above the plate.
He felt Amos presence and saw a piece of fish drop into the plate. It took him out his trance as he finally sat the corn down too. "What's going on with you man? You still blaming yoself for that shit?" Amos caught on, leaning up against the counter as he glanced to the side at him.
"Damn Am', how can't I? I fucked up. I took our nigga from us. Lil' man Dyce from them over some dumb shit, I can't forgive myself for that. He was a fuckin' child, like what kinda' nigga does that type shit?" He spat, letting the tongs fall into the sink and rattle as he was done using them. He paced in the small space he was in and gripped his Afro with one of his hands. He stopped and blew out a breath, throwing his head back.
"Yo' intent wasn't fo' nobody to get hurt. That blood guilt ain't fa' yo' heart to hold, Gy. We all tryna' find a way past it." Amos said, looking at him for a moment before grabbing a few plates and calling out the kids name, handing them a plate one by one. "Y'all don't forget to thank Tat, aight?" He was sure to give all glory to her as Gyro was still settled in his thoughts. He squeezed his eyes closed and shook it off as he started handing out the plates too.
"Thank you." One of the girls said with a smile as she looked up at him. " You're welcome, pretty girl." He smiled back and nodded as he gave out the last few. Amos soon sat Pooh and Tatiana's by them as she was finishing up with the last braid on her head with beads on the side to decorate it. They thanked him as he sat at the table and bowed his hands above his plate, soon starting to eat.
Just as Gyro grabbed his plate and was fixing to eat, Tatiana blurted out, "Aye, y'all get one for moma? I almost forgot." They had too forgot about their unresponsive mother in the back and they had not made an extra plate for her, now having no more food left. Amos slurped his noodles into his mouth and widened his eyes. "It's okay if you didn't, I could make some more." Gyro looked at his plate he hadn't touched yet.
"Nah, it's all good. Here's one for her." He responded, not bothering to say it was his.
"If it was yours Gy, don't worry about it. I can make some mo' fo'real. Gone and eat. I know they 'ain't feed you shit in that pig pen." He disagreed.
"She in the room in the back to the right?"
"Yeah." Amos answered before Tatiana could argue him down about it again. He wasn't that hungry anyway. He footed his way back there and knocked softly. He opened the door and noticed her sitting up, zoned out as the tv played at low volume on a soap opera. He cracked the door before placing the nearby stool in front of her. He'd heard about her conditions, but he hadn't known she was this far gone. As stated earlier, he wasn't as close to the family as the other two, so he hardly ever saw them or knew much about them besides small facts that most of the whole nosey block knew.
"Hey miss.." he trailed off, not even knowing her name. He felt bad. "I got some food for ya'." She said nothing as the oxygen tube hung from her nose and her eyes stuck in their trance to the wall behind him. He twirled the the noodles around the fork and held it up to her mouth with the plate dangling beneath in case something dropped. He stayed in that position for a moment as she gave no movement. Finally, he saw a small twitch to her nose as she gapped her mouth slightly. He took that opportunity and slid the food inside. He was sure not to give her too much at a time, not knowing how well she ate solids. "I'm really sorry about Dyce." He apologized, facing down as he twirled a small amount back onto the fork. He glanced back up, lifelessness in her face as she chewed slowly.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀MELANI OUTSTRETCHED HER arm above her as she fumbled through the bodysuits she was shopping through. She giggled at the friend she'd chose to shop with, Deanna. They'd been friends for a couple of years but they hardly made out the time to get out and hang out much. One factor being both were married and busy. Deanna's Bob swayed downward as she glanced through the shorts, getting ready for the fast approaching spring time and it's beaming heat. They'd talked about possibly taking a small vacation around spring break to Miami and shopped with that in mind.
"And the voiceover was spot on, like, it was hilarious. That dog was mad, you hear me. I got it saved in my phone somewhere." She finished telling the concept of a funny, viral video she'd saw online. It made Melani giggle some as she stopped extending her arms and turned to her side to face her friend.
"Y'know I kinda' want a puppy. I don't know how Kielce will feel about it, though." She bit her lip nervously, smiling as her lashes extended outward. Deanna scoffed.
"Girl, tell that man to buy you a dog. I could see you witha' lil' cute teacup poodle. Aww, or a Yorkie." She cooed, pulling out some shredded shorts and holding them up against her pelvis. Melani chuckles.
"It's funny you suggest Lil' cute dogs for me while you got two German Sheppards in ya' house." Melani says as she turned back forward, back looking at the shirts in front of her. She bent over to look at the bottom rack.
Deanna asked of her opinion, "How you like these? I be seein' bitches with these and it look cute on them but I feel like I'd look fool with 'em." Melani glanced to the side to look at them and nodded.
"They could be cute, depending on the top. Maybe like a one shoulder tank top. Ou' honestly, I want one of those myself." She continues, lifting back up and turning around to search for that idea of a top. Deanna thought and nodded slowly.
"Okay. .okay, I could see that. I wanna' get more into earth tones. That type top would be cute in chocolate, especially on you witcha' pretty clear skin."
"Girl." Melani laughed and disagreed. "It would match my skin, I'd look topless with that. Maybe a lighter shade nude but honestly I want it with white and maybe some gold jewelry. Hoops and I've been considering dying my hair but I don't know how Kielce would like that." She perked her lips and thought. "Plus you talm' bout my skin, I wish my ass was fat like that dump truck you got. That thang be thangin'." They both laughed as Deanna waved her off but bent over some, shaking it.
Melani rolled her eyes playfully as she glanced over to the other side of the store, seeing a pair of eyes looking back at her. She furrowed her eyebrows as one of the women smirked some. She turned away, weirded out some. "That's weird." She mumbled and Deanna looked to her.
"What?"
"That female over there staring me down, smirking and shit. Like what's that about?" She asked rhetorically, going back on her search. Deanna looked in the direction she'd looked at previously, seeing exactly what she meant as the females glanced back in their direction. One said something to the other as they chuckled. Deanna churned her face up.
"Do you know the hoes? Because they can get their ass beat." Deanna asked before reacting as she wanted. She'd grown up at Atlanta and fighting was her second nature growing up. She'd eased from it, the older she got but she wasn't scared to get down and dirty with anybody if she had to. It was strange to her too because she didn't recognize them. She didn't know every single person in the city but she was used to similar faces and even so, no one would be staring like that without a problem.
"I don't think so." Melani glanced back their way, trying to study their features to see if they rung a bell. It was beginning to rub them all the wrong way as Deanna poked her tongue against her jaw. She blurted out, "Y'all gotta problem!?" The two walked up farther some as one tilted her head.
"I don't know, do we?"
"Bitch, y'all the one staring so you tell me."
"And why you keep smirking at me?" Melani asked the one who wasn't talking but only looked. The girl laughed as she put a hand on her hip. As Melani kept looking at her, recognition settled in. Her stomach dropped as she looked at Yoyo. When did she even move there? She'd thought she'd left those problems back in Virginia.
"Damn, I still can make a bitch heart drop." Yoyo laughed, tilting her head then batting her lashes. Melani sucked her teeth, disgusted by her presence.
"Girl, fuck you."
"Who heart dropping? I'll whoop yo' ass up and down this store." Deanna spat, stepping up more before Yoyo could reply to Melani's remark. It got the store workers attention, but they stayed back until it was an actual altercation or if the manager stepped in-whichever came first.
"Melani's because of what she's lookin' at." Yoyo said back, staring past Deanna. Melani stepped up one more time as she looked her up and down.
"What am I lookin' at besides a trashy ass bitch?"
Yoyo returned her facial expression back to smirking as she rubbed her stomach slowly.
"Kielce's baby, that's what ya' lookin' at." As if Melani's heart couldn't drop any further. "Oh, he didn't tell you? Because I told him as soon as I found out. Awe." She glanced down at her stomach then back up at her face before starting to charge at her. Deanna got between them and pulled her back.
"You lyin' ass bitch! You're lying!" Melani yelled, feeling her eyes well up with tears as she fought to get past Deanna.
"You wish I was fuckin' lying! You really think he'd ever love you more than me. You're crazy! Eight years and I had to give him a baby. Wack ass bitch! You're pathetic!" Yoyo yelled back, throwing her head from either side.
Soon, Melani stopped fighting Deanna and hurried out the store. She stormed, her feet hitting the pavement hard as she tried to find her car through the blur of her tears. A car honked as she walked in front of it. She stood back as it passed and got to the driver side of her car. "Melani!" Deanna yelled out for her from behind as she pulled the door handle, forgetting it was locked. She pulled her keys out, sniffling and trying to put the key in but it wouldn't align right due to her quickness. She got frustrated and slid her back against the door, folding her arms above her knees as she broke down in tears. "Mel." Deanna kneeled beside her and held her.
"Mel, c'mon you don't believe that hoe, do you? She look ran through and don't even look pregnant. Kielce wouldn't do that to you."
"That's his first fuckin' love, he would." Melani sniffled, the tears flowing uncontrollably down her face. "And that's why it hurts, De. I. . .I'm supposed to be the one pregnant! I'm supposed to be having his baby! Me!" She screamed, slapping her palm against her chest. She buried her face in her arms, as if all the pain of the years, from the arguments, the drifting away, the miscarriages, the obvious void in their marriage, came together in this moment and weighed down on her shoulders and chest. It felt as though she was becoming short of breath. "You couldn't understand. You couldn't understand how bad this hurts!"