Chapter 56 Geneva
Geneva
I was sitting on the couch, crying my eyes out on Deeka’s shoulder. He’d just come back to my apartment after having been out all night and most of the morning combing the neighborhood in search of Eric.
“I—I have to call his father,” I blubbered as I reached for the phone. “He’s a policeman. I think I’m going to need to file a missing person report.” Just saying those words got me to crying again.
“Shhh, shhhh, ’Neva. He’s all right. I’m telling you, he’s just crashing somewhere, cooling off. He’ll show up; believe me, he will.”
I dialed Eric’s father’s cell phone number. Just when I was being transferred to voice mail, the lock on the front door turned and the door opened.
Eric stepped inside.
“Ohhh, Eric. Oh, my baby!” I wailed, jumping off the couch and nearly running over Deeka to get to my child. I threw myself on him and hugged him as tight as I could. “I’m so sorry, baby. I’m so sorry,” I cried.
Eric stood as stiff as a board. He was so empty of emotion, I felt like I was hugging a tree. I stepped back and looked at him. “Eric?”
My son didn’t even look back at me. “I came to get the rest of my things,” he threw over his shoulder as he stepped around me.
“Yo, Eric, I need to talk to you, man—” Deeka began as he stood up, but Eric just put his hand up and said, “Don’t say a fucking word to me, man.”
I was about to go after him, but Deeka caught me by the arm. “Leave him, ’Neva. He needs more time.”
Ten minutes later, I watched as my son walked out of the apartment and seemingly out of my life.