Chapter 5
CHAPTER 5
JACOB
“ J acob Henderson, you are under arrest for the murder of Traylon Anderson. Can you please stand, sir?”
I rolled my eyes as I stood from my seat at the barbershop. I slowly shook my head as Uncle Jasper came from the back. He frowned hard and said, “Whoa! What the fuck y’all arresting him for?”
“For applying deadly force.”
“Hell naw. Y’all arrest him and haul him out of here, then we gon’ sue y’all fucking asses! This some bullshit.”
He immediately got on the phone and started calling people. He was right though. It was all bullshit. My cousin had gotten shot and was about to get killed. Had I not stepped in, Kane would be dead. He was finally home, but he was in a bad mood and didn’t want visitors. So I hadn’t seen him since that day in the hospital.
There was someone high up the ladder that had the puppet by the strings. Someone was out for us, trying to fuck with the Hendersons. My case shouldn’t have even been a case. In the state of Texas, with proof of self-defense, even if it was to protect someone else, committing murder was legal and justified. It was clear as hell that Kane was the proof. This shit was beyond the Andersons’ pull. Their ghetto asses didn’t have pull like this at all.
They cuffed me but kept the cuffs really loose. One of the cops said, “It’s out of our hands, Mister Henderson. We’re just executing the warrant. We don’t get to decide in cases like this.”
The other cop pulled me toward the door and saw my limp and slowed down. This shit wasn’t gon’ ever heal. I was sick of fucking around with it. I had been in the house, refusing to come out for the past week and a half. Mekayla had still been coming, but things were a little different. I hadn’t been talking as much because I had been having nightmares. That shit had me tripping.
I kept dreaming about killing Traylon, but every time I walked up to him to look at him, it would be my father’s face. It was like my words from the other day with Mekayla were haunting me. I had grown to hate his ass, and maybe I needed to just let go. If talking about him still did this to me, then I hadn’t released him from all the bullshit. I had more in common with Jakari, Christian, and Rylan than I cared to admit.
I thought I would be done with that shit, knowing he’d suffered the ultimate punishment for all the years of abuse he put my mama and sister through. He tried to indoctrinate that shit in me, but thankfully, I had strong men around me who taught me what it meant to be a man. It was like the abuse he inflicted on them made him feel like more of a man.
The mention of his name or the last name Monroe pissed me off, but it never affected me this badly. However, I never really went into detail about that night. I knew Uncle WJ had killed him, but I also knew he could still be prosecuted if that ever got out. Only people in the family knew that he’d killed Joseph, but I didn’t think everyone in the Henderson family even knew that shit.
After helping me into the car, the officer closed the door. Uncle Jasper was standing outside the door and said loudly, “Sidney and Shy gon’ meet you there.”
I nodded. Shy’s slick ass mouth might get me some serious time. That nigga didn’t have a filter at all. He was one step away from cursing a judge out. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’d already done so. He’d teeter tottered on the edge of that when SS was in trouble. It seemed people just wanted to discredit us anyway they could, and I believed he’d caught that vibe too.
When the cops finally took off, I lay my head back thinking about what my life had come to, simply for sliding my dick in the wrong place. It was like my actions opened Pandora’s box, and I just wanted that shit to close… right fucking now. All my uncles and aunts had gathered at the barbershop, but seeing the disappointed look on my mama’s face was bothering the hell out of me.
I thought about Mekayla and how distant we had become. It seemed she was about to give in to me that day, and that conversation had fucked everything up. She was happy, the happiest I had ever seen her. Re-establishing her relationship with her dad had put her on a high like none other. I just hoped he didn’t let her down.
My inner turmoil had kept me from truly pursuing her. It didn’t stop me from admiring her ass in those scrubs though. She was fine as fuck, and I’d let my shit with Joseph Monroe fuck all that up.
When we got to the police station, the cop who had cuffed me opened the door and helped me out. The minute I turned toward the building and saw both Shy and Sidney standing there, I knew I was in for a show. Thankfully, it was lunchtime, so I probably wouldn’t have to stay overnight. I was hungry as fuck too. After my haircut, I was supposed to be heading to the diner to meet up with my boys.
I slowly shook my head as Mrs. Taylor flipped her long hair over her shoulder. As I got closer, I could see the scowl she adorned. I swore she looked like an angry Gabrielle Union from Deliver Us From Eva. Shy looked like he was ready to fuck some shit up too.
“Didn’t I tell you to be ready? I had a feeling they were gonna do this shit. I swear these people are purposely fucking with the Hendersons, and we gon’ get to the bottom of that shit.”
She was really angry. I’d only heard her curse a couple of times, and one of those times was when they were trying to railroad SS. She’d been hanging around Shy’s ass for too long. Proving me wrong, Shy said, “I was wondering when that gangsta was gonna come out. I built my career watching yours, and you sling those curse words like the Hendersons be slanging that rice in the stores.”
I wanted to laugh, but it didn’t take much to restrain it since the officer had pulled me inside the precinct. Shy was a fool. They took me to booking to get my prints and mugshots all over again. It had only been a couple of weeks since the last time I was here. They also swabbed my cheek for a fucking DNA test. I wasn’t completely sure what that shit was for, but I was sure I would find out. I was hoping the last time I was here would be the only time I had to show face in this fucking bleak ass place.
By the time they were putting me in a holding cell, Mrs. Taylor was coming to meet us with my phone in her hand. She must have gotten a favor from someone else, because the officer with her said, “He’s free to go.”
I turned around and walked toward Mrs. Taylor. Once she’d given me my phone and we’d gotten to the front, Shy was waiting on us with a smirk on his lips. Mrs. Taylor was talking under her breath, but I could clearly hear her say, “They don’t know who they fucking with.”
My eyebrows lifted as she and Shy did some kind of fucking secret handshake. No smiles were traded. They were all about business right now, and I was glad to see it. After stepping outside and going down the steps, she said, “I need to call a meeting with the family because something ain’t right. Do you remember ever hearing about a judge by the name of Clarence Oaks?”
“No, ma’am.”
“Mm hmm. Somebody know some shit, and I’m gon’ get to the bottom of it. That is the man that issued the warrant. He had to know that if we had SS’s back against that other fuck up for a judge, we would have yours. He got me fucked up. News of how Shy and I defended him was all over the courthouse.”
Yeah, she was heated. I remained silent as we continued to Shy’s car. His phone rang before we could drive off. “Shyrón Berotte… I know you fucking lying… Skyler, you’re brilliant as a muthafucka. Thank you for that.”
I could hear whoever she was laughing loudly. When he ended the call, he turned to Mrs. Taylor. “I just got the news of the fucking day. It’s finna piece all this shit together for you.”
I frowned slightly. I didn’t know what they were talking about, but I was hoping that whatever he had would be something we could do something about. This shit had me exhausted.
After I got home, my mama was in there with some beef tips from the diner. I was beyond appreciative. The meeting was set for six o’clock today. Mr. Berotte had to go home first to pick up his girls from day care. His wife was working late and wouldn’t be able to get to them in time.
I took a shower and dug into my food as my mama watched me. I wasn’t sure what she wanted to say, but I knew she wanted to say something. “Just say it, Mama.”
“I don’t have anything to say, baby. I’m just worried about you. This has to be wearing on your mental. It’s wearing on mine, so I know it has to be bothering you even more. I can’t wait to get to that meeting tonight to see what’s going on.”
“Me either. I’m so ready for all this to be done with. I can barely focus on the shit I need to focus on.”
“And what’s that?”
“Mekayla Chatmon.”
She smirked. “I could see the attraction between the two of you a long time ago. Hopefully, she doesn’t shoot you down.”
“Oh, she’s already done that, but I can be patient when it’s something I want bad enough. Mekayla is worth the struggle. Just when I thought she was going to give in to me, I was in a funk and didn’t hardly talk to her the entire time she was at my house.”
“Do you think she’ll be receptive now… after all this?”
“I don’t know, but I’m definitely going to find out. I can’t let her get away.”
“Just be careful. I can tell she has some demons. She seems to be dealing with a lot mentally and emotionally. Sometimes she comes to the diner to eat lunch. She sits there for at least an hour, looking tortured somewhat. On another note, we have a family meeting coming up tomorrow as well. Are you going to try to make that one?”
“Yes, ma’am. And I’ll be careful. I think we can help each other. We seem to connect already. I want us to connect through our healing, though, and not just our trauma.”
She nodded with a tight smile, and I went back to my food. She finally stood and stopped watching me so damn hard. I was pretty sure she was trying to analyze me, trying to see where my frame of mind was. When I finished as much as I could, I stood to wrap the rest up, but my mama grabbed the plate from me.
“I can imagine all this action has slowed down your healing timeline. You’ve been limping for a while, and it doesn’t look to be getting any better.”
“I think it set me back a bit, but that’s okay. I’m going to get back on track, if Mekayla still wants to see me as her patient.”
“Why wouldn’t she?”
“Well, her last few visits, I ignored her… barely talked at all. I was in my head big time, and it seemed like she was too. I’m going to call Karima to see if we can talk about some things.”
“Yeah. She left a couple of days ago heading back to Nashville. I think her semester at Fisk starts next week.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Jacob, you know I’m always here if you need to talk.”
I nodded and stood from my seat, going to where she was. I pulled her into me and hugged her tightly. After kissing her head, I said, “I know, Mama. I love you.”
“I love you too. You’ll always be my baby. I hate what I exposed you and Jessica to. I know that has been hard for the two of you. If that’s what’s bothering you, I can understand why you wouldn’t want to talk to me about it. I completely fucked things up back then.”
I pulled away from her and held her at her shoulders. “Naw. You didn’t fuck anything up. He did. You stayed out of what you thought was obligation and fear. Look what happened when you finally tried to leave. Things happened the way they were supposed to. I’ve been letting this shit fester for far too long. It’s been fifteen years. I shouldn’t be getting triggered like this anymore… not to this magnitude. At the same time, I don’t want to trigger you either.”
She nodded. “Yeah. I wanna see you get better mentally… not just physically. Secondly, I will go to hell if it meant you could have everlasting life, baby. There is nothing I wouldn’t do for you. We can go through this together. I’m always available for whatever you need.”
The doorbell rang, and the door opened shortly after. “Jacob! Where you and Jen at?”
Uncle Storm came walking in the kitchen where we were. “I should have known y’all were in the kitchen. Y’all know the meeting is in an hour, right?”
“Yes, baby boy,” my mama said then chuckled.
“What y’all eating?”
“Beef tips. You want some?”
“Naw. That’s what Aspen cooked. If I don’t eat dinner, she gon’ be in her feelings. Seems like the older she gets, the more sensitive she gets. That ain’t a good thing with her being married to a nigga like me. I’m trying to be tender with her, but it’s hard as hell. I can be tender, but not all the damn time.”
“Storm, I think you can handle it. Aspen is probably going through menopause.”
“Aww shit. That means she gon’ be having mood swings and hot flashes and shit? Jacob, prepare my fucking room, because a nigga ain’t built for that shit. She can call me once it calms down.”
I chuckled and shook my head.
“Storm, get away from me with that foolishness,” my mama said as she laughed.
He hugged her and kissed her cheek. The way her smile beamed when he did made me feel good. I loved seeing her happy. Whenever Uncle Storm was affectionate with her, it seemed her smile reached heaven’s gates. I supposed seeing her so unhappy for years did that to me. Knowing what all she endured for the sake of “saving face” made me extremely sensitive to her.
The crazy thing was that I was starting to feel that way with Mekayla. The day she first came in and called me Jacob had me feeling like I was on top of the world, only for me to sink to the pits of hell. I pulled my phone from my pocket and sent her a text message. Hey. Can we talk?
She responded immediately. Hey. You wanna talk about your sessions?
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. I wanna talk about my behavior.
I’m not that type of therapist. So you should find someone else, Mr. Henderson.
That let me know I would have to wait until she came for my session tomorrow. My behavior had caused her to pull all the way back, and now, I would have to work even harder to get us back to where we had progressed to.
“He must be texting his therapist. He lose all hearing when he talking to that woman.”
I glanced up at Uncle Storm and shot him the finger. His eyebrows went up. “Naw, nigga. I suggest you find somebody else. I got somebody to fuck. Plus, this dick only get acquainted with ovaries.”
I swore that nigga made me sick. I slowly shook my head, knowing that I wouldn’t have it any other way. I was the only one that could have probably gotten away with shooting him the finger. Christian may have been able to get away with it too. We had each other’s backs, though, to the death of us.
“If you quit being a sucka, you’ll have some ovaries to fuck up too.”
“Storm, that’s enough. I don’t want to hear about my son having sex. It’s obvious he is, but I don’t want to be a part of a discussion about it. It’s getting close to time to go the family barn anyway. I still need to go to the diner and get some food.”
“Jen, you know we don’t have to eat every time we’re together.”
Her eyebrows lifted as Uncle Storm continued. “I mean, I’m not mad about it. With all these meetings coming up, a nigga gon’ have to be in Brix’s gym every morning.”
“Good. Then we can all take advantage of the memberships we’re already paying for.”
I chuckled. Brix was my brother-in-law, but we weren’t really all that close. It wasn’t intentional. He was around Jakari, Yendi, Lennox, Nesha, Tyeis, and Decaurey more because that was who Jess was around more. It was crazy that we had cliques within the family, but that shouldn’t have mattered since he was my sister’s husband. However, I realized that we rarely had gatherings with just us: CJ, Mama, Dad, Jess, Brix, Jacey, and me. As close as Jess and I were, that closeness didn’t spill over to him.
Glancing back at my phone, I decided to text Mekayla once more. A’ight. Well have a good night. See you tomorrow.
This was gonna be hard, but I was up for the challenge.