8. Love
LOVE
Baby consumed my thoughts way more than she should have.
I can’t stop thinking about her, and ain’t no mistaking the connection that flowed between us.
She had a calmness about her, an energy that drew me to her like a flame.
I missed her like crazy, and it was taking every ounce of strength not to call her right now.
I’m pulled from my thoughts when my phone rung. Seeing Valentine’s name had me mad all over again about my damn cereal. He only hit me up for money, or a favor, and I don’t even wanna know which one he’s calling for.
“Sup, V.” I moved all my papers to one side of the desk and propped my foot up.
“The hospital called me. Mama was found walking around with blood on her shirt,” he told me, his nonchalant tone had me heated. “I need you to go and get her.”
My jaw clenched together, nose flaring in anger. We may be twins, but our mentalities couldn’t be more different. He can’t even take thirty minutes to pick his mama up.
“I’m working, muthafucka. Yo’ ass ain’t doing shit, why you can’t go get her?” I inquired, even though I could guess a million things this nigga finds more important.
“I got a hoe sliding through to give me some. You know how that is,” he boasted proudly, laughing like it’s funny.
“Nah, not really. Pussy come a dime a dozen, my nigga,” I reminded him. “But you only got one mama walking this earth. When you gone realize that?”
He grunted. “Just this one time, Love. Come on, man.”
I sighed, running my hand over my waves. “Aight, I’mma get her this time, but you need to get yo’ priorities in order and quick.”
I hung up on him mid-sentence.
Lauren was at the front counter again and I’m dreading this conversation already.
“Aye. I need to take off to pick up my ol’ girl,” I told her, leaning over the counter. “I’ll shoot you a text to let you know If I’m coming back.”
“Do you need anything?” She touched my forearm gently, after slanting her body towards mine. She leaned in so damn close to me, I had a clear view of her areola through the opening of her shirt.
I moved away from her and took a step back.
“Nah, I'm good.”
She opened her mouth to speak, but I had already walked away.
It didn’t take me long to get to the hospital from my job, and I was glad it’s right down the street.
It’s not the first time I’d been up here in the past few months.
Mama almost chopped her finger off cutting greens with a knife and I had to rush her ass there.
Then another time, she fell while in the shower and had to call me for help.
That’s still a sight I can’t get outta my head.
I may have to assign her a caregiver, because I can’t be around all the time when she needs something, and I know Valentine won’t step up like he should.
“How are you, Mr. Hamilton?” a nurse spoke, one I'm familiar with.
“What’s good? What room is she in?” I handed over my ID for her to scan.
“126.” I nodded my head, reached for my card, making my way through the double doors. Immediately after walking in, I heard my mama’s voice in the distance.
“Get your fucking hands off me, you black muthafucka! You got no right doing this,” she yelled in fear, and I quickened my pace, tryna get there to de-escalate the situation before it got worse.
My mama always blows up at the smallest things. This was probably why Valentine wanted nothing to do with her.
“Mama, why you in here making all that noise?” I asked with wide eyes. She had a scalpel in her hands, standing to the side of the bed.
She had a bandage wrapped around her arm, and I’m guessing that’s where the blood came from. The nurse was on the other side, with a needle midway in the air. Both of them paused and turned in my direction when I came in.
Mama stood on the balls of her feet to whisper in my ear.
Her voice was shaky as she spoke. “Love, get this man away from me. He tryna take all my blood.”
When she acts like this, she believed everybody was conspiring against her. This man just tryna do his job and she in here throwing out accusations.
“He ain’t tryna do that, mama. You want me to get somebody else to take the blood then?” She stared at the nurse with narrowed eyes while I stood there waiting for an answer.
“Yeah, a female one.” She pointed her finger in my face, before finishing her statement.
“Okay. I’ll grab her.” I reached out to get the scalpel from between her finger. “Put this down before you hurt yourself.”
We didn’t end up leaving the hospital until a few hours later.
They said it wasn’t nothing seriously wrong, besides the cut on her arm.
She made it hard for them to do anything to help her, which is what made it longer than it needed to be.
I got her some dinner on the way to the crib.
She wanted to cook, but I don’t feel comfortable leaving her around knives right now.
I pulled up and saw Valentine’s Dodge charger in the driveway. This muthafucka would bring his ass around when the situation was already handled. I don’t even know why he bothered showing up, he should’ve stayed in the pussy he was in.
I regretted the day I gave this nigga a key to my house.
Mama spotted his car and perked up in her seat. You wouldn’t be able to tell shit wrong with her, the way she prancing up to the porch to get in the house. I walked behind her just to make sure she doesn’t bust her ass tryna run.
“Hey, mama’s baby.” She threw herself in his arms as soon as the door flew open. I sucked my teeth, stepping around them to sit her bags down on the coffee table. I stopped in my track when I spotted a figure sitting on the edge of the couch.
“Lauren?” I blinked hard, hoping my eyes were deceiving me. “What the fuck you doing in my house?”
She stood to her feet. “You never texted me back, so I wanted to come and check on you.”
When she peeped over her shoulder, her smile widened at the sight of my mama. I tried to stop her before she stepped around me. “Hi, Mrs. Hamilton, I’m Lauren. Love has told me so much about you.”
She extended her arm for a handshake, and my eyes damn near popped outta my head at her comment.
This bitch is crazy.