Forty
It was late when the jet landed in Grenada. I had half the mind to stay here tonight, but there was a small speed boat waiting for me once I landed. I wasn’t into boats or vast bodies of water, but I sucked that shit up because I wasn’t in the position to be acting on my fears.
The ride here was choppy like shit. I held onto my duffle bag like it could save me if this shit capsized. There were no life jackets on this bitch and the nigga steering the boat looked like he was twelve.
The fuck did I get myself into?
The man tossed out his rope and three other men on the dock pulled the boat in. Cappadonna, Capone, and Quasim were waiting on the dock. I had been running with my heart in my chest and those niggas were a sight for sore eyes. I snatched my duffle bag and climbed off the boat.
My chest ached when I saw my friend. I dropped the duffle bag as he came and wrapped his arms around me, scooping me into a hug. He held me tight, as I did the same, and he kissed my head.
“Fuck is with you? Don’t do no shit like that again… nigga we family. Your mess is our fucking mess, we riding forever.”
Emotion wasn’t something that I did. I didn’t like the feeling that overtook me. growing up, it wasn’t something that was welcomed in our home. The way I was choked up as I held onto my friend had me messed up.
Capone grabbed me, wrapping his arms around me. “We family, Forty. You kept me and my brother out of prison. Why the fuck wouldn’t we do the same?”
The one thing I struggled with was asking for and receiving help. I’ve always been the one to dish out the help and never needed anything in return. Shit was different now. They all had families and I couldn’t risk throwing them down in my shit.
I would never forgive myself if some shit like that happened to my niggas. This was my shit, and I needed to handle it. That was until I realized that I needed them. Even then, I called Zoya because I knew she would help me handle this.
There was no way that this shit was going away without me turning myself in. If I ever wanted to live a regular life like I did now, I had to face the music and pray Zoya knew her shit.
She did.
Me and Quasim hit the IG shake before we embraced. “You should have called me.”
I’ve sat on the phone with Quasim plenty of nights when he was in a dark space. I listened to him breathe, making sure he didn’t do no crazy shit. Our shit went deeper than the Inferno Gods. I was there to help save him from himself.
Fight the darkness that was currently consuming me. I didn’t know how the fuck life would turn out for me, and I was never on the receiving end of this shit. They were hunting me like a fucking rabid dog, wanting any piece of me to prove they captured me.
“Dinner is over, but moms put a plate to the side for you.” Capp roped his arm around my neck, as Capone grabbed my duffle bag.
We walked over toward one of the villas, and I admired everything. This shit was beautiful in the dark, so I knew in the morning it would be ten times that. Before we could enter the house, we heard laughing and screaming.
“Goo, come on they not going to find us.”
“Boobie, these niggas are smart as a fucking big butt lizard…come on,” Goon whipped around the corner, holding Zoya’s hand.
She had leaves in her hair and was missing one of her flip flops. He had a damn branch in his hand, and no shirt on as he pulling her behind him.
I looked at Capp and Capone, as they looked at Goon and Zoya.
“G, we been wrapped up in a manhunt… everybody back inside.”
Zoya snatched her hand from him and stepped away. “You made me climb that fence, hide in that fucking bush, and pee on the side of the outdoor shower. Gerald, I’m ‘bout to fuck you up!” she took her other flip flop off and was ready to go upside his head.
“This is what they want you to believe, baby… look at them seedy ass niggas. Standing there looking like fucking Thanos.”
“What the fuck?” Capone blurted.
I had a shitty past few days, but my stomach was in knots with the way I was laughing.
“This nigga out here looking like he escaped the fucking plantation,” Cappadonna pointed out.
“And then he got his rowdy ass Harriett with him,” Capone added, which made me walk away because Zoya was giving us death eyes.
She shoved past all of us and headed into the house. “You ate those damn fritters and look at you. Stay yo’ ass over here tonight, Gerald.”
When I thought he was about to run after her, this nigga started whining with his hands behind his head. “Fuck you meaaan! I’m in there.”
She groaned as she looked over at me. “I’m glad you made it safely. We’ll talk tomorrow.”
“Ight.”
When we entered the house, it was still alive with everyone talking and having a good time. Capri had a plate in her hand, and when she saw me, she abandoned her plate to come over to me.
She hugged me tightly. “Are you alright?”
“Yeah, I’m straight.”
I could tell she didn’t believe me from my response, but tonight wasn’t the time to get into all of that shit. Everyone was chilling in the living area. I had to take a double look when I saw Menace Caselli in the kitchen.
The nigga had yellow rubber gloves on and was scrubbing the dishes. He looked up, his eyes were wide. “We got the killer here… cool cool cool.”
His wife, looked at me. “He accidentally had some cookies. I didn’t know that they were drugs… druggggggs! Druggggs!” she tossed her hands up dramatically, as I looked at Capri.
She snickered.
“Um, so… Gams purposely gave Menace a cookie, but Stevie was eating the cookies because they were good and didn’t know. Goon had apple fritters, and Gams said she might have got her measurements wrong with that.”
As we mentioned his name, this nigga slammed his body against the back glass with one eye opened, staring directly at us.
“Good googa mooga is tripping,” Menace said, his eyes still wide as shit and glassy.
“I just want to cool my feet, Mavie.” Stevie pulled her leggings up and tried to climb onto the sink to put her feet into the damn dish water.
“Not in my sink!” Menace hollered. “I been working all day at the damn shop and I come home to dishes in the sink and the kids not showered and in bed. I work too damn hard, Carl.”
“What in the fuck is going on? Is he doing a one-man Broadway show?” Meer asked, as he got closer and sat at the counter.
“Harriet, I fucking work at the cigarette mill,” he added into the bullshit, and all of us watched, not being able to look away.
Menace waved the wet wooden spoon. “I wouldn’t be working at all if you would have taken that job… all these kids and we’re barel—”
Skyler and Aimee were both hysterically laughing while trying to hold onto each other.
“I was a theater kid!” Kobe jumped in.
“And who the hell is this? In my fucking bed? You fucked him in my bed, Carl?” Menace continued when Kobe got close to the counter.
Kobe rolled his neck, holding onto his clothes. “You told her, Carl… you promised.”
Meer looked at both of them. “I love him dammit! I love hi—”
“Let me show you to your room… this shit is a fucking mess. My production company never approved this shit.”
Leave it to my best friend to make me laugh with his crazy ass. He showed me to my room so I could shower and eat. I needed a shower, and some sleep.
It had been a while since I had decent sleep.
I sat on the edge of the bed and pulled my phone out. Hitting a few buttons, I put the phone to my ear and waited. When the phone answered, I didn’t say anything.
“Hello?”
“Holaaaa?” the woman became irritated that no one said anything back. Her spicy tone had always been my favorite thing about her. “If you’re going to call the least you can do is explain yourself. I’m in the dark here and don’t know what to believe, Papi.”
Like hell I wished I could explain myself and kiss on her. Today we would have been cuddled up in her bed, ordering takeout because she didn’t subscribe to the bullshit of Thanksgiving. It was another day and a free day where we got to spend time together.
“I love you, Papi… please be safe.” I could hear her sniffling and wished I was there to hold and console her.
Amaria was my heart, and I loved the fuck out of her. Everything we had built together could be flushed down the drain because of her father, Kevin Robinson.
I pressed the three button a few times, basically morse code, or my version of it, that I loved her before ending the call. Resting the phone onto my forehead, I took a deep breath.
My life was in Zoya Caselli’s hands.
I showered and went straight to bed without eating anything.
That sleep was well needed, because I could rest. I knew this island was protected Quasim was down the hall, and Cappadonna was in the house right next to us.
I was never the kind of nigga that didn’t admit that my guys brought comfort to me.
We were all brothers, and that shit wasn’t just words to us.
The sun was rising slowly, so I slipped on some workout clothes and headed downstairs. Unlike last night, it was quiet down here. The only person up was Gams, and she was enjoying her coffee while watching some Portuguese soap opera on an iPad, I assumed was Ryder’s.
“Good morning, Gams.”
She smiled up at me. “Hi, Fuquan. Slept good last night?”
I nodded and went into the fridge to grab a water. “The best I have in a while. How are you up so early?”
“You hear that?”
“Nah.”
“Exactly. It’s quiet.”
I heard the stairs creak and saw Quasim coming down dressed for a workout. He came and kissed his grandmother and stole some of her coffee. “Mais acúcar,” he said in Portuguese.
She cut her eyes at him and squeezed his face before kissing him. “Vejo você falando mais,” she replied.
I didn’t know what they hell they were talking about. All I saw was muffins and went over to them, then stopped myself. “Gams… these straight?”
She looked at me offended. “Those are for my love buns… I keep that stuff out of reach during the day.”
“Love buns?”
“Grandkids,” Quasim said, as he grabbed a muffin and nodded for us to head out through the front.