Chapter 12
TWELVE
Diamond.
“I’ll only be gone for about an hour, Ms. Joyce.” I said as I sat Keona’s seat down.
I was finally going to look for my sister and confront her. I’d given it some time so I could calm down and I finally felt like I’d be able to talk to her without punching her in the face right off top.
“Take as much time as you need.” Ms. Joyce replied as she took a seat on the couch and pulled the baby’s seat closer. “Me and her will just be here watching our shows and maybe having a little bible study.”
I smiled at them both before I kissed the top my niece’s head and left. She had my number and Kabria’s, so if she needed to reach us, she could.
I walked back across the hall to my place so I could get my things together. When I got to my room, I found Kabria in the mirror putting Vaseline on her face. I laughed and asked, “What are you doing, Kabria?”
“Girl, getting ready,” she answered, dead ass serious. “We both know how smart your sister’s mouth is. I might have to pop her in it.”
“I hope it doesn’t get to that,” I confessed, sitting on the edge of my bed.
I knew Kabria wasn’t seriously wanting to fight my sister, but her mouth was smart as fuck, and she was really nasty sometimes.
I didn’t want to fight her or hurt her in any way, but I wanted answers. She owed me an explanation.
“I know, me either,” she took a seat next to me. “Gwen is so wrong for this. I seriously hope she talks to you and explains this shit.”
“Right.” I sighed heavily then got up. “Come on. I want to try and make it back here in a timely manner.”
“Okay, but first,” she stood and pulled me into a tight hug.
When she released me and stepped back, she smiled.
“No matter how today goes, know that you have me here. You and Keona.” She gave an assuring nod.
“You won’t be in this alone regardless of if Gwen decides to get her shit together or not. ”
“Thank you, bestie,” I simpered, hugging her again. “I love you.”
“Duh.” She grinned, causing me to laugh. “I love you more, girl.”
We both grabbed our things and left, getting into Kabria’s BMW.
She opted to drive claiming that I might be too emotional to do so after seeing and talking to my sister.
She was right. I was always overwhelmed after I saw her.
She was never really cooperative, and it crushed me each time I saw her in the streets when she didn’t have to be.
I told her to go to Gwen’s last known location in the alley. She wasn’t there, but I saw a few others, so I got out to ask them if they knew her or if they could tell me where I could find her.
Unfortunately, none of them could give me any information, so I retreated back to the car. On the way, a woman came out of the back, calling for me to stop.
“Wait, you said Gwen, right?”
I turned to face the woman who I surprisingly recognized as Jennifer, a girl that I’d grown up and gone to school with.
We weren’t friends or anything, but we were familiar.
I was a little shocked to see her out here the way that she was.
She came from a good family that appeared to have it all together, but then I thought about what Makhai’s mother told me about his uncle.
They had a good life too, and he still ended up going down the wrong path.
“Yes,” I finally answered. I felt bad when she shrunk under my stare because I didn’t want her to think that I was judging her. “You know her.”
“Yes, she left this morning.”
“Do you know where she went?”
“I do, but it’s going to cost you.”
It took everything in me not to scoff. I had to remind myself that she was fighting demons and would do whatever she could to get money.
Reaching inside my crossbody, I pulled out the lone bill I had in there.
“All I have is this twenty.”
She quickly snatched it. “This is fine. She left with Junior. They’re probably in Northwood.”
Northwood wasn’t far from where we were, and actually the neighborhood that Gwen and I grew up in.
“Do you know where in Northwood I should look?”
“Junior has a place set up on Fifth Avenue. There’s a tent in the front yard.”
That must have been all of the information she was willing to give me because she turned to walk away after that. I was fine with that; I’d just find my way from there.
Turning, I headed back to the car and told Kabria where to go next. We took the short ride, finding the house easily since she’d given me a pretty good description of where I was looking to go. Kabria stopped on the side of the road and parked.
“You can stay in the car, friend.” I said and she looked at me like I’d sprouted five extra heads.
“You’re crazy if you think I’m going to let you go in there alone.
We are in the damn hood!” She reached across me to go in the glove compartment and retrieve her gun.
She removed the clip to check for bullets then slid the gun inside her purse.
“We aren’t about to play with these damn crackheads or anyone else in there. ”
I chuckled and checked to make sure I had my taser and pepper spray on me. I didn’t own a gun, so that was going to have to do for me.
We climbed out of the car and made our way to the door.
There were a few people in the yard and even some laid on the steps that led up to the door, but they all looked like they were on another planet.
My heart felt heavy seeing all of them in their current state.
I knew that if this was how they were, there was no telling how I’d find my sister if she was there.
The door was open, so we let ourselves inside and began to look around. Just like outside, people were in there high out of their minds, and the room reeked. Both Kabria and I had to use our hands to cover our noses. I scanned each body, searching for Gwen, but to no avail. None of them were her.
I was about to give up and continue searching somewhere else, until we heard shuffling in the back.
Kabria and I locked eyes briefly before we nodded and started toward the noise.
There was a light shining through the opening at the top of the door and someone was in there because we could still hear movement.
I reached to knock on the door and waited for a few seconds. When no one came, I knocked again.
“What?” Whoever was on the other side barked.
“U-Um, I’m sorry, I’m looking for my sister. Gwen.”
“Diamond?” I heard my sister’s voice. It was low, but it was definitely her.
“Gwen, it’s me!” I quickly replied, shaking the knob, but the door was locked.
I heard movement, but I also heard whoever the man was fussing, telling her he didn’t tell her ass to stop.
I frowned, wondering what she was in there doing.
I didn’t have to wonder long because she came to the door moments later pulling the shirt that was clearly too big for her small, frail frame, over her shoulder.
I glanced behind her and noticed a man that was roughly around my age lying in bed.
He hadn’t even bothered to cover up as he lay there naked as the day he was born staring at us.
“Diamond, what are you doing here?” Gwen hissed, pulling my attention back to her. “I’m busy,” she gestured behind her.
I frowned as I quickly became filled with rage knowing she had the nerve to be having sex, clearly unprotected since there was no condom in sight, while I was home caring for her newborn baby. My life had changed completely, and her ass didn’t have a damn care in the world. I was furious.”
“I don’t give a damn what you were doing, Gwendolyn!” I snapped. “I need to talk to you!”
“I don’t have time to—”
“Oh, you have time!” I barked, cutting her off and snatching her ass out of the room. “If you don’t, you will damn sure make it!”
I dragged her through the disgusting, smelly house and outside. I had to get out of there before both me and Kabria passed the fuck out.
“Let go of me.” Gwen snatched away and fell once we were outside. I tried to help her up, but she swatted me away and nastily said, “I got it, move!”
I scoffed as I peered down at her trying to get herself up off of the ground. She looked pitiful, so I grabbed her arm and pulled her up to her feet despite her not wanting me to.
“You know, you’ve got some nerve having an attitude with me after what you did!” I spat.
“You need to leave.” She waved me off and tried walking away, but I stopped her.
“I’m not going anywhere, Gwendolyn! How could you leave your child at the fucking hospital?” I snapped.
“Clearly I didn’t want her,” she rolled her eyes.
I was disgusted and disappointed as hell. I didn’t have high expectations when it came to her, but I damn sure expected a little more than what she’d done.
“Then why have her?” I frowned. “And why continue doing things to make another one?!” I shouted, pointing toward the house. “You have the audacity to be having sex right after abandoning your child—doing something to potentially making another one!”
“Are you done?” she slowly rolled her eyes. “I was busy, so if you’re not here to give me money, then you’re wasting your time.”
I was floored by how nonchalant she was acting. I didn’t know why I expected her to care because she was the one that left her own child at the hospital, but I thought there would at least be an inkling of compassion once I confronted her about it.
“You really don’t care.” I chuckled humorlessly.
“You don’t care about shit but putting that bullshit in your system.
” I pointed to her marked arms just as the slob she was laid up with walked out of the door.
I looked him up and down in pure disgust. “And you’re willing to do whatever to get it. Is this her father? Do you even know?”
“Gwen, come here.” Old dirty bastard called out to her.
She ambled her way to him without a second thought. He was saying something to her while they looked me and Kabria’s way. Gwen came back seconds later with him following closely behind.
“Diamond, I need a favor.”