Chapter 4 #3
I waited around until nightfall and when I got near the house, I circled the block once before parking my car further down the street. I popped the trunk and grabbed everything I needed, including a ski mask to pull over my face.
I walked up to the building calmly, watching homeless mutha fuckas scatter seeing my masked 6’2 ass walking down the street with a gas can and a gun. I beat on the door a few times and then stood back.
BAM BAM BAM BAM
“Whoever in this bitch better get the fuck out now!”
The door soon cracked open, and the second the female standing there saw me masked up, she jumped back. She looked familiar, like one of the girls who had been up at the hospital with Jasmine’s baby daddy the day her son first got hurt.
“Who the fuck are you?” she asked, trying to sound tough even though fear was all in her face.
“I’m the nigga telling your ass to get the fuck out of this house before you get cooked like dinner,” I snapped aggressively.
“And whoever else is in there needs to get out. I don’t feel like killing anybody today, so just do what the fuck I said.
She froze for a second, but that was a second too long.
“Did you not hear me? You must be ready to get flamed along with this piece of house.”
The tone of my voice finally made her move. She turned and started frantically yelling through the house.
“Y’all! Somebody at the door! He is telling us to get out, and he has a fuckin gun!”
I heard yelling and chatter on the inside as I clutched my pistol, making sure no one came out, and I had to flat line them right there.
After only a few seconds, people started scrambling out of the house and running down the street, yelling and crying, while I moved through the place pouring gasoline everywhere to make sure there wouldn’t be much left once the flames started spreading.
Once the scent of gas was so strong it started to burn my nose, I took a piece of paper from the entry table by the door, sparked the lighter, and a fire zipped through the house faster than they had run out.
I turned and walked down the steps, jogging down a back alley, watching the smoke fill the entire block.
Before getting too far, I pulled my phone out and snapped one quick picture before hurrying back toward my car.
By the time I pulled off, people were everywhere, yelling, recording, and trying to figure out what happened as fire lit up the night behind me.
I grabbed my phone from the passenger seat and pulled up Jasmine’s name before sending her the picture I took as I sped away.
I hope this makes you feel a little better. I burned this shit to the ground for you.
I sent her the photo, and a few seconds later, my phone buzzed with a message from her.
Omg. You are crazy lol but can I see you?
When and where? I replied.
Three dots appeared almost instantly.
I'm at the hospital now, and as soon as you can.
My first thought was that she wasn’t happy about the photo I sent and I’d actually made shit even worse. But I'm sure she would've called instead of texting and the, lol, was telling enough.
Okay, I'm on the way.
I tossed the phone onto the passenger seat, put the car in drive, and headed toward the hospital.
By the time I pulled up outside the hospital, Jasmine was already standing near the front entrance in black leggings and an oversized New York Knicks hoodie with her arms folded across herself while the wind pushed pieces of her hair away from her face.
She looked tired as hell even from inside the car, but the second she spotted me pulling up, she started walking toward the passenger side.
I leaned across the console and pushed the door open for her before she climbed in beside me.
“I could’ve come up if you didn’t want to leave your son.”
“It’s okay. My mama and Pernelle upstairs with him.” She rubbed underneath her eyes tiredly.
“I just needed air.”
I nodded because, honestly, I understood that feeling completely.
“Let’s just ride then if you're okay with that. I can let the windows down and let the breeze hit you.”
“Yeah, I’m okay with that.” She smirked shyly, leaning her head back against the seat.
From her vibe, I could tell the silence was doing a lot for her right now.
I was a firm believer in meditation and letting peace be still.
Only the music played low while we cruised through the city with no destination in mind, harmonizing with the wind.
It wasn’t until she reached over and touched me on my hand and looked over to me to speak that I was okay with even opening my mouth.
“Amir.”
“Yeah? Talk to me, Jas.” I reached down and turned the music lower.
“What made you go over there and burn down that entire building for me?”
I shrugged my shoulders.
“I don’t know, I guess you can say because I wanted to. How did it make you feel?”
“Relieved to be honest. Well, a little relieved, I should say.”
I bit the inside of my cheek.
“Good, what else will make you feel better? I know you probably won’t feel good for a while, but better, I should say.”
She shrugged her shoulders slowly as we drove onto the Brooklyn Bridge.
“I just want my baby to get better. Walk around, and watch his favorite shows, and snuggle me at night again like I am his own personal teddy bear.” She smiled, thinking of his memory.
“I really hate seeing him lying in that hospital bed in that gown. It makes him seem even worse off.”
Her voice softened even more after that.
“I’m used to him being fly like his uncle. That little boy loves clothes and colorful clothes at that. I never had an issue with him staying clean either.”
The smirk on her face was like she could see a picture of Rj in her head right now.
“So, he's a Polo and shit kind of kid, huh? I see Crew wearing a lot of Polo.”
“Yeah.” She laughed.
“Polo, Amiri, Dior outfits, and other designer shit too. Stuff I wouldn’t be able to afford if it wasn't for Crew. He often dropped off clothes for him any time he shopped for his own kids. He said no matter what spectrum my son is on, he is still going to be that nigga still.”
I shook my head while laughing at his crazy ass.
“So basically, little man fresher than half the grown men in Brooklyn.”
“He definitely is.”
That small smile spreading across her face made something settle inside of me for a second.
“Well, since you don’t want him in that gown anymore, let’s go pick him up something from your house, then.
Maybe the nurses can help you change him into a buttoned-up pajama set or some shit.
I know my father was able to wear some of his regular clothes when he was in the hospital after getting shot. ”
“I mean, I would be okay with that, but his dumb ass daddy cleared out my drawers the day he slipped into my house when my mama and I weren’t there.
Now it’s probably burned up in that fire, but I don’t care about that.
Clothes can be replaced. Well, his clothes at least. I want Reggie and the rest of his family to wear the clothes on their back for weeks. ”
I glanced over at her for a second before looking back at the road. Ever since I met Jasmine, something in me kept wanting to solve every problem she had the second it came out of her mouth.
My fingers tapped against the steering wheel while I thought for a second before an idea finally hit me.
Without saying anything else, I grabbed my phone and pulled up directions to the Ralph Lauren store I knew was nearby. It was only ten minutes away, so I drove over there in silence.
When I pulled up along the curb down the street, and the car stopping caused Jasmine to lean forward.
“What are we doing here?” She yawned.
I pointed down the sidewalk toward the Polo store.
“We're here for your son.”
“That store looks like it’s closed, Amir.”
“Yeah, I know, but what size does he wear anyway?”
“Huh?” She turned her nose up in confusion.
“What size does Rj wear?”
“Like a 6T. Why?”
I unbuckled my seatbelt and grabbed the ski mask from the glove compartment that I just used to set the fire.
“Don’t worry, I’ll be right back.”
“Amir.”
Jasmine called my name as I climbed out of the car.
The streets weren’t crowded this late, with only a few cars sliding by while lights from the stores reflected across the sidewalk. I stood back from the glass entrance for a second before pulling my gun from my waistband.
I pointed towards the glass and shot five shots into the windows, making the glass explode. The store alarm started to ring loudly as I rushed through the now open window, stepping on shards of glass that were crunching underneath my sneakers.
After entering the store, I knew I didn’t have much time, so I spent the time I had moving quickly through the racks looking for the size she’d told me.
“6T, 6T”
My eyes bounced through the racks, grabbing anything fresh that could fit Rj.
While grabbing shit in his size, I stumbled upon a rack full of Polo pajamas near the back and grabbed him one of those too because I knew that’s what he needed to be comfortable in that hospital bed.
Plus, the button up top would be easier to put on him.
Sirens started wailing faintly somewhere in the distance, and I knew that meant my time was almost up.
“Shit.”
I moved faster, throwing everything over my arm before heading toward the front counter.
Right before leaving back out, I dug into my pocket and dropped a thick stack of cash onto the register because I wasn’t a thieving ass nigga and I only did this to see Jasmine feel better tonight.
Yeah, I could’ve waited until the morning, but she needed a win tonight.
Shit, I know how fragile the mind can get when you're going through something, and every second off the edge counts. I don’t want shorty hurting herself because she feels like she can’t get a win out of life.
When I got back to the car, I yanked the passenger door open and tossed all the clothes into Jasmine’s lap before running around the car and jumping behind the wheel again. The store alarm was still screaming down the block, while sirens echoed in the distance, growing louder by the second.
Jasmine looked down at the pile of little Polo outfits stacked on top of her in complete shock, her mouth hanging open, while I sped off, making sure we were nowhere around when the cops got there.
"Amir, you really went and did that?" She shook her head, trying to hold back a laugh and failing miserably.
“Of course I did.” I glanced over at her quickly before looking back toward the street.
“I left enough money in there on the counter for the clothes and the window I broke.”
“What the hell is wrong with you?” She started laughing. The kind of nervous laugh like she couldn’t believe what just happened, but the more distance we put between ourselves and the store, the more real the laugh became.
That was probably the most alive I had seen her act all day.
She kept twisting around in her seat, looking back through the rear windshield while clutching the outfits against her chest.
“Oh my God, if I go to jail because of you, I’m going to hurt you, Amir Quatar!”
“Don’t worry, your ass is not going to jail.
That’s a promise. We got a way. There isn’t a cop in sight around us.
Shit, you know how many New York stores get raided a year with no suspects found.
” I laughed, even more relaxed now, driving slowly again to blend in with the flow of the traffic on this side of town.
Though we were far away, every pair of headlights coming toward us made Jasmine sit up straighter, thinking it was the police, and every time it turned out to just be another regular car, she’d let out another laugh.
“I can’t believe that really just happened. You are crazy, just like my brother.” She shook her head while holding up one of the polo shirts.
“Rj is about to be fresher than everybody on his hospital floor now for sure, though. This shirt is too cute.”
“That was the point.”
She looked at me, then smiled down at the little clothes for a second before looking over at me again, and seeing that sadness lift from her face, even a little, made breaking into that store feel worth it.
When I came to the stop sign up the street, Jasmine suddenly leaned across the center console so fast I barely had time to react before her lips crashed into mine.
The kiss caught me completely off guard.
One second, she was laughing at the stupid shit I had just done, and the next, she had both hands on the side of my face, kissing me like she forgot where we were.
It wasn't one of those quick little pecks either.
She stayed there, pressing her lips against mine, making me forget all about the stop sign, the road, and every car around us.
For a second, I just sat there taking it in.
The way she was kissing me felt different, like she missed me. Like I had been gone somewhere for months and just came back home.
A loud horn blasted behind us, and I looked in the rearview mirror and saw some goofy waving his hands around because the light had changed.
"The fuck this nigga think he doing?"
I reached for the door handle, ready to get out and straighten his ass out, but before I could even crack the door open, Jasmine grabbed my arm.
"Amir, stop."
I looked over at her.
"Seriously, stop."
The smile on her face was still there, but her eyes were softer now.
"Let me get back to my son so I can get him fresh."
I stared at her for a second before letting go of the handle and she laughed.
At the end of the day, that was what I wanted from her. A smirk, a laugh, a smile.
I couldn't explain why, but her sadness felt personal to me. Even though I never got a chance to call her my girl.