Chapter 15
JOSIE
“Huncho! What’s wrong?” I rushed after him after he stormed out of the reception.
He turned around gritting his back teeth together, hands shoved in his pockets. “My moms is in there drunk about to embarrass her damn self and Hymn. The fact that she can’t get it together pisses me the fuck off. What was the point of getting off heroin to become an alcoholic?”
I stared at him because I was trying to think of how to carefully word what I wanted to say to him.
“Huncho…” my voice trailed off. “You’re far from an alcoholic.
But you do use alcohol to cope, and I have seen you very intoxicated before.
Is it too much to give your mom some grace? ” I asked in a genuine tone.
Huncho pushed out an angry laugh. “I don’t have kids. She’s spent her entire adult life fucking up and neglecting her kids. Now, those same kids are supposed to have so much grace and understanding for her. Fuck outta here. She never had that shit for us. I’m out.”
Huncho stormed off, and I let him. I didn’t take his words personal.
My mother was one of my best friends. I couldn’t relate to having dead beat parents, so I really couldn’t tell him how to feel.
I hated the fact that his mother was such a trigger for him, but he would have to learn how to work that out.
I turned to go back inside the venue, and Hymn was coming out.
“He left?” his eyes scanned the parking lot for signs of his brother.
“Yeah.” Huncho pushed out a deep sigh. “Go back inside and enjoy your day. Your mom is a soft spot for him. He’ll be okay.”
A sly grin stretched across Hymn’s face. “Don’t be putting that old lady snapper on my brother then ghosting him talking about you got strep throat and shit.”
“Bro!” I laughed hitting his arm. “I’m done with yo’ big headed ass.”
We walked back in the venue laughing, and I was glad that Hymn wasn’t letting family issues ruin his day. I walked back in to find Brion looking pale and weak. “Sister, you okay?”
“I have over done it. I’ve been on my feet too long and done too much today. I’m lightheaded a little.”
“Aight, we out. We’re going up to the suite. People don’t have to leave until they’re ready, but we’re out.” Huncho had walked up on the conversation, and he immediately went into protection mode. He was ready to whisk Brion away without telling anybody goodbye.
Brion parted her lips to more than likely protest, but I spoke before she could. “I’ll tell everyone that you have a migraine and needed to go lie down. I’ll take the girls home with me.”
Brion gave me an appreciative smile. I could tell whatever hit her had come on suddenly and like a ton of bricks.
There weren’t even ten people at the reception that knew she was pregnant, so I was going to cover for her.
How hard is it to believe that after such an eventful day, she’d have a migraine?
Brion and Hymn were about to walk out of the reception hall when Corey strolled in with eyes so red they looked like they were bleeding.
My eyes widened as he stood there mere feet away from Brion with a scruffy beard, droopy eye that still hadn’t fully recovered from his beat down, and clothes that looked like he’d been wearing them for days.
“What the fuck?” I groaned knowing this wasn’t going to end well. My head whipped over my shoulder looking for the girls. The camera crew was still present, and shit was about to be all bad.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Brion spat.
“How the fuck you gon’ do me like this?” Corey had the nerve to actually look distraught. “Me, Brion! Me!” He slapped his chest with his hand. “Seven muhfuckin’ years? I was good to you, man.”
“You need to leave,” I stepped forward. Hymn was quiet as a church mouse, and I knew just how dangerous that was. The only idiot that didn’t seem to know was Corey.
“Seven years I took care of you. You didn’t have to work. I made sure you and my daughters didn’t want for shit. And you do this to me? I didn’t have enough money for you?”
“Daddy,” Sky squealed excited to see him just as Hymn hit Corey with a blow so hard it sent him stumbling a few feet.
There were gasps, and I saw my parents scrambling to gather the girls and get them out of the room.
“Hymn,” Brion attempted to grab his arm, but he pulled it out of her grasp and neared Corey. His drunk dumb ass tried to swing, and it didn’t come close to landing. Hymn hit him again and that time, Corey crumbled to the floor.
One of Hymn’s uncles came and dragged Corey through the door like a bag of trash. The camera man was running after them like it was an episode of Maury, and Brion had tears in her eyes. Before she could say anything, she hit the floor. What a fucking day.
Hymn was mad enough to spit nails and I knew if anything was wrong with Brion or their babies, Corey may as well prepare to get the beating of his life.
Such a beautiful day had turned into a mess.
The girls were with my parents upset and not understanding why Hymn hit their father.
My parents were upset that Brion was in the hospital and that Corey had the audacity to do what he did.
I still didn’t know where Huncho was, but I was glad he hadn’t been there because Corey really would have gotten done dirty.
After almost two hours of waiting, Hymn entered the waiting room.
“She’s about to be discharged. They gave her an ultrasound, and the babies are good.
She’s not in pain or bleeding. Her blood pressure was low, and she needed fluids.
They gave her two IV bags and told her to stay off her feet for the next two or three days. ”
“Whew,” I breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you, God.” And I meant every word.
The fact that Corey had turned my sister’s reception into a hot, ghetto, shit show, had me seething, so I could only imagine how she felt.
Not once in seven years did his lame ass even hint at proposing, but after all the money Hymn spent, he popped up on some speak now or forever hold your peace, BS?
He deserved everything he got. It seemed like he’d be tired of getting beat up but obviously, he wasn’t.
When the nurse wheeled Brion out, I made sure she didn’t need anything, gave her a hug, then left.
I called my mother in the car to let her know what was going on.
The girls were asleep, and now she could rest knowing Brion and the babies were okay.
It had been a long day for sure, and my bed was calling my name.
As I was pulling onto my street, my phone rang, and I saw that Huncho was calling.
Before I could even answer, I spotted his car in front of my house.
When he noticed me pulling up, he ended the call.
After I parked in the driveway, we got out of our cars at the same time.
I stood at my car and waited for him to approach.
I was for sure expecting him to be overly intoxicated but if he was, I couldn’t tell.
“You mad at me?” he asked stopping in front of me.
“Why would I be mad at you?”
“Because I was pissed earlier and kind of took it out on you. I didn’t mean to do that.”
“You’re fine, Huncho. You weren’t disrespectful. It was easy to see that you were upset. Are you feeling better now?”
Huncho inhaled a deep breath. “Man,” he drawled. “I think I’m going to do what you suggested.”
Hiking my brows was a signal for him to elaborate.
“You told me I should try therapy.”
That time, my brows rose out of shock. “Really?”
Huncho chuckled. “You don’t have to do all that.
At this point though, what can I lose? I mean, the issues aren’t going to solve themselves.
I just can’t act like the past didn’t happen because my mom suddenly decided to try.
I can also admit that no matter how much I try to justify why I can drown my problems in alcohol, but she can’t the shit is dumb. ”
“I am impressed, and I say that in all seriousness. You’re taking accountability, and I love that for you. That’s real grown man shit.”
“Yeah, I guess dealing with an old woman is rubbing off on me.”
His joints must not have been stiff that night because he dodged my hit quick as hell.
“Okay well you have a good night toddler nuts. I’m going to bed, and you aren’t invited in.”
I heard Huncho’s feet hitting the pavement as he ran up behind me. “Chill man,” he chuckled grabbing me from behind. “You know I like yo’ old ass.” He placed his face in the crook of my neck. As much as I didn’t like the old jokes, the feel of his soft lips on my skin made me shiver.
“Get off me,” I snapped hoping he didn’t notice the effect he’d had on me.
“Never,” he mumbled and started sucking on my earlobe as I unlocked my door.
“You haven’t talked to your brother?” I asked crossing the threshold of my home.
“No, why?” I turned around to a confused looking Huncho.
Shaking my head I flopped down on the couch. “Somebody had to have called you. I just got back from the hospital with Brion and Hymn.”
“The hospital? Why?” I could hear the panic in his tone and see it in his eyes.
“No one reached out to you?
“Bro,” he groaned. “My phone was face down in the seat on silent. I didn’t even pick it up until I called you, and I didn’t look at it.
I ran the story down to him exactly as it happened and when I was done talking, Huncho was looking at me like I’d sprouted another head. “What’s that fuck nigga’s address?”
“As much as I can’t stand Corey you have to know I wouldn’t even do that. It’s cool because Hymn got him good and so did your uncle.”
Closing his eyes briefly, Huncho cursed under his breath. “Corey better be glad my brother has a whole lot to lose because Hymn ten years ago would have sent that nigga to the Lord. I put that on my mama. Shit, a year ago, I would have sent him.”
Pulling his phone from his pocket, Huncho sat down beside me and called his brother.
While they talked, I washed the makeup off my face and took a shower.
I was so tired. As good as Huncho looked, I wasn’t even sure I was capable of having sex.
That was how exhausted I was. When I was done in the bathroom, the smell of marijuana greeted me as I eased into my bed. Huncho would get the hint.
I closed my eyes and had started to drift off less than five minutes later. I wasn’t sure how much time passed when I felt him getting in the bed and wrapping his arm around me.