Chapter Thirteen #3
Pepper stood to the side observing how close-knit her children had become.
It was easy to tell they weren’t used to being away from one another and she almost felt bad.
Pepper didn’t know what to expect when she came back around, but this wasn’t it.
The twins' hair was pressed and fell down their backs, their nails were done, their skin was clear, and they were both dressed in Nike gear with Tory Burch sandals. Sage's hair was cut, his waves were flowing, and his lineup was fresh. He was sporting a Nike jogging suit, matching white Ones, and carrying a Nike duffel bag. It was clear that they were well cared for, and Pepper didn’t know why it made her feel some kind of way. It was as if they never needed her. Even the apartment they lived in was clean, the furniture was new, and from where she was standing, they weren’t hurting for anything.
“Just say yall gone miss me,” Sage grinned.
“Hm, nobody said all that. Just be safe and sleep with your money in your sock,” Shugg said loudly as she hugged him.
“Lil girl, are you trying to say I steal?”
“It’s been a long time. People change, we don’t know what you do,” Spice spoke up, turning back to her brother. “And if they acting funny, call me and we’ll come get you.”
“Girl, shut up,” Sage laughed. “Come on, Ma.” He turned to the door as the twins fell into Logic’s side. Pepper gave the trio a tight smile, but the gesture wasn’t returned. In fact, the twins now shared the same mean mug as their big brother.
“Well, I guess I’ll see yall when I drop Sage off Sunday morning.” She backed out of the door.
Again, no one said anything, so Sage gently grabbed his mother’s hand and led her out the door.
“Welp, I don’t know, I’m feeling something.” Spice held her forehead to see if she was hot.
“Me too.” Shugg grabbed her stomach. “Could this be sadness? Am I going to miss his annoying self?”
“Just say yall gone miss him getting on your nerves.” Logic laughed at them, but he felt it too. They hadn’t spent more than a day apart from each other.
“Dare I say I feel empty?” Spice dramatically gagged.
“Oh, so I guess yall don’t wanna go to the studio with me.”
“Can we take our camera?” Shugg quizzed.
“Yea, just don’t post anything without me seeing it first.”
“Well, what do you know, the feeling passed.” Spice stood up straight. “I’m about to get dressed and charge my camera.” She bounced away.
“Me too.” Shugg ran behind her sister but stopped when she reached the doorway. “Lo.”
“Yea.”
“You not gone let her take us, are you?”
The question caused his stomach to flip. Maybe after the first year he would’ve happily given them back, but now... Pepper didn’t stand a chance. Logic would take her to court, and even if he lost, she still wasn’t getting them.
“Hell nah,” Logic promised. “What’s that ghetto shit yall be saying? Could’ve never thought,” he mocked the twins, causing them to giggle.
“And that’s on period,” he followed up, making them double over.
They were laughing, but Logic was dead ass serious. Pepper would have to kill him first.
???
After signing in at the front desk, Tyler made her way to her mother’s room.
The nurses said she had a cold and offered Tyler a mask, which she declined.
She started to snap on them, wondering why no one called her, but she remembered her broken phone.
Tyler made a mental note to activate her new phone, and this time she wouldn’t download any social media apps.
“There she goes.” Mr. Rogers wheeled his chair in Tyler’s direction. “The girl that sings. What do you have for me today?”
“Hey Mr. Rogers.” She smiled at him. “I’m not in much of a singing mood today.”
“Just give me a little something,” he begged, wheeling behind her.
Stopping, Tyler turned around to face him. She twisted her lips while running through her mental Rolodex. Deciding on Breakeven by The Script, Tyler slowly hummed a little to catch the beat. The pop song was a little upbeat, but she wanted to slow it down. She needed it to match her mood.
“I'm still alive but I'm barely breathin'. Just prayed to a God that I don't believe in
'Cause I got time while he got freedom. 'Cause when a heart breaks, no, it don't break even,” Tyler's sweet voice serenaded Mr. Rogers and any other onlookers that stopped to listen.
“What am I supposed to do when the best part of me should’ve been you? And what am I supposed to say when I'm all choked up that you're okay? I'm fallin' to pieces, yeah. I'm fallin' to pieces,” Tyler hummed from a place of hurt and anger.
“Baby girl.” Mr. Rogers touched his chest. “If I had my other leg and my shotgun, I’d ride out on whatever clown that hurt you.”
“Me too,” another resident named Thomas fumed. “Pissing me smooth the fuck off,” he grunted. “Wait, who are we mad at?”
“Thomas, get yo forgetful ass on,” Mr. Rogers fussed.
“Don’t call me forgetful, you old bastard.”
“Says the man that forgets to wipe his own ass. Got the hallway smelling like horse shit.”
“Who do?” Thomas staggered toward Mr. Rogers.
“The shitty ass owl.”
“Ohhhh nigga, you’re in for it.”
“Ok guys. Let's not fight in front of the pretty lady.” Nurse Hawkins stood between the men.
“Who’s fighting?” Thomas glanced around like he was missing something.
“See what I gotta deal with,” Mr. Rogers whispered to a giggling Tyler.
“I almost beat his ass in the lunchroom one day, hmmm umm,” he rubbed his gums together.
“He forgot what was going on mid-swing. He asked what was happening. I told him he was giving me his Jello. That day he saved himself an ass whooping and I got a free Jello.”
“You’re a mean old man.” Tyler shook her head.
“And I have a mean right hook. Bring me the sucker that’s making you hurt and I’ll run his ass over with my chair and punch his no-good ass in the throat,” Mr. Rogers promised.
“What if I’m the one that's no good?” Tyler rebutted, pulling her bottom lip into her mouth.
“Nah.” He backed away from her. “With a voice like that, you’re one of God’s angels and God protect all his angels. You’re hurting now but you’ll have the last laugh, you hear me?”
“I hear you.”
“Good, now go visit yo wacky ass mama. She's another one that’s always trying to fight me.”
“What did you do to my mama?”
“I stole her Jello,” Mr. Rogers admitted, quickly rolling away.
Tyler shook her head as she watched the old man continue to harass everyone he passed. If she hadn’t known it before, she knew it now... Mr. Rogers was definitely the problem child at Brooks.
“How have you been, sweetheart?” Nurse Hawkins asked before Tyler could take off down the hall.
“Umm, I’m living so I can’t complain.”
“Well, I wanted to talk to you about something.”
“My mom-” Tyler started to panic.
“No, no, no, nothing like that.” Nurse Hawkins touched Tyler’s shoulder. “I just want to make sure you’re ok. I don’t know everything, but I hear things. I know what they did to you, what they’re saying about you.”
“It’s fine.”
“It’s not and God don’t like ugly. I want you to keep holding on because God has plans for those who he favors. It might seem like a lot right now, but you’re supposed to shed all that dead skin before you can fully shine.”
“I hear you,” Tyler mumbled. “But holding on is getting harder and sometimes I wonder what it will feel like to let go.”
“Hey, don’t talk like that. When they say He doesn’t give us more than we can bear, it’s true.
God will never put you through anything you couldn’t handle.
You got this and I want you to know that I’m here for you.
I’ve been saving and I have a nice 401K.
I’m going to take care of your mother’s housing bill for the next two months. ”
“Nurse Hawkins, I can’t ask you to do that.”
“I don’t recall you asking and it’s my money.
I’d rather do something meaningful with it besides giving it to my knuckle-headed grandkids.
They always want me to invest in one of their Ponzi schemes.
It ain’t that many car washes and boutique stores in the world.
They should all have one by now and don’t neither one of them have shit to show for it,” she scoffed.
“So let me do this, and if you ever need anything, I want you to call me. You are not alone.”
Tyler couldn’t stop the tears if she wanted to. She buried her head in Nurse Hawkins' neck and cried while the older woman rubbed her back. Even in the midst of the storm, God was still protecting her, and Tyler didn’t know why.
“Ah shit, don’t tell me I need to run your toes over for messing with my baby girl,” Mr. Rogers threatened from behind them. Tyler pulled away from Nurse Hawkins and wiped her eyes.
“Sir, carry yourself on before I stick a broom in your wheels and leave you in the corner,” Nurse Hawkins sassed, placing her hand on her hip.
“If I had my leg I'd-
“Still be talking mess. Go on now.” She waved him off.
“I’m leaving because the movie in the game room is about to start and I want a good view.”
“Yea, yea, yea.”
“I can’t with him,” Tyler snickered.
“Girl, he’s a mess, but this place wouldn’t be the same without him.” Nurse Hawkins shook her head. “I’m going to let you go visit your mother. She’s not feeling her best and I know seeing you will brighten her day.”
“I don’t know about all that.”
“Oh girl please. She might not know that you’re her daughter, but deep down, I know she enjoys seeing you. She’ll sing for hours after you leave and if that’s not happiness, I don’t know what is. Gone on.” Nurse Hawkins bumped her hip.
Making her way down the hall, Tyler stopped in front of her mother's room and lightly tapped on the door. She waited for a response, and when she didn’t get one, she slowly pushed the door open.
Maple was curled up in her bed, the TV played lowly in the background.
Her blinds were shut, letting Tyler know she didn’t want to be bothered with anything, not even the bright sun.
“I don’t want food.” Maple coughed and then wiped her nose with a piece of tissue she had tucked under her pillow.
“How’s my favorite girl?” Tyler whispered, not wanting to disturb her peace.
“I don’t want to play either,” Maple grunted. “Go home. Go home today.”
“Can I just stay for a little while?” she nearly begged.
Tyler wasn’t stupid enough to think her mother could talk her through what was going on in her life, but she needed to be in her presence.
She needed to smell the Blue Magic hair grease that stained her pillowcases or the powdery Dove soap that covered her skin.
They didn’t have to talk, Tyler just needed to be near her.
“Just for a minute,” she repeated, pulling on her sleeves.
“Fine, a little while, but no playing. I don’t want to play,” Maple grumbled.
“No playing,” Tyler swore, wanting to jump up and down.
Without hesitation, Tyler pulled a chair beside her mother’s bed and took a seat.
She removed her jacket and balled it up to form a pillow.
Placing her head on the bed, Tyler let out a deep sigh and closed her eyes.
Just for a minute, she had peace and that’s all she wanted.
Maple’s eyes were on the TV, but her hand found its way to the top of Tyler’s head, causing the tears on the brim of her eyes to fall.