Chapter Solae
SOLAE
After Kahlani’s court date, I met her at the hospital.
The crowd that was once in the emergency room during the early hours of the morning had now relocated to the waiting area of the ICU.
I couldn’t even count how many times these niggas got into it with security.
They didn’t care about the capacity limit.
They didn’t care about keeping it down because of the patients either.
It was a mad house. Things were even worse because word had hit the streets that Carlos was found dead in his home.
Nobody had any full details, but everyone assumed that it was a robbery.
Everyone had gone from worried about Moses to distraught over Carlos.
No matter the work he was in, Carlos was a cool dude.
He was good to the guys that worked for him, gave back to the hood, and never condoned killing anyone, no matter if they owed him money or threatened his life.
Despite the things that he had put me through, my heart still went out to Rah, as I watched him sick in a corner, torn after hearing the news that his best friend was dead. I felt terrible and wished that things were different so that I felt comfortable enough to console him.
But fuck that. I recalled countless times over the past weeks that I was just as torn, and nothing in him moved him to console me.
“So, what happened at court?”
Kahlani and I were in the hallway, staring out of the picture windows as snow fell on the city. It had to be at least eight inches of snow already, and it was still falling.
“It was just a preliminary hearing. They assigned the case to a judge. We were hoping it would be thrown out, but it wasn’t.”
I didn’t attempt to hide how disappointed I was. Kahlani didn’t deserve this. She was so loyal and loving, which is how she got herself in this predicament in the first place.
“I can get up to five years. My lawyer thinks that I will most likely get felony probation since I don’t have a record. I’d have to wait seven years to get a felony off of my record, and it costs a lot.”
“Wow,” I sighed, shaking my head slowly.
“It’s obvious that the drugs weren’t mine. But they want me to snitch on whose they really were. I just can’t do it. I can’t put Moses in the middle of this. They’ll lock him up without thinking twice. I can’t have that on my conscience.”
I used to wonder how chicks found themselves locked up because of their man. Now, I knew. I couldn’t imagine having to make that choice, in the past. It was like literally choosing between snitching on your family or sacrificing yourself.
“Since Rah gave me some money to get a real lawyer, maybe I can find a good one that can just win the case.”
My eyes squinted with curiosity. “How much did he give you?”
“Two thousand. He said he would pay the rest as the case went on. So, that’s good.”
Of course, I was super curious about where this sudden compassion in Rah came from.
He had been a complete ass to me and his children but felt the need to pay Kahlani’s lawyer.
I was happy that he had the heart to help her.
However, the realization that Rah cared more about her case than he did about me, or even his kids, made my hate for him grow.
Seeing the disgust that darted out of my eyes, Kahlani asked, “Have you all talked?”
My eyes rolled into the back of my head. “No. He has the nerve to be mad at me. Ain’t that a bitch?”
“He is really acting a fool. Why is he so upset?”
“I turned on him, is what he keeps saying. Can you believe that? He has a baby on me, but I turned on him? I’m the disloyal one? I don’t even recognize who he is.”
Just talking about it raised the level of anger that had been sitting with me since this all began. Rah had a lot of nerve. I hated even being in that hospital because he was there. I hated being in the same room with his ass.
All he had to do was tell me. Had he told me that he had a chick on the side pregnant, I would have told him to step and still had my baby.
Both of us could have gotten what we wanted.
But no, Rah was too selfish to think enough about me to do such a thing.
He wanted his cake, to eat it too, the pie, and the motherfucking filling.
What turned my face red with rage was the fact that that bitch could have her baby, but I couldn’t. I had been with him for over ten years. I had given him so much of me, my youth, my children. And some bitch that just comes along can get the big house and family.
“How are the kids doing now that they are back home?”
“Elijah is fine. He’s just happy to be home. But something isn’t right with Essence. She’s just pissed off. She’s snapping on everybody. Getting into screaming matches with Elijah. It’s not like her.”
“Well, being snatched out of your home is a lot to deal with. And she is a teenager. She’s probably just mad she missed Christmas.”
“I can’t believe Rah was that mad at me. All because I left him? Because I burned up some money.” My mouth bawled up as I fought the stinging in my eyes that was introducing tears.
I was so sick of crying.
“Solae, it’s going to be okay,” Kahlani said as she wiped my face. As she did so, I noticed three guys getting off of the elevator. One of them was so familiar to me, but I couldn’t place him. I guess I was familiar to him too, since he did a double take when he saw me.
“Who are they? Friends of Moses?”
Kahlani took a quick glance and then turned back to me. “Probably. I’ve never seen them before. There have been so many people coming in and out of here, girl. But you know who hasn’t shown up?”
“Who?”
“A chick.”
“What chick?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “Hell, any chick. Not one woman has come to visit him, not even a friend. I never doubted him when he claimed to be in the studio late all those nights, but in the back of my mind, I wondered. But clearly, he really was. He wants to make it so bad.”
So much grief came over her at that moment. I wrapped my arms around her. She buried her face in my shoulder as I buried mine in hers. In such a short time, our worlds had been turned upside down. It was a lot to take in, and it was hard as hell to be strong.
“I just want him to be okay.”
I matched Kahlani’s somber tone as I told her, “He will.”