Chapter 3 #3
My phone rang with a call from Bibbs. I ignored his last three calls.
Answering, I barked, “Yeah?”
“Hey, man! You just up and bounced!”
“I have an emergency.”
“My contract isn’t handled. Your emergency could’ve waited.”
Staring at the phone’s screen as if Bibbs could see me, I mugged that bitch so hard I prayed he felt it.
“If I wasn’t about to catch this plane, I’d drive back to the restaurant just to beat yo’ ass for comin’ out the mouth wrong.
I’m already on edge, and you ‘bout to push me over the cliff. Find someone else to do your building. You don’t give a fuck about the community, anyway.
In hindsight, I don’t want my name tied to shit that’s got to do with yo’ sellout ass. ”
I cut the call and within seconds, I’d forgotten about business. Nothing was more important than Naomi. I had to get to her.
Back in Pensacola…
A little over seven hours later, my plane landed. It was the most agonizing seven hours I had to endure. The first call I made was to PJ.
“She’s about to be discharged soon. Doctors could only say they think she was dehydrated, which I know is a lie.” PJ sounded frustrated.
“I’m on my way there.”
“Okay.”
Thirty minutes later, I was walking through the hospital’s entrance for labor and delivery.
Zoo and Brooklyn were waiting for me and led me up the elevators to the room where Naomi was.
My baby looked so tired and weak laying on the bed.
Her eyes were downcast and red from crying.
PJ stood on one side of the bed, while Bri stood on the other.
The steady sound of my baby’s heartbeat coupled with the love shining in Naomi’s eyes melted away ever tight knot crippling my body.
“Baby,” she cried when she saw me coming through the door.
Going to her side, I wanted to pick her up out of the bed and bring her closer to me. I settled for laying one hand on her swollen belly and my other hand her forehead.
“We’ll be outside the door,” Bri said. She and PJ left the room, leaving me and Naomi alone.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t here, Baby.” I kissed her lips, then kissed her tears away. “How do you feel? Tell me what happened.”
“I feel fine,” she said around a sniffle. “There’s nothing wrong with me nor the baby. I’m sorry I made you worry. How was your meeting?”
“I’m not concerned about anything but you and our baby,” I informed her.
“Sin, would you believe me if I told you something that may sound crazy, but I believe is true?”
Smoothing her hair back, I nodded. “Of course, Sweetheart.” I didn’t give a damn what it was. If Naomi had an issue or concern that she wholeheartedly believed was facts, I would take it as facts, too.
She took a deep breath as if she was carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders. I disliked that.
“After we got off the phone, I went to Hole to get something to eat. Fallon was there. I won’t tell her business, but we had a conversation… A conversation about Vick’s mother. Baby, I think she poisoned me, and that’s the reason why I miscarried.”
Fury burned through my fibers, scorching every ounce of compassion I had for my elders.
“You know I don’t care about Vick and what he has going on with his life.
Neither do I give a damn about his mother.
However, Fallon said something that triggered me to go back to both times the night before I had my miscarriages.
Vick’s mother invited me over for dinner both nights.
I still remembered what she cooked. The thought caused me to go into shock. That’s how I ended up here.”
I wiped away Naomi’s silent tears.
“It’s not a case of if I believe she did it, I know she did something to me. The doctors could never explain to me why I was miscarrying.” As if remembering that portion, Naomi squeezed her eyes shut and groaned. “She killed my babies,” she tearfully stated.
The fact that those babies weren’t mine wasn’t a thought. I was angry for Naomi. Vick’s mother did some raggedy-ass shit, that she had to pay for.
Once Naomi was discharged, I settled her home, fed her, and got her to sleep.
Under the influence of anger, I had Zoo and Brooklyn come over for a drink.
We met on my deck, with them wondering what the hell had me pacing that bitch like a caged tiger.
I threw back a shot of Hennessy, needing another one already.
“Aight, what’s up?” Zoo asked. He took one shot and was good. “I go home smellin’ like liquor, my woman gon’ make me sleep on the couch,” he explained.
Brooklyn, who was already on his third shot, chuckled.
“Yo’ ass needs to slow down,” I warned him.
He waved me off. “I’m walkin’ my ass right back to the crib when we’re done talkin’ so I can crash. I’m tired as fuck.”
His ass looked tired.
“I’m surprised Bri isn’t over there,” Zoo noticed.
“Her ass talmbout she needed to go home to clean up. Know damn well she lyin’,” he mumbled the last part while throwing another one back.
I snatched the bottle from his hand when he tried to pour another shot.
“Sit yo’ ass down and listen. Yeen drinkin’ no more. I’on give a damn if you sleepin’ on my couch tonight. You’ve had enough.”
Mugging me, Brooklyn plopped on one of the deck chairs.
“We gotta add Vick's moms to our list. Naomi believes that ugly bitch poisoned her.”
“What!” Zoo’s loud ass exclaimed.
“Yep,” I confirmed. “She fed her some shit both nights prior to her miscarriages. That ain’t no coincidence.”
“Hell, no it ain’t!” Zoo seconded. “Mane, what’s up with these crazy-ass females? Since when they started doin’ grimy shit like that?”
“Oh, they’ve always been doin’ grimy shit. The older they are, you can best believe they done offed a husband or two and collected that insurance money.”
Zoo cracked up. “Hell nah!”
“So, we gotta have a plan on how we gon’ get her muhfuckin’ ass. She could’ve killed my woman.”
Brooklyn, who was laid out across the deck chair, spoke up. “Nah, we can’t touch her, bruh. She’s a woman. You think Vick knows anything about what she did?”
“Fuck that!” Zoo and I popped off at the same time.
“As much as I wanna put a hot one in Vick, I’on think he knew. His mama was too sneaky. So, I say we put a hot one in her.”
“Nah, y’all niggas listen. Killin’ a woman gon’ bring too much heat. We gotta figure something else out. What she does for a living, who she hangs with, where she likes to eat at—we gotta do shit different. I agree she needs to be handled, but not in that way.”
“For yo’ ass to be drunk as fuck, you got some sense ‘bout ya,” Zoo said.
I wasn’t trying to hear that shit even though Brooklyn was right.
Already simmering over the bullshit Teddy pulled at me and Naomi’s proposal dinner, I was at the point where anybody could get it.
I wasn’t nicknamed Sin for nothing. Once my anger was over the cliff, reeling that shit back in was like tussling with the devil.
So, regardless of what Brooklyn’s drunk ass said, I was gon’ have to see about Vick’s mama.
“We’ll focus on Teddy and keep our eyes on Vick’s moms until I can figure out what the hell we gon’ do with her.”
“Cool,” Zoo agreed.
“Bet,” Brooklyn slurred and stood to his feet. “I’m goin’ home. Y’all niggas let me drink allat shit.”
“I hope yo’ ass fall in the grass and get ate up by some fire ants,” I said.
Zoo busted out laughing while following Brooklyn down the deck stairs. Brooklyn’s ass almost missed that last step, leaving Zoo to have to steady him from falling.
“Nah, don’t help his ass.” I chuckled when Brooklyn flipped me the bird.
Once I watched them go through their respective back doors, I went back inside my house.
I stored the bottle of Hennessy with the rest of the alcohol I owned, then went to shower.
Damn, I hadn’t stepped in hot water since being at the hotel.
I spent longer than usual under the spray, reflecting on how I was going to avenge my woman.
Because if one thing I wasn’t gon’ do, is play about Naomi London-Smith.