20. Fatima Hudson
Fatima Hudson
The following day
I was still waiting for Joker to explain what was going on with him. The other night, not one but two women showed up to the house. Halo was sweet. I liked her for him. It was just something about that damn Monica that didn’t sit right with me. He made her ass leave so fucking fast and still didn’t tell me how she ended up being there. The crazy thing about it was she got me all excited and shit, talking about a baby and wasn’t even pregnant yet.
I wanted grandkids just as much as any mother, but I wasn’t trying to force my son into a situation he didn’t want to be in. He wanted to take his time, and I respected his wishes.
I knocked a couple times on the door and pushed it in. Derrick, one of my patients for the day, was lying in bed. His eyes left the television and landed on me. “I was just checking to make sure you were okay. Do you need anything?”
“I’m good. Thank you.”
“Okay.” I shut the door and headed over to the nurses’ station. My shift was almost over and I couldn’t wait to get out of here. I was off for the next couple of days, and all I planned on doing was sitting in the house.
Being a nurse was something that I’d always wanted to be. When Joker was young, I worked two jobs while going to school. It was so exhausting, but I wasn’t playing when it came to upgrading our lives. I wanted better for us and was willing to do whatever was necessary to get there.
Joker hated me always being busy. I missed out on a lot of things while he was growing up. It was a regret, but if I got the chance to do it all over again, I would. The only thing I hated was the fact that he fell victim to the streets. That life wasn’t anything I wanted for my son, but he got in so deep, there was no way for me to pull him out. To this day, I still blame myself for it.
My Apple watch began to vibrate. I looked down and saw that it was a number I didn’t know. I swiped and it connected to my AirPods. “Hello?”
“Hey, Mama Hudson. This is Dough.”
“Hey, baby. How are you? If you’re looking for Joker, he’s not with me. I’m at work.”
“That’s actually what I’m calling you about. Joker is in jail. Normally, I wouldn’t bother you ’bout this, but I’m not in town right now to go pick him up. Can you get him for me?”
Looking over my shoulder, I made sure no one else was in earshot before I asked, “In jail for what?”
“I’ll let him explain that to you.”
“Alright. I’m about to leave. Thanks for calling me.”
I ended the call and got up from my seat. I still had five minutes left on the clock, but that didn’t matter. My son needed me, and I was about to go get him. Gathering my things, I went in search of Lacey to let her know I was about to leave.
“Have you seen Lacey?” I asked one of the other nurses when she came out of one of the rooms.
“Last time I saw her, she was heading to room twelve.”
“Okay. Thanks,” I tossed over my shoulder, already heading in that direction. When I made it to room twelve, she was coming out. “Hey, an emergency just came up. I have to leave.”
“Oh, okay. I hope everything is fine.”
“It will be,” I said and headed toward the exit.
“You’re heading out, Fatima?” Richard, the security guard, asked. Every single time he was here whenever I was, all he did was flirt with me. I didn’t like him like that. He was older than me and couldn’t keep up with his hair. How the hell was he gon’ keep up with me?
“Yup. See you later, Richard,” I told him and exited the hospital.
I crossed the parking lot and hit the fob on my truck. Opening the driver’s door, I slid into the seat and placed my things on the passenger seat. Starting up my truck, I pulled out the parking lot and headed to the bank. I didn’t know how much they were gon’ want to bail his black ass out. I never kept cash on me. All my money was in the bank. Joker told me all the time that I needed to have cash tucked away somewhere just in case, but I was hard headed.
Pulling up to Navy Federal, I stopped behind a car, waiting for my turn. I still couldn’t believe this boy got himself arrested. There’s no telling what he did either. Ever since he was younger, he stayed in and out of trouble. I always had to come to his rescue. After he got together with Dough, I barely heard anything about shit like this again. Dough made sure he took care of everything, so if he was calling me now, he really needed me.
The car pulled off and I moved up to the ATM. I pulled off five thousand dollars and tucked it securely into my purse. I pulled off and headed for the police department downtown. When I got there, I parked in the first parking space I saw, grabbed my purse, and got out of the truck. Entering the building, I stepped to the counter and said, “I’m here to bail my son out. His name is Knox Hudson.”
“Have you already spoken with the bail bondsman?”
“No, but he does have a bond, right?” With me being in the dark about what he did, there’s no telling if they were gon’ let him out or not. I stood there as she typed at her computer to search for his name.
“Ma’am, I’m sorry to tell you, but he’s being held without bond.”
“Excuse me?” I couldn’t be hearing her correctly.
“He has no bond.”
“What the hell did he do that he doesn’t have a bond?”
“He has four charges. Battery, kidnapping, arson, and attempted murder.”
“What the fuck, Joker.”
“He’s going to be held until he sees the judge.”
“Okay, thank you.” Adjusting the strap on my purse, I exited the building and pulled my phone out to call Dough back. He answered on the second ring. “What the hell did he do that he don’t have a bond?” I asked as I climbed back into my truck.
“Damn, he don’t have one for real?”
“Hell no. Are you going to tell me what’s going on?”
“He got himself in some shit ’bout a girl.”
“Which one? Monica or Halo?”
“I didn’t know you were already looped in ’bout her, but it was Halo. Some man fucked up with her, and you know yo’ son.”
Sighing, I replied, “I know.”
“I’ll see what I can do.”
“No need. I’ll handle it,” I told him and disconnected the call.
Joker was forcing my hand. He was gon’ be angry as hell, but I had to do what I had to do. Putting the truck in reverse, I backed out the parking space.
Jumping on the road, I headed for the capital. I stopped in front of the building, grabbed some change out my wallet, and got out. Downtown loved giving people tickets and I didn’t have time for it today. I slipped the two quarters into the parking meter and climbed the steps. I entered and stopped at the receptionist's desk. “Where is he?” I questioned her.
Her eyes met mine. She brushed her blonde hair back behind her ear and said, “I think he’s in a meeting right now. You can have a seat and I’ll let him know that you’re here.”
“Don’t bother,” I told her and marched away from the desk, heading toward the conference room.
“You can’t go in there!” she shouted behind me. By this point, I already reached the doorknob, and I was certain that she was calling security. Turning both knobs, I pulled the doors open. Everyone’s head snapped in my direction. There was only one person in this room that I needed to speak with. Everyone else could kick rocks.
There he sat at the head of the table. His mouth twisted down into a frown. “Give me the room,” he told them, and everyone began to scramble. Once everyone was gone, I closed the doors behind me. “You mind telling me why you’re in here interrupting my meeting?”
“Kenneth, your son is in trouble.”