Chapter 8 Adore
I had just gotten comfortable with my liquor, crab leg tray, and blunts.
My music was playing through the speakers, and I had a nice little vibe going.
My phone was going off like back-to-back.
At first, I wanted to ignore it. I figured it was some work bullshit and didn’t want to be bothered up with it at the moment.
I just wanted a minute to clear my head.
I figured it was one of the store managers blowing my phone up about inventory or one of the boys from one of the traps.
But the shit kept buzzing. Message after message was coming through.
Then the calls started. Two from Hollow, one from Love, and then a video message came from one of my runners.
My stomach tightened because anytime muthafuckas were calling back to back, it was never good.
I opened the first video. It was just them shooting dice.
It wasn’t until the camera moved and I saw Zhane get out of an SUV.
I rushed to turn the volume up. Then another woman steps out of the truck with a toddler on her hip. My heart started beating faster. Another video came through of Whodie fussing saying that it wasn’t his son. Nigga mad with me, but he out here a whole daddy.
“So, this is what you on?” I said out loud as Love’s name came across my screen
“You saw it?” she asked immediately.
“Yeah, I saw that shit.”
“Adore, don’t jump to conclusions.”
“Jump to what conclusion?” I snapped. “The bitch literally said the kid was his.”
“You don’t know the full story yet.”
“You telling me he just randomly got a whole child walking around the streets and never mentioned it?”
Love didn’t respond.
“Whodie does not give me the dude to just abandon his child. I believe it’s more to the story.”
“I gotta go.” I hung up in her face.
Love be trying to counsel people all the time, and I wasn’t in the mood for that shit right now. Whodie walked around like me going on a date was the worst thing in the world. All while he had a child. My phone rang again. This time, it was the east side store manager. I answered immediately.
“What?”
“Adore, we got a problem.”
“What now? Ain’t Whodie out there?”
“The store just got shot up.”
My heart skipped.
“What the fuck? Anybody hurt?”
“It was a drive-by.”
“Whodie was hit.”
That’s all I heard before I started throwing something on. I hung up the phone and rushed out the door as I dialed Whodie’s number. When he didn’t answer, it only made me press the gas harder. I was about an hour away from the east side. Reaching for my phone again, I dialed Hollow’s number.
“I’m already on the way,” Hollow said.
He was closer than me.
“Thank you! I’m getting there as fast as I can.”
For my brother to no longer be in the streets, he kept a connection somewhere that he wasn’t willing to tell me. As pissed as I was with Whodie and him being a father, I wouldn’t wish harm on him. He was the only man that I loved since going through the heartbreak of Sosa.
I cut my long drive down by twenty minutes.
When I got on the scene, there were police everywhere.
Everyone was outside being nosey and the store was taped off with yellow tape.
When that was pulled out, it only meant one thing.
My eyes scanned to see if I saw my brother anywhere.
I didn’t see his car or anything. I always taught my boys that as soon as the police got involved, clear the block.
“Whodie, got hit twice,” I heard someone say. “Nigga ate that shit, though. He hopped in his ride and pulled off.”
They had the street blocked off so bad you could barely see anything. I was relieved when they said he rode off. Now I needed to know why the yellow tape was up. My phone started going off inside the car, distracting my thoughts.
“He’s safe,” Hollow said.
“Where the fuck is he?”
“I got him with me at the mortuary.”
“The mortuary? Hollow!”
“Adore, calm yo’ ass down. If you wanna see him before I burn his body, you better come on.”
“Hollow…please!” I cried.
“Adore, bring yo’ crazy on. I got the nigga on morphine.”
Sometimes Hollow didn’t know when not to be an asshole.
This was not the time to be playing with my emotions.
I got in my car and rushed to Hollow’s mortuary.
My heart was telling me that I needed to apologize to Whodie, because I could’ve easily lost him today.
My conscience would have eaten me up knowing we were on bad terms with each other when we’re practically best friends.
“FUCK!” Whodie yelled.
“Nigga, you the one that don’t wanna go to the hospital. So, now you gotta sit here and take the pain while I get this shit outta ya’.” Hollow dug the long silver tool back into Whodie’s leg.
“I need a perc or something, shit!”
“No, you don’t.” I reached out to grab his bloody hand.
“Bullet missed a major artery in this nigga leg. I still feel like he needs to go and get some blood. He lost a lot driving his ass over here.”
“I thought you were heading to him?” I asked Hollow.
“Shit, I was until I saw this muthafucka swerve heading towards me.”
I looked back at Whodie.
“What? I wasn’t ‘bouta sit up there shot up, waiting on the pigs to pull up and ask questions. Better believe when I find the fuck out who did this shit, they’re dead. Whole fuckin’ family.”
The sound of the metal hitting the table was a sign of relief. I looked over at him again because the dude said he took two shots.
“Where is the other one?” I asked.
“Other what?” Whodie asked.
“Shot. They said you took two shots.”
“That one just grazed me.” He showed me his neck that Hollow had patched up.
Watching my brother sew Whodie up only showed the crazy shit my brother was into. The nigga can kill you and bury you. The pulling of the skin was making my stomach queasy, so I walked off until he was done. The medical shit was something I knew wasn’t in my calling.
“Now, you gotta stay off that leg for at least two days. Let yo’ body heal a little.” Hollow gave him instructions.
Hollow pulled his gloves off and stared at me as he walked out to give us some space. My mind was already made up that I would stay with him for those two days at his condo. No need in making the nigga come back to the home we shared after packing all his shit up.
“I’ll stay with you for two days at your spot. You know, just to help you.”
“Adore, I’m straight. You ain’t gotta adjust yo’ time or schedule for me. This lil shit ain’t nothing.”
“Whodie, you can’t drive on that leg. Let alone stand. I know you don’t want me in your space, but I just want to help because I feel like this is all my fault.”
“Nah, I kno’ what comes wit’ this life. No time for the blame game shit. You can drive me home if you wanna help.”
My aggravation was trying to kick in, and I was fighting to keep my frustrations down so we wouldn’t argue.
“Now, you don’t want to be around me at all? This is still business. We’re still friends, and we’re supposed to be there for our friends.”
“Adore, we’ll never be friends again, dawg. I don’t fuck and fall in love wit’ my friends.”
“Whodie, you got a lot of pressure for me, but not once did I come in here fussing about this damn child you got.”
Whodie’s head snapped towards me.
“Muthafucka, I don’t have shit. If you believe that fuckin’ video, then you just as dumb as Zhane bitch ass.
I’m careful wit’ every bitch I laid down wit’.
You’re the only one that has gotten raw fuckin’ dick from me.
Y’all call me young, but I’m not stupid.
Bitches like Zhane love to play these types of games.
Fuck she wait three years for? She could’ve been told me if that was the case. ”
Whodie threw his legs off the table and grimaced in pain. If he didn’t want me around, fuck it! He could take care of himself.
“Let me go get Hollow so he can put you in the car,” I said without arguing.
“Still can’t apologize, I see,” Hollow said as soon as I walked out of the double doors.
“Shut the fuck up. Can you help me get this nigga in the car? I’m about to drop his ass off and he can figure out how to get his own car from up here.”
“Yo’ ass gon’ fuck right ‘round and be an old bitch with cats ‘round yo’ house. All ‘cause the word sorry be tearing yo’ throat up. Sad…sad,” he stated.
With Whodie now in my car, I headed towards his condo downtown.
We didn’t say shit to each other on the way.
He typed away at his phone, and I listened to my music.
He stayed on the seventeenth floor, and now I am willing to watch and see how his hardheaded ass was going to do without help.
I pulled right up to the elevators in his garage and put my car in park.
Whodie opened the door and twisted until he was able to get both legs out of the car. My evil ass was giggling on the inside because we both knew he needed the help. As soon as he tried to stand up on his own, he fell.
“Do you want my help now? Oorrrr you still want to be independent?” I asked.
“Adore, bring yo’ ass ‘round here and help me. My fuckin’ stitches felt like they busted.”
Sure enough, they were busted, and I had to call Hollow to come fix the shit again. Once Whodie was comfortable again, I escaped to his balcony to smoke and return calls and text messages. Most of them were just checking to make sure Whodie was alright.
Since the day had been chaotic, I decided to just order some food. Whodie only had breakfast food and I really wasn’t in the mood to cook. I fixed him a plate and took it to him.
“Aye!” He called out before I walked out of his bedroom. “You know a nigga by the name of Mazi?” He asked.
“No, why?”
“That’s who they say is causing all these problems for us.”
“I have no idea who that is. What does he want?”
“Shit, someone said territory.”
“Please! He’ll never get it like that,” I said, attempting to walk out again.
“Well, my boys gonna lay on him. See what they can find out. Once they give the information I need, the nigga dead. Then we can move the fuck on.”
“Okay,” I replied.
“Fuck you bein’ so nonchalant for?”
“Whodie, I’m not trying to argue with you. You said you were going to handle it. Why do I need to interfere? Is there anything else you need before I lay down?”
“Nah, I’m straight.”
Did I want this shit to end, so people could stop losing money and their lives?
Yes. Did I want Whodie ass out there wounded trying to handle it?
No. Getting the confirmation that the yellow tape was up because an innocent kid got hit in the crossfire saddened me.
This was not how this was supposed to be.
Hell, maybe my crew was making too much noise, and now muthafuckas thought we were an easy target.
Either way, Whodie would not be the one to handle this. I would.