To Boston, With Love

by Chenell Parker

  He was ready to stop existing and start living again. He was in a new place with lots of new possibilities. He wasn’t going to rush anything, but he was open to whatever life had in store for him.

  “Thank you.” Lacey smiled as she sat down in the chair that her date, Garret, had pulled out for her.

  It was her first time at Commander’s Palace Restaurant, but she loved the atmosphere. The establishment was a little pricey in her opinion but she’d heard a lot of good things about it. Lacey promised to do things differently after all that had gone down with Boss and she was making good on it. She had enrolled in night school to get her degree in business and she had no more interest in street niggas. Garret was a cameraman for one of their local news stations and they’d been dating for over a month. His job had a conference at the hotel where she worked and Lacey was the one who set up the room. Garett was the first person to arrive and they hit it off immediately. He asked Lacey out and they went to a wine tasting the very next day. Garret was a gentleman and she was getting used to being treated like a lady instead of just a piece of ass.

  “See anything you like?’ Garret asked as they looked over the menu.

  “Not really. What do you recommend?” Lacey asked.

  “How about I order a few things and we can share?” Garett suggested.

  “Sounds good to me.” Lacey smiled, right as they heard loud applause coming from the rear of the restaurant.

  She looked in that area and had to do a double take when she saw Boss, Indigo and a few more people sitting over there. Lacey hadn’t seen them since she and Indigo fought, but she ran across a few pictures that they were in on Instagram. She followed Jaci, but she rarely posted anything. That all changed a few weeks ago when she got married because she was flooding her page with photos of her, Draco and their friends. She had pictures of the four of them in Montego Bay, as well as pictures of Boss and Indigo in a cap and gown. Lacey didn’t know where they graduated from but they appeared to be happy about it. Now, it seemed as if they were celebrating Indigo’s birthday based on the birthday crown that adorned her head.

  So much had changed over the past few months. For one, Erin and her brother were no longer together. Erin moved out of his house the day after she and her sisters fought with Indigo. She said that Julius was a hoe ass nigga who didn’t even have her back when she needed him to. She no longer spoke to Lacey either but she didn’t give a damn. They knew the risks they were taking when they went at Indigo and that wasn’t her fault. She took the same risks and the consequences were all the same. Even her brother was upset with her. He felt like it was her fault that Erin left and he too didn’t have anything to say to her.

  Another thing that changed was Ari and Lacey’s relationship. They weren’t best friends or nothing but they were cordial to each other now. Since Boss was no longer in the picture, they had no real reason to hate each other. It was a waste for them to be at odds with each other when he didn’t want either one of them. He only had eyes for one woman and she was now his wife.

  Lacey tried not to stare but she couldn’t help it. She had never seen Boston look so happy or smile so much. She knew that whatever they had was over but her feelings didn’t go away as easily as she wanted them to. It was crazy because she didn’t even know anything about him to feel anything at all.

  When her sister started looking for another place to stay, Lacey was surprised when she saw Boss’ number as one of the contacts for a fourplex that Lane was interested in. Besides the house that Ari lived in, she didn’t even know that he had any other rental property.

  “Did you hear me?” Garret asked, pulling her away from her thoughts.

  “No, I’m sorry. What did you say?” Lacey countered.

  “I was saying that I ordered an appetizer for us as well,” he replied.

  “Okay,” Lacey said, right as she received a text message on her phone.

  It was Lane telling her that she would have her car back to her first thing the following morning. Since West had been killed in hers, the insurance company had been giving her a hard time. They refused to let her file a claim. The car wasn’t a total loss because it didn’t have any damage to the exterior. It was a bloody mess inside and Lane refused to drive it, even after it was thoroughly cleaned. She had finally sold it a week ago but she hadn’t purchased another one yet.

  Lacey had stopped speaking to her sister when she moved out but things had gotten better since then. She didn’t like West, but she was there for her sister as much as she could be. Lane was heartbroken when West got killed, especially since he had just left her house. Ari was going crazy and she swore that Boss was the one responsible. Since West was killed at one of the places that he frequented, he was suspect number one in her eyes. No arrest had been made, so Lacey wasn’t so sure. It seemed as if Ari gave up on her theory about Boss and moved on with her life.

  “Are you okay? You seem preoccupied tonight for some reason,” Garret observed as he grabbed her hand.

  “No, I’m fine,” Lacey replied with a smile.

  “Good because I’ve been thinking. How do you feel about us taking things to the next level?” Garret asked as he looked at her.

  “I think that’s the best thing that I’ve heard all night,” Lacey replied with a smile.

  She decided to stop looking behind her and focus on the future for once. She wasn’t saying that Garret was the one, but she was open to all possibilities. One thing she refused to do and that was create a one-sided relationship in her head like she’d done before. Garret seemed to know what he wanted and she didn’t mind meeting him halfway. She was matching energy now. She vowed to never give another man more than he offered her.

  “W ater Indie!” Boss yelled as he looked over at his wife.

  They were at the pool hall relaxing with their friends and Indigo got up to go to the bar. He and Draco were shooting a friendly game of pool while their wives sat at a table nearby.

  “Boston, stop. I missed one period and you’re already doing too much.” Indigo frowned.

  “You heard what I said. Get water or don’t get nothing at all,” he fussed to her departing back.

  He was too excited when Indigo missed her period the month before. He didn’t want her to take a home test, so she made an appointment with her primary doctor. Boss was already driving her crazy and she knew that it would only get worse. It had been a while since she’d seen him genuinely happy, so she planned to let him have his way if they were expecting their first child.

  Besides getting their GED, Boss and Indigo were doing great. They were still going to therapy and he was doing better dealing with his past. He always did talk to her about everything, but she no longer had to pull it out of him. Boss seemed to have matured right before Indigo’s eyes. She just knew that he was about to shut down when he learned that his uncle’s killer had been freed. Surprisingly, he was doing better than she imagined. Now, just the thought of them possibly having a child on the way gave him a new sense of pride.

  “It’s cranberry juice,” Indigo smirked when she walked back over to the table. Boston was eyeing her suspiciously but he didn’t believe her. She laughed when he came over and sipped it to see for himself.

  “Girl, he’s about to stop you from living if you are pregnant,” Jaci laughed.

  “I already know but I’m ready. We could have been found out, but he’s too paranoid. I keep telling him that the test that my doctor will give me is just like the ones in the store.”

  “They sure are. We decided to wait until we buy a house before we start trying,” Jaci noted.

  “Y’all need to talk to my daddy. He can hook y’all up. Boss and I are trying to get another fixer upper to use as an Airbnb. That’s where the money is at,” Indigo replied.

  “I told him that we should talk to your daddy, but you know he’s not feeling Irvin right now,” Jaci laughed.

  “Draco needs to let that stupid shit go. Dixie is a grown ass woman,” Indigo argued.


  “Girl, your daddy has been staying the night over there and everything,” Jaci whispered.

  “I know. He claims that he’s filing for divorce, but I don’t know what to believe. He’s filed for divorce before but he’s still married to the bitch.” Indigo shrugged.

  “What are the odds of that? Her and her daughter both lost their men back to back. Ole boy said fuck Ivy, that wedding and that house,” Jaci laughed.

  “That’s good for that nasty hoe. I let too much shit slide for the sake of my daddy. I hated to put him in the middle of our mess but she went too far that last time. You would think she remembered that last beat down but obviously not. I had to remind her of a few things. She’s gonna be living with her mama forever since Antonio is gone. She don’t make that much money to be buying a house on her own. I’m sure my daddy will let Cynthia keep the house if he’s really serious about this divorce.”

  “He seems to really like Dixie though,” Jaci noted.

  “He told me that he loves her. He said that he hasn’t felt that way about a woman since he was with my mama. Honestly, I can’t even be mad about how Draco feels. My daddy doesn’t have the best track record. I would hate for him to hurt Dixie or do her wrong,” Indigo replied.

  “I understand, but that’s her decision to make. She’s happy being with him. I just hope it stays that way,” Jaci said, right as Boss and Draco came back over to the table.

  “That nigga be cheating,” Draco fussed when they sat down.

  “How the fuck did I cheat when I let you take the first shot? You should be happy that we didn’t play for money,” Boss replied.

  “I would have paid you from your share of the money from the concrete business,” Draco laughed, right as the front door of the pool hall swung open.

  Boss frowned when Dennis walked through the door. His frown turned into a look of confusion when he saw who walked in right behind him. Boss would never forget that face for as long as he lived. It was the same face that was at the forefront of many of his nightmares. Darnell Graves was a name that was etched in his memory almost better than his own. He looked a little older than his mugshot picture, but that was definitely him. The man who murdered his uncle in cold blood and left his body for Boston to find. Boss knew that he’d been released, so seeing him was no surprise. Seeing him with his mother’s boyfriend had him baffled for more reasons than one.

  “What’s wrong baby?” Indigo asked when she noticed that something else had her husband’s attention.

  “Look,” Boss said as he nodded towards the two men.

  Indigo knew exactly who Dennis was but she didn’t recognize the other man. They were sitting towards the back of the room, so they were able to see other people without being seen.

  “Who is that?” Indigo inquired.

  “Darnell Graves,” he whispered, making her eyes bulge in shock. She might not have known his face but she would never forget that name.

  “What the hell are they doing here together?” Indigo asked.

  “I don’t know but I’m damn sure about to find out,” Boss said as he stood to his feet.

  “Baby, no. This is not the time and definitely not the place. Maybe you should go talk to Kissy,” Indigo suggested as she pulled him back down.

  “About what?” Boss questioned.

  “I don’t know. Maybe she can shed some light on everything. Just go talk to her. It can’t hurt. I’ll get a ride home with Draco and Jaci,” Indigo answered.

  “Okay.” Boss nodded as he stood up and prepared to leave.

  He didn’t know if Kissy had any answers, but Indigo was right. Talking to her wouldn’t hurt. Boss was deep in thought as he drove to Kissy’s house. He was relieved to see her car in the driveway because he really needed some answers. He had never dropped in on Kissy unannounced but there was a first time for everything. He got out of the car and rang the doorbell twice. It took a few minutes, but he saw Kissy peeking out of the window a short time later.

  “Oh, my God! This is a pleasant surprise. My baby came to see me and I didn’t even have to cry to make him do it.” Kissy smiled as she enveloped Boss in a hug.

  It was almost eight that night but she was already ready for bed. She had on her long silk Kimono with her furry bedroom slippers. Her hair was hidden underneath a silk scarf and her face was free of makeup.

  “Hey. Did I catch you at a bad time?” Boss asked once she freed him from the bone crushing hug.

  “You’re my baby. It’s never a bad time for you. Come on in. Are you hungry? I can whip you up a little something right quick,” Kissy offered.

  “No, I’m good. I needed to talk to you about something,” Boss said as he took a seat.

  “What’s wrong my love?” Kissy asked as she sat on the sofa across from him.

  “I just left the pool hall, but I saw Dennis in there before I did,” Boss said, making Kissy roll her eyes and frown.

  “Fucking bastard,” Kissy snapped angrily.

  “That’s not unusual for me to see him every now and then. It’s the person that he was with that had me confused,” Boss noted.

  “Who was he with?” Kissy asked.

  “Darnell Graves,” Boston said, making Kissy gasp and clutch her imaginary pearls. Her dramatics were nothing new to him but the look on her face said what her mouth didn’t.

  “Well, we knew that the son of a bitch was out.” Kissy shrugged.

  “What is it that you’re not telling me?” Boston asked.

  “Nothing baby. Don’t get yourself into any trouble behind that piece of shit. He’s not even worth it. None of them are. You’ve been doing great and I’m proud of you.” Kissy smiled.

  “Don’t do that Kissy. Don’t pacify me. I’m not that same little boy that I was when I lived here with you and Ray,” Boss said.

  “I regret not fighting harder for you to stay here with me. This world is so full of hate and close minded people. An openly gay, transgender male raising a child was almost unheard of back then. Hell, it’s almost unheard of now,” Kissy replied.

  People were so ignorant and they didn’t bother trying to educate themselves. It was a slap in the face that some people still referred to them as crossdressers. Kissy was a good person, but a lot of people had a hard time looking beyond her appearance. Her raising a black boy alone would never happen if the courts had a say.

  “You’re stalling,” Boss pointed out as Kissy continued to ramble.

  “And Carla, that bitch. She knew how much you meant to me. I begged her to let me keep you, but she refused. She wanted to hurt me and taking you away from me did just that. She wanted to punish me and she did. She hurt me in the worst way imaginable. What kind of mother would rather see her only child in a state run facility instead of the loving home that he was used to? Karma is gonna get her good and I’m here for it.” Kissy frowned.

  “What does any of that have to do with what we’re discussing?” Boss inquired.

  “You’ve been hurt so much Boston. It’s time for you to finally be happy. You have Indigo and your house. You just got your GED and I’m sure that some babies will be coming soon. Bear is back in your life and you have the father that you’ve always wanted. Focus on that and let the past stay where it is,” Kissy begged.

  “I’d rather you hurt me with the truth than to comfort me with lies,” Boss said as tears fell from Kissy’s eyes.

  She wanted to remain silent and take her secrets to her grave. The look that Boston was giving her let her know that he came for answers and he wasn’t leaving until he got them.

  “Boston-” Kissy started before he cut her off.

  “No long speeches or stories. Just answer the question. How do the two of them know each other?” Boss asked.

  “They’re brothers,” Kissy replied, successfully rendering him speechless.

  She got up and grabbed a gold envelope that she kept at the top of her costume closet in the hall. She shoved the envelope into Boston’s hand and that was the only thing that snapped him
out of his zombie like state. The two men being brothers made sense to him now. He always said that Darnell looked familiar to him and now he knew exactly why.

  “What is this?” Boston asked.

  “The ugly truth that I never wanted you to find out about,” Kissy replied.

  “So, you were in on the bullshit with them!” Boss snapped as he stood to his feet.

  “Excuse me! I know damn well you’re not standing there being disrespectful. You better remember who the hell I am!” Kissy yelled, something that she rarely did.

  “I’m sorry,” Boss mumbled as he sat back down.

  “That’s better. My reasons for keeping this from you were not the same as Carla’s. Like I said, you’ve been through enough already. You deserve happiness and that’s all that I’ve ever wanted for you,” Kissy replied.

  She was happy that Boss was too young to understand a lot of what was going on. Having his uncle get killed and being the one to discover his body was bad enough. But, to know that his mother stayed with the brother of his killer would have been too much for him to process. That was another reason why Carla didn’t let Kissy keep him. She was too afraid of her son finding out the truth. Since they weren’t related by blood, there was only so much that Kissy could do. Carla was a weak, evil bitch but her day of reckoning was coming soon.

  “So, she stayed with that nigga even though she knew that his brother killed my uncle,” Boss fumed.

  “Basically.” Kissy shrugged.

  “Why do I feel like there’s more to the story?” Boss asked.

  “Because there is. Lots more,” Kissy admitted.

  “Did he know that my uncle was a man or was that another lie?” Boss asked.

  “They had been together for over a year Boston. What do you think?” Kissy asked.

  “A year!” Boss hissed.

  “Yes, an entire year. He met Ray at one of our drag shows, so he knew exactly what he was signing up for. He was a controlling, abusive asshole and Ray wanted out of the relationship. Of course he wasn’t having that and my best friend lost his life because of it,” Kissy sniffled.