To Boston, With Love

by Chenell Parker

  The fire department was the first to show up and Dennis didn’t go back into the house until they did. It was then that he noticed that his brother’s throat had been cut. When he saw all the blood when he first walked in, he assumed that he had been shot.

  “That evil muthafucka,” Dennis whispered as he cried for the loss of his younger brother.

  He had no proof, but he knew that it had to be Boston. The fact that his brother had been killed the same way that he’d killed Ray said a lot. Dennis became paranoid once realization set in. If Boss could find and kill his brother, he was sure that he could do the same to him. Carla could kiss his ass because he was never marrying her. In fact, he didn’t want anything to do with her at all. He had lots of family in Denver and moving away was starting to sound like a good idea.

  After a while, Darnell’s house was swarming with police. They asked Dennis a bunch of questions that he didn’t have the answer to. They were almost treating him like a suspect, even though he wasn’t home. They claimed that there was no forced entry but there had to be. He and his brother were the only two with keys that he knew of.

  Hours had passed and Dennis cried like a baby when his brother’s body was carried out. All the nosey neighbors were on their porches watching but none of them saw anything. He dreaded having to drive back to New Orleans and tell his mother that her baby boy was gone. As bad as he wanted to get away, there was no way that he could leave her alone. If he had to sleep with his gun in his hand, that’s exactly what he was going to do. He wasn’t a killer, but he didn’t want to be killed. Boss seemed to have it in for him and his brother, and Dennis refused to be his next victim.

  The next three days were the hardest ever. Dennis and his mother had to go identify his brother’s body and make arrangements for his funeral. Dennis had talked to the police several times and he always told them the truth. Although he speculated, he really didn’t know who had killed his brother. His aunts had flew in from Denver the day after they got the news. They had been staying with his mother while he and his cousins cleared out his brother’s house. Darnell barely had any time to enjoy his freedom before he lost his life. Dennis expressed his desire to move away and his mother was thinking about going with him. All of her sisters were in Denver and it was on her and her sons that were left in New Orleans. Since Darnell was dead and Dennis was thinking about leaving, she had no reason to stay.

  “Alright cuz, that was the last of it,” his cousin said, bringing him back to the present.

  He had rented a truck to move the last of Darnell’s furniture. One of his mother’s church members needed a few things, so they gave her most of it. Everything else was being donated to charity. Dennis was deep in thought when his phone started ringing. When he saw Carla’s name appear, he frowned in disgust. He hadn’t spoken to her since the night he found his brother’s body and he had no desire to. He honestly didn’t know how or why Carla stayed with him after his brother killed hers because he couldn’t do it. There was no way that he could stay with the mother of the man who took his brother’s life. He didn’t give a damn how she felt about it. It would probably never be proven, but Boss was guilty in his eyes.

  “Aye, I need y’all to help me do one more thing before we bring the truck back,” Dennis requested.

  When his cousins agreed, they got back into the truck and he drove straight to their next destination. Dennis got out of the truck with his cousins and used his key to get inside. Carla was sitting on the sofa with a glass of wine, but her face lit up when she saw him.

  “Baby! I’m so happy to see you. I’ve been worried sick. Why haven’t you been answering your phone?” Carla asked as she jumped up and wrapped her arms around his neck.

  “Take that tv off the wall and unplug the sound system. Both of those are mine,” Dennis said as he pried her hands from around his neck and walked down the hall.

  “Wait a minute. What’s going on? What are you doing?” Carla questioned when he opened the closet and started pulling his clothes out. She tried to block his path, but he pushed her away.

  “Get the fuck off of me!” Dennis fumed. The mere sight of her enraged him. He took a few things when he left a few weeks ago, but he wasn’t leaving again until he had everything.

  “Baby, please. What did I do? I don’t even know what’s going on,” Carla said as she started crying.

  “My fucking brother is laid up in the city morgue! That’s what’s going on!” Dennis bellowed.

  “Oh, my God! Darnell?” She inquired.

  “Do I have any other brothers?” Dennis countered angrily.

  “I’m so sorry baby but we can get through this together. I’m here to help any way I can,” Carla said.

  “The only thing you need to do is stay the fuck away from me,” Dennis fumed.

  “I know that you’re hurting, but please don’t take your pain out on me. I’m trying to be here for you. Please, don’t shut me out,” Carla begged.

  “It’s a wrap on whatever we had Carla. Just let me and my family be, so we can grieve the loss of my brother in peace,” Dennis replied.

  He knew how Carla was. She would call his mother and every other member of his family until she got to him. She drove his mother crazy when he left a few weeks ago and he wanted it to stop.

  “What do you mean a wrap? We’re supposed to be getting married,” she said, making him look at her like she was crazy.

  “Married! I would be a damn fool to marry the woman whose son killed my brother,” he snapped angrily.

  “Boston?” she asked in shock.

  “Are you dumb or maybe you have another son that I don’t know about?” Dennis yelled as he continued to pack.

  “Okay, okay, we can fix this. I know we can,” Carla rambled as she started pacing the floor nervously.

  “There’s nothing to fix. I’m gonna bury my brother and get my mama the fuck out of New Orleans,” Dennis swore.

  “We can do that baby. We can get a fresh new start somewhere else,” Carla said.

  “There is no we. What part of it’s over are you not comprehending? I’d rather die and be buried next to my brother before I stay with you,” he replied, breaking her heart with every word that he spoke.

  He grabbed a few garbage bags and continued to throw his stuff inside. Carla was losing it, but he didn’t give a fuck. He felt the same exact way when he found his brother dead.

  “That’s not fair. I stayed, even after your brother went to jail for murdering mine. I stayed and held you down,” Carla sobbed.

  “I don’t how because I can’t do it,” Dennis replied.

  His cousins helped him break down his marble entertainment center and one of the bedroom sets. It was petty but he didn’t care. Everything that he’d purchase he was taking back. The house was hers, so she would just have to replace it. His cousins felt bad because Carla was crying and acting a fool. Once they were all done, she chased him outside and continued to make a fool of herself.

  “Dennis, please! I’ll do anything. Just please don’t leave me. Just tell me what you want me to do,” Carla pleaded as she dropped down to her knees.

  “Kill yourself like your son killed my brother,” he replied in anger.

  The words that he spoke were cruel enough, but the look that he gave her was even worse. If he did love her at one point, he didn’t anymore. Carla cried and begged him to stay, but he sped out of her driveway and out of her life. She collapsed on her lawn, not caring who saw her making a fool of herself. She was hurt and the only man that could always take away her pain had left her. Carla didn’t know how long she’d been out there but she had no more tears left to cry. She was just staring up at the sun, praying that it blinded her. When light turned into darkness, she was still in the same spot that she had been in for hours.

  “Come on baby. Get up and come inside. You’ve already given all of our nosey neighbors a free show,” her neighbor, Ida, walked over and said.

  She and Carla were cool and had been for many
years. Ida had a key to Carla’s house and she would always put her and Dennis’ mail and packages inside for them when they vacationed. She warned Carla about making a man her whole life, but she never listened. Her entire world revolved around Dennis and, now, she didn’t even have him anymore.

  “You should have just left me out there,” Carla sobbed.

  “This too shall pass. You’re a beautiful woman Carla. You can have any man you want. There’s no need to carry on like this over one,” Ida replied as she helped her lie down on the sofa.

  When Carla started sobbing harder, she decided not to say anything else. She left her alone and used her spare key to lock the door. She would have to make it a point to check on Carla every day. In the condition that she was in now, she was going to need it.

  “I t’s called justice being served,” Kissy said as she talked to one of her friends through her Air pods.

  She was moving around her kitchen making the seafood lasagna and homemade cheesy garlic bread that Boston and Indigo requested. She had a salad and dessert that she was going to serve with it. Kissy loved the fact that she no longer had to beg and plead with Boston to come see her. She asked them to have dinner with her once and he readily agreed. Boss was finally happy and that’s what she loved to see. Even better than that was the fact that Bear was now in his life. Kissy invited him and his girlfriend over for dinner one night and she really enjoyed their company. She had a long talk with Bear and she understood him just a little better. Unlike Carla, he loved his son and wanted to be in his life. It was unfortunate that he’d missed so many years, but he was only doing what he had to do back then.

  “Now, Rayna can finally rest in peace,” her friend, Holly, replied, pulling her away from her thoughts.

  “Amen. I know it’s wrong but I don’t feel bad that a killer was killed. He took someone from us that we loved dearly. Now, it’s his family’s time to mourn,” Kissy noted.

  When she heard of Darnell’s death, Kissy wanted to jump for joy. As wrong as it sounded, she was not at all sympathetic to Darnell’s family about his death. They didn’t give a fuck about them when Ray died and the feelings were mutual. They were always priding themselves on being Christians, so it was hard for them to comprehend him being gay. They took the lie that he told and ran with it.

  “How is Boston? That poor baby. He just can’t seem to catch a break. That’s why I hate the news and the newspaper. They didn’t have to bring up Rayna’s story just because her killer was killed,” Holly sighed.

  “That’s how it works Holly, especially for black people. They weren’t gonna report on his death without bringing up his criminal past. But, Boston is doing fine honey. I’m so proud of him. He’s come a long way. You know my baby has a baby on the way!” Kissy yelled excitedly.

  “Aww, congrats to y’all. I’m so happy to hear that,” Holly said.

  “Yes and you know this baby shower has to be one for the books. I’m sparing no expense. And you should see their house. Indigo got it looking like a palace up in there honey. She made me proud. Therapy seems to be just what Boston needed though. I’m happy that he finally decided to go. He’s in a much better head space than he was before.”

  “That’s good to hear. That bitch Carla needs to burn in hell right next to her brother-in-law,” Holly fumed right as someone rang Kissy’s doorbell.

  “I gotta go honey. My babies are a few minutes early but they’re here,” Kissy said.

  “Enjoy your family my love and call me later,” Holly said before disconnecting.

  Kissy dried her hands on the apron that she had on and went to go open the door. She had a huge smile on her face until she saw Carla standing on her porch looking like the walking dead.

  “Oh, hell no! What the fuck are you doing here?” she snapped angrily.

  “Are you happy now Kendall?” Carla asked, calling Kissy by her real name.

  “The name is Kissy and what the hell are you talking about Carla?” Kissy retorted.

  “Why couldn’t you just let it go? Darnell went to jail and did his time. You’re the reason why he’s dead. If you would have never said anything to Boston, he wouldn’t have killed him,” Carla cried.

  “Bitch! Are you on drugs? Boston didn’t have anything to do with that!” Kissy bellowed.

  Carla looked nothing like the beautiful bombshell that she usually was. She had lost a noticeable amount of weight and her clothes were falling off of her. Her long, silky hair was a mess and the bags under her eyes made her look like an old ass lady. She actually looked like she was on something and it was strong.

  “You’re a murderer just like my son!” Carla yelled like a crazy person.

  “Cleary, you’re going through something, so I’m trying to be understanding. Darnell being killed is not my concern, just like it wasn’t your concern when he killed your brother.”

  “Fuck you! I loved my brother just like I love my son. You were always pissed about me not letting you keep Boston when you begged me to. You just wanted to get back at me and that’s why you told him everything. My man left me because of you,” Carla cried.

  She showed up to Darnell’s funeral a few days ago and they had her escorted out. She knew that it was probably her karma for not attending her own brother’s service. Dennis’ mother didn’t know what was going on, but she was too grief stricken to ask. Carla was hearing from some of their mutual friends that Dennis and his mother were moving to Denver. She prayed that it wasn’t true but she had a feeling that it was. Dennis said that he wanted to get himself and his mother out of New Orleans and, apparently, he was.

  “Good for him. And, honey, if you call what you gave to Boston and Ray love, I don’t want no parts of it. Now, I don’t know what you heard, but Boston didn’t have anything to do with Darnell being killed. He lived half an hour away from New Orleans and there’s no telling what he was into. Where was all this energy at when he killed Ray? You didn’t even give a fuck about your own brother,” Kissy reminded her.

  “Kissy, please, I need your help. Can you just talk to Boston for me? Maybe he can call Dennis and straighten this mess out. Maybe he can get him to come back home if they talk about it,” Carla said as she paced the porch and pulled at her hair.

  “Get off of my porch and away from my house,” Kissy replied in an annoyed but calm voice.

  “This is my brother’s house! I can come here whenever I want to!” Carla screamed as she ran up on her. She pushed Kissy, but she didn’t budge. Carla needed professional help because something was seriously wrong with her.

  “Biologically, I’m still a man, so I’m trying my best not to knock you the fuck out. Stop trying to show concern for your brother whose been dead for over ten years and a son that you threw away like yesterday’s trash. Leave Carla, please. I’m trying not to call the police and have you arrested for trespassing,” Kissy warned.

  “You’re the one who’s trespassing! This is not your house. Maybe you should call the police. Here, I’ll do it for you!” Carla yelled as she pulled her phone out from her pocket.

  When Kissy heard her calling out her address, she slammed the door and went inside. If or when the police came, she would deal with it. Until then, she was about to call Boston to let him know what he was walking up on.

  “See, I told you that we were gonna be late. This is Kissy calling again,” Indigo said as she held up her phone to show Boston.

  Kissy had been calling both their phones back to back and he told Indigo not to answer. Thanks to him and his overactive sex drive, they were gonna be late getting to her house. They had just taken a shower and finished getting dressed.

  “She’ll be okay. We’re newlyweds. They already know what it is,” Boss replied nonchalantly.

  “Come on, let’s go,” Indigo ordered, making him get up from his spot on the sofa.

  Boss really wanted to cancel, but Kissy and Indigo would have had a fit. Lately, if he didn’t have to work, all he wanted to do was sit in the house all day and be up u
nder Indigo. Boss was enjoying his wife and his house and he didn’t have a reason to run the streets anymore. He wasn’t missing anything. It was crazy how he wasn’t satisfied with multiple women but was overly satisfied with his wife. He hadn’t seen or heard from Quita, Keema or Lacey in months and he didn’t have a reason to. Even Ari stayed away and kept his name out of her mouth after her little talk with Indigo. His uncle’s murderer was in the ground and so was West. Life was great in Boston’s opinion and Indigo always said the same.

  “The fuck is going on around here?” Boss frowned when he turned on Kissy’s street.

  Two police cars were parked in front of her house, but that wasn’t the only strange thing that was going on. Carla was out there acting a fool for all the neighbors to see. Boss parked across the street before he and Indigo jumped out of the car. As soon as Carla saw them, she started acting a fool.

  “That’s him! I wanna report a murder!” Carla yelled while pointing at her son.

  “Bitch, I will go to jail out here today!” Indigo fumed as she walked closer to her.

  “Indie!” Boss yelled while grabbing her hand and looking at her like she was crazy. He wasn’t about to let his wife jeopardize their unborn child behind his no-good ass mother.

  “What are y’all gonna do about it? I want to report a murder and y’all are just standing there,” Carla said.

  “Ma’am, like I told you before, we are not here for that. If you have information pertaining to a murder, call the detective who’s in charge of the case,” one of the officers said as Boss smirked.

  “You see! He’s smiling because he did it!” Carla screamed.

  Boss looked at her with disgust. He didn’t think his mother could stoop any lower, but she kept proving him wrong.