To Boston, With Love

by Chenell Parker

  “Well, that’s up to her son. You can take some time to think about it if you want to. We understand that this is a very hard decision to make,” the doctor replied.

  “Nah, it ain’t hard at all. Take her off,” Boss replied, as his grandmother screamed and cried.

  “How can you want your own mother dead?” his grandmother sobbed.

  “Boston, please don’t do this. I’m begging you,” Carrie cried as she walked over to her nephew.

  He ignored them and signed the papers that they had for him. As evil as they thought he was being, he was actually doing Carla a favor. Brain death was something that she could never recover from and the machine could only keep her alive for so long. She couldn’t stay on it forever. Besides that, he didn’t know if his mother had insurance and it wasn’t cheap to keep someone on a breathing machine. Even if it was a dollar a day, Boss wouldn’t have paid for it.

  “We’ll let you all have some time to say your goodbyes before we do anything,” the doctors said as they walked away.

  “My baby,” Carla’s mother cried.

  Boston grabbed his wife’s hand and walked down the hall. Pretending was something that he never did and he wasn’t about to start. His family was crying and carrying on, as he and Indigo got on the elevator and went back to their car. Indigo couldn’t stop thinking about what her grandmother said that one time. A man knew what and who they wanted. Dennis stayed with Carla for all those years and never married her. Yet, it only took him a few months to marry another woman. She couldn’t believe that Carla had killed herself over a man. Boss always said it and he was right. Carla really was a weak woman.

  Three days after Carla passed, Boss was at her house sorting through her personal items. Grant’s girlfriend was an attorney and she opened up a succession on Boss’ behalf the very next day. Carla didn’t have a will, but that was okay. He didn’t have to worry about dividing any of his mother’s assets with anyone since he was her only child and she wasn’t married. Carla had life insurance, but it didn’t pay out for suicide. She had a little over sixty thousand dollars in her account and that, along with the house, would go to Boston. She also had some beautiful furniture and he was giving it all to Draco and Jaci. They had just closed on their first home and they could use it. Her neighbor, Ida, took a few of her clothes and Indigo gave the rest to her grandmother and great aunt. Carla had expensive taste and some things still had the tags attached. She had a brand new Mac that had never been taken out of the box. Indigo kept that for herself, along with the brand new shirt press machine. That was a money maker and she was going to use it. Carla had a brand new Jaguar that he had towed to his house and planned to sell.

  They found a note that Carla had left, basically saying the same thing that her neighbor had already told them. She didn’t give a fuck about Boston even in death and he felt the exact same way. Everything that she said was about Dennis and how much she loved and needed him. Him getting married was what sent her all the way over the edge and she just didn’t want to live without him. To Boss, a woman couldn’t get any weaker than that.

  “The fuck is that?” Draco said when a huge moving truck pulled up in the driveway.

  “Man, these people are crazy,” Boss laughed when he saw his auntie’s boyfriend park the truck and get out. About a minute later, Carrie and her mother pulled up in her car.

  “Hey Boston. What are you doing here?” Carrie asked.

  “Shit, I should be asking y’all that,” he replied as he stood in the doorway.

  “We came to clear out the house,” Carrie said.

  “I already took care of it,” Boss noted as his grandmother peeked around him and looked at the now empty home.

  “Where is all of my child’s stuff?” she asked angrily.

  “I just said that I took care of it,” Boss repeated.

  “That wasn’t for you to do,” Carrie argued.

  “Says who? She was never a mother to me but, unfortunately, that’s exactly who she was. This house and everything in it belongs to me,” Boss pointed out.

  “Where is her car?” his grandmother asked.

  “That’s mine too,” Boss smirked.

  “This is not the time for you to get payback for whatever Carla did to you. Even though you aren’t, we’re actually grieving,” his grandmother sniffled.

  “See, you’re giving me way too much credit. I don’t even care enough to be trying to play catch-back. It’s all about the money with me, love. Do you know how much extra income me and my wife can clear every month if we rent this house out? Shit, we’ll get even more if we decide to do an Airbnb or sell it,” Boss said.

  “What about funeral arrangements?” Carrie asked.

  “She’s not having a funeral. Her insurance ain’t paying for shit since she offed herself and neither am I,” Boss shrugged.

  “Maybe we can put together a memorial service or something. All you have to do is give them the okay to release her body to the funeral home,” Carrie suggested.

  She and her mother went to the hospital the day after he sister died to ask about having her body released to a local funeral home. Unfortunately, they were told that no information could be given to anyone other than her son. They didn’t think Boston cared about anything in the house, but they were obviously wrong. They rented a moving truck and planned to get the key from the neighbor to get everything out. Sadly, Boston had beat them to that too. Carrie knew how her sister lived and she was hoping to get her hands on some of her possessions. Boss was being difficult for no reason.

  “No need. I took care of that too,” Boss noted.

  “Took care of it how? Boston, please, don’t deny me the chance of saying goodbye to my daughter,” his grandmother begged.

  “Give me about seven to ten business days. I’ll drop her off to you and you can say whatever is on your mind,” Boss said.

  “Oh God! You had her cremated!” his grandmother yelled.

  “Shit cost me almost two grand too. It’s all good though. She had more than enough to cover that in her account,” Boss replied.

  The day after Carla passed, he called a funeral home to pick up her body. They thought he was trying to plan a funeral but he quickly put that theory to rest.

  “Karma is real Boston. You’re gonna get what’s coming to you,” Carrie warned.

  “Looks like your sister already got hers. I know it hurts. I felt the same way when it happened to my uncle. I’m sure it’ll be hard with Dennis being gone and not throwing all that hush money your way,” he said while looking at his grandmother.

  “You go to hell Boston!” his grandmother yelled.

  “You first. That way you’ll be reunited with Carla,” he smirked.

  “You are nothing to me. As far as I’m concerned, you’re dead too,” his grandmother cried.

  “What’s new? I’ve been dead to y’all for years. I’m cool with that because y’all were dead to me too.” Boss shrugged.

  “Come on mama. Let’s go,” Carrie said as she walked her mother back to the car.

  “Don’t forget, I’m gonna drop your daughter off to you as soon as they tell me to come pick her up! She can’t stay with me. I don’t have no room!” Boss yelled as they got into the car.

  “Why did you have to say that Boston?” Indigo giggled.

  “Fuck them people. The bitch didn’t want me in her house and I don’t want her in mine,” Boss replied with a frown.

  As crazy as it sounded, he felt a sense of peace. His own mother seemed to have it out for him and he wasn’t going to miss her. He vowed to do things differently with his son, and he was. Nothing or nobody was coming before his wife and child and he put that on his life. His son wasn’t going to know his mother, but it wasn’t because she was dead. He wasn’t going to know her even if she was alive. It wasn’t the way he wanted it to be, but Carla made it that way.

  “We’re all done. With a little paint and minor changes, this house will be as good as new,” Indigo said as she sat on
her husband’s lap. Draco and Jaci had just left and the house was completely empty.

  “Yep and that’s nothing to do. Are you ready to go?” Boss asked as he rubbed her stomach.

  He and Indigo had just listed their other renovated property on the Airbnb site and they had dates reserved already. New Orleans always had festivals and other activities, so they weren’t surprised.

  “Yeah, I’m ready. I can’t believe that your people came here trying to get stuff out of the house. They got some nerve,” Indigo said as she got up and grabbed her purse.

  “I’m not even surprised. They must think I’m stupid. I know the law better than they think. That’s just why I hit Grant up that night we went to the hospital. The law don’t care that me and Carla didn’t get along. By right, I’m her only living heir. They act like she was a millionaire or some shit. The house is really the only thing that’ll benefit me.”

  “What are you gonna do with her car?” Indigo asked.

  “Do you want it?” he countered.

  “Hell no. We just got new cars a few months ago,” Indigo reminded him.

  “I guess we can sell it then.” Boss shrugged, as Indigo pulled out her journal from her purse.

  “Let’s go get something to eat,” Indigo suggested.

  “You still acting bad I see,” Boss said as he looked over at her.

  “How am I acting bad?” Indigo questioned.

  “You told me that you were gonna let me read it,” he said while nodding at her journal.

  “I am baby but only when I’m ready,” she replied with a smile.

  “And when will that be?” he asked.

  “Give me about two years,” Indigo said, laughing at the look on his face.

  “Two years!” Boss yelled.

  “Yes, two years. Are you planning on leaving me before then?” she inquired.

  “Never that. I’d die first. I love your whole fucking life,” Boss replied.

  “I love you too, baby. Infinity.” She smiled while pointing to their matching tattoos.

  “T o Boston with love,” Boss smiled as he read the end of Indigo’s latest journal.

  He couldn’t believe that Indigo made him wait two whole years before she let him read her journals. It was five of them and he read them all in a two-week time frame. Boss knew that his wife loved him, but seeing it in her own words only confirmed it. She had their entire life, from the time they met, documented and he was in awe as he read it all.

  “Seriously Boston. You’re still reading those journals?” Indigo asked as she replied to a message on Instagram.

  “Are you done with your homework?” Boss asked.

  Indigo was taking online classes for business and she only had about eight more months to go before she got her degree. Boss was proud of her and he always made sure to tell her.

  “Yeah, I’m done. I’m on Instagram,” she replied.

  “You better not be commenting on that nigga shit no more.” He frowned as he got up and walked over to her.

  “Boy, bye. I just told him congrats on his new baby girl,” Indigo replied as she continued to type.

  Justice had started following her on Instagram about a year ago, but that was nothing to Boston. He had posted a gender reveal video of him and his fiancée announcing that they were having a baby girl. Indigo congratulated them, but it wasn’t a secret. She told Boston what she had done and even let him see it. She was happy for her ex and there were no hard feelings. It was good to see that he had moved on and was doing well. He was a homeowner and soon to be husband and father.

  Some of Boston’s exes had moved on and done well for themselves too. Lacey’s annoying ass was married with a son and Keema was married to the son of a pastor. One of Indigo’s Instagram friends posted the wedding and it was beautiful. She couldn’t picture Keema being in that kind of family, but it obviously worked for her. Quita still worked at Dixie’s and she was still a hoe. Indigo saw her a few times when she went there, but there was never any bad blood between them. Lacey’s sister, Lane, started working at Dixie’s once Indigo left, but she wasn’t a dancer. She was a bottle girl and she mostly stayed to herself. Ari had another baby about a year ago and they were still best friends. Ari was married to an older man and that seemed to be exactly what she needed. She had calmed down a lot. She no longer worked at Hooters and she didn’t go out as much.

  “How long has he been sleep?” Boss asked while nodding at their two year old son, Boston Jr.

  “Not long enough. Leave him alone Boston. I need a break from y’all and all that noise,” Indigo replied.

  “You better get ready then. In three more months, it’s only gonna get worse.” He smiled while rubbing her belly.

  Indigo was six months pregnant with their daughter, Berlin, and he was already making plans for baby number three. Boston was very hands on with their son and Indigo loved their bond. What she didn’t like was all the noise they made all the time. Boss was like a big ass kid. He ran around the house and made just as much noise as their son did.

  “Don’t even remind me. I guess we can leave when he wakes up.” She yawned.

  “You might need to take a nap too,” Boss noted.

  “I’m good. I’ll go get in Bear’s bed if I have to,” Indigo replied.

  Bear was boiling seafood and they were going to his house for a while. He and his girlfriend had tied the knot a month ago, but they didn’t do anything big. They went on a two-week honeymoon and had just come back two days ago. He loved to spend time with his grandson and he always gave them a break if they wanted to do something by themselves.

  Indigo’s father had been divorced from Cynthia for a while and he was still going strong with Dixie. They now lived in Dixie’s house and were talking about getting married. Indigo had never seen him that happy before and he was content. He and Dixie traveled a lot and that’s what he enjoyed about their relationship the most.

  Cynthia still lived in the house that she and Irvin purchased and so did Ivy. Her sad ass had a baby by the neighbor’s son and he left her while she was pregnant. Indigo’s brother was still a bum, but he was a great babysitter for Ivy’s son.

  Monroe still worked at Bear’s bar and she was doing great. She was talking about having a baby at one point and Indigo was happy that it never happened. She still had to make sure that Monroe was straight and took her medicine like she was supposed to. She didn’t have time to be trying to help take care of a baby that Monroe didn’t need. Indigo didn’t know what happened but Monroe suddenly decided that a baby didn’t fit into her life. Having her cousin abandon the idea of motherhood was one of the best gifts that Indigo had ever received.

  “Did you tell Kissy that we were going by Bear?” Boss asked her.

  “Yeah, she said she’s gonna pass through to see BJ. I hope she takes him home with her again,” Indigo laughed.

  “Hell no, Indie. He’s coming back with us. Kissy be acting like she don’t want my son to come back home.” Boss frowned.

  Kissy was still full of dramatics. She acted like BJ was her son and she spoiled him rotten. Boss hated when she pacified him because he did the exact opposite. He didn’t like when Kissy did the baby talk with their son. BJ spoke very well to be two years old and that was his goal. He spent too much time teaching his son to be a big boy for Kissy to undo all of his hard work in a few days. Kissy loved his son and he hated to tell her that he couldn’t stay the night with her. He would never want to hurt her feelings and that’s exactly what would happen. Besides his wife, kids and his father, Kissy was the only family that he had.

  His grandmother and everyone on Carla’s side of the family hated him and the feelings were mutual. Boss was true to his word. When he got his mother’s ashes from the funeral home, he dropped the urn off to his grandmother. They had a small memorial service that he didn’t even bother to attend. He and Indigo ended up renting Carla’s house out for a year before they sold it. They had enough rental property to deal with and he didn’t need th
e headache.

  “Daddy,” BJ said as he sat up and rubbed his eyes.

  “What’s up bruh? It’s about time you got up.” Boston smiled while picking him up.

  They were in the process of potty training him, so he took his son straight to the bathroom. Boss help him handle his business before washing his hands and going down the hall to his bedroom. He dressed his son and was ready to leave about twenty minutes later. When they got back into their room, Indigo was on her side sleeping peacefully.

  “Mommy sleep,” BJ said.

  “Yeah, mommy and baby sister are tired,” Boss replied.

  He ended up taking his son outside in the yard to play on the swing set that Irvin had purchased for him. Boss was grateful that, unlike him, his son had lots of people who loved and cared for him. God forbid if anything were to ever happen to him or Indigo, there was no doubt in his mind that their kids would be straight.

  Despite the fucked up childhood that he had, he wouldn’t change any of it if he had the chance. He had no idea that when he went rummaging through the trash one day that it would change his life forever. That day, he met his soulmate, the mother of his kids, his wife and best friend. If he didn’t know anything else, he knew that what he and Indigo had was to infinity and beyond.