by T. Styles
“So,” he shrugged looking at the papers in front of him.
I figured my name would be enough but I guess I was wrong. “I’m here about the Rose Midland girl who was murdered awhile back.”
He looked up at me with suspicious eyes. Now I had his attention. “What about her?” He threw the pen on the counter.
“I’m turning myself in,” I said. “And you need to hurry up and take me before I run out of here and change my mind.”
He frowned. “Get the fuck out of my face, kid I don’t have time for this shit,” he picked the pen up. “With the case load I have in front of me right now, that’s the last thing I need.” He went back to reading his papers.
What the fuck was wrong with this pig? I was here to turn myself in and he acted like I was a bum asking for five bucks. “So you not gonna arrest me?”
“For what? Craig Urey was arrested six months ago for the crime.” He shook his head. “He was found wearing nothing but a blue jean jacket with a sun on the back.” He shook his head again. “Sick ass pervert. His DNA was found inside of her body and under her fingernails. It was an easy case. Where have you been? Living in a hole or something?”
My jaw dropped.
****
When I left the police station I looked more into the case of Rose Midland. I couldn’t believe that the dude who lived in The Catacombs years earlier had raped and killed her and tried to frame me by putting her blood on my shirt and hands. The worst part was I had been living in a tunnel because I was afraid to get arrested when it was for nothing. I could’ve left a long time ago. I wasted a bunch of my life on this shit. But if I didn’t stay there, I would not have met Everest or Pickles.
And now Everest was driving Pickles and me to some place I really didn’t want to go. But promises were promises and she remembered all of them.
“You go ahead, baby,” Everest said to me as we sat in our new car. It was a bucket that we picked up from an auction until all of my money came. “I think you need to do this alone.”
“I don’t even know what to say to her,” I said looking at the graveyard.
“Just talk from your heart,” she said. “She can’t hurt you anymore. Nobody can. Maybe it’s time to let your pain go.”
I looked back at Pickles who was smiling. I must admit, the little youngin’ cleaned up good. He was rocking some fresh J’s that I bought him and a black North Face coat.
“We’ll be here when you get back,” he told me.
As I eased out of the car I walked slowly toward my mother’s grave. I didn’t want to come here but Everest kept talking about the promise I made to her when I thought we were about to die in the water. I wondered if I would’ve agreed to the same thing had I realized that she would take me so seriously.
When I found her gray headstone that read Harmony Phillips I looked down at it. “Hey, ma.”
Silence.
“Wow, I never thought I’d call you ma again but I guess I was wrong.”
I looked down at the grass and several bushels of dried roses rested near her headstone. I guess Jayden had been here.
“I’m here to tell you how you made me feel. It’s not like I give a fuck anymore though, cause I’m doing this mainly for my girl.” I looked back at the car and Everest and Pickles were staring at me. I cleared my throat and focused back on the grave. “You were a monster. A fucking monster and I hated you so much. I hated you for all of the days you pressed irons against Jayden and my skin. I hated you for all the days and nights we went hungry and watched you cook for dudes you fucked. I hated you for all of the men you had sex with in the living room because you were too trifling and drunk to go in your own room. I hated you for making my sister and me steal from the grocery store for food, only for you to sell it for bottles of liquor. I hated you so much.”
Tears started pouring down my face and I grew angrier.
“All I wanted you to do was love me. I just wanted you for one time, for one day, to tell me you cared. Would it have been so much to ask? Would it have been so much for you not to come home drunk? But you didn't care. You didn't give a fuck! You were selfish but you know what? I…I….I forgive you."
The tears rolled out of my eyes harder and for some reason I felt powerful.
"I forgive you for not loving me, because maybe you didn't know how. Maybe nobody showed you how to be a mother. Maybe nobody showed you how to love us or yourself." I wiped the tears from my eyes and exhaled.
"Anyway,” I sighed. “I’m a mother now. Well, I'm actually a Smooth Pop." I laughed. "And I'm going to be in my boys’ lives and they gonna always know that I love them. I'm going to inspire them, fight for them, and let them know how I feel about them everyday. And maybe, just maybe, you'll be proud of me too. Bye, mom. You don’t have to come into my dreams anymore. I’m giving you permission to rest in peace. "
****
I was at The Pit with the members of The Catacombs. Everest was right, after I let the hate go I had for my mother in my heart I felt stronger. It was as if nobody else could hurt me. I didn’t tell Everest but I was glad I agreed to go to the grave. All I wanted to do now was get the money that Jace left me, get us some place to live and get Cassius.
I was invited to The Catacombs for a barbeque at The Pit. They were having for Everest and me. They were happy that we were alive since they heard about what happened to us in The Dump. At the moment the place where the truck use to be was empty, leaving The Catacombs exposed in two ways now.
It turned out that since The Dump was moved, the dead bodies we kept spotting stopped showing up in The Catacombs. I guess whoever they were, they were using our home as their graveyard for years and we didn’t know it.
Although I appreciated the offer for the celebration, I didn’t feel comfortable there anymore. But Everest was so serious about going back and saying goodbye and I wanted to make her happy that I agreed. All I wanted to do was say my farewells and leave. After an hour passed, me, Everest and Pickles were about to go back to Krazy and Sugar’s house. That is until I saw a familiar face.
At first I didn’t know it was him, because he looked much cleaner than he did the last time I saw him. But the closer he got I knew exactly who he was. It was Wicked and he had a gun in his hand.
He didn’t spend anytime talking or saying what he was about to do. He just aimed in my direction and I froze. Because right next to me was two of the people I loved most, Everest and Pickles and I was afraid for their lives.
He fired multiple times at me, and I can tell you this, some of them bullets hit.
EPILOGUE
FIVE MONTHS LATER
Madjesty stood in the doorway of the bedroom she shared with Everest and Pickles in Krazy’s house. Although life was different for them, it didn’t change Mad’s love for her.
When the bullets flew out of Wicked’s gun, one tore into Spirit’s shoulder, one hit the trashcan and ricocheted inside of it. The last caught Everest in the left eye. But fragments from the bullet caught her right eye too and completely removed her eyesight.
Everest took her new condition hard, and her attitude toward life totally changed. She cried most nights and was angry the others. No matter how many stories Pickles would read to her at night, or how many kisses Mad would plant on her face, it could never return her eyesight and for that Everest was bitter.
“How she doing?” Krazy asked walking up behind Mad as she observed Everest and Pickles sleeping in the bed.
“Not good,” Mad whispered. “One part of me is happy she survived but the other part of me wonders if death would not have been better for her.” She continued to look at her. “She’s miserable, man, and I don’t know what to do.”
“Don’t talk about death being better, Mad,” Krazy responded. “Death is never better.”
“That’s what you say.”
“It’s the truth. Anyway, some mail came for you today.” He handed Mad the envelope.
She observed it briefly. Although she was learning t
o read, she was a long way away from being fluent. “Who is it from?”
“It’s from the Prince George’s county circuit court.”
Mad didn’t open it right away because she figured it was the petition she filed to get Cassius back. She didn’t want to rip the bond Cassius had with Jayden either. Although they had their problems, she knew he loved Jayden. So Mad met with Jayden and they agreed that Cassius should be returned to Madjesty at once. Besides, Mad was coming into a lot of money and would have the means to care for her child. Jayden’s only wish was that she could continue to see her nephew and Mad respected it.
Besides, Mad and Cassius were destined to be reunited. The moment Cassius saw Mad’s face, he couldn’t keep his little hands off of her. To make things sweeter, Cassius and Pickles got along just like Mad knew that they would. It was as if they were long lost brothers. The only problem Mad had in her life at the moment was that her girlfriend was blind and depressed.
“I’ll open it in a second,” Mad said stuffing the envelope in her back pocket and then leaning on the doorframe. “I wanted to say something to you, Krazy,” she looked over at him, “I appreciate you letting us stay here.”
“Nigga, please,” he said brushing it off. “Do you realize how much I love having you here? We were worried about you before we ran into you that day, man. Real talk.” He exhaled. “Besides, ever since you and your fam moved in, me and Sugar don’t fight as much. I don’t know what’s up with Sugar but it’s like she wants something she can’t have. The only thing is, she’s not telling me what.”
When Krazy made that statement he looked dead into Mad’s eyes. It was evident what he was saying. That after all this time Sugar was still sweet on Mad and he wanted to be sure that Mad respected their relationship.
So she answered it in the best way possible without bringing extreme light to the situation. “I’m sure shit will be cool between you and Sugar. I didn’t think I would find somebody to love again but now that I have I’m not letting anything come in between our bond. My focus is Everest and my boys.”
“I hope so,” he said looking at Everest and Pickles sleeping too. “But look, I wanted to rap to you about something.”
“What’s up?”
“I been thinking about what you said about how your girl got shot and what not, and something don’t feel right to me.”
“What you mean?” she frowned. “After he shot her I dealt with him. Wicked is dead now. I didn’t want to tell you because I didn’t want you involved. I almost sliced his head clear off of his shoulders and The Catacombs members and me fixed it so that his body will never be found. What’s better than that?”
“I can dig it but that’s not my issue.” Krazy paused. “I remember when you were saying that Jace’s father had him in his custody.”
“He did, but when I asked him why he hadn’t killed him, he said he got away.”
“And you believe that?” Krazy continued.
“What you trying to say?”
“I’m saying that Rick wanted you to sign over that life insurance money and you said you wasn’t. And that you needed the paper to start a new life. So how do you know Rick didn’t get mad and send Wicked to execute you? I mean think about it for a second, with you out of the picture, Rick would be clear to control the money. And Jayden is so far up Rick’s ass that I wouldn’t be surprised if she gave him her half too.”
What Krazy said was so clear that Mad immediately grew angry. She would’ve put one and two together herself, if she didn’t have to care for Everest and Pickles.
“I hear what you saying, but even if I died the money still wouldn’t go to him. It would go to Cassius since he’s my son.”
Krazy slapped her on the back. “Well it’s a good thing you about to get custody of your son then, because he needs to be safe and away from Jayden who Rick controls.”
“Hey, man, before you bounce read this for me.” She handed him the envelope.
Krazy ripped it open and read it. He shook his head and looked at her in disappointment.
“What is it, man?” Mad asked.
“We spoke too soon. Your sister is taking you to court for the sole custody of Cassius Phillips. I guess it’s time to get ready for the fight of your life.”
