Married to the Game

by King Benjamin

  “How’s my manz doing?” Jay said.

  “Stubborn as hell,” she replied.

  “Tell me about it.” Jay smiled as he watched Butter go to Gunner’s mom.

  “You need to talk some sense into him, Jay,” Kelly pleaded.

  “I’ll try,” Jay agreed. “I saw the police just go up the elevator.”

  “Yeah, they came to his room. That’s why I just left out so they could talk.”

  “They went to Keith’s room?” his mom asked sitting close by.

  “Yeah, they did.”

  Ms. Randall was about to get up to see her son but she decided to wait a moment for the police to finish up with their business. Kelly turned back to Jay.

  “I’m serious Jay. Please talk some sense into him because at this point you’re the only one that can. I’m sure you knew about his daughter all along, and you know I don’t blame you for not telling me but…he has two kids to raise and be around for and I can’t raise a man like his father can,” she explained.

  “I promise I will talk to him but you gotta promise me something,” Jay said.

  “What’s that?” Kelly asked looking skeptical.

  “You gotta promise me you won’t turn your back on my manz right now. He always wanted to do right by you and Butter. It’s a fucked up situation but you gotta know you mean the world to him.”

  “I could never turn my back on Keith. I love him with every fiber of my being. I just don’t think I can be with him anymore.”

  “I know you’re hurting and it ain’t my place to tell you what’s the right decision on that. Just be there for him; that’s all I’m asking okay?” Jay said, looking in her eyes waiting for a response.

  When Kelly nodded he knew she would honor her word.

  Chapter 15

  Instead of getting a hotel for the night Jay spent the night at Niecey Girl’s house so they could go visit his aunt Jean after they went to see Gunner in the hospital. By now he’d been in touch with Ray and got the entire rundown but the story still didn’t make a lot of sense. The only real beef Gunner and Ray had brewing in the city was the Mexicans, and both he and Ray agreed that the assassination attempt probably didn’t stem from that. It was more likely that a family member of one of Ray’s victims had seized the opportunity to catch him slipping coming out of court.

  The confirmation of this theory came from the eleven o’clock news that morning as Niecey Girl spotted the story and turned up the television.

  “Police are saying that the victim Terrell Jackson is believed to have ties to this man who has been on the run from law enforcement since his daring prison break in 2008. Police are still asking anyone if they’ve seen this man or possibly know of his whereabouts to contact them immediately and you can always remain anonymous.”

  Niecey sat by speechless. As Jay spotted his arch nemesis’ face on the fifty-inch plasma, it was hard to not want to go and snatch the television off the mounts on the wall. Seconds later his phone rang with a call from E.

  “What the fuck?” Niecey Girl let out a delayed reaction.

  “Hello?” Jay answered.

  “You see this shit on the news?” E said.

  “We just watched that shit.”

  “You think that nigga that stupid to come back?” E wanted to know.

  Jay shrugged.

  “You never know. The nigga might be out of options. Where you at?”

  “I’m at the car wash. Where you at?”

  “I’m at Niecey Girl’s but we about to head to the hospital.”

  “Alright bet, I’ma meet y’all up there.”

  ****

  Oshiwa was standing on the back porch of a traphouse with a hoodie over her head and eighty thousand dollars in total in her pockets. It was a reckless position to be in but right now, the trap was safer than anywhere she and Bones were laying their heads. She was waiting for Doe to pull up so she could give him the money to go re-up with his plug. Just as she had predicted they now needed Doe more than ever. He was all they had to keep the business they’d built flowing while they tried to maneuver through impossible odds.

  She smoked a blunt staring out at the back alley, feeling paranoid as ever all over again. She wondered what was taking Doe so long. She wondered was the end really approaching for her and Bones. She wondered should she try and save herself before it was too late. She wondered was it already too late as a call from Doe brought her back to the present moment. Instead of answering she just tossed the last of the blunt down on the sidewalk and headed to the front of the house, knowing he had arrived. She jumped in the car with Doe and they pulled off as she started to pull money from everywhere on her person.

  Doe had the other twenty thousand they needed to link up with the connect and as he bent the corner they ran right into a DPD squad car. Oshiwa’s heart jumped through her chest but luckily the squad car kept going.

  “Muthafuckas!” She giggled madly at the police for frightening her.

  The way Doe looked at her she could tell he was about to get something off his chest.

  “On some real shit though, you don’t think it’s time to start thinking about distancing yourself from that nigga Bones?” he asked.

  Oshiwa just shrugged.

  “That’s my nigga Doe. What the fuck you want me to do?” she questioned.

  “I’m just saying, this shit getting way too hot. He got us all out here on some hot shit. You know I fuck with Bones but I fuck with you way more. You know he ain’t gon’ last if he stay here too much longer.”

  The fact was Oshiwa did know that Bones couldn’t last in Detroit and it was killing her that she couldn’t think of a better place to be. She wanted to be here more than anywhere right now. She hated not seeing her family and thought about going to see them or reaching out to them on a daily basis. By now she was sure someone, somewhere had spotted her in the city and told her family she was back, but she couldn’t risk blowing their cover. Life could be so much better if Bones wasn’t wanted like he was but some things were beyond her control.

  “We just gotta be smart and play it safe,” she finally said, not knowing what else to say that would make sense at the time.

  “He not playing it safe though. He doing hot shit coming back trying to go to war with niggas. I’m not sticking my neck out for that nigga no more. I’m telling you that shit right now,” Doe fumed.

  “Damn, Doe, who the fuck side is you on nigga?” Oshiwa snapped as they pulled up to a stoplight.

  “I’m on your side muthafucka. Can’t you see that?” Doe snapped back. “I’ll ride for you…but I’m done riding for that nigga,” he explained as he pulled off.

  Oshiwa didn’t respond but she knew that Doe meant every word. The past few weeks had shown her a lot about him that she’d never seen coming and his loyalty to her was becoming a turn-on.

  ****

  Jay and Niecey arrived at the hospital first but there was a wait to see Gunner because he had so many people that loved him and wanted to visit. Jay was still Jay so everyone that wasn’t immediate family decided to fall back when Kelly emerged from the elevator with his son and his uncle. They spoke for a minute and by the time the conversation was over E had arrived. Niecey decided to fall back so Jay and E could go up together. She knew they had a lot to talk about and didn’t want to get in the way.

  When they walked in his room Gunner was looking like himself again except for the hospital Johnnie he was forced to wear. They never got a chance to see the drugged up, in serious pain, fearing for his life version of their friend, and Jay was thankful for that.

  “Sup nigga? How you feeling?” Jay greeted.

  “I’m alright man,” Gunner replied calmly as he lifted his arm to bump fists with Jay then E.

  “Ray called this morning,” E said.

  “What’s up with ‘em? He good?” Gunner asked.

  “Yeah, he was checking on you.”

  “You heard what they saying?” Jay asked getting straight to the point.
>
  “Naw what they saying?” Gunner said as he sat up in the bed.

  “They saying the nigga that tried to hit y’all is Bones’s people.”

  Gunner cocked his head to the side and scowled angrily.

  “Bones? This bitch ass nigga still alive?” he wondered.

  “Yeah, that’s what it look like,” E commented.

  “They think he might be back in the D so they got his face all on the news again. That bitch ain’t about to show his face if he is here,” Jay replied.

  “That nigga can’t be that stupid,” Gunner said.

  He had a hard time believing that a dude who’d escaped from a prison in Detroit would be dumb enough to come right back to the place he was last seen and the place police would search for him the most frequently.

  “Yeah, the nigga was from West Virginia. Same nigga that killed the dude Jazzy Jeff that broke out of jail with Bones,” E explained.

  Gunner began to believe it now. All the evidence seemed to be leading to that unbelievable truth that their enemy was back on home turf.

  “This might be the last chance to reach out and touch his ass if we can find ‘em,” Gunner said.

  “If he was here, he’s probably long gone by now,” E commented.

  “Yeah, you right,” Gunner replied.

  “How long they saying it’ll be before you back on your feet?” Jay questioned.

  “Before I’m really back on my feet? A few weeks,” Gunner replied.

  Jay had a firm grip on everything that was at stake here. He knew that if he wasn’t careful from this point on his whole life could take a downward spiral that he’d never recover from. He also knew that with all the lives lost on his side, if Bones was back he most definitely had to die. The only question was that if all the different law enforcement agencies on Bones’s trail couldn’t find him by now, how the hell would they be able to?

  ****

  The annoyance of sleeping alone had Michelle a little cranky after tossing and turning the whole night before. She was ready to get the work day over and get home to her solace away from everyone. She had already heard from Jay the night before to learn that Gunner would be fine after a little time to heal.

  Now her mind just wondered on all the details of what had happened, was it over, and more importantly, when was Jay bringing his ass back home to make sure he wasn’t around to be involved in it? She trusted Jay to be honest with her but a part of her had a good mind to call Niecey Girl to get the real scoop on things. The curiosity was killing her and by the time she finished lunched she decided to call Jay and see if he could tell her anything more.

  “Hello?” Jay answered.

  “Hey, baby.”

  “Hey. I’m at the hospital about to leave in a minute.”

  “Oh, you there with Gunner right now?” Michelle asked.

  “Yeah, you wanna talk to him?”

  “Yeah, let me talk to him.”

  Michelle was glad she’d called when she did because she wanted a chance to get to talk to Gunner herself and offer her get well wishes.

  “Hello?” Gunner answered groggily.

  “Hey man. How you feeling?”

  “I’ma be alright. The doctor said I should be back at it in a few weeks.”

  “That’s great news.” Michele smiled. “You can’t be scaring us like that.”

  “I know, my bad. It won’t happen again,” Gunner promised, and she could tell he was smiling also.

  “It better not. You get well soon and take care of yourself Gunner…please,” she added, feeling the reality of his lifestyle as they conversed.

  “I appreciate you, Michelle. I got kids to raise so I’m definitely not going nowhere. Plus I’m the best man in your wedding, remember? I can’t miss that.” He chuckled.

  “You damn right!” Michelle giggled.

  “But thanks for checking on me. Here’s Jay,” Gunner said.

  “You on your lunch break?” Jay said when he came back to the phone.

  “Yeah. Listen, I know you can’t talk now but did you guys find out anything about why this happened?”

  “Yeah, I’ll talk to you when I get back.”

  “And when might that be?” Michelle questioned.

  “You miss me?”

  “Don’t avoid the question.”

  “I’m not avoiding it. I’m dissecting it.”

  “Answer it,” Michelle pressured.

  Jay laughed.

  “I’ll be home tomorrow but don’t wait up for me ‘cause it’ll probably be late when I get in. I just wanna make sure everybody is good before I leave.”

  “Okay, well call me tonight and let me know something.”

  “I will.”

  “Love you, bye.”

  “Love you more.”

  Chapter 16

  The next morning Gunner was released from the hospital and Kelly was there to pick him up with his son in the back strapped into his car seat. She knew that as his wife it was only right that she be the one to bring him home and get him situated but in her mind, it didn’t change anything. As they rode to the house Gunner was silent in the passenger seat of her BMW, thinking deeply. They still hadn’t had an open and honest talk about Butter without all the screaming and shouting. Gunner wanted to have it, but he didn’t want it to turn ugly again so he waited patiently, feeling out the vibes and Kelly’s frame of mind.

  When they pulled up to the house the first thing he noticed was his mom’s Ford Focus parked out front.

  “My mama here?”

  “Yeah, she said your daughter wanted to be here when you got home.”

  Gunner couldn’t help but feel loved, realizing he had all these people he cared so much about at his home with him for the first time ever. First Kelly took the baby inside and then came back out to help Gunner. As he used his good hand to open the car door, Kelly reached for his cane to pass it to him.

  Gunner would need the cane to keep the pressure off his stomach for a while as he stood or sat down but other than that, he felt he most likely wouldn’t need it. As he got out of the car he spotted Butter in the doorway staring out at him. He waved his bandaged hand at her and smiled as she stepped out on the porch.

  She walked up and wrapped her arms around his waist, hugging her dad tightly.

  “Where your granny at?” Gunner asked as they made their way to the front porch.

  “She in the house.”

  Gunner grimaced, putting his cane to good use as he climbed the steps while Kelly followed closely carrying his things. She held one hand placed slightly on the small of his back for balance. Butter held the door open for him as he made his way inside. As soon as he stepped in the aroma of the seafood gumbo cooking in the kitchen teased his nostrils. Gunner hadn’t had any real food in days and although he was on a strict diet, his mom knew the gumbo was his favorite and it was soft enough for his stomach to tolerate.

  In the kitchen, he found his mom over the stove stirring the big pot. At fifty-seven, Ms. Randall still had her looks. She’d avoided all the pitfalls of aging by living a healthy lifestyle for the most part. Her caramel skin was still soft and wrinkle or blemish free, her teeth as white as pearls, and her five-five frame still held the posture of a twenty-year-old woman. Even her slightly greying, mid-length hair seemed to add a certain sparkle of welcomed maturity with grace.

  Gunner didn’t speak at first, he just walked up and kissed her cheek. It was his way of saying thank you to the woman it was always hard for him to express his love for verbally. When Gunner and Jay beat their murder case she thought it would be the turning point in his life, but when it wasn’t it became a pivotal turning point in their on and off again relationship.

  As much as she loved her son, it was hard to ignore the monster the streets had made him. She began to constantly confront him about his lifestyle and the choices he made, pushing Gunner further away.

  “Go sit down,” she ordered, knowing he needed to stay off his feet as much as possible right now. />
  “You got it boss lady,” Gunner replied before turning to leave the kitchen.

  When he came back in the living room he spotted Butter playing with her baby brother for the first time. As much as the sight of them together warmed his heart, those feelings were magnified with the way Kelly interacted with Butter. He could see that she held no malice towards his forbidden seed and it gave him a small glimpse of hope. Kelly had introduced Butter to her brother the second time they met at Ms. Randall’s house. She couldn’t deny that the little girl belonged to Gunner. There was a remarkable resemblance and the fact that the little girl was approaching adolescence made her not stop to question the facts. If Gunner had been raising this child for ten years it was his baby. And if her son had a sibling they should have a relationship as far as she was concerned.

  They all sat at the dinner table and smashed the gumbo like the family Gunner always thought they should be but never expected it to materialize. For Gunner, it was a day of reflection, a day of gratitude, and hopefully a day of forgiveness. After they ate, Ms. Randall grabbed her jacket preparing to leave.

  “Is she gonna be okay here with you two or do I need to take her back home with me?” she asked referring to Butter.

  Gunner looked at Kelly before he responded. He was waiting for some type of confirmation that Kelly would be staying with him but it never came.

  “Naw, she good. I got it from here,” he replied.

  “Alright, well, come give Granny a hug,” she told Butter. “Can I keep her clothes that I have at my house?”

  “Yeah,” Butter answered for her daddy as she hugged her granny.