5ive Star Bitch

by Tremayne Johnson

  “You hear that?” I asked Jill. It sounded like someone was screaming for help. A few seconds later, it got louder.

  Help! Get off me! Help!

  “It’s coming from over there!” Jill pointed to the back of the small parking lot and we ran over there; heels on and all.

  I could hardly see in the dark. But as soon as I saw that shoe, I knew my girl was in trouble. Jillian must have seen it at the same time I did, because when I looked to my right, she was kicking out of her shoes, running towards Raquel and her assailant with a knife in her hand.

  “Help!” Raquel screamed.

  Jill jumped on the man’s back and all I saw was her hand going up and down. She was plunging his chest with the knife in her hand. Blood was everywhere. I grabbed Raquel’s arm and the three of us ran to my car, got in and left the scene. The last thing I remember is him collapsing to the ground, holding his chest.

  9

  Following the incident at Sues, we stayed low and hid out for a few days. No one knew who the guy was and honestly, we didn’t care. The only thing we were worried about was repercussions from the law, but as soon as I spoke to Simeon, he let me know what the word on the streets was.

  He called me and told me the police weren’t launching an investigation into the murder because they felt the guy got what he deserved. The entire incident was caught on camera. I was relieved about us not being pursued by authorities, but I was devastated because my friend had been raped.

  Raquel hadn’t said much since it happened, and I only heard from Jill twice after that night. The whole situation was like a horrible dream that I couldn’t wake up from. I had barely gotten any sleep, and my nerves were a wreck. Every time I closed my eyes I saw visions of his face, and I could hear his screams. It was a terrifying experience. One I wished would have never happened.

  I was staying in Mount Vernon at my grandmother’s house, getting some quality time in with the family. After you experience death in the fashion that I did, you begin to appreciate what you have. I was starting to realize how much I was taking the small things for granted. That shit woke me up to a lot. It was time I re-evaluated my life. How long could I keep this pace? How much more could I endure? I had some thinking to do.

  “Sis, you still taking me out to drive?” Dorian broke my trance when he walked into the living room.

  I looked at my little brother and smiled. “Yes, Dorian, are you ready?”

  “Yeah, I’ll meet you at the car,” he said.

  I forgot I was showing Dorian how to drive today. It slipped my mind. Lately, a lot of things had been slipping my mind. Sometimes I felt I was someplace else, drifting in my thoughts.

  I snatched my keys and walked out to the car. I took Dorian to the Boulevard to see if all of his ‘I’ma nice driver’ talk was for real, and to my surprise, the kid could drive. No, I mean like, really drive. Shit, he could probably drive better than I could. He shocked me, and I was highly impressed.

  “Where’d you learn how to drive?” I asked him after he pulled over.

  “I don’t know,” he shrugged his shoulders. “I been knew how to drive.”

  I laughed at him. My little brother was a trip. “Drive us home,” I told him.

  When we pulled up to my grandmother’s house Dorian parallel parked like he’d been driving for twenty years. I didn’t think he could do it, but he proved me wrong. I just shook my head at him.

  “So, you gon’ gimme this joint when you buy your new car?” he asked me, removing the key from the ignition.

  “What new car? Who said I was buying a new car?”

  He sucked his teeth and side-eyed me. “C’mon, sis… I heard you talking to grandma yesterday. It’s cool, I won’t tell nobody,” he laughed.

  I punched his arm. “Stop being so nosy, Dorian…” I tried to hold my laugh in but I couldn’t.

  “So, that’s a yes?”

  “No, that’s a, we’ll see,” I grabbed the keys from him. “You wanna see these keys; I wanna see a report card.”

  “Ahh, here you go,” he sunk in his seat and threw his hands up.

  “Yeah, here I go. I’m not going to keep giving and giving, but you ain’t giving anything back. I told you to meet me halfway and you can get anything you want. Didn’t I tell you that?”

  “Yeah,”

  “Okay, then… and about that other thing…”

  “Not now, sis… c’mon, you killin’ me,”

  I couldn’t believe him. “Oh, I’m killing you, but you want me to give you an eighty thousand dollar car. Is that what’s going on here?”

  “Nah, sis,” he dropped his head. “I jus’ don’t feel like talkin’ about that right now.”

  “Alright… go head in the house. Tell grandma I’ll be back later,” I told him.

  “Can you bring back some food?”

  “I got you.” I slid over to the driver’s seat and pulled off.

  ________

  Initially I had no destination. I was joyriding, trying to clear my mind. But as I continued to drive, something made me think about Simeon. I don’t know what it was, but all of a sudden I couldn’t get him off my mind. I picked up my phone and called him, but I didn’t get an answer, so I drove by his house. All I wanted to do was see if his car was in the driveway, but when I got there I saw a little more than what I should have seen.

  I parked in front of the big tree across the street from his house and turned the car off. He was shirtless, standing in the middle of the block, talking to a female in a white BMW. She kept reaching her hand out the window, touching his chest. I was pissed, but I kept my cool. I didn’t know who the chick was. He told me he had broken off the whole marriage thing with his fiancé, and they were separated, so who the fuck was this bitch?

  Before the white BMW pulled off, she handed him a bag and touched his chest, again. I wanted to get out, run over there and choke that ho, but I was easy. I didn’t let it get to me. There was nothing I could do about it. I watched her pull off and I was trying to catch the license plate, but I couldn’t see it. They were too far.

  I picked up my phone and dialed his number. It rang four times before he picked it up. I watched him look at the screen, put it in his pocket and pull it back out. He finally answered.

  “Hey, babe…” he said.

  “Hey, what’s going on, where are you?”

  He looked around while he walked back into the house. “Uhh… I’m right here at the crib. What’s good, what you doing?”

  I wanted to tell him, right here, watching you ass! But that was some crazy chick shit, and I wasn’t trying to turn into her. Simeon didn’t want to meet her.

  “Oh, okay. I’m not doing anything, just riding in my car, enjoying this nice weather,” I lied.

  “How’s Raquel?”

  “She’s alright. I guess she’s handling it the best she can right now. That’s some fucked up shit. I’ve been having nightmares.”

  “I heard about her husband’s case too, that’s crazy. You should come and stay with me,” he said.

  “I don’t think either one of us is ready for that. Thanks for the invite though,” I smiled and my phone beeped, signaling another call. It was Dorian. “Simeon, hold on, my little brother’s on the other line,” I clicked over. “Yes, Dorian…”

  “Are you bringing the food, sis… I’m in here starving. Grandma said she aint making shit ‘cause she tired.”

  “Yes, Dorian, I’m bringing you some food. Give a minute and I’ll be there.”

  “What you bringing, sis?”

  “What do you want, Dorian?”

  “It don’t matter.”

  “Bye, Dorian…” I clicked back over, “Hello,”

  “Yeah, Cherish, I’ma call you back,” Simeon said.

  “Okay,” I hung up and pulled off.

  On the drive to my grandmother’s house I did some thinking about Simeon. It wasn’t like he lied to me. He did say he was at his house, and I did just pop up unexpectedly. I was hoping he was
n’t like the rest of them. Maybe that was his ex-fiancé? But why would she be touching his chest like that?

  The only reason he was on my mind was because I liked him. I like everything about him, but I wasn’t into the kid games. I was ready for a grown-up relationship.

  I stopped in the Bronx and went to the soul food spot on my way to my grandmother’s to get Dorian some food. I grabbed something for myself too.

  When I got in the house it was kind of late. I dropped my keys on the small table next to the door and walked into the kitchen. I stopped short, my eyes got wide and I dropped the bag of food.

  “Oh my God, Grandma!” I rushed to her side. She was sprawled out on the floor by the stove. Her eyes were closed, so I checked her neck for a pulse,” It was faint, but it was there, “Dorian, Dorian!” I yelled as loud as I could, “Dorian, help!”

  “Sis,” he came rushing into the kitchen, “What happ—oh, shit, grandma!” he almost slipped on the bag of food I spilled trying to make it over to where we were.

  “Call nine one one, Dorian; hurry up!”

  He pulled his phone from his pocket and made the call. Fifteen minutes later an ambulance pulled up in front of the house, paramedics rushed in, and they wheeled my grandmother out on a gurney. Dorian and I jumped into the back of the ambulance and rode to the hospital.

  I couldn’t believe I was riding in the back of a fucking ambulance, staring at my grandmother, praying she pulled through. I heard Dorian telling the paramedics something about her having bad diabetes. It was something I knew nothing about. He was saying she never took the medicine she was supposed to take. She knew not to tell me about it, because I would have been on her, making her take the medicine. I knew how stubborn she was. If she didn’t want to do it, she wasn’t doing it.

  We pulled up to the hospital and they rushed her into the emergency room. They made us wait in the lobby. I swear I never felt worse in my life. I didn’t know what to do. Dorian and I paced the lobby floor, crying, praying and hoping everything would be alright. I looked up, and Colin was coming through the emergency room doors.

  “Cherish!” he ran to me and hugged me. “I rushed over here as soon as I got the call. Is she alright?” he asked.

  I did not want him to let me go. I just wanted him to hold me and tell me everything would be alright, but that was just a fantasy. Colin and I could never be what we were; we could never relive our past.

  “I don’t know,” I sobbed. “We’re waiting on the doctor.”

  Not long after Colin arrived, the doctor came out to the lobby to speak to us.

  “Miss Parker,” he was a tall Asian doctor with glasses and a white coat.

  “Yes, is she alright?”

  “Well, your grandmother has type-two diabetes and she hasn’t been taking her medication as prescribed,”

  “But is she alright?”

  “For now, yes, but we need to keep her here to be monitored,” he said.

  “Can we see her?”

  “Right now she’s sleeping and she really needs her rest. I think the morning would be a better time. Go home and come back early in the morning, she should be up.”

  I wasn’t trying to hear anything he was saying. I was ready to bust up in the room just to make sure my grandmother was okay, but I had to respect his decision. He knew what was best for her; he was the doctor.

  “I’m not going anywhere,” I told him. “I’ll sleep out here until the morning. I’m not leaving her.”

  “Yeah, me too,” Dorian said.

  Dorian and I found seats in the waiting area and got comfortable. It was going to be a long night.

  “You want me to stay with you?” Colin asked.

  I wanted to say yes, but I didn’t want to stir up old emotions. I was feeling extremely vulnerable and I was afraid of giving in, so I said nothing and sat in the chair. Colin sat next to me and not once did he leave my side.

  10

  When the sun came up I was wide awake. I hadn’t slept one minute. I spent my night staring out the window, watching the rain pour from the sky. I did doze off once, and I found myself lying on Colin’s chest, so I shook it off and fought sleep for the rest of the night. Dorian was knocked out. He got a comforter from a nurse and made himself a pallet on the carpeted floor.

  “Miss Parker, your grandmother is awake,” the doctor said.

  I shook Dorian’s shoulder, “Dorian, get up… Dorian, get up…” he rolled over and looked at me, and then he looked at his surroundings. “Grandma’s up, c’mon,” I told him, helping him up.

  The three of us walked down the hall and into my grandmother’s room. It was quiet. The television was on, but the volume was low.

  “Hey, grandma,” I said, walking over to her bed.

  She opened her eyes. “Hey, Cherish, where’s your brother?” her voice was low but Dorian heard her.

  “I’m right here, grandma,” he walked over and stood beside me.

  I could feel my eyes getting watery the longer I stood there, looking at her lying in that bed, she was helpless. I wished she had taken better care of herself, but grandma was grandma, and nobody could tell grandma anything.

  “You alright, Dorian?” she asked.

  “Yes, grandma, are you alright?”

  “I’m jus’ fine; ain’t nuttin’ I can’t handle,” she paused and then looked at me and smiled, “Is that Colin over there?”

  “Yes, it’s me, Mrs. Parker, you okay?”

  “Yeah, now that y’all here, y’all can get me outta here,” she tried to sit up and get off the bed, but she was too weak and had to lie back down.

  “Grandma, what are you doing?” I rushed to help her so she wouldn’t fall, “You can’t go anywhere yet. They said they need to run more test,”

  “More test? Listen, Cherish, I don’t want these people runnin’ no mo’ test on me, you hear me? Now, get me outta here,” she said.

  “You can’t leave yet, grandma,” Dorian told her.

  “Grandma, why didn’t you tell about the diabetes?” I asked her.

  “Oh, Cherish… please, ain’t nobody worried ‘bout no diabetes, I been living wit’ diabetes all my life.”

  “Yeah, but it got worse, grandma…” Dorian replied.

  “Yeah, and if you would have been taking the medication they told you to take, it might not be so bad,” I told her.

  “I ain’t takin’ no damn medication, Cherish. Them drugs they givin’ these people is killin’ ‘em,” she paused and shook her head, “Not me, they ain’t gon’ kill me, let me die on my own.”

  “Can you please stop talking about dying, grandma,” Dorian said.

  “We all gon’ die, Dorian. Each and every one of us got to go someday. That’s the only thing we can count on. Thing is, while you here on God’s earth, make the best of it, be what he intended you to be. I know you gon’ make mistakes, we all do, but learn from your mistakes, you hear me?”

  “Yes, grandma,”

  “And I’ma tell you somethin’,” she looked Dorian square in his eyes. “If you keep runnin’ around wit’ them knuckleheads, yo’ ass gon’ be in a world of trouble. And if you think I’m lying, ask you sister, she’ll tell you all about it.”

  “But I’m not doing anything,” he whined.

  “Tell that to somebody else, boy… a hard head make a soft behind.”

  It took some time convincing my grandmother that she had to stay in the hospital. She really wasn’t trying to hear it. She snatched out her IV and knocked the table over that was beside her bed. I had never seen her act that way. I could see from the look on her face that she didn’t want to be there, but there was nothing we could do. She needed to be treated for her disease. She needed to get better. We needed her. Without my grandmother, I don’t what I would do.

  _________

  A full week passed and my grandmother was released from the hospital. The moment she walked through the door I could tell by the expression on her face she was feeling much better. The joy of having h
er back home was unexplainable.

  “Hey grandma, how are you feeling?” I asked, giving her a hug.

  “I’m fine, Cherish… jus’ fine…”

  “Why didn’t you call me to come and pick you up?”

  “It’s alright baby, I jus’ wanna lay in my own bed,” she said.

  I grabbed the bag she had and walked her up the steps.

  “Where’s Colin?” she asked.

  I smiled. My grandmother thought she was slick. She loved her some Colin. “He said he was going to the store,” I told her.

  “Where’s your heard headed brother?”

  “He’s in his room, playing that game.”

  Just as she was about to call his name, Dorian came rushing out of his room and met us at the top of the steps.

  “Oh,” he was surprised. “Hey grandma,” he hugged her, kissed her cheek and continued down the steps.

  “Where you think you going?” I asked him.

  “I’m ‘bout to take a ride wit’ Colin, why, wassup?”

  “A ride with Colin, for what?”

  “I gotta show him a few things. It’s been a minute since he’s been here,” he replied, walking out the front door.

  I didn’t have a clue of what Dorian and Colin were up to, but it didn’t sit right with me. Colin didn’t need to be hanging out with my little brother; not that he’s a bad influence, because honestly; Dorian gets into more shit than Colin ever did. Either way, I didn’t want them hanging out. It was senseless to me, but it was also obvious that something was going on.

  I helped my grandmother into her room and she got comfortable on her bed.

  “Ahh… I could lay here and never move,” she said.

  “Don’t say things like that grandma, you scare me.”

  “Cherish, it ain’t nothin’ to be scared of. You gotta start learning to deal wit’ life as is. Being afraid to die is only gonna make you more fearful of living. Death happens regardless, we all know that. I want you to live, Cherish, live your life. Take care of your little brother and make sure he’s alright. That’s what you do.”

  I stared at her. Her words were like cement bricks, smacking me in the face, one by one. It was like she was preparing me for her departure. I wanted to cry, but I had to stand tall and be strong for us all. My grandmother was a wise woman and she had lived a long, positive and prosperous life. It was killing me to hear her talk like this.