by Mariah James
Erin stood up from the couch to meet Ryan at the door. She could no longer take the suspense. Although Ryan didn’t prod, it didn’t stop her from being confused by Don’s irritability.
“See you later, Donnie.” Erin built up the nerve to say.
“Yeah.” Uneasy with his response, the girls looked at each other confused. Ryan nodded towards the door, and the girls left Don alone in the living room with roaming thoughts and wandering feet.
“Something’s up with Don?” Erin spoke up to her sister as they sat in a booth in the school’s cafeteria.
“You think?” Ryan looked up at her sister annoyed.
Erin rolled her eyes, “Ry, now is not the time for your smart-ass comments. I’m worried about him.”
“My bad. I agree, though. He was acting a little strange.”
Erin shook her head and agreed, “You think he got caught up in some shit.” Erin whispered.
Ryan looked around before replying, “Nah, he’s too smart for that.”
“I sure hope so.”
“Me too, sis. Me too.”
Don wasn’t home when the girls got in from school. Any other day that would be routine, but after this morning, it seemed a little iffy.
“I’ll call him.” Erin took out her phone and dialed Don’s number.
“Voicemail.” Her voice faded out.
“He’s probably just busy, you know how that is,” Ryan said before going into the room. Erin heard her and wanted to believe what she was saying, but it just didn’t seem right.
On cue, there was a knock on the door.
“Who?” Erin called out.
“Deuce.”
“Ryan, Deuce is at the door.” Ryan reappeared from the bedroom with a confused look on her face. He didn’t tell me he was stopping by. She thought to herself as she went to open the door.
“Hey, D. What you doing here?” Ryan questioned him. Deuce didn’t seem happy to see her. His face showed worried, and Ryan’s heartbeat sped up.
“Where’d Erin go?” Deuce walked in and closed the door behind him.
Erin came around the wall, to see why Deuce was looking for her.
“Wassup?” Ryan searched Deuce’s face for a clue.
“Look, I hate to be the barrier of bad news, but…”
“Bad news!” The girls belched out.
“Oh my God,” Erin covered her mouth, “is Don okay?” Tears were forming in her eyes. She couldn’t fathom the thought of something happening to him.
“Deuce?” Ryan was getting impatient.
“He good.” Deuce managed to say. Erin placed her hand on her chest, thankful.
Ryan wasn’t impressed, “So, what you doing here, unannounced?”
“Don got picked up.”
“Picked up?” Erin asked for clarification.
“He’s in jail?” Ryan asked right after. Deuce’s expression confirmed her answer.
“I can’t believe this shit.” Ryan was devastated.
Erin was shaking her head, “Can’t we just go bail him out?”
“It ain’t that easy, E. He got slammed with some major charges, his request for bail was denied.
“Damn,” escaped Erin’s lips, “what can we do?”
“Just sit back and stay cool,” Deuce explained.
“Damn!” Erin voiced again. Ryan remained quiet.
“Baby girl, you good?” Deuce touched Ryan’s arm, snapping her out of her daydream.
“I’m good.” Ryan forced a smile. Deuce kissed her on the cheek and was ghost.
“Ryan, what we gonna do?”
“Nothing.”
“Nothing?” Erin knew better than that, Ryan’s thoughts were churning.
Realizing Erin wasn’t persuaded Ryan spoke up, “E, we gon’ chill like Deuce said.”
“You trust this nigga?”
“It ain’t about me trusting him, E. Don obviously trust him enough, to keep us up to beat about what’s going down. If not, he would’ve reached out himself.”
Erin didn’t want to admit it, but Ryan was right, again. Don made it clear that he didn’t want them sticking their hands in places they don’t belong, despite their strong urge to do so. Well shit, Ryan’s strong urge. Erin wanted a regular life, all she wanted was to graduate from high school, go to college, get a degree and find a good ass career. After suffering the heartache of losing her parents to the lousy game, she wanted nothing more to do with it.
While Ryan was disappointed in Don for not telling them about being in the game, Erin was disappointed that he even had to resort to it. Furthermore, she had slight resentment towards her parents, for not protecting them in a situation like this. Growing up, they were showered with materialistic shit. Their parents demise proved the saying, ‘everything that glitters ain’t gold,’ to be true because they had nothing. They went from the family everybody wanted to be to the family struggling to be what they used to be.
Erin hated thinking so ill of her parents in their absence, but she couldn’t help but wonder what their life would be like if they had set a stronger foundation. She wished they made wiser decisions because it could’ve helped them out in a time like this. Ryan would’ve never felt the need to steal that necklace from the market, those mall trips would’ve been accompanied by cash. The Winston’s clean out job would’ve been nonexistent. And besides, Don wouldn’t be out in the streets to end up in jail, awaiting his destiny.
Ryan barely slept that night, waiting for Deuce to call with an update. Her worry went to no avail because he didn’t call. She had even texted him and got no answer. Ryan looked over at her sister who was sound asleep. The moonlight shined on her face through the curtains, giving her such a serene appearance.
All she could do was pray that Don would come out on top, without him out in the free world, the girls were doomed. He was their meat and potatoes. It was hard to not think negative, but Ryan had to make sure they were covered. Of course, she was going to wait it out, but when it was time to get her hands dirty, she would be ready. Erin had no choice, but to jump on board. Although, she was always hesitant. She still came through because that’s what Edwards do!
May 2017
Two weeks had passed, and Don was still not home. Deuce made sure to enlighten the twins on what was going on. Deuce got an attorney to work on the case because he knew having a public defender would ruin Don. At least now he had some kind of chance.
“What you mean he was denied again? I pay you good fucking money to get the job done.” Deuce roared into the phone, causing Ryan to jump.
Deuce’s face was distorted as he listened to the lawyer call off bullshit.
“I don’t give a fuck whose ass you gotta kiss, get it done!” Deuce ended the call and threw the phone down. Ryan rose up in bed and started massaging Deuce’s shoulders. Now, wasn’t the time for her to interject although she wanted too.
“I’m sorry, baby,” Deuce apologized, “but this nigga getting on my fucking nerves. Lawyers gotta be the biggest con artist on fucking earth. They charge an arm and a leg, just to give you bullshit ass answers about every fucking thing. Nigga ain’t did shit right but got his hand out repeatedly for bread.”
“Deuce?” Ryan inquired.
“Yeah?” He turned around to look at Ryan’s beautiful face.
“Why they holding Don? I know it gotta be something serious if he can’t even get bail.”
Deuce stood up from his bed and walked to the window. He stretched his left arm up, planting it on the outside of the window pane.
“That ain't my place, ma?”
“What you mean?” Ryan was annoyed. She was sick of everybody keeping secrets from her like she was a little ass girl.
“Don asked me not to go into detail about it. He will fill you in as he sees fit.”
“This some bullshit!” Ryan was defeated.
Deuce looked back at her, he could see the pain all over her face. A girl so young and beautiful, carrying the burden of her family’s misfortune.
“This is my shit, Deuce. My brother and sister are my everything. We may not be the traditional family, but we are one. Don is the head of our household, without him we ain’t got shit.”
Deuce couldn’t lie, that was one of the reasons he fucked with Ryan so hard. To be as young as she was, she was always thinking ahead. She could really dominate in the drug game. Deuce erased the thought from his mind. He had one mission and one mission only.
“Yo, I hear all that you talking, but you gotta trust the process. Don will be out before you even know. Now, let’s go I gotta get you to school.”
Ryan shot Erin a text letting her know they were on their way to pick her up. The entire ride to school, Ryan replayed the conversation her and Deuce had, just moments before. Trust the process. She repeated to herself. Deuce made her feel at ease. No matter the outcome she knew she could count on him.
Ryan and Erin sat in the back of the courtroom scared as hell. They knew it could go either way for Don. He was either walking out of there with them or going back with the guards. At this point, all they could do was hope for the best. They spent the last few weeks anticipating this court date. Scenario after scenario skyrocketed in and out their minds until it was too overwhelming to keep up. The best thing they could do was let it go. It was going to be, what it was, and they had no control over it.
“All rise…” The entire courtroom stood up at the bailiff’s request, welcoming the judge into the courtroom.
Judge Randle took his place behind the bench, “You may all be seated, the court is now in session. We call case 12345, the state of New York vs. Donald Lee Edwards Jr. Is the prosecution ready?” Judge Randle asked.
“Yes, your honor.” The prosecutor, Andrea, stood up.
“Is the defense ready? Judge Randle continued.
“Uh, yes we are your Honor.” Don’s attorney, Jonathan answered. He was a short, good-looking, bald white dude, who looked as if he was ready for war. Johnathan went on about how the accusations called against Don were false. He stated there was foul play in the evidence of the case and requested that the case is thrown out. Johnathan also threw in the fact that he was denied bail, several times.
Prosecution wasted no time going in on Don, “Your Honor, as a representative of the state of New York, it is my duty to clean up our drug-infested streets. That is impossible to do with criminals such as Donald Lee Edwards Jr. walking free. He was caught with an abundance of heroin, with the intent to sell. Not only that, but he also had a large sum of money in his possession.” Erin and Ryan looked at each other in disbelief. How could Don move so sloppy? Their minds wandered back to that Thursday morning when they could tell something was bothering him. His mind was so ruffled that day, he was off his game.
“That was some opening statement,” Erin whispered to Ryan, but she got no answer just a jolt in the ribs, hinting her to keep quiet.
Judge Randle, took off his black-rimmed glasses, that were sitting on the tip of his nose, and put them down next to his gravel, “I see you guys are starting off strong.”
Ryan looked around the courtroom to see if she spotted Deuce, but she couldn’t pick him out the audience. She assumed that he would be there for support. Erin and Ryan watched on intensely, as Andrea and Johnathan went head to head. Don sat with his head up high, even when he was called to the stand. Don’t let ‘em see you sweat.
Judge Randle, called for a brief recess so he could go over his notes. Erin and Ryan went out to the lobby for some fresh air. The atmosphere was so intense, it felt like the walls were closing in on them.
Ryan turned her phone back on and waited to see if she had any notifications from Deuce, there was nothing. She called him but didn’t get an answer. She shot him a quick text message before powering her phone off. It didn’t take long for the court to be called back into session.
“All rise, the court is now back in session, the honorable, Judge Randle resides.”
Judge Randle had a stone look on his face, which was hard to read. Erin tapped her right leg up and down, and Ryan fidgeted with the bottom seam of her blouse.
“Thank you. You may take your seats. In the case of 12345, the state of New York v. Donald Lee Edwards Jr., I find the defendant, guilty of all charges. Mr. Edwards, you will be sentenced to ten years.”
Erin and Ryan gasped. Tears clouded their vision as they watched the officers handcuff Don and lead him out of the courtroom. Don’s pride was bruised, he didn’t have enough guts to turn and look at his sisters. He felt like he let them down, big time. Not only did he let them down, but he also let down his parents and Grandpa Lenny.
The twins didn’t mum a word as they walked out of the courthouse. Luckily, Deuce was sitting out front waiting for them. He let out a sigh when he saw the distraught look on the twin’s face. Not seeing Don following behind them was more confirmation, that today didn’t go well.
As soon as Erin got into the back seat of Deuce’s truck, she was hysterical. Silent tears graced Ryan’s cheek as the girls cried their eyes out the entire commute. Once they got into the apartment, Erin ran into the house. Ryan sat in the front seat, wiping away her tears.
“Where were you?” She finally asked.
“I don’t do Feds, ma,” Deuce answered.
Ryan sighed, “Ten years, ten fucking years!” She banged on the dashboard.
“Chill, Ryan!”
“Deuce, don’t tell me to fucking chill. That’s my fucking brother!” She didn’t face him, she couldn’t.
He understood she was upset, so he let her slick mouth slide. Deuce examined Ryan’s state. He was so used to her having it all together, it caught him off guard. Although, it was nice to see she had a soft spot. She made sure to tell him how much her family meant to her, every chance she got, but it was different seeing those emotions play out in front of him.
“I know you don’t want to hear it. There’s nothing I can really say to make you feel better, right now. The only thing that would make you feel better is to have Don here right now. Unfortunately, I can’t do that. Johnathan bitch ass promised me he was going to take care of everything, so I didn’t think there was anything to worry about. I’m sorry I failed y’all. Best believe, as long as there is air in my body, I’m going to see to it that y’all straight. Ya, feel me?”
Ryan was exhausted, she had no energy to entertain this conversation. She looked at Deuce with pity in her eyes. Just before she got out the car, Deuce yelled out to her, “I’ll show you, baby girl. You’ll see.”
Deuce kept up his end of the bargain, just as he said he would. The next couple of weeks was a tough transitional phase for the twins, but he made it a whole lot easier. They were able to focus on the last month of school while Deuce covered the finances.
“I guess Deuce ain’t all that bad,” Erin admitted. She was impressed on how he was coming through for them.
Ryan smiled, “Yeah, he might.”
Erin sucked her teeth. No matter how nonchalant Ryan was acting, she knew her sister was falling deeper and more profound for him.
“Okay, he is dope as fuck!” Ryan screeched, “but…”
“Oh no, ain’t no buts, Ry. Just ride the wave.”
Leave it to Ryan to be iffy about something, “You remember what Ma use to say?”
“Ma use to drop a lot of jewels.” Erin thought back to all their girl talk sessions.
“True dat. Remember what she said about niggas taking care of us? ‘It doesn’t matter if he is giving you the world, you make sure…”
“…You have your own’.” Erin finished their mother’s jewel.
“Exactly! I appreciate everything Deuce is doing for us, but what happens if he decides to stop fucking with us.”
“You think he would do that?
“Nah, I don’t think so, but you can never be too sure. I’m just saying, ten years is a long time to ride.”
“I guess you’re right about that.” Usu
ally, Erin would be trying to switch the subject to something more logical, but it made perfect sense.
Ryan smirked, her infamous smirk.
“Oh no, Ry. Not this shit again.” Erin was reading her sister’s wicked mind.
“You got another plan?”
“We can get a job,” Erin said proudly. Ryan looked at her and started laughing.
“I mean it is summer, I’m sure a lot of places are hiring.” Erin thumbed through her phone to pull up a job finder app.
Ryan grabbed the phone out of Erin’s hand, causing her to jump. Erin knew just what she had in mind, and surprisingly enough she was here for it.
“Okay!”
“Yassss, sis!” Ryan jumped up in excitement kissing all over her sister.
“Now, look we gotta play this smart,” Erin commanded.
“I’m listening.”
“Iight bet. Stephon…” Erin started.
“Stephon?” Ryan asked, cutting her off.
“Yeah, this dude I’ve been kicking it with,” Erin admitted.
“You’ve been kicking it with niggas and ain’t tell me!” Ryan was offended.
“Yeah, cuz I knew your ass was gonna act like this.” Erin kept her personal life as low key as possible. She was pleased to have kept it under wraps this long.
“Where you meet ol’ boy?” Ryan inquired. She quickly forgot they were talking business. The thought of Erin talking to some dude was now her primary focus.
“Never mind all that. That’s not important.”
“Um.” Ryan could not believe, she was holding out.
“Look, you want the plan or not?”
“I’m listening.” Ryan scooted closer to her sister, waiting for her to give the rundown.
June 2017
Erin and Stephon met at the corner store, a little before Don got locked up. Stephon was physically attractive, but his arrogance made him ugly. He only stood about 5’5” but had an ego bigger than he could carry. Stephon had a pudge around his mid-section. Although he wouldn’t identify himself as a fat nigga, he was close enough.
Erin rolled her eyes at first sight of him. He was talking loudly and seemed like he was rocking every chain he owned. Stephon had his black pea coat opened, and his solid white V-neck shirt fell at his waistline so he could show off his Gucci built.
