by Nicety
It was something Pandora had not anticipated but she knew that at least she would be somewhere nobody would know. She was a grown woman and nobody was going to hold her prisoner again whether it be in a house or in a cell, she was determined not to be shackled. Swallowing the grief she felt about the whole situation and muscling up the strength to proceed, she shrugged her shoulders.
“No biggie, right? I mean what’s the worse than can happen there? So we go out and do our business and come back in like we were looking for jobs or something.” Pandora smiled.
“Yeah, I guess,” Oxy shrugged squeezing her hand. “Do you really need that money from your sisters? Is it really that important to you?”
It was a question that she had replayed over and over in her head, wondering why Oxy could not understand her logic. The money was hers. She had worked so hard to get it and when she had it she felt like a queen, not needing or wanting anybody to do shit for her. She was able to stand on her own two feet like a boss when she had her money, never wanting to go back to broke. Being broke, people treated you like you were diseased and they looked at you with disrespect.
But what she truly wanted more than anything was revenge on the bitches that had put her in that predicament in the first place. She regretted not getting rid of them when she had the chance but the thought of killing Lexi at the time was more than she could bear. More than once she kicked herself in the ass for not planting a bullet in between Diamond’s eyes but that was one mistake she knew she would not make again.
“Did I tell you I called Diamond the other day? I told that bitch I was coming for my money, so she knows she better have it ready,” Pandora replied not getting totally off subject.
“You called her collect?”
“No. I sweet talked that cutie officer Jeff to use his cell. He was real sweet about it.”
“I’m sure you did. Did you fuck him Pandora?” The anger in Oxy’s eyes displayed a level of hell Pandora was unfamiliar with.
“Why do you always gotta jump to conclusions about shit, Ox? Damn!”
“Cause I know deep in your heart you are not all the way mines. I told you I’m not stupid, girl.”
“Well you might not be stupid but you keep this shit up and you are most definitely gonna run me away. I can’t deal with that kind of shit, straight up.”
Oxy calmed down realizing she was right. Pandora was the only girl who did not think she was grotesque and who opened up to her when she needed it. Oxy liked to be needed and with her frail stature and lesbian ways, many sexy women in public did not want to give her the time of day but in jail she could find a carpet licking chick with no problem and no hesitation. It was part of the reason why she liked to stay in jail where her peers would not penalize her desires. Pandora was the most beautiful one she snagged though, and she was going to move hell and high water just to keep her as long as she abided by her rules.
“I’m sorry baby. I’m sorry,” Oxy said moving close to her nibbling on her ear just how she liked, “You forgive me?”
Oxy moved her hand down inside of Pandora’s elastic waist skirt, fiddling her pearl like she was strumming a guitar. Pandora tilted her head back exhaling intensely needing to release some stress from their conversation. She concentrated hard, focusing on the rapid movements on her clit hoping she could cum before anybody noticed what they were doing.
“Do it faster baby?” she exhaled grabbing hold of her tits for increased pleasure.
“You like that shit baby?” Oxy breathed into her ear feeling tiny drips drop down her legs.
“Faster bitch,” Pandora answered pissed that she was not following her directions.
“Naw you’ll get more when we leave tomorrow. I just thought I’d give you a small taste.”
Pandora respired in disgust ready to slap the smile off of Oxy’s face. She took her orgasms very seriously and was sick of her half assed attempts to please her anyway. The sneaking was getting played and her head game seemed to be falling off leaving Pandora horny and frustrated. If looks could kill, she would have slaughtered her right on that prison bunk bed. Her thoughts ran rampant but she calmed down long enough to focus on the big picture. It was only a matter of hours before they would be released and all Pandora could think about was getting what she deserved. Nothing or no one else mattered.
Chapter 7
“Cause whether you open it or not it’s still going to read the same information baby.”— Nikki
Kojack sat on the let out couch in his office thinking about the events of the past few weeks. It was early. The sun had not crept across the sky yet but the fog alerted him that the hour of sunrise was upon him. He knew he was bogus for ignoring the millions of calls over the past few days from Lexi but he did not know another way to tear his self from her grasp. She was jailbait and that could only lead to one place, which was the one place he was trying to avoid besides his unexpected trip to the hospital. But even if he could get past that fact, he did not know if he could trust that Lexi was telling the truth about not sleeping with Diamond. Diamond’s words were programmed in his head like a DVR player and it was hard for him to let them go.
He pulled out the short rectangular folded up piece of paper that the doctor had given him and stared down at it like it was diseased. It was the one thing that held his fate and he could not bring his self to read the results. Every day since he left the hospital he had been dreading reading the words on the small sliver of paper but he knew eventually he needed to do so. It should not have been that hard for him since he goes to the doctor regularly for checkups and tests but it truly hit home for him when he knew that it could very well be a great possibility. The very possibility of him having a disease inside of him that he would not be able to take a few pills for and flush out of his system scared him shitless. It was incurable, it was deadly, and it was fatale.
His long arm reached over for another bottle of Corona from the box of long necks that he had purchased. He cracked it open with the opener on his keys and tossed the cap on the floor to join the other dozens that were already there with their bottle counterparts. The office was a mess and he smelled a fright having not washed his body even though his office adorned a full marble cabinet bathroom that he built his self. It had a huge closet full of clothes that he had placed in there for days much like the ones he had been spending there along with a full washer and dryer but Kojack had not felt like doing anything since he had the news of his HIV test results in his hand.
“Boss…oh I’m sorry,” Nikki, his assistant said as she barged in on him in his plaid boxers and white tank top.
“Naw, Naw it’s cool. Come on in. What do you need Nikki?” he mumbled his words slurred.
“Um, I just wanted to give you these invoices. They needed to be signed before I could mail them off,” Nikki said looking around the office bewildered as to why it looked like a trash can exploded inside of it. “Do you wanna talk or something?”
“Talk about what, the fact that my life is slowly going to shit or the fact that the weight of the world is on my shoulders?”
Nikki sat her thick dark skinned waist down on the bed next to him. Her four inch boots remained on the floor so she did not get any dirt in the bed out of respect for him. Her jeans were extra tight and her blouse remained unbuttoned one button below normal everyday just for a man who never paid attention to her. She flicked her shoulder length hair and batted her dark brown eyes at him hoping he was sobbing because of a break up. She was an expert at making men feel better.
“Why don’t you start at the beginning, baby? I’m here for you,” she cooed while rubbing his leg gently.
“What’s the point? It won’t change what’s written on this piece of paper.”
“Let me see the paper.”
“No. I need to be a man and do this on my own. Could you just leave and shut the door and tell no one else to come in here. I’m not working today,” Kojack said leaning back on the back of the sofa.
“I really don�
�t think you should be alone right now sweetie. I mean, look at you. Have you even bathed?” Nikki said running her fingers across the top of his braided hair.
“Naw, gotta do this first.”
“Well whenever you’re ready just open it. Cause whether you open it or not it’s still going to read the same information baby,” Nikki replied standing to give him a good view of her backside, “Call me if you need me sweetie. You know I’m here for you.”
“Speaking of being here, why are you here so damn early? Site workers don’t get here ‘til 7 a.m.”
“I always get a head start on my days.”
“So you start early and leave late all in the interest of the company?” Kojack questioned.
“It’s something like that,” Nikki winked as she walked out of the door shutting it gently behind her.
Kojack nodded her off knowing exactly what she wanted. He could not even fathom thinking about something like that with the information he needed revealed to him on a single sheet of paper. He his self could not understand what was taking him so long to unravel this sheet and read the results. The thought of his life being decided by this test was not something he was prepared to deal with. As he sat back staring off into nothing he began to realize the root of his problems began with Diamond. As many times as he avoided females like her, he kicked his self repeatedly for finally giving in.
“Shit! I can’t change shit now, man. But I didn’t fuck her though. I know I didn’t fuck her,” He recited over and over to his self, “Did I fuck her?”
He was confused. He could not figure out if he had slept with Diamond thinking she was Pandora or vice versa. They played so many games back then and they looked so very much alike that hell, they could have been the same person if it were not for their different personalities. It was a trait that he learned too late in the game. He placed his head in both of his hands rubbing his eyes roughly attempting to relieve stress from them as the paper slid out of his hand and onto the bed. It fell slightly open and when he looked up to find it he saw wording peeping out from inside. Curiosity sunk in and his fingers grew a mind of their own as he reached for it flapping it open with one hand finally laying his eyes on the contents within.
****
Blagh! Blagh!
Lexi wiped her mouth and flushed the toilet cleaning the remaining upchucks off of the floor with tissue. She ran the cold water in the sink, cuffing her hand under the flow to splash a bit of it in her mouth. After the initial feeling subsided she grabbed her toothbrush and began scrubbing away the awful taste that still lingered orally.
“Hey Lex, you okay in there? It’s too early in the morning to be crying over Kojack now. Come on out of there,” Diamond yelled from the other side of the bathroom door.
She tried the knob but Lexi had made sure to lock it behind her. Lexi had never felt this way before and the only thing that rolled through her mind was Diamond’s words, she had AIDS. Her heart beat faster and harder than a bass drum at a parade as she tried not to hyperventilate. All of her promiscuity was fun and fulfilling but she slowly began to comprehend that it all came with a cost, even though it was a day late and a dollar short.
“I’m good, Diamond. Just go away, okay,” Lexi shooed the door as if it were she.
“No I’m not going anywhere until you open this damn door, because I know you ain’t good,” Diamond banged harder on the white wooden door.
“Ugh just go the fuck away!”
“NO!”
“Dammit Diamond,” Lexi roared as she turned the lock and whisked open the door. “Motherfuckas need privacy sometimes, damn.”
“Whatever. What’s going on in here?” Diamond asked raising her bony arm to stroke her sister’s hair but found it batted away.
“Don’t touch me. I don’t want to be touched right now,” Lexi growled mean mugging her own face in the oversized square bathroom mirror.
“Hey don’t get snappy at me just cause you mad your man ain’t been home. I don’t know what to tell you. Shit fuck him, girl. We need to be focused on squaring up with that bitch ass sister of yours.”
“She’s your sister too Diamond.”
“Yeah, but only by blood, fuck that ho. The sooner you start thinking like that the better off you’ll be.”
Lexi could feel the chunks rise to the top of her throat once more. She breathed heavily trying to force herself to hold it back and be okay but it seemed like it was coming no matter how much she fought. She spooned her hands underneath the running water again and puts water in her mouth hoping for relief. It was there. The water forced the vomit back down her throat and into her stomach as slight cramps began to form at the top of her abdomen. She soon realized as the pain increased that swallowing the vomit was a big mistake.
“Well I got business to take care of. You can stay here and wallow in your own shit but I ain’t gonna stick around to watch,” Diamond said as she walked off, “I’ll be back tonight.”
“Diamond…” Lexi whispered as she listened to her footsteps become more and more distant, “Diamond!”
The pain in her stomach was now becoming more than she could bear. It was unbelievable that mere vomit was the cause of the growing agony in her body. Lexi began to think of what she could have done to deserve such punishment from God. Her next thoughts were to ask Him to take her home now because she was not a person who could suffer through pain especially if she was going to die. Again, Diamond’s words rang true in her head. She did not know much about AIDS, just that you could get it through sex and it was obviously incurable, but she knew that if pain was what she had to go through she would just as well kill herself before enduring it.
“Diamond!” Lexi yelled again now balled up on the floor helplessly.
“What the fuck are you…” Diamond kneeled down to her stroking her hair gently, “Oh my God, Lex. Lex, baby what’s wrong? Are you okay? Lex, Oh my God! Come on baby you have to get up so we can get you to a hospital.”
“No…no hospitals, just take me to a clinic. I’ll be good.”
“Bitch ain’t nobody about to sit in a shabby ass clinic waiting on a low budget ass doctor to tell you to take some Tylenol and call it a day. You need a real doctor and we’re going to the fucking hospital. Now get up!” Diamond demanded wrapping her arm around Lexi’s torso and helping her to her feet.
“Aight, forget it. I think I’ll be fine. I just need to drink some water or something. Shit, maybe it’s my period coming on.”
“No period does you like that, Lex. I ain’t stupid. I told you to take your ass to the fucking doctor and get checked out.”
“Man, ain’t no fucking doctor gonna tell me I got AIDS and shit. The fucking plague and shit! Ain’t no doctor gonna tell me I’m gonna die, yo!” Lexi cried nearly becoming weak in the knees, “I’m sorry Diamond. But I don’t wanna die.”
Boulders of tears rolled from Lexi’s big brown eyes and onto her golden brown cheeks as she shoved her short hair back behind her ears. It was almost as if Lexi knew her life was already over. Her illness coupled with depression from Kojack’s separation from her began to be more than she could stand. She could hardly breathe feeling like her heart was about to stop and her blood would cease to flow. There was something wrong but she could not pinpoint exactly what.
Diamond sighed as she rushed to help Lexi with her coat and then out of the door into the car. “Don’t worry about it Lex. I know it can be a scary thing. But like you said boo, life must go on.”
“I don’t know if I’m as strong as you D.”
“You are you just don’t know it yet. Listen, you are going to be fine and you’re going to be a great aunt and be able to teach my kid…everything I couldn’t,” Diamond brushed a finger gently against Lexi’s face. “Okay? So quit freakin’ out and let’s get you to this hospital to find out what’s wrong.”
Lexi nodded. It was all she could do as she worked to calm herself and think happy thoughts. The pain seemed to grow by the minute sending striking sharp pai
ns through her stomach and around to her back forcing her to squirm in her seat. It felt as if a sharp knife was plunging inside of her, penetrating her organs over and over again trying for death. As Diamond drove down the street like she was racing for cash, she could not help but cringe every time Lexi grimaced with pain.
“Please hurry, D. I can’t take it! I can’t take it anymore!”
Chapter 8
“Never. I got you, baby.”— Pandora
“It’s fucking freezing out here. They could have at least given us a coat or something in this bitch,” Pandora noted through her chattering teeth.
“Fuck all that. I’m just happy to breathe fresh smog filled air rather than a piss infested cell,” Oxy rebutted.
“Either way it goes you motherfuckas will be back. Mark my words,” The female correctional officer said snickering and sliding her hands into her oversized cop issued winter coat.
The women turned facing the blank open road rolling their eyes in disgust. They prayed the officer would just go back inside of the gate and leave them be. Oxy’s dad had come through on his end of the bargain and they were indeed as free as a bird but were patiently waiting for a car to pick them up. The ladies both had on regular jeans and t-shirts accept Oxy adorned K-Swiss gym shoes and Pandora wore Christian Louboutin, the very shoes she went in the jail with.
“Where the fuck is this car? I can’t stand out here like this anymore,” Pandora whined, folding her arms to keep herself warm.
“Quit your crying. My dad said he was sending a car then he’ll send…”
A shiny black Lincoln Town car that had eased up parking in front of them interrupted Oxy’s words. She knew it was for them because her dad always sent black cars with dark tinted windows whenever it had anything to do with her. It was almost as if he was ashamed of her. Pandora tiptoed happily towards the car anxious to rip the door open and jump inside to warmth.
