Shyt List 5: Smokin' Crazies The Finale' (The Cartel Publications Presents)

by Reign (T. Styles)

  The moment he turned the gold knob, he was surprised to see Ming sitting on the bed on the phone. Her voice was low and she was turned away from the door. The moment she sensed his presence, she disconnected the call and jumped up. Ming was often missing for hours in a day, or found talking on the phone in private. Although they couldn’t put their hands on what she was doing, she swore she wasn’t reaching out to Boy, which could get them all in trouble.

  “Bricks…I didn’t…I thought…”

  “Sorry, Ming, I didn’t know nobody was in here.” He stepped inside even though his original plan was foiled. How could he dig through Bradshaw’s shit if the room was occupied? He was already embarrassed that he was interested in the life of a dead man anyway. “You not making calls are you? The last time you called home, they knew where to find us.”

  “No. I was just…I was just, trying to find a place to order some food.” She was lying but he couldn’t prove it.

  “What you really doing in here?”

  “I came in here earlier just to look around.” If she was telling the truth, it meant they had the same idea. “You know, he was Boy’s father too.” She paused. “Yvonna never told you?”

  “She said Boy and Delilah was brother and sister, but I didn’t see past anything else. In the hood, it’s nothing for a family to be extended, even if they don’t share the same bloodline. I can’t tell you how many play cousins I got out there.” He laughed to himself hearing how ridiculous it sounded.

  “I guess you’re right.” She looked around Bradshaw’s room and then down at the floor. She seemed melancholy, like something was on her mind. “No…they actually have the same father.” Her deep smoldering eyes appeared to avoid his, as she looked for something to do with them. “Well,” she walked toward the door, “let Ming leave.”

  He respected her departure, until he grabbed her hand softly. “Ming, you have a second? I kind of wanted to talk to you about something.”

  He gripped her hand and the touch lingered longer than either of them wanted. There was so much sexual tension between the foursome that it was tough to deny. In that brief minute, without words, they shared recognition. Prior to this moment Ming felt like she was alone, but suddenly she could tell he felt the same emptiness inside. She felt like an outcast in the world of Yvonna and Swoopes and Bricks felt the same.

  “I didn’t mean to grab you like that.” He cleared his throat and let her go. “I just wanted to rap to you ‘bout something. It’s jive fuckin’ me up.” He paused. “Have you noticed anything about Yvonna? That’s different lately?”

  Ming walked to the bed and sat down. She thought he was going to ask her about Swoopes. Because she was short, her feet dangled off the edge. When her leg softly touched his, he gave her some space, by scooting to the opposite end. There was something weird going on between them, and Bricks figured it was the alcohol, because he never looked at Ming in anyway but respectful.

  “Not really. She seems fine to me.”

  He knew that wasn’t the case and decided to be the one who jumped out there. “How do you feel about her, talking to people who aren’t there? Does it bother you?” She shook her head, as if it was forbidden to acknowledge it out loud. “I’m confused.” He stood up and walked toward the black ornate dresser with a large mirror mounted on top of it. When he got there, he turned his body around and leaned against it. It rocked a little. “I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to handle this shit. Black people don’t usually deal with mental illnesses.”

  “Ming doesn’t understand most of it either.” She shrugged. “Maybe it’s not for us to understand. Maybe we just need to be there for her.”

  He looked down at his dry hands and back into her beautiful eyes. “I know this is heavy, and I don’t even know why I’m asking you but I…” he swallowed, “I…don’t know what to do. I mean…what can I do to help her? I’m her man and I feel helpless with this shit. Like all I can do is sit back and watch her take a turn for the worst.”

  In confusion, she pointed at herself. “So you’re asking me?”

  “Yes.”

  Since her opinion was usually disregarded in their fold, she was caught off guard. Now that it was time to contribute, for the health of the team, she was coming up short with something noteworthy to say. She had a few ideas, but what if she said the wrong thing? Would he seek her assistance in the future?

  She slapped her hands on her upper thigh and rubbed them toward her knees before stopping abruptly. The motion seemed awkward but so was the moment. Stuck in place, she squinted and said, “Maybe you should call the doctor. The one who loves her.” Going further she said, “Terrell Shines.”

  He frowned and got heated. He knew there was a reason he didn’t ask her shit, she was too stupid. How could she even mention his name, when they found out a month back, he was consorting with the police? In his book he was tagged a snitch, and in the world of real men, they didn’t have a place.

  Instead of responding, he moved for the door and leveled a basilisk glare in her direction. “I’m out.”

  Needing to prevent his exit, she leaped off the bed. “Bricks, don’t leave yet.” He stopped. “Hear me out, please.”

  He slowly turned around. “What, Ming? Because you tripping hard now.”

  “Yvonna is sick. Ming doesn’t need to tell you that because you already know.” She played with the edge of the large white t-shirt on her frame. It was the only thing covering her naked body. “But it’s serious. You only need to read the papers to see how she rolled in the past. This is dangerous.”

  Agitated he said, “Get to the point.”

  “Okay,” her right foot shook nervously under her body, “I’ve known she was sick for a long time. And I’m ashamed to say, part of the reason I liked her was because of her illness. To me she was different.” She walked closer to him. “Still, she’s sick, the kind of sick that love can’t cure. If you care about her,” finally she looked into his eyes, “and I can see that you do, you need to get her help.” She moved toward her purse and grabbed a phone. “It’s clean. I bought it when we went into the store the other day.” She scrolled through it. “Terrell’s number is right here.” She extended the phone but he didn’t accept it. “Maybe you should call him.”

  Instead of taking the phone he scowled. Her insolence was pushing him to the limit. “You called this dude? After you know he ratted us out?”

  “Yes, but it wasn’t because I wanted to. I’m worried about Yvonna.” She eyed the floor again. “Anyway, he wouldn’t talk to me. Said something about me being responsible for her sickness. Because I won’t call the police and tell them where she is, so that she can be admitted to some dirty ass hospital.” She looked into his eyes. “I don’t want to see that happen, Bricks. But just like you, without his help, I don’t know what else to do. We can’t go to the hospital; she’s wanted by police. We can’t go to a clinic, they may see how bad she is, and admit her right away. But it’s up to us to help, if we say we really love her.”

  Bricks felt her heartfelt response and knew then, whether Yvonna realized it or not, that she loved her. Ming could be a little irritating at times, he’d give her that, but she did care about her friend. If she was willing to put herself out there to help Yvonna, he needed to put his differences aside regarding Terrell, and step up. Even if he and Yvonna weren’t going to make it, because after the last fight they had in the bedroom, he couldn’t be sure.

  He walked toward her. “Give me that phone.” She relinquished it and he dialed the number. To his surprise, Terrell picked up after the first ring. Bricks was hoping it lingered on for at least one more ring, so he could get a few thoughts together.

  A flustered tone covered Terrell’s voice. “What do you want, Ming?”

  “It ain’t Ming.” He looked at her. “It’s Bricks.”

  Silence.

  “Hello?”

  Terrell began huffing and puffing, as if he was trying to contain himself from jumping through
the phone. “I’m here. But what the fuck do you want with me?”

  “I know Ming talked to you…”

  “She did!” He interrupted. “And just like I told her, I’m gonna tell you too, you’re not helping Yvonna by being with her while she commits crimes.”

  Angry he asked, “So you help her by trying to get her arrested? I don’t know if you ever been in a prison, but good health care is the least of their worries.”

  “The cops came to me!” he defended. “I didn’t go to them. Either way, she wouldn’t be admitted in a prison, she’d be sent to a mental institution. But you won’t give her that opportunity because you’re selfish.” Then he paused. “Yvonna is a sick woman, and without her medicine she’ll do nothing but get worse. God forbids she drinks alcohol too. You’re fucking with fire and you need to do her a favor, call the fucking police!”

  “Just like a snitch to make excuses.”

  “Call it what you want! But a man was murdered by her and…

  “And what?” Now Bricks was angry. “You tell me what happened good doctor? Don’t sit over there and act like you know what the fuck happened that night, when you weren’t even there ‘cause you were fucking her fake ass friend, Gabriella! But guess what, I was there!”

  “I don’t have to act like anything because when Yvonna is involved, I can predict the outcome. I was with her for years before you were even thought of, youngster. And you know what, I’m no longer a fool.” He sounded like a bitch, even though he added an extra level of base to his voice. “I’m hip to what Yvonna is and what she is, is a monster.”

  “It’s so easy for you to make the decision that she needs to be admitted now, but I gotta wonder, if it’s because she’s not wit’ your ass no more?” he paused, to let his statement simmer. “If I recall, she committed a boat load of shit before she even met Urban Greggs, but it didn’t seem to be a problem then. Maybe you never cared.”

  “I did…”

  “Well if you say you loved her then why would you judge? She had to do what she had to do, to save her life. And I can vouch for her about what happened that night.”

  “Don’t tell me about love!” He screamed, and his voice broke. At the moment he felt pain like Bricks could only imagine. Sure he fucked Gabriella, her friend at the time, the weekend of the Urban Greggs fight. But after he thought about it, he realized why he felt he needed to be with her then. It was his attempt to be connected to something related to Yvonna, after her constant rejections. “I have defended her on more than one occasion, even when it meant putting my practice on the line. If that ain’t love I don’t know what is.”

  Although Bricks didn’t like him, for the first time, he felt where he was coming from. Putting him self in the man shoes, although he didn’t like his style, he replied, “Look, if you love her like you say you do, meet up with me.”

  “For what?”

  “To give me her medications. She doesn’t have any and she thinks she doesn’t need ‘em. I know better, so if I have to, I’ll force her to take ‘em. She can’t go to a doctor but none of us can take her right now. It’s tough on us. We need your help, I’m asking you.”

  Silence.

  “I’m going to report this number to the police. So don’t ever call it again. And that goes for Ming too.”

  Bricks looked at the phone and slammed it into the wall. “FUCK!” Witnessing his rage, Ming jumped back to keep her distance. He looked at the damage he caused to her cell. “You need to get another phone anyway, the bitch ass nigga going to the cops.”

  She sighed. “So now what?” she was still hopeful. “What do we do about Yvonna?”

  “For now we act like we don’t see a problem. And hope shit gets better before it gets worse.”

  DELILAH

  Delilah tossed and turned, as she lay down in her pink and cream canopy bed. Every available space on the lower wall in the bedroom was stuffed with a doll, her passion.

  Confusion wrecked her consciousness and she didn’t understand what was happening in her world. One minute her mother was dead and the next she was alive. But since she reentered her life, all she wanted was to be around her, yet her attention seemed to be focused on her friends. Sure she knew Bricks and Ming because she played with their kids, but who was Swoopes. And what did he want with her mom? Whatever happened over the next few days, she prayed that her mother would never leave her again. Those thoughts put her to sleep until her mother entered the room.

  Delilah sat up in bed, rubbed her eyes, and turned on the pink princess lamp on the nightstand. “Mommy! I was just dreaming about you.” A bright smile flashed across Delilah’s face and she reached for her with outstretched arms. “It’s amazing!”

  Instead of coming in, she hung in the doorway, with a glass of Hennessey and Vodka in her hand. Now that Delilah could see her eyes, she noticed they appeared glazed over. “A dream about me, huh? Well why don’t you tell me what it was about.” She walked in and closed the door softly behind her. She took a sip, “I’d love to hear this shit.”

  Delilah’s smile turned upside down and she dropped her arms to her sides. “It was a bad dream. You probably wouldn’t like it.”

  “It can’t be that bad.” She moved the cream curtain hanging from the bed, and sat on the edge. “You had a high smile on your face when I first came in. So tell me about it.”

  “You won’t like it, mommy.” She assured her, with a few heavy head rocks from left to right. “It was that God took you away from me again, and I was really sad.” She scooted closer. “If he does, I’m not going to like God anymore. I didn’t like him when I found out you went to heaven either. But I especially wouldn’t like him now. The devil might be nicer if you ask me.”

  “Don’t worry…can’t God or nobody else take me away. Anytime soon.” A sly smile spread across her face. “I have so much left to do on earth.”

  Delilah beamed again and threw her arms around her mother. “I knew it! I knew you wouldn’t leave me again.”

  Delilah was in heaven in her mother’s arms, until her fingers were pried off and she was pushed violently against the headboard. Her head bang against the edge and a small knot raised in its place.

  Instead of a warm smile, an evil glare took its place. “Listen here you little, bitch,” she pointed her finger in her face, “you better never put your hands on me again! Ever! Do I make myself clear?”

  Delilah was motionless.

  “Mamma…what’s wrong?”

  She leaned toward her and averred, “Nothing is wrong with me, but a lot will be wrong with you, unless you listen to me.” When Delilah backed away slightly, she snatched her toward her again. “Now…there’s been a change of plans. In the morning, you are to stay with your aunt Jesse. This is not open for negotiation.”

  “I don’t understand. I want to…”

  Yvonna slapped her in the face. “Do you understand me now?”

  Although she was fearful about what her mother would do next, there was nothing more terrifying than being without her again. Tears rolled down her face and she said, “No, mommy. I don’t want to leave you. I don’t want you to leave me. I can see aunt Jesse next time. Please don’t send me away.”

  The girl was stubborn and it wasn’t favoring well with Gabriella, so with extreme force she slapped her again. “I’m not your mother.” She pointed in her face, and the child caught a whiff of the strong alcohol on her breath. “I could never have pushed something out of me as weak as you. So don’t say it anymore.”

  She was confused. Her mind was swinging. She had plans to be the best little girl Yvonna ever wanted, just so she would remember how much she loved her, and would never leave again. It seemed like before she had a chance to prove herself, she was already displeasing her. “What did I do, mommy? I promise not to cry again. I promise not to do anything to make you mad. Just please…don’t send me away. Don’t you love me?”

  “Love you?” Gabriella laughed heartedly. “I fucking hate you.”

&nbs
p; Delilah cried hysterically but Gabriella could care less. She was trying to even the slate and get Yvonna in a position necessary to fight AFCOG. Having kids hanging around would only complicate the situation and get them killed. “Now, you are going to tell me tomorrow morning the moment you wake up, that you want to go stay with your aunt Jesse. I’m going to probably ask you why, and you are going to tell me that you miss her. No matter what I say, you have to be with your aunt. Do you understand?”

  She didn’t understand. And if fighting for her mother would make her see how much she loved her, then that was exactly what she was going to do. Until Gabriella made her next statement.

  “If you don’t do what I’m asking, I will never talk to you again, Delilah. Do you want that? If you force me to do that, I will hate you forever.”

  Delilah finally understood. There was no reasoning with this person. So she wiped her tears away and said, “You are Gabriella…aren’t you?”

  Gabriela laughed. “Wow…you’re smarter than I thought.”

  With anger Delilah said, “My mommy would’ve never hit me, or tell me she wouldn’t talk to me again. She loves me too much. And you don’t love nobody but yourself.”

  “Since we’re not playing games anymore, you need to know this, if you don’t do what I’m asking, I’ll kill her.”

  “But you’ll kill yourself too.”

  “Do you think I care?” She paused. Delilah’s eyes showed her she wasn’t sure. “Don’t fuck with me, Delilah. You’re a big girl, but you’re not bigger than me. I’m the devil reincarnated, so stay in your fucking lane.”

  BRICKS

  Bricks drove angrily down the street with Yvonna on his mind. He slammed his fist against the black leather steering wheel, every time her last words replayed in his head. As much as he hated to admit, Yvonna was right. He was trying to find an excuse to get as far away from the situation as possible. But it wasn’t because he didn’t want to ride with her or because he was a punk. His reason for needing to be sure she was the right one, had everything to do with Chomps and the promise he made to always be a presence in the young man’s life. And every time Yvonna took up for Swoopes, he doubted her loyalty.