Side Chick Life 3: The Finale

by Nicety

  My hand pulled on the lever shoving the passenger door open as it clicked. We were officially done. Our relationship, our alliance was broken and completely over. I still loved him, I did. I still had love for all the men that I dated who stomped all over my heart crushing it into a million pieces. But one thing about my heart was that it was incredibly resilient. It bounced back better than a newborn baby’s skin. Now that the truth was all out in the open, my heart had a new plan. All of them who hurt you, all of them must die.

  “Goodbye Vega.”

  The Next Day

  Vega

  After a shitty last night, there was no way I could go back to an empty ass house to sit in darkness lost in my thoughts. The hospital had become my home away from home. The only times I ever went home was to shower and change clothes. Food hadn’t even been in my vocabulary lately. As long as I was breathing the only thing I could focus on were Angel and the baby breathing fresh air on their own again.

  All of the ladies at the nurse’s station greeted me as I sluggishly strolled past heading down the hall to Angel’s room. One of the nurses called after, hoping to gain my attention. But having slept in the car once I pulled into the hospital parking lot last night, I merely kept thoughts of just plopping down in the chair by Angel’s bedside. Hearing her footsteps follow closely up behind me, it left me no choice but to stop and see what she wanted since it seemed as though she wasn’t giving up.

  “Doctor. Doctor,” she said making her way up to me.

  I turned around whipping my head tiredly in no mood for any small talk. My mind, body, and soul were beyond exhausted. Gazing down at the nurse’s all white work shoes then bringing my attention up past her dark green scrubs and up to her face, I tried not to look annoyed. She fingered her long blonde hair around her shoulder as she smiled at me. Her honey brown skin seemed to glisten along with her dark brown eyes in the hall lights. Her long dark eye lashes batted at me but all I could think of was sleep.

  “Yes, nurse… uh?” My hand rubbed the stress from my temple.

  “Carrie. My name’s Carrie. I just wanted to catch you before you went in the room. I figured you would want some much needed alone time with your wife this morning.” The nurse opened the manila folder chart she had in her hand.

  “Oh, yes. That would be nice. Thanks,” I assured her. “So what could I do for you, Carrie?”

  “Well I thought it would be great to give you a bit of good news. I wanted to tell you that your wife is doing so much better this morning. We just finished checking her vitals and everything is looking really good. The doctor wanted me to make sure you were told that he thinks your wife will be making a full recovery if she keeps going at this rate. He predicts she should awaken any day now.” Carrie exuded an excitement as if she were related to Angel herself.

  “Awe wow! That is the best news I’ve heard in days. I truly appreciate you coming to tell me this information, Carrie.”

  “Oh it’s no problem. We take care of our own, doctor. Besides, if you don’t mind me saying so, you’ve been looking like death these past couple of days,” She spoke timidly. “I knew you could use the little pick me up.”

  “Yeah well, it’s been kind of rough,” I replied stuffing my hands deep down in my pockets.

  “Everyone’s been trying to figure out how we could put together some kind of pick me up for you. When we saw this we thought there couldn’t be anything better.” Her casual smile was just the warmness that I needed to help nudge me in a good mood.

  “You and your staff have been more than helpful here during our stay. I want you all to know that you all are truly a blessing.” Shaking her hand, I turned headed straight for Angel’s room.

  My nose was filled with an intoxicating fragrance once I entered the room. Seeing her face would be the prefect topping on the great news I just received about her health. To know that she was doing so well that she just might pull through this made me feel like God was giving us a second chance to get this marriage thing right. We had both fucked up royally at it. But if the both of us were committed to putting in some heavy-duty work, there was no limit to how high our love could be for one another.

  I entered the room noticing that the attendants had peeled back the curtains allowing some much needed sunlight to illuminate the room. The early morning sun cast a beautiful glow upon Angel’s face. I was so happy to be in her presence. I should’ve never left. My plan to catch Violet up in her lies had backfired and it had only made me even angrier to think about her than I already was. Approaching Angel’s bedside leaning my hands on the rail, my eyes caught a glimpse of the sun’s rays shining heavily on a large bouquet of blossoms sitting on the miniature dresser on the other side of the bed.

  The colors were so unique and colorful. There were all different kinds of flowers ranging from long stem roses on down to bright yellow daffodils. They were the most amazing set of floral arrangements that I had ever seen. Progressively I headed over to the other side of the bed to get a better view of them. They smelled more wonderful the closer I got to them. There, sticking out just enough from the attractive bouquet was a small white note card sitting on a clear stick cardholder. The card read: Secrets are a dime a dozen. All of us have them. Do you?

  As soon as I read the words my breathing stopped briefly. It was the same message some dipshit had left at my house. My knees almost buckled thinking about someone stalking me with my past. They were getting closer now, stalking my wife on her near deathbed. The shit was getting way out of hand. The pit of my stomach filled with rage and once it reached my head I could no longer hold it in.

  “Who sent this shit?” I barked tossing the card on the floor before rushing out the door. I marched right up to the nurse’s station in mere seconds. They didn’t even see me coming as they chattered amongst themselves. “Who sent those damn flowers in my wife’s room?”

  “Doctor, doctor calm down.” Carrie put her surrendering hands in the air for me to pipe down. “What’s wrong?”

  “There are flowers in my wife’s room. I want to know who sent those flowers right now.” My body hovered over her like a dark cloud as I pointed down the hall towards Angel’s room.

  “I don’t know, doctor. When I came back from my rounds they were sitting here with a note that said to the wife of Doctor Vega Smart. The vase was wrapped in brown paper and whom it was for was printed on there. I don’t know who sent it, doctor. Honest.”

  I could tell that she wasn’t lying. Her words were too sincere. She was genuinely trying to help when she put the flowers in the room. I couldn’t have expected for anyone to know what I was going through. Still, that didn’t stop me from hyperventilating right there in the hall.

  “Oh my goodness, doctor. Are you alright?” Carrie asked placing her hands on my shoulder.

  “Yeah, yeah. I’m good. I’ll be fine,” I huffed grasping my stomach as I struggled to catch my breath. “I just need to find out who sent those damn flowers, Carrie. Can you help me?”

  “Uh… Um…” Carrie stammered.

  “Please, Carrie,” I demanded. “Think.”

  “Um, well you could ask the security desk if you could view the footage from the video this morning. They came in around 8am, right before you got here.” Her face lit up with a smile as if she was proud of herself for coming up with a solution.

  “Thank you Carrie,” I replied coolly, waltzing away from her without another word.

  I couldn’t get to the security desk on the first floor fast enough. Once there, I asked the security officer on duty if there was anyway that I could see video footage from this morning on the floor where Angel’s room was. Since he was the supervisor on duty, he played back the footage and allowed me to view it with no problem.

  He was more than happy to help me since I was a respected doctor even if it wasn’t in that hospital. My eyes searched the crowded footage. That early in the morning at any hospital was critically busy. Everyone was changing shifts and more sick patients were escor
ted in and out for various reasons.

  “There. Stop the tape,” I demanded forcing the security officer to abruptly pause the tape right where it was. “Who is that with the white cap on standing at the nurse’s station?”

  “I don’t know sir. It looks like a deliver guy with some flowers,” the security guard said.

  “Captain Obvious strikes again,” I joked sarcastically shaking my head that what he said was clearly visible on the damn tape. “I get that. But who exactly is that?”

  What he didn’t seem to point out, however, was that the person standing there had a long dark ponytail sticking out of the back of his cap. It could be that the guy could be a girl. It was hard to tell because the person was wearing baggy clothes and wore a cap sort of pulled down over their eyes. Still, I couldn’t help but to feel like I knew exactly whom that was standing there.

  “Thanks.” I slapped the security guard’s back as I darted back to the elevator pissed as shit.

  In the mist of Adrial’s bullshit love affair, he must have pillow talked to Violet about our wretched past. He was the only one who knew besides the guy that he got to help us get rid of the problem. He had to have told her some shit to keep her from jumping out of line, thinking that would scare her into submission. Well it didn’t. She was now using what his loose lips had spilled to sink my ship. I wasn’t about to play her game though. Fuck Violet. I’m going to win this game that she was eager to play, not her. I win. I always win.

  “Hey, I don’t want anyone else able to come up here and enter that room unless it is okayed by me. Do you understand?” I questioned, slapping my hand on the nurse’s desk slightly to get Carrie’s attention.

  “Yes, but—“

  “No one!” I brought my voice back down a few octaves. “No one is allowed in that room except staff and those who have been authorized by me. Is that clear?”

  “Yes, Doctor Smart.”

  Later On…

  Mika

  “I knew that motherfucka was still in the hood. Ain’t no way my niggas didn’t see that bitch ass nigga leave town. I’ve got eyes every fucking where.” Ox paced the floor of the living room nearly creating a path where he walked.

  That moment a few days ago in the funeral home played over and over in my mind. It kept Ox heated. It was like he would never calm down and stop talking about it. If only I had been able to reach my purse. If only I had just pulled out my gun and shot him the moment I had heard his voice, all of this shit would be over and I would be the hero. I would have gained the victory and justice I’ve longed to give my son. But I didn’t and I wasn’t. I couldn’t even seal the deal when I had the fucking chance.

  “Alright then. So now that we can really confirm that this motherfucka’s still in the city there ain’t nothing holding us back from finding that nigga.” Deidra clapped her hands together enthusiastically. “I want every one of you motherfuckas out checking every spot out there. What the fuck y’all still standing here for man? Bring that bitch to me, alive.”

  “Yeah but it ain’t been so simple for your goons, Ox. Them motherfuckas been playing in their asses or something. ‘Cause that bitch ass nigga hides like a fucking burrowing mole. Y’all ain’t never gonna find his ass. He’s a crack head now. You ain’t catching no crack head.” I folded my arms sinking my body further into the depths of the couch. "Besides, he knows everything you'll do."

  “Naw, we gon’ find his ass. No one is unattainable. Rodents just know all the good hiding spots. That’s all. But I’m the motherfucking exterminator. All I gotta do is smoke his ass up out of them damn holes.”

  There was no doubt in anyone’s mind that Ox was good at what he did. He was one of the most ruthless niggas in the city with the worst reputation and the most amount of haters. Everyone worshipped him in the streets and despised him all at the same time. He had most of the Chicago Police Department on his payroll and no telling how many politicians. The nigga was made and paid. But catching David proved to be somewhat of a task for his squad.

  Apart of the reason was because he and David knew each other’s mannerisms. David knew what Ox’s next moves would be because he knew how he operated. Having been friends before, David was able to know how Ox would try to hunt him down so it was natural that he would stay away from apparent territories or escape routes. He knew Ox’s ammo and would steer clear of anything that would put him in his path by any means necessary.

  “I believe you. I just wish I had ended that nigga’s life right there,” I spat side eyeing my failure.

  “Naw baby. You did the right thing. It was better for you not to draw too much attention to yourself like that anyway. I want that nigga dead too but we gotta be smart not dumb about this shit.” Ox used his index finger to point repeatedly to his dome.

  Deidra patted my leg and smiled. She was the coolest person I had ever met and was quickly becoming a real true friend. I was happy to have someone like her in my corner tougher than my own sister would. Speaking of her, I needed to go check on her. When momma died she told us that we needed to stick together no matter what we had going on between us. I knew what that meant but Angel had a hard time remembering that it seemed. Now her life hung in the balance and I was left doing what I always did, be there for her.

  “Aye, I need to go see my sister. I need to check on her and find out if she’s going to be alright.” I waved my hand in the air sitting up from my slumped position.

  “Alright then. I’mma go with you.” Ox sat down in the chair across from the couch.

  “Naw, it’s cool. I’ll be straight,” I countered.

  “No sis. If you go, we go from now on. We’re in this shit together. You’ve gotta listen to us.” Deidra’s calm tone was warm and friendly.

  “But I don’t want a big entourage around while I’m paying respects to my comatose sister,” I egged feeling a bit smothered. “I’m saying it was just one time and if David really wanted to kill me, he would’ve. I’d be dead right now.”

  Deidra and Ox eyed each other as if to say to one another that what I was saying held some bit of truth. But I could tell by the way that they looked away from each other that none of my requests was going to happen. I knew then that they would never let me go by myself. It was something that I feared since I had agreed to meet David tomorrow night to finally even the score between he and I.

  “I hear you, Mika. But I’ll be damned if that nigga show up again on you like that and I ain’t there. You feel me? That shit won’t happen again.” Ox sparked up a fat ass blunt allowing the smoke to fill his lungs before exhaling it deliberately into the air.

  “Told you,” Deidra scrunched her lips up to me before winking and pimping off to the back of the house.

  “Ugh, but Ox I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself. If I couldn’t you wouldn’t have given me the gun and taught me how to use it. Right?” I pled my case.

  “You’re not going out there alone, Mika.” His eyes and tone were tranquil yet stern.

  “Ox, you won’t even—“

  “You’re not going alone, Mika and that’s final,” Ox had never taken that loud of a tone with me.

  The fire in his eyes went from zero to a hundred in the blink of a second. Ox wasn’t going to bend on his word. Once the words left his lips, his word was bond. There was no flaking from it or trying to convince him of otherwise. I knew then that the conversation was over. Even though I didn’t like how he raised his voice at me, I knew it was for a good reason. I knew he would never bring his self to that level unless it meant some real shit. I respected him for looking out for what’s best for me but I was more than capable of doing that for myself as well.

  “Did you hear me, Mika?” He asked almost apologetic like.

  “Yes, Ox. I heard you.”

  “You’ve just gotta understand baby. I’m not trying to lose you for shit, not when I just got you.” His eyes locked onto mine. “You understand what I’m saying?”

  “Yeah, I understand Ox.”

 
Ox stood heading over to me bending a bit to give me the gentlest kiss on my forehead. With this thumb he rubbed it away. He meant well. I loved him for that. But I needed to meet David at the field tomorrow night. I knew deep down inside that I could put an end to this shit once and for all myself. If it weren’t for the funeral home director coming back into the room, I would have ended this shit once and for all.

  Ox’s goons were taking too long to do something I knew I could finish with the quickness. All I had to do was focus and pay attention and get that motherfucka before he tried to get me. Furthermore, dying wouldn’t be so bad anyway. At least I would be able to hold my son again. So if it was meant for me to go to heaven to be with him then I will make sure that he goes to hell where he is meant to be. I could do this. I knew I could. But first, I needed to figure out how the hell to get out of Ox’s sight long enough to handle that business and jump back in without him even noticing.

  Friday Morning

  Vega

  Sitting back in the chair with my mouth resting in my hands, my eyes continued to focus on the note that lay alone on the floor. I couldn’t bring myself to pick it up. The more I recognized it’s existence the more it pissed me off not knowing exactly who the fuck sent it. I had an idea but assuming shit was for fools.

  Still, I couldn’t help but to believe that she was the only one crazy enough to do some sick shit like that. Yeah, it was her doing this shit. If I didn’t get her out of my life through the police, I just might end up doing what Adrial wasn’t capable of doing. Either way, Violet had to go. I contemplated doing all kinds of things to Violet in my mind that would end her life quickly yet painfully. It was crazy what a few nights of heated passion will lead some people.