Lyfe Changing

by Desirae Williams

  “You know Derrick you and I have been tip toeing around each other for a while now.”

  “Yes we have.” I agreed.

  “But I could never catch you doing your dirt…until now.”

  My face froze and I suddenly felt cold. “What are you talking about?” He pulled out a bagged weapon from behind him that looked very familiar and my eyes widened in shock. “Doctors found this on you when they brought you into the hospital…an unmarked gun Derrick? What is that… five maybe ten years?” I shook my head knowing damn well I was screwed. “Lord knows what I’m going to find when I search your place.” Detective Trent went on. “What!” I looked at him in disbelief. “Oh yeah…that search warrant I have been trying get on you finally panned out.” He said pulling out a blue slip from his jacket. He looked down on me with pitying eyes. “Looks like your luck has gone…it is over Derrick.” I looked away from him and shook my head. Damn. How the hell I was going to get out of this mess?

  7

  Coming Home

  Destiny

  I sat at my desk reviewing request for upcoming galas that had pre ordered particular paintings from my gallery. I had to make sure everything was right and in order before sending them off. I stood up and walked around my office as I reviewed dates, locations, and times trying to focus on work and not the events of the past week. “Ok paintings three and four go to Staten Island…Paintings five and two go to Queens….paintings one and six…” I stopped as Derrick Lyfe once again entered my thoughts. All I could see was his handsome face, battered body, and terrified eyes. “C’mon Destiny…forget about him…it’s over with.” I sighed.

  I threw the review orders on my desk and paced the floors. It had been a while since the accident and I had tried my hardest to bury those memories in the back of my mind. The entire experience had been so traumatic for me...for the both of us. When I went to the cabin that night I had no idea I was going to leave so early, let along witness an accident and put myself in harm’s way to save the victim …but I did. I wanted to stay at the hospital with him to make sure he was all right.

  He looked so hurt…so bruised… I wasn’t sure he would recover. When he opened his eyes he was so deranged and frantic like a wild animal…it still to this day frightened me. “Why am I still thinking about him?” I chuckled to myself as to why this man wouldn’t leave my mind. It all seemed like a beautiful nightmare that I couldn’t wake up from, but in reality I wondered would I ever see him again. I turned to a knock on the door. “Is it ok for me to come in?” Marisol asked standing in the doorway. “Oh yes, what’s up?” I asked welcoming her in. Marisol brought in some coffee for the both of us and took a seat. “I thought you could use it.” Marisol was the only I had told as of yet about the accident and she had been checking up on me every second of the hour. We both sat back and avoided the main topic that was on both our minds.

  “Well has anyone called about more orders?” I asked trying to avoid the conversation I didn’t want to talk about. She shook her head. “No just confirmations on already purchased items.” I nodded. “Good…more satisfied customers equal more business.” Marisol eyed me closely. I didn’t notice her gaze at first with my mind being so clouded. I caught her staring and looked up.

  “What?”

  “You’re still thinking about him?”

  She asked wondering if I was going to admit to her what I was thinking. I avoided eye contact not wanting her to get the satisfaction of being right. “Thinking about whom?” Marisol ignored my denial and laughed. “The mail man, I thought you had a thing for him.” I shook my head smiling. “Look, I just wanted to know if he was ok…had he recovered from his injuries.” I shamelessly admitted. I didn’t know why I cared so much but I did and I wouldn’t be able to stop thinking about Derrick until I knew he was ok. “Trust me…recovery is the least of his problems.” Marisol said shaking her head reading the paper. I looked at her puzzled. “What are you talking about?” She looked at me as if she said something she shouldn’t have and wished she could take it back. “Yeah…um…he’s being charged.” I jumped up from my seat in shock. “What!” I yelled causing Marisol to jump back.

  “What do you mean he is being charged, for what?” She looked at me wide eyed and speechless. “The cops found a gun on him ….it turns out he is known for being involved in criminal activity and now they’re going to charge him. It’s all over the paper” I took the paper from her hand and read the headline. Hospital victim turned criminal. I was in utter shock, How could they do this? I thought. He almost died, he is not even out of the hospital and they’re going to send him to jail. I paced the floors again; I didn’t know why I was in such an uproar, it’s not like I knew the guy that well but I had so much compassion for him, I didn’t want him to go to jail, not at a time like this. Marisol watched as I roamed around the room like a mad woman. “Um...Is there anything in particular you would like me to do?” I thought about it for a moment then looked at her. “Yes…get a number for me from Martin and Lees, call them up and I’ll take it from my desk. “ I instructed her. “On my way…” Marisol got up from her chair and left the room while I sat at my desk in a daze. I didn’t know what the hell I was about to do or why I was doing it….but it needed to be done.

  Derrick

  “All rise…court is now in session, Judge Latham presiding.” The Bailiff introduced the judge as he came into court. I stood as the defendant while the judge took his seat and prepared for my case. He was an old white man who looked like he came from a long line of plantation owners…just my luck. Don’t know how but those bastards finally did it, they got me in a courtroom, charged and filed. After Detective Trent lowered the boom on me at the hospital I was placed under arrest and brought down to the precinct. After spending a night in jail I started to think the hospital wasn’t that bad. Damn, I thought. Not only was out of all the money I stole, I was going down for a gun charge, how perfect was that? I lowered my head in defeat as the judge began. “We are here today to discuss the case of Derrick Lyfe who is being charged with one count of gun possession. Counselor?” He looked over to the toothpick in a tailored suit across from me to speak.

  The district attorney was a regular tall and skinny pale man with a bad comb over ready to take down yet another presumed thug. “Well your honor…the defendant Derrick Lyfe was found with a .22 caliber in his possession after being taken to the hospital after an accident.” I sighed and looked at the D.A. with a scowl, I didn’t have time for this torturous process… just lock me up shit, anything was better than this. “Mr. Lyfe, did you not request for an attorney?” The judge addressed me, not seeing some rich white attorney by my side. I didn’t request an attorney, what was the point I figured. Unless Jesus himself came down here there was no way I wasn’t going to jail. Before I spoke I heard a voice in the back address the court.

  “I’m Mr. Lyfe’s attorney your honor.” I turned around to see a young man in a navy suit and black brief case make his way over to my table. He looked like he had just come off of a clean and cut infomercial. I stared at him strangely. “Who the hell are you?” I whispered. He smiled my way ignoring my bluntness. “The guy who is about to save your ass.” Jesus… I thought. “You’re Honor I will be defending Mr. Lyfe today.” The judge looked down at the young man beside me. “Matthew…not like you to make house calls.” He nodded.

  “Well I am to today judge.”

  “Good lets proceed.”

  The district attorney seemed a bit annoyed by the appearance of Mr. Matthew in the courtroom which let me know he must be a force to be reckoned with. “Well your honor, I really don’t see the need for this proceeding, Mr. Lyfe clearly was found with an unmarked weapon in his possession.” My attorney shot back. “A weapon that was obtained during a fatal accident that my client was the victim off.” The judge eyed the stack of papers in front of him. “Charging an accident victim while still in the hospital…that’s pretty low even for you counselor.”

  “Just doing
our jobs your honor…Mr. Lyfe is a well-known criminal.”

  The toothpick attorney stared at me. I glanced his way, throwing him a you better be glad were in a courtroom and not on the street look, causing him to ease back. “Your honor, Mr. Lyfe has never been charged before this incident so to say he is a well-known criminal is defamation.” Mr. Matthew refuted…good job white boy. The judge nodded. “I agree.”

  “But your honor, the defendant has been involved in numerous criminal activities.” The judge eyed the district attorney as if he were wasting his time.

  “Well unless you can show me some charges or previous convictions I don’t want to hear about it…let’s get to the problem at hand.”

  “Your honor, being that this was my client’s first offense I saw we plead out to a lesser charge.”

  Mr. Matthew suggested with much pleading in his eyes knowing I had pretty much screwed myself. “What are you offering?” The judge asked looking over at the D.A. He looked frazzled that his plan to take me down was falling apart…and that’s what his punk ass gets. “Well your honor the people were thinking about five years Statesville…two years’ probation.” “What the hell!” I exclaimed. Mr. Matthew shushed me quickly before the Judge put me in contempt.

  “Your honor…this is not a repeat offender, five years Statesville is a little overreaching.”

  “Counselors approach the bench.”

  The judge sighed. They both stepped before him and conversed for a while, going back and forth leaving my fate in their hands. I stood in wait sweating bullets wondering was a miracle being worked or was I going straight into lock up. Mr. Matthew finally returned to me with face that surprisingly I couldn’t read. I stood up tall and crunched my knuckles in fear of the information I was about to receive. There was no way in hell these fools were about to lock me up. I was not about to let my kids see their daddy in jail. He finally came back and leaned over in his chair to speak with me. “Alright here’s what we got…I got the gun charge down to class A which mean it’s a misdemeanor. There offering five years’ probation.” I nodded…hey five years was steep but anything was better than Statesville or Rikers. “Ok… I can do that.”

  He looked away from me like he had something else to say but didn’t want to…me not liking to beat around the bush I pressed him to come up off the information. “What else?” Mr. Matthew looked back my way. “Five hundred hours of community service.” My head dropped and so did my gut. “Are you fucking serious?” I said looking at him like he was crazy. “So you expect me to be in the damn hot sun for five hundred hours picking up garbage off the street…are fucking you tripping.” Not appreciating my tone Matthew narrowed his eyes at me causing me to step back. I don’t know what he was thinking, just cause I was a little banged up didn’t mean I still couldn’t whoop somebody ass….especially some Richie Cunningham looking white boy. “Hey you’re lucky you’re not going to Statesville right now….this was the best I could do.” He pleaded with me. I finally nodded, he was right, a minute ago my ass was about to walk the green mile until he showed up and for that I was thankful. “Your right man…I appreciate it.” He nodded and we both stood. “Your honor we are taking the deal.” The district attorney looked pissed as hell and stood glaring at us. He could kiss my ass for all I cared I was free. The judge nodded and looked to me. “Mr. Lyfe what is your current address so I can notify your probation officer?”

  Before I could answer the toothpick spoke up. “Your honor…Mr. Lyfe no longer has an address his house has been put on the market and his belongings have been reposed.” Oh hell no… now I was pissed. “What the fuck do you mean they took my shit… all of it was paid for?” I yelled at the toothpick. “Mr. Lyfe calm down.” The judge ordered. “The defendant does not have an occupation and did not tax the payments he made thus for leaving the house and other material value taken by the state.” That punk ass D.A had the nerve to smile; I wanted to throttle his smug ass. I dropped my head in my hands wanting to tear my skull out. “They took everything…everything it’s gone.” “Derrick calm done.” Matthew put a hand on my shoulder and tried to soothe me. I looked at him as if he were crazy. “Calm down….calm down… how I am I supposed to calm the fuck down they took my house, my car, everything…I don’t have a fucking home. What the hell am I supposed to do?” “Hey can live with me your honor.” An old voice filled the room from the back seats of the courtroom causing everyone to turn around to see who it was that had spoken up in my defense. The judge rearranged his glasses while eyeing the old woman who came forward. “And who are you ma’am.” I watched the older lady make her way up front and stood beside me and Matthew. “I’m his grandmother.”

  They drive from the courtroom was very slow and silent for me. I sat in the passenger seat of my grandmother’s Aria and stared out the window looking for traces of what used to be my life. My grandmother picked up on my unusual silence and shook her head. “No need to cry over lost money… won’t bring it back…” I closed my eyes and sighed. “Nobody crying…” She swatted my thigh. “Then pick your lip up off the floor and sit up…you need to be thanking God that you’re no good behind aint in jail right now.” I hate to admit it but she was right…I could have been locked up at this very moment but I wasn’t and I had to be grateful for that at least. I wasn’t expecting Mr. Matthew show up in court for me today but thank God he did…he really got me off with a light sentence. I asked him after wards who sent him…he just smiled and said a guardian angel.

  As I sat in my grandmother’s car I reluctantly did as I was told and sat up trying to get over my depression. Two weeks ago I was a high roller who had everything a man could want and then some….now I was bum with no money, five years’ probation and five hundred hours of community service…damn how the high and mighty fall. But what could I do now? “Oh God…” I sighed rubbing my hands over my head.

  “That’s right baby you call him…you need him more now than ever.” I laughed at my grandmother, never missing an attempt to thump that word at me. Ever since I could remember I had been force feed Jesus all my life but Jesus was not out in these streets…he didn’t have to deal with bullshit struggles day by day. Instead of getting into a war of beliefs with my grandmother I just decided to agree. “You right about that grandma.” I looked at the regal older woman sitting next to me. Rose Marie Lyfe still maintained her blemish free maple brown complexion, soft curly pinned hair which was now dyed jet black and beautiful face that would stop a man dead in his tracks.

  My grandmother had been there for me for majority of my life, even when my mother passed of cancer, so I loved her more than anything else. “Boy you may be moping around now but you gone be just fine ya hear…I got a room already for you at the house.” I eyed her suspiciously “How did you know I went to court today grandma?” I asked her puzzled. “Boy you know people talk too much, especially when it makes the newspaper…I’m just now finding out you were in the hospital...my Lord Jesus. When I found out they were taking you to court I got on the first thing smoking.” Deeply moved I touched her hand and smiled.

  “Thank you.” “Oh boy please…you know whenever you need your grandma I’m there…you should have called me.” She playfully scolded me. “I didn’t want to stress you with this…” I explained. “Stress my foot…you needed help Derrick and you didn’t call me? I don’t know what is wrong with you boy, you think you can do everything by yourself.” I shook my head, even though she was right, that was just how I was. I had to become a man very early in life and a man didn’t take handouts. “I’m sorry…” I said with puppy dog eyes. She finally cracked a smile. “Well I’m here now…and you’re with me so everything is going to be alright.” I nodded, knowing that was going to be far from the truth. In an instant I had lost everything I had worked so hard to build for all these years…I damn near wanted to shoot myself.

  I slammed my hand down in my lap out of frustration…what the hell was I going to do now. We made it to her house which was not too far from
the city. Grandma Rose and my grandfather moved here back in the day while they ran a covenant store in the neighborhood. After making quite a few dollars they found this place around the way and just had to have it. It was a pretty big place and paid off. I had lived here all my life, had so many memories of growing up, but now I felt like a stranger in a faraway land. “C’mon in here boy.” My grandmother called out. “Let me fix you something to eat.” I sighed deeply, made my way on inside and was instantly filled with many memories. There were so many pictures of me, my mother, and grandfather scattered around the house. I picked one up of me in little league baseball when I was about eight years old. “Dang, back then I didn’t have any teeth.” I said in amazement. Grandma chuckled. “Yeah they were dropping like flies baby…you still looked cute though.” I heard her rumbling around with the pots and pans in the kitchen and I knew my grandmother was about to go to work.

  “Grandma don’t be going out of your way for me…I don’t need nothing special.”

  “Boy stop that lying, you know you have been dying to taste my collard greens.”

  I laughed and got comfortable on the couch pre paring to fill my stomach. I know that’s right, I thought. It had been a minute since I had a home cooked meal. There were only so many McDonald’s burgers I could eat. Grandma fixed our plates and came into the living room. The first few minutes I dug into my food. We had chicken, collard greens, mashed potatoes and all the other fixings… I was chowing down, eating like a runaway slave. “Relax boy… it aint going nowhere.” My grandma looked at me strangely. “When the last time somebody cooked for you?” I swallowed down a large cup of cherry soda and thought about it. “Honestly grandma I couldn’t tell you.” She smirked at me. “See that’s what you get for messing around with them typical hood rats….they can spread those legs all day but can’t seem to fry a decent piece of chicken.”