“Mimi,” Von yelled when he walked through the front door.
He knew that Tanya was probably already in his room waiting for him and he didn’t want to keep her waiting long. He wanted to get his grandbaby and go chill with his woman for the rest of the night.
“Hey Von,” Mia said handing Treasure over to him.
She and Tre already knew the routine. They would have Treasure all day, but the minute Von came home they handed her over and didn’t see her again until the next morning. It had been like that since the day they came home from the hospital.
“Where is her stuff?” Von asked referring to bottles and diapers.
“Everything is already in your room. She just took a bath and ate,” Mia informed him.
“Okay, where is Tank?”
“He had Treasure all morning while I studied, so he’s knocked out,” Mia laughed.
“Hey baby,” Tanya said when she walked into the room and kissed Von.
“Hey, me and my baby were just about to come in the room with you,” Von replied right as the doorbell started ringing.
That wasn’t unusual for someone to ring Von’s doorbell, but he got heated when someone started banging hard on his front door. It sounded like they were kicking too, but he wasn’t sure. With Treasure in his arms, Von walked to the door and looked through the peephole to see who it was. When he saw Cheryl’s frowning face he knew that some shit was about to pop off.
“Come get my baby and bring her into the room Mimi. I don’t know what this bitch is on, but I don’t want her in here if shit gets heated,” Von said.
“Who is that?” Mia asked.
“That’s Cheryl’s crazy ass,” he replied while handing the baby over to her.
He saw the aggravated look on Tanya’s face and he couldn’t blame her for how she felt. They hadn’t heard from Cheryl in a minute, but Von knew that it was too good to be true. He waited until Mia and the baby were gone before he opened the door to see what Cheryl wanted.
“What the fuck are you banging on my door for Cheryl?” Von yelled when he snatched the front door open.
“I’m looking for my daughter,” Cheryl said making Von look at her like she was crazy.
“So why are you here? This is one place that you won’t find her ass,” Von replied.
“The last time I talked to her she was with Rainey. London’s phone is off and I tried calling Rainey, but her number is changed. The police have been coming to my house looking for her, but I don’t even know where she is. I just need to talk to Rainey to see when’s the last time she heard from her.
“Well, the last time Rainey saw your daughter was before she almost got beat to death and London didn’t help her. More than likely she’s on the run with her pimp since she’s a hoe,” Von snapped.
“My daughter ain’t no hoe,” Cheryl screamed.
“That’s what they were called the last time I checked. Or what other name would you call a woman who sells her pussy for money?” Von asked her.
“So what are you saying?” Cheryl asked him.
“Bitch is you dumb or retarded? I just said it. Your daughter is a hoe. I don’t know where she is, and I don’t care,” Von said before he walked back into the house and slammed the door in her face.
Of course, Cheryl wasn’t going away that easily. Von was talking in circles, but he really didn’t give her any answers. She was no closer to finding London than she was when she showed up. Cheryl’s first mind told her to leave, but she never did listen. She went up to Von’s door again and starting kicking and knocking while ringing his doorbell.
“Either you get rid of that bitch, or I’m going to do it for you,” Tanya said while looking at Von with fire in her eyes.
“Fuck her, she’ll get tired of knocking when she sees that nobody is answering for her ass,” Von waved her off.
His answer wasn’t good enough for Tanya, so she decided to take matters into her own hands. Cheryl was still going crazy, knocking and ringing the doorbell. When she heard the locks being undone, she just knew that Von was about to come back outside. When the front door swung open, she was ready to go off, but a powerful fist met her face instead. Cheryl hit the ground hard from the impact of the blow. She tasted the blood in her mouth, so she knew that her lip was busted. She was shocked to think that Von had punched her until she looked up into the angry face of Tanya.
“I tried to be a lady and handle things the right way, but bitches like you aren’t satisfied until someone knocks you on your ass,” Tanya fumed.
“Baby calm down,” Von said as he ran up to Tanya and pulled her back inside.
He stepped out front and closed the door behind him right as Cheryl was getting up from the ground. For the first time in her life, Cheryl didn’t have any more fight left in her. Her emotions were all over the place and not hearing from London wasn’t helping the situation out any. She couldn’t help, but to feel like everything that was happening was her fault. London hated the new man in Cheryl’s life, and she had basically chosen him over her daughter. London tried to warn her about him, but she wouldn’t listen. Now, thanks to him, she barely had enough money in the bank to fill up her car. He literally took her for just about every cent that she had and left her to be with his ex-wife. Cheryl was tired of being lonely, so she settled for the first man who showed her any kind of attention after Von had left her. Unfortunately, that ended in disaster too.
“I’m sorry for coming here like this Von. I just didn’t know where else to go,” Cheryl cried.
It was hard for her to humble herself to him, but she really didn’t have a choice at the moment. Von and Rainey were her only hopes of finding out where her daughter was.
“Look Cheryl, all I know is that Rainey and London were prostituting from some niggas that came here from Mississippi. One of them niggas beat Rainey half to death and she’s still in the hospital because of it. London called me from Rainey’s phone to tell me where she was, but nobody was there when I got to the motel. Now, I don’t know if them niggas went back to Mississippi or what, but London is probably with them wherever they are. I suggest you get some of your brothers from Washington to come down to see what y’all can do to find her. Maybe you need to file a missing person’s report or something. She’s grown, so I don’t know how far that’ll get you,” Von said.
He really felt bad for Cheryl, but he couldn’t help her beyond the information that he just gave her. Everything else was up to her.
“Can you just ask Rainey if she knows anything? Please, Von, I’m desperate right now,” Cheryl sobbed.
“Didn’t I just tell you what happened to Rainey? She don’t know shit. They left her bloody and unconscious so she wouldn’t know nothing anyway. Go call your people to help you like I just said.”
Okay Von, thanks,” Cheryl said as she slowly walked back to her car.
She watched as Von walked back inside before she pulled off and headed home. She hated to hear the “I told you so” speech from her family members, but right now she didn’t have a choice. They were always telling Cheryl that she treated London more like a friend than a daughter and she was starting to realize that they were right. For a long time London was all that she had. When London’s father left he never looked back or even called to check on her for that matter. They’d always had each other’s backs, but Cheryl messed that up. She regretted not listening to London, but it was too late for all of that now. Cheryl grabbed her cell phone and prepared to make a call to her family in Washington. As much as she didn’t want to, she needed all the help she could get with finding her daughter and getting her back home safely.
Chapter 28
“How does it look now Mia?” Moonie asked her daughter.
“It’s perfect,” Mia replied while feeding her now three-month-old daughter.
After months of searching Moonie and Mitch had finally found the perfect house through the first time homebuyer’s program. She and Clarita were hanging curtains at the windows while Jabari a
nd Tre helped Mitch put the dining room set together. They put the bedroom sets up the day before and all of the TV’s were mounted on the walls. Tiara had the kids at her house so they wouldn’t be in the way while they got everything in order. Mitch was so happy to finally move his family out of The Court. They now owned a nice five bedroom, three bath home in a nice residential subdivision. The kids now had a yard big enough to fit another house in and they were excited.
“Mitch said that he’s going to get the kids a pool and get Treasure a swing set for the yard,” Moonie smiled.
“It’s big enough to put a whole lot of stuff back there,” Mia replied.
She was so happy for her mother. Moonie had really come a long way from the club hopping party girl that she was a while ago. She’d earned her GED and had been working at the post office for months and had never missed a day. Her work hours allowed her to see the kids off to school every morning and be able to tuck them into bed at night. Mia even saw a change in her siblings. Since Moonie wasn’t the same passive mother that she used to be, they had been walking a straight line. Even Anika had turned over a new leaf. She must have been tired of Moonie beating her ass, so she was on her best behavior most of the time. Even Mia and Tre were on the right track. They were working together as parents and had a comfortable routine going. Tre would have Treasure all morning while she went to school and she would get her when she got home and allow him to get some rest. Even on the days when she didn’t have school she would do her online lessons or just take a few hours to study. They were both able to rest at night because Von made it a habit of having Treasure sleep with him. Even when he stayed the night by Tanya he would pack Treasure up and take her with him. She was three months old now and she was a good baby. She was fat as hell because Mia put food in her bottles to help her sleep at night. Aside from being parents, Mia and Tre were busy planning their wedding that was two months away. She’d finally found a dress that she fell in love with and that was one of the hardest things left to do. She was kind of skeptical about the colors that Moonie told her about, but it was beautiful once everything started coming together. Tre wanted them to start looking for a house, but Mia didn’t want to be overwhelmed. Besides, she loved Von’s house and she wasn’t ready to go anytime soon.
“I’m so happy for you Mya. Everything is just beautiful,” Clarita said smiling at her daughter.
“Thanks Ma,” Moonie said giving her mother a hug.
“Your daddy would be so proud of you,” Clarita said as she started to tear up.
“Don’t start crying Ma. You’re going to make me cry too,” Moonie replied.
She wiped her eyes and sat down next to Mia. Once Treasure finished eating and got burped, Moonie took her granddaughter and held her close to her chest. Maybe she was biased, but Treasure was the cutest baby that she’d even see. She couldn’t wait for her to start walking and talking so that she could really have fun with her. Von was spoiling her and she couldn’t wait to do the same.
“You need us to help you do anything else while we’re here?” Mia offered.
“No, I think I’m good for now. I probably won’t put up the dishes and kitchen stuff until tomorrow,” Moonie replied.
“Why put off until tomorrow what you can do today? You hold the baby and we’ll put your kitchen stuff away. C’mon Mia,” Clarita instructed.
“I’m right behind you,” Mia said right as her phone started ringing.
She knew that it was Brandis just by the ringtone that she had set for her.
“Hey girl,” Mia said when she answered her phone.
“Mia, where are you?” Brandis yelled frantically.
“I’m at Moonie’s house helping her unpack. Why, what’s wrong?” Mia panicked.
“Girl somebody just killed Dalvin in The Court.”
“Oh my God! What happened?” Mia yelled.
When she covered her mouth and sat down on the sofa Moonie and Clarita knew that it had to be bad news.
“I don’t know, but it’s a lot of hearsay. The police were talking to the old lady who lived next door to Moonie. She said that Dalvin was banging on Moonie’s door and he had a gun in his hands. She said that she was about to let him know that Moonie had moved until she saw the weapon. She called the police to tell them, but somebody shot Dalvin up as soon as he was walking back to his car. She was still on the phone with the police when the shots were fired. Everybody is saying that Shad did it. He’s been hanging back here playing basketball every day, so it might be true,” Brandis answered.
“How long ago did it happen?”
“Just a little while ago. His body is still lying on the ground. I didn’t go out there, but a few people called me. They said that he was trying to shoot back because a gun was lying on the ground right next to him.”
“Okay Brandis, well call me if you find out anything else. Let me talk to Moonie,” Mia announced before hanging up the phone.
Moonie and Clarita were looking at Mia waiting for her to say something, but she just sat there in silence.
“What happened?” Moonie asked when she got tired of waiting for her daughter to speak.
“Brandis said that Dalvin just got killed in The Court,” Mia revealed.
“Oh Lord,” Clarita said while clutching her chest.
“Are you serious? Is she sure it was him?” Moonie asked as her eyes filled to the brim with tears.
Clarita held her daughter’s hand as Mia began to repeat to them everything that Brandis had just told her. Moonie wiped a few tears from her eyes just as Mitch, Jabari and Tre walked into the living room. Tre went straight to Moonie and took Treasure out of her arms. Usually she would protest, but her mind was somewhere else at the moment.
“What are y’all looking so spaced out for?” Jabari asked them.
“Brandis said that Dalvin just got killed in The Court,” Mia informed them. “She said that everybody is saying that Shad did it.”
“Damn, that’s messed up,” Mitch said.
“I’m not even surprised. I knew that was gon’ turn out bad after what he did to Paige,” Jabari said shaking his head.
“Maybe you need to call his mama,” Mitch said looking over at Moonie.
Mitch wasn’t Dalvin’s biggest fan, especially after what he did to Moonie, but his heart went out to his family. He’d lost both of his parents a year apart and it was never easy. He was a man and he had no problems putting any hard feelings to the side to allow Moonie to call and offer her condolences. After all, she and Dalvin were together for a while when he and Moonie had broken up.
“I don’t want to call her right now. It’s still too fresh. Brandis said that his body is still out there. I feel so bad for her. I can’t imagine losing one of my babies,” Moonie replied.
“I’ll be sure to keep her and her family in my prayers. That has to be hard on a parent. We expect our children to bury us and not the other way around,” Clarita spoke up.
They all sat around and talked until well after midnight. Brandis had called Mia off and on telling her the different things that she had been hearing from different people. They had lots of different scenarios, but two things remained the same. Dalvin was dead and everyone was saying that Shad was responsible. Mia never told Moonie the part about him supposedly knocking at her old apartment door with a gun because she didn’t know if it was true or not. She and Jabari agreed to go with her to Dalvin’s funeral to support her if she decided to go. Mitch didn’t mind and Mia respected him even more for that.
***
A week later Dalvin’s mother gave him a private funeral at a church in Kenner, La. She didn’t even put a notice in the paper because she was scared that the wrong crowd would show up while she was saying her final goodbye to her son. Mia, Tre, Tiara, and Jabari went to the services to be there for Moonie, but they ended up sitting alone. Davin’s mother Anna asked Moonie to walk in with the family, so she parked her car at Anna’s house and went in the limo with them. Mia was supposed to pick her up un
til the plans changed at the last minute. After viewing Dalvin’s remains, Mia and Tre sat down with Tiara and Jabari, waiting for the services to begin. They were looking through the program that the ushers passed out detailing Dalvin’s life throughout the years. Moonie was in quite a few of the pictures along with Mia’s siblings. They had pictures of Dalvin from when he was a baby right up until a few days before he was killed. Mia never knew that Dalvin had so many brothers and no sisters. She also didn’t know that he was born in Ohio and not New Orleans. Just flipping through the program gave Mia a lot of insight as to who Dalvin really was.
“His mama laid him out nice,” Jabari said while they were waiting.
“She sure did,” Mia agreed.
Dalvin was laid out in a black lacquer casket with his name engraved on the side of it. He wasn’t wearing a suit, but the vest and button-down dress shirt looked like something that he would have worn had he still been alive. He had flower arrangements lined up from one end of the church to the other, showing just how much he was really loved.
“Everyone please stand to receive the family,” one of the ushers said signaling the start of the service.
Mia and everyone else stood as the doors to the church opened and the pastor walked in reciting a verse from his bible.
“What the hell,” Jabari said as he looked at Moonie walking in with Dalvin’s family.
“I’m so done,” Mia giggled along with Tre and Tiara.
“Why is her ass walking in here looking like the black widow?” Jabari asked referring to Moonie.
“Stop cursing in church boy,” Mia scolded as she snickered.
“Moonie just do too much, walking in here looking like Audrey Hepburn,” Tiara laughed.
All of them had to laugh when Moonie walked in wearing a floor-length black dress. That wouldn’t have been so bad if she didn’t have the huge black floppy hat and oversized sun shades to go with it. The black gloves put the entire outfit over the top along with the black handkerchief that she used to dab at her eyes. They couldn’t even pay attention to the service for laughing at Moonie the entire time. She was doing more screaming and crying than Dalvin’s family. Moonie was a grand performer, but Dalvin’s family was eating it up. They kept wetting cold rags putting it on her forehead every time she appeared to pass out. Mia couldn’t wait to get her mother alone to tell her about the show that she was putting on. As soon as everything was over they followed the procession of cars to the burial site. Dalvin’s mother didn’t want to have a repast, so everyone went his or her own way after it was over.
Creepin' 3: A New Orleans Love Story Page 20
