CHAPTER 14
The phone rang once, twice, then three times! The phone rang over and over again. It would stop then start right back up again. My grandma use to say, “When a phone rings like that, it can’t be nothin’ but bad news.”
I reached over and grabbed the phone from the nightstand. Chance jumped as I accidentally knocked the alarm clock on the floor.
“Hello? Who the hell…” I answered angrily.
“Rayqelle, it’s me Lynn.” It was one of my baby sisters. From the sound of her voice I knew something was very wrong.
“Girl… what is it? Is Davis alright?” I asked with the sickest feelin’ in the pit of my stomach. I got out of bed trying not to wake Chance.
“He’s gone Qelle! Daddy died in his sleep last night. His heart gave out,” she said almost in a whisper.
I sat down in the chair next to the bed. I was completely knocked off my feet. The tears started to fall down my face. I began to weep; silently at first, and then all at once until it began to be too much to hold in. I dropped the phone as Chance got up and rushed over to me. “Baby, what’s wrong,” he asked as he picked the phone up off of the floor. “Who is this,” he shouted.
“It’s Lynn Chance. My dad died last night. He had a heart attack,” Lynn told Chance as I reached up toward the phone.
“Gimme the phone… lemme talk to my sister,” I said in a soft tone. Chance handed me the phone and placed his hand on my back to comfort me.
“It’s me girl. I’ll be on the first flight I can get! Have you talked to Letah? Does she know?” I asked.
“No… I can’t tell her over the phone. You know how close she was to daddy. I’m just goin tell her that he is sick again and she needs to come home,” Lynn said.
“Alright... I’ll be there tonight. I’ll call you from the airport when I get to San Diego. I love you.”
“I love you too. See you when you get here,” Lynn responded.
I hung up the telephone and fell into Chance’s arms. He held me close as I cried for another hour. I got myself together to go to San Diego. I had to help make arrangements to bury my stepfather. Chance wanted to go with me but I told him that he needed to stay and prepare for his gallery opening. It was too important and he had worked way too hard. He needed to be here. I just told him to come to San Diego in enough time for the funeral. Me and my sisters were going to need to be alone anyway. Chance hesitantly agreed to meet me in San Diego in a few days, and then he took me to the airport. This was gonna be the first time we had been apart since we met but I had to go.
Later that night when I got to San Diego, I called Chance to let him know my flight had landed and that I would talk to him when I got to the house and got settled. When Letah and Lynn got to the terminal to pick me up, I could tell just by looking at Letah that Lynn had already told her. She sat in the front seat with a blank stare, looking straight ahead with her eyes were glazed over but without tears. Lynn said that Letah hadn’t said a word since she told her. She didn’t say anything the whole way home either. We all just sorta’ sat quietly, feeling each other’s pain. Officer Davis wasn’t even my or Letah’s real father but he was all we had. The pain in Lynn’s face was so evident.
As we arrived at the house, my cell-phone rang. “It must be Chance,” I thought to myself. It was a Chicago area code but I didn’t recognize to number. I answered the call anyway. It was Iesha.
“Hey girl... I just heard the news. I called your house and Chance told about your dad. I’m so sorry. Are you aight’? Is there anything I can do?” Iesha asked in her own sympathetic way.
“No. Just keep us in yo’ prayers. That’s all girl. I’m just so fucked up. I still can’t believe it. He was fine and then…” I said still in shock.
“Yeah, and I think it’s real fucked up that Chance ain’t wit’chu at a time like this. That’s shitty as hell!”, Iesha said.
“What? No! He had to stay behind to prepare for the gallery opening. I told him to stay and just come out here in a few days for the funeral,” I replied correcting Iesha.
“Yeah… whatever! Anyway... I’m here if you need anything. Aight? Do you want me to go by and check on Chance for you? I can make sure he’s eatin’ and takin’ his medication?” Iesha asked. Anytime Iesha offered to do anything for anybody out of the kindness of her stony little heart I always got a cold chill.
“Naw girl. I’ll just be gone a few days then he’s comin’ right out here to be with me. Anyway, he’ll be busy gettin’ ready for the gallery openin’ and he does not like to be bothered while he’s workin’. He’ll be fine,” I said to Iesha hoping that she got message to keep her high yellow ass away from my house while I’m gone. It’s not that I didn’t appreciate the concern but I just didn’t trust her any farther than I could see her.
I hung up the phone and opened the trunk to get my bags out to take them in the house. As soon as I walked through the door I heard a scream come from the kitchen. I dropped everything and quickly ran in to see what was going on. Letah was on her knees cryin’ and screamin’. Lynn was on the floor clutching her chest. She was white as a sheet! I quickly called 911 and tried to keep Lynn conscious until the ambulance got there. She was struggling to breathe and sweatin’ like a pig! When the paramedics arrived they quickly got Lynn stabilized and took her to the hospital. Letah insisted on riding with her in the ambulance. I drove Lynn’s car and met them there.
Chance Encounters - Preludes to Love & Death Page 14
