by Honey
“Y’all got the same last name?”
“Yeah.”
“Dial the number and put her on speakerphone, Rob.” Spud glared at Lester. “Keep your fuckin’ mouth shut.”
“Hey, Lester. How’re you doing, baby?” a cheerful voice greeted after the third ring.
“This ain’t Lester, Miss Daisy. I’m John, his friend. He was just over here hanging out with me, and he made a mistake and left his phone when he took off. He told me he was on his way to your house to visit you. If you give me your address, I can bring it right over.”
“That’s so sweet of you, son. Do you know where the Prater Village Apartments are in Ridgewood?”
“Oh yes, ma’am. I sure do.”
“Good. I live in apartment C45. It’s a garden unit because I can’t climb no stairs.”
“I understand, Miss Daisy. Well, I’m on my way. Do you need me to stop by the store and get you anything?”
“No, thank you, but I appreciate the offer.”
“I’ll see you soon.”
Rob disconnected the call.
Spud stood up and looked down at Lester. “I don’t mess with sweet old ladies, but remember, I do know where she lives. You forget this shit ever happened and stay away from my people, and I’ll do the same. Are we clear?”
“Yeah, man, we straight.”
“Now, since my mama—God rest her soul—raised me to be an upstanding gentleman and shit, I’m gonna pay you what you claim she owes you to close out this little situation.” He reached inside his pocket, removed the envelope, and tossed it on the floor. “I’m a man of my word, and you betta be one too—or else.”
“My word is solid. I swear.”
“Good. Go holla at your mama. Tell her you doubled back and got your phone before I left my house.”
* * *
Gypsie still had an icy attitude toward Jeremiah, so she was keeping her distance from him. Because they were coworkers, it was necessary for them to communicate and interact throughout the day on the job. But now that they were alone at Josiah’s house waiting for him to arrive with the girls, the iciness had returned. Gypsie was upstairs in her bedroom painting her toenails. She didn’t give a damn where Jeremiah was or what he was doing. Just knowing that he was in the house with her made her very uncomfortable.
The situation involving Mrs. Bishop had stressed everyone’s nerves. And according to Jeremiah, things were about to get even crazier. Gypsie’s heart went out to Mrs. Bishop, but her loyalty was to her boss and the children. They had endured so much in a short amount of time. It was a miracle that they were still sane.
Gypsie rolled her eyes to the ceiling when Jeremiah knocked on her door. She had no words for him except maybe a few profane ones. She waddled like a duck on her bare heels to the door, trying not to smear the freshly applied polish. She snatched it open.
“What do you want?”
“Can I come in so we can talk?”
Without a word, she stepped aside to allow him into the room. Then she sat on the bed, leaving Jeremiah standing in the middle of the floor.
“I want to apologize for the other night. My words were kind of sharp.”
“You think?”
“Yeah, I was dead wrong in my approach, but I believe there was some truth in what I said, though.”
“Get out, Jeremiah!”
“Hold on, Gypsie.” He held up his hands in surrender. “Just hear me out. I’m not a fool. You have feelings for my brother regardless of whether you care to admit it. And there’s nothing wrong with that because you’re only human. It’s almost impossible for a woman to spend most of her time with a good-looking man she admires and respects without her eventually catching some type of feelings for him. JoJo is your work husband by day, and you care for his children from the time they come home from school until they leave the next morning. An attraction was bound to develop.”
“And your point is?”
“Mink will never get her shit together. She’s a hard-core drug addict, and I think she has some serious mental health issues also. And because she’s too damn stubborn to dig down to the root of it all, she will die an addict.”
Gypsie wiped a fresh flow of tears from her eyes. The thought of Gem and Treasure losing their mother broke her heart. “Those poor girls . . . They truly love their mom.”
“My nieces will be fine as long as they have you.” Jeremiah sat down on the bed and looked into Gypsie’s eyes. “JoJo will be okay as long as he has you too.”
“Stop it, Jeremiah! Just stop it, please!” She covered her ears with her hands and shook her head as tears poured heavily down her cheeks.
“He cares about you. I know him better than anyone else, Gypsie. When he hurts, I hurt. His happiness is my happiness. Every damn time he gets sick, it hits me too. We share the same heartbeat. I see the way he looks at you. The chemistry between you two could demolish an entire building. It’s just that damn powerful.”
“But I’m scared. This is too much for me. I didn’t plan to fall for him.”
“I know. Believe me, I know.”
“What should I do?”
Jeremiah chuckled. “Nothing. It’ll happen naturally and at the right time.”
Gypsie looked down at her hands folded on her lap before she met Jeremiah’s gaze again. “How can he have feelings for me when he’s still in love with his wife?”
“I can’t explain that. But I know JoJo’s heart. There’s a place in it for you. Be patient, and you’ll see.”
The doorbell rang, and Gypsie cocked her head to the side. “Why is Mayor Bishop ringing the doorbell?”
“It’s not JoJo, but he and the girls should be here soon. Chill out for a while. I promise you’ll understand everything before the night is over.”
Chapter Twenty
“Give me a minute, y’all! I’m coming!” Jeremiah turned around and narrowed his eyes at Mink. “Go ahead and eat. I’ll be right back. Don’t touch anything. I mean it.”
“Who the hell do you think you’re talking to? This is my house, J! You have no right to treat me like a common criminal in my own home!”
“You’re wrong. This is my brother’s house. You ain’t ever paid a bill up in here. And you forfeited your right to call this house your home the day you picked up the needle and put your family on the back burner. Now, I’m going to walk my friends to the door and thank them again for covering JoJo’s ass on your bullshit. Then I’ll come back and deal with you.”
Jeremiah did an about-face and left the kitchen. Spud, Rob, and Tee were standing in the foyer talking smack and laughing. He smiled, appreciating the bond they shared. Their twenty-eight-year friendship had seen good times as well as bad. Regardless of the different paths they’d each taken in life, they were brothas until the casket.
Jeremiah dapped up his three friends and gave them each a man hug. “Yo, thank y’all for looking out. The moment I got the call, you three fools were the first people I thought about. I knew y’all would come through.”
“As much as you, JoJo, Rev, and Miss Myrlie has done for all our asses, it was our duty to show up,” Spud explained.
Rob, the quietest member of the crew from day one, nodded and flashed his signature smile.
“Well, I ain’t gonna lie,” Tee spoke up. “I want JoJo to throw a big-ass barbecue for us before it gets too cold so I can come over here and eat as much as I want and drink up all of his expensive liquor.”
“You know he’ll do it.” Jeremiah laughed. “In fact, I’ll set a date and make it happen. Y’all should hear from me next week.”
“Cool. We ’bout to bounce, J. By the way, Shequan said you’re cool.”
“She’s pretty cool too. Invite her to the barbecue.”
“I will.”
* * *
“Uncle J!” Gem and Treasure squealed at the same time, seemingly in musical harmony. They hugged their uncle around his long legs.
He bent down and kissed each niece on the forehead. “I’ve been waiting for
you two. I want you to go and wash your hands for dinner. Your plates are already on the table.”
“Okay.” Treasure giggled as she skipped past her uncle.
“What’s for dinner?” Gem wanted to know.
“Miss Gladys made some good ole fried chicken.”
“Yesss!”
Jeremiah smiled and shook his head when the child ran off toward the bathroom. He walked in the opposite direction, en route to the den where he found Josiah massaging his temples.
“Where is she?”
“She’s in the downstairs guestroom getting dressed.”
“Does she know what’s about to go down?”
“I didn’t tell her a damn thing. I can barely look at her, JoJo. It was best that I say as little to her as possible.”
“Where’s Gypsie?”
“She’s in her room.” Jeremiah took a deep breath and released it slowly. “Yo, JoJo, Gypsie and I had a little talk. I think you need to know—”
“Now is not the time, J. I can’t deal with that and the situation with Mink at the same time. It’s too heavy.”
“Wait a minute. So you know?”
Josiah nodded. “I’m a perceptive man, J, so, of course, I know. And, no, I did not encourage Gypsie in any way. I wouldn’t do that to her.”
“I know you better than that, man.”
“Did Mama buy everything I asked for?”
Jeremiah laughed. “You know Mama. She bought everything, and then some. I threw everything in a suitcase. I packed an overnight bag for you too.”
“Thank you.”
“It’s my life’s purpose to take care of you, bruh,” Jeremiah spoke sincerely. “That’s why I can’t settle down and get serious with a woman. I’ve got to be there for your ass.”
Josiah and Jeremiah shared a laugh.
“I’m sorry I’m such a burden on you.”
“You ain’t a burden, man. I love you, and I don’t mind taking care of you. Now go and eat dinner with the girls while I finish up a few things. Nelson will be here before you know it.”
* * *
Josiah turned from the picture window in time to see Mink enter the room. He immediately noticed her drastic weight loss and darkened complexion. Her hair, pulled back in a loose ponytail, was brittle and dry. And although she was dressed in a brand-new designer ensemble, her overall appearance was less than average. For the first time ever, Josiah saw Mink for what she truly was from the depths of her soul—an addict. There was no denying that she was his wife and she’d given birth to his two daughters. But above those two very important, indisputable facts, she was a plain ole, typical, certified junkie. And that was all Josiah saw walking in his direction.
But then suddenly, like some unexplainable, supernatural phenomenon, Mink made a retransformation the moment she wrapped her arms around Josiah’s neck. Every negative thought, painful memory, and horrible act she’d ever committed dissipated in the blink of an eye. Josiah couldn’t fight it. He was a helpless prisoner of love, shackled and chained by his wedding vows. His arms snaked around Mink’s waist and drew her so close that he could feel her racing heartbeat. The reunion was rapturous, and his love for her renewed. No matter where she had been or what she’d done, in his arms was where she belonged. Mink was his wife, and his love for her had no end.
Mink placed a palm on each side Josiah’s face and pulled it down to hers. She pressed her lips gently against his and traced them with her tongue. She pulled back and looked into his eyes. “I love you so much, JoJo.”
“I love you too, Mink.”
She kissed him a second time but with more aggression, and he reciprocated her passion. Once again, Mink broke the kiss to gaze into Josiah’s eyes. “Thank you for never giving up on me when most men would have. And thanks for letting me come back home, baby.” She resumed kissing him, going in for the kill with her tongue.
Josiah broke the kiss abruptly and pushed Mink away. Her last words had zapped him back to reality. An unexpected bolt of rage sliced through him like a double-edged sword. After all she had put him through just this day was reason enough for him to have their marriage annulled if the law would allow it. He wiped his lips and drew in long, measured breaths, trying his damnedest not to go off on Mink. With his daughters in the kitchen and Gypsie upstairs, a knock-down, drag-out would not be a good look for him. So he dialed his anger back even as Mink glared at him as if he were the addict, missing parent, and unfaithful spouse in their marriage.
“You’re not coming home, Mink,” Josiah finally announced through pants for air.
“But you paid the guy the money and told your friends to bring me here. And what about the new clothes and shoes? If you didn’t want me back home, why did you do all of that?”
“I had no choice but to pay off that dude and get you out of there! If I hadn’t, pictures of you looking like homemade shit would be all over the damn internet. And what do you think that would’ve done to our daughters and me, Mink? Huh? Do you have any idea?”
Mink didn’t respond. She simply covered her face with her hands and sobbed. It was exactly what Josiah had expected her to do. Every time she went back out to the streets and did something stupid, she would return home, crying and apologizing. Then she’d start lying and making bullshit promises that she knew she couldn’t keep even if it would save her soul from hell. Josiah sat on the chaise lounge, waiting for the next phase of the all-too-familiar showdown. He probably could recite Mink’s next words right along with her like a script. He waited for her next line.
“JoJo, I’m done this time. I’ll call Lena tonight and start on step one again. Tomorrow, I’ll go to every NA meeting in town. I promise.”
Josiah laughed. “Do you really think Lena wants to talk to you? I know what you did to her. That was foul, Mink.... Low-class foul. But don’t worry. I paid Lena back all of the bill money you stole from her wallet. You know I’m your pooper-scooper. I’ve always come behind you to clean up your shit. But I’m done. I can’t do it anymore—and I won’t.”
“No, JoJo. Please, don’t send me back to that apartment. Don’t make me leave. I’ll die out there on those streets. That’s not where I belong. I need to be here with you and my babies.”
“Nah,” he said, shaking his head. “You can’t stay here, baby. Do you think I’m stupid enough to let you come back up in here and put my children through another cycle of your insanity? Oh, hell nah!”
“But I’ll do better this time. I swear. I can do it if I can see my babies every day. I miss them, JoJo, and I know they miss me.”
“Yeah, they miss you. God knows those girls worship the ground you walk on. Treasure thinks the sun rises and sets on her mommy. That’s why you’ve got to go, Mink. Each time you go out and come back, it becomes more difficult for them to heal and readjust. It’s an unhealthy revolving process that I’ve got to put an end to. Hell, I’ve got to protect them from you,” Josiah admitted through tears that he could no longer hold back.
Mink dropped down on the love seat. She doubled over and sobbed out loud pitifully. Although the kitchen door was closed and Jeremiah had been instructed to keep Gem and Treasure away from the den, Josiah rushed to shut the double doors. He didn’t want to risk them hearing their mother crying.
He walked over and stood above Mink with tears still rolling down his cheeks. “If you love our daughters the way you say you do, and you’re serious this time about kicking your drug habit, go to the guest room and pull yourself together. Then I want you to come back in here ready to go with me when Nelson arrives.”
“Where are we going, JoJo?”
“Montana.”
Mink’s head popped up, and she looked at Josiah’s tearstained face. “Why the hell are we going to Montana?”
“There’s a substance abuse treatment center up in the mountains near White Sulphur Springs. It’s one of the best in the country. Movie stars, professional athletes, and well-known politicians who’ve battled all kinds of addictions sing the fa
cility’s praises. I did the virtual tour online and spoke with representatives from their clinical and support staffs. And my insurance has already been approved. It’s the perfect place for you, Mink.”
“How long is the program?”
“That’s up to you, but the standard time is six months minimum.”
“Six months? Have you lost your damn mind, JoJo? You want to send me away like a convicted felon to some hellhole in the mountains way up in Montana for six fucking months?”
“Yeah, I do, because you need it, damn it!”
“What if I refuse to go?”
“You’re an adult, Mink. I can’t make you do anything you don’t want to do. The choice is yours. You can go to treatment and get the help you need, or you can walk out of this house and never come back. Our marriage will end, and I’ll file for sole custody of Gem and Treasure.”
“Can I sleep on it?”
Josiah wiped his eyes and sniffled. He found it hard to fathom that Mink was being so resistant to going to treatment when it was evident that she needed it. “No. I have a short window period to inform the facility whether you’re coming or not so they can refund me my full down payment of $12,000. What’s your decision, Mink? I need to know right now. Nelson will be here in thirty minutes to pick us up and drive us to the airport to catch a ten o’clock flight. I’ve already packed our bags.”
“I’ll go.” Mink reached out and grabbed Josiah’s hand. “Can I please see my babies before we leave?”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Mink. They—”
“JoJo . . . please,” she begged, dropping to her knees. She squeezed his hand. “Just give me five minutes with them. I promise not to say anything to upset them.”
After a long pause, Josiah’s heart softened. “All right. You can have five minutes with the girls. Then they’ll go upstairs to Gypsie so that they can take their baths. Go to the bathroom and wipe your face. They’re in the kitchen playing board games and cards with J. We’ll meet you in here in a few minutes.”
Chapter Twenty-one
“Mommy!” Treasure ran and threw herself into Mink’s arms.
