“Journei, how’d you like the food? It was Yonei’s recipe. I tried to remember as much as I could. It’s not as good as hers, but it’ll pass.” He was rambling, and I didn’t feel comfortable staying.
“It’s good, Jourdell. Where’s your bathroom?” I needed to regroup. Maybe I was tripping.
“Down the hall. First door on your left.”
I got up and made my way to it. Somethin’ was wrong. I didn’t want to assume that he was drunk, and I didn’t want to question him about it. I saw the AA chips by the door. The latest one was a six-month chip.
Them white people said he was sober and clean, so I took a chance to believe him. I finished up and tried shaking off the weird feeling. If he was lying, it was bound to show.
I rejoined both him and Christian at the table. “I see your burns are healing well. It’s good to see you’ll barely have any scarring.”
“Yeah. I still get pain from it, but overall, it’s pretty much healed.”
“That’s good. What movies did you have set up for us?” I questioned.
“I thought we could watch a movie calledBlack Box. It’s on the Amazon station.”
Him calling Prime that Amazon station genuinely tickled me. I blessed his ears with a hearty laugh and his eyes with my contagious smile. He joined in on it.
“That was funny. Well, c’mon, old man. I can grant you one movie, and then we’re goin’ to head home.”
“Give me a second, mama. Jake needs my signature for these checks. He’s right up the street. If I get them signed now, he can get them deposited before the banks close. I won’t be gone no more than five to ten minutes.” Christian was leaving me with Jourdell.
He pointed at my father to warn him. That was all cool and dandy, but the second he walked out the door, I felt like my life was in danger.
“Have a seat, baby girl. While that get started, I’m gon’ handle these bubble guts.”
Jourdell put the movie on, then went to the back. I didn’t want to stay there.Leavewas on repeat in my head.
I sat there for over fifteen minutes, and neither of them had returned. I grabbed my purse, then stood to leave when I heard a gun cock.
Regret was front and fuckin’ center once again. That weird feeling was an instinct to get the fuck on. I ignored it, and now I was in the same position as before. Tears fell at a rapid pace.
“Yonei, you cheating on me?”
Yonei?My mother was dead, but he stood in front of me questioning me as if I were her. Whatever drugs he was on had him hallucinating. I saw that his pupils were dilated as well.
“Jourdell, I’m your daughter. My mother is dead. You killed her, remember?”
“Do I look like I’m in the mood for games, bitch? Oh, since you found out about Erica, you think you goin’ to have another nigga’s baby? I guess me beating yo’ ass ain’t taught you nothin’, huh?”
Terrified.That monster that I knew he was had shown his head. I was sick of being everyone’s target. First Galleria, and now him. When were people goin’ to realize I didn’t care to be alive in the first place?
“Pussy hoe, you pulled it, so you better use it!” I was cryin’, but I grew balls in the process.
He charged at me with an unstable balance. I was able to move out the way in time, leaving him to crash into the glass coffee table. I ran for the door when Christian came bursting through.
I wanted to be mad, but in that moment, I was more than happy to see his face.
Hades/Gills
Iwalked through the door, and Journei threw her arms around me cryin’ hysterically. That automatically made me assess the scene to figure out what was goin’ on. She was so shaken up that I could see the fear on her face.
“Mama, what is it? What happened?”
“I don’t know what he took, but he thinks I’m my mother. He pulled a gun out on me.”
It was the tryin’ me like I was the muthafucka to play with. I told that nigga the last time I was there not to play with me or my woman. Why the fuck did he test me?
