“Junior just wants to talk to you.” At the same time she said it, he tried brushing the back of his hand across my face, but I quickly slapped it away.
“Don’t be like that, baby.” He laughed trying to touch me again, but I drove my taser, that I’d discreetly pulled from my purse, into his stomach just as Kabria pulled out her gun.
“Diamond!” my sister shrieked, dropping down to coddle this man. She didn’t even care about her damn child this much. “Why would you do that?!” she shouted. “Go! Just go!"
"You are so pathetic, Gwendolyn.” I shook my head. “I actually felt bad for you before, but now,” I shook my head. “I actually think you deserve what you’re going through and whatever is coming. Watching you care about this man and the drugs he deals you more than your damn child is sickening and proves that my niece is better off without you.”
“I don’t care. Just go.” She shooed me, still holding onto the man.
“Gladly, but if you clean yourself up, which I hope you do, don’t come around us because it’s going to be too late, Gwen. On Mama and Daddy’s grave, it’s going to be too late.”
I’d made up my mind when I turned to leave that I was done begging my sister to get her shit together. I didn’t have it in me to try and help her because now there was a little girl that needed me more than her mother did. I was going to focus all of the time and energy I once had for Gwen on her daughter.
“Are you okay, bestie?” Kabria asked once we were rolling.
“No,” I sniffled, wiping the tears that I’d fought to hold back while I was dealing with my sister. “But I will be because I’m done with her, Kabria. I’mdone.”
She kept one hand on the steering wheel while using the other to grab my hand.
“It may not feel like it, but it’s going to be okay, friend. I pray Gwen gets it together, but if she doesn’t, you have me. Whatever either of you need, you know I’ll be there.”
“I know.” I smiled through my tears. “Thank you for being there and thank you for letting me handle it.”
“Because you know I wanted to read her ass for filth,” she glanced my way and smiled. “But I know that’s your sister and it needed to be something you handled yourself. You don’t owe me a thank you, Dime. I’m going to always have your back.”
“I know, and I really appreciate you for that.”
The rest of the ride to my house was silent. I needed it. I was trying to clear my head and get back in a good space because I was about to be back home with my niece.
When I made it to Ms. Joyce’s place, Keona was wide awake watching T.V. It was so cute seeing her acting like she knew what was going on. Kabria and I sat and talked with Ms. Joyce for a few minutes before I packed the baby up and went back home.
Ms. Joyce had cooked, so she sent food home with us. It was just her at her place, so she said we gave her something to do. I didn’t have an appetite, so I put away the food she sent and planned to eat it tomorrow or later if I got hungry, but Kabria ate hers right away with her greedy ass.
She stayed for about an hour after that to make sure me and the baby were good, then left. I went ahead and started getting Keona ready for a bath because she’d started to fight her sleep. It was still pretty early in the evening, but I’d made up my mind when she went to bed I was going right behind her because I was truly ready for the day to be over.
As I was getting her bath ready, my phone rang. I took a peek at the screen and noticed that it was Makhai. I wasn’t going to answer initially because I’d really had a day but decided against that since he hadn’t done anything.
“Hey,” I answered after putting in an AirPod.
“What you on, baby?”
“Giving Keona a bath.” I smiled down at my niece. “We’re in for the day, so I’m going to get it out of the way.”
“Word, how’d shit go with your sister?” he asked, and my smile immediately faded.
“Not good,” I sighed heavily. “I don’t think she’s going to change.” I sadly admitted. “She was angry about me finding her.”
“Don’t nobody give a fuck about her ass being mad,” he replied. “I know that’s ya sister, so I won’t be disrespectful, but you’re the only one that reserves the right to feel a way right now.”
“I know.” I sighed again and lifted the baby to take her to her bath.
Surprisingly, to me anyway, she liked bath time. I knew that some babies hated it and getting their diapers changed, but Keona was really chill. She’d be up, looking around and even smiling sometimes as she got washed.
“Other than that, ya day been straight?”
I nodded as if he could see me. “It has. Ms. Joyce cooked so she sent food home with me and Kabria. I’m going to try to eat it when I get the baby down and after I shower. I didn’t really have an appetite after, you know…”
“Yeah, but you gotta eat, love. I need that ass to stay phat.”
