“Rem,” Erys called, pulling up to her house. “I’m working on it.”
His words alerted her to something amiss. She opened her eyes, finding everything on the curb and picked over.
“No,” she whimpered. “No, no, no, no! No!”
Ernie tried getting out the truck before she could. “Remedy, we’ll get it.”
“This is-” she could barely talk, the shock to her system choking her. “They said I had until-”
She ran to the pile of things discarded like it was nothing. Her clothes, gone. Her grandmother’s keepsakes, gone. The only thing she found worth keeping was the photo album and the recipe book. With them tightly held to her chest, she fought the tears. She didn’t expect to lose it like this.
“Rem,” Erys softly spoke her name.
“I need a minute. Just…give me a minute. Please,” she weakly pleaded, walking away and not wanting to break in front of him.She walked down to the corner and sat there. She didn’t give her tears a sound because she knew she couldn’t sit in this, not with eyes watching. “I’m sorry, Granny. I really fucking tried to do right. I really did. Everything is gone. Everything.”
Remedy chewed her lip, bounced her leg, tried to keep her mind from slipping into the darkness. It sat on the curb by her, waiting for her to allow it to consume her. Ernie shuffled over, easing himself down on the curb by her.
“I’m sorry,” he spoke evenly.
She hurried and wiped her face. “For what? You didn’t do anything.”
“For not doing anything. If I had some sense about myself, I could have helped you. Instead, you’ve been taking everything you got to help me,” he spoke.
Remedy shook her head. “I’d do it again for you. So don’t apologize. I’ll figure it out. I think. Right now, I don’t know. I’ve somehow managed to fuck my life up. It’s not your fault.”
“We’re going to figure this out, okay? Even if I have to go down to that county building and beat all those bitches,” Ernie spoke, hoping to put a smile on her face. To no avail.
“There’s some crackhead on the avenue right now wearing my drawls and my platform heels,” she buzzed, allowing him to believe it was working. “Imagine that.”
Erys’ frustration could be heard from his truck where he paced to the corner. “Nigga, I don’t give a fuck what they told you. I told you to fuckin’ handle it and it’s not handled. All her shit is gone…the fuck do you mean?! Aight…aight…aight, Shawn, fuck, I heard you. Get that information and send it to me.”
Ernie looked at Remedy who watched Erys. “You better get yourself ready.”
She frowned. “For what?”
“For your remedy. Come on, ain’t no sense in crying on a curb when you can cry in a mansion,” Ernie grunted, pushing himself up and then holding his hand out for her. She took it and followed him back to the truck.
Erys stopped her before she got in. “Look, Rem, I’ll get it back.”
“Don’t worry about it. Things happen right? I’ll just figure out what’s next. In the meantime, can you take me to Trends? I need some cheap clothes,” she asked, avoiding looking into his remorseful orbs.
“Yeah, get in,” he motioned, opening her door.
She climbed in, still holding onto the photo album and recipe book. Back behind the steering wheel, Erys sped past Trends and the ran down shopping center it was in. He didn’t stop until he reached midtown. A small boutique.
“Erys, I can’t afford this,” she said.
“You’re not spending your money. Keep that and take this,” he directed, handing her a card.
“I’m not taking that.”
Erys nodded and got out the truck.
“Ohh, girl,” Ernie instigated. “I knew you were stubborn but this is something else. I fear my son might be a trick like his daddy.”
“Ernie, could you please,” Remedy huffed.
“Remedy, could you please. Let the man take care of you. Shit, you take care of me, he can take care of you, it’s the natural order of things,” Ernie fussed, opening his door.
