Page 33 of 4 Corinthians

“Come on, Bug,” I said, taking her hand. “Let’s get you cleaned up before they notice.”

***

I stuffed Psalms' wet clothes into the washer, along with her bedding and her stuffed animal. She’d had another accident after the one earlier. Everybody was asleep but me. I had just gotten comfortable enough to close my eyes when she started crying in her sleep. I jumped up to see that she had wet the bed too. I woke her up, helped her change, and then took everything downstairs to the basement to wash. I hated basements, but to help my sister, I would do anything. After I started the washer, I went back upstairs. The light above the stove was the only one on, but it was enough to see without bumping into anything.

“What are you doing, little ole girl?” Granddaddy asked from the living room. I stopped walking and looked over my shoulder to see that the living room was dark. The light came on, and I saw him sitting in the corner of the room, his gun on his lap and his bible in his hand.

“I put something in the washer,” I told him.

“Accident?” he asked, and I nodded. He didn’t need to know it was Bug who had had the accident, not me. “You alright?”

“Yes, sir,” I told him.

“Yo’ grandmama told me about you and Cross getting into it earlier. You want to talk about it?” he asked, and I shook my head. “Not even a little?”

“It was nothing,” I denied. “We talked about it after dinner.” Granddaddy nodded. “What are you doing up?”

“Just thinking,” he answered with a shrug. “You know how I get when I've got a lot on my mind.”

“Yes, sir,” I replied. Granddaddy always said that when the world got too busy for him, he liked to sit in the dark. He said that’s when he could think the best. When he was surrounded by darkness and no noise, he could hear himself think. “Well, I’m going back to bed.”

“Alright,” he said, then nodded. He reached up and turned off the light. The light above the stove didn’t reach here, but I knew my way to the girls' room without needing a light. “Corinthians?”

I stopped walking down the hall. “Yes, sir?”

“You know it ain’t nothing you can't tell us, right?” he said. “Me and yo’ grandmama would burn the world down for you, your sister, and cousins. All you gotta do is say the word.”

“Yes, sir,” I answered him. I wanted to tell him that Madea said all I had to do was point, but I didn’t; instead, I nodded even though I knew he couldn’t see me. “I know.”

“Good,” he replied. “Now get some rest. I love you.”

Uri

“Get off me!” Corinthians yelled as she fought against two of Robert’s men. One of them grabbed her from behind, and the other tried to grab her legs, but she kicked him in the chest, making him fall back. “Get off me!”

“Calm down!” Robert yelled as he walked to the ring. “Pet! Calm down!”

“No!” She kept kicking, kept fighting. I pulled against the ropes holding me against the metal pole in the corner of the room. “Get off me!”

“Do you want me to punish you?” Robert got into the ring and walked towards her. Even though he was upset, I could see the smile tugging at his lips that he was trying to hold back. “Huh? Do you!”

“I hate you!” she yelled. “I hate you!”

Robert smacked her in the mouth so hard that her head jerked to the side, and blood started to pour from her mouth. “You can hate me all you want, but you will not disrespect me!” he yelled as he grabbed her face. Corinthians stared him in the eyes, not blinking. “Ever since you came back from your grandparents, you’ve been feisty.” He kissed her forehead. “That fire is what I need, but only when you are fighting. Not with me, not with my men.” Without warning, she spat in his face, making him let her face go and step back. “You little bitch!”

Robert wiped the spit from his face, then slapped her again, this time so hard I could see the red mark on her skin. Corinthians’ head dropped.

“What do you want me to do with her?” one of the security guards holding her asked.

“Leave her here,” Robert answered. The guard dropped her and tried to walk away, but Robert grabbed him by the back of his neck and forced him to the ground. “Are you crazy? Why the fuck would you handle my pet that way?”

“I did what you said,” the guard replied. “You said leave her here.”

“Leave her here does not mean drop her as if she is nothing,” Robert yelled at him. “You set her down gently. She is delicate.” Robert stood and shook his head. “I don’t know why I’m wasting my time.” He pulled his gun from the back of his pants and aimed it at the guard's head. “Your careless ways just cost you your life.” He shot him, then turned to check on Corinthians. “Sweet pet.” He grabbed her by the back of her head and lifted her face from the mat. “You will eventually do what I want, but until then, you will suffer like the rest.”

“Robert!” Logan called out as he came into the room. “We got a problem.”

“What kind of problem?” Robert asked. When he let go of Corinthians' head, it hit the mat. He barely gave her a glance when he stepped over her.