Streets

24. Poison

Monica was reliving the hell she has been dealing with for the past 48 hours. Sitting in her car she felt like she been driving for two days straight. From crashing at Milk's place one night to not knowing where she's headed the next. She found herself dwelling on what happened the night she found out about her mother and Luther. She all but lost her mind.

Two days ago

Monica had spent most of the past twenty minutes vomiting and being questioned by the police over what happened to Cinnamon. Crazy thing is she was still alive, only barely. They couldn't imagine what monster was doing this but the only thing racing through her head was the words that left Luther's lips only moments ago, "Monica?" His voice that once made her knees weak suddenly made her feel sick, "Please don't." She responded and Luther felt awful, they were just in bliss and now they're in a state of regret and disgust, "We can't just ignore it as much as I want to." Monica stood up but she couldn't look him in the eye, "Who told you that? I mean how long have you known? I'm so confused." Luther sighed, "Your mother." Monica looked at him and burst out laughing, "My mom? You let a crackhead tell you that you're my father and believed it? You know how many dicks she sucked? How many men she's been with? Anyone could be my dad." Luther sighed, "Monica....that means the possibility that I could be your dad is fifty fifty. Especially with me and your momma's history." Monica didn't want to imagine Luther with her mother, "Why didn't you tell me? About you and my mom?" He sighed, "I didn't know your mom was the woman from my past. But now that I do.....I don't know." Monica didn't know what to think about the situation except for pure disgust. This was her father allegedly and this was someone she had sex with, shared secrets with. How does she shut the feelings she had for him off?

Monica found herself parked in front of Adina's place, Nzuri in the back buckled into his car seat sleep. She didn't want to burden anyone but maybe Adina could sympathize. Ever since they met Monica felt close to Adina, she admired her for sure and wanted the life that Adina was beginning to live. She thought it was so amazing for Adina to let Vanessa use her house, and she regretted the issues that took place there, her mind went to the night before last.

The night Cinnamon was found
2am
Vanessa's new place

Banging on the doors, she needed to be helped, she needed to get away from the reality she was stuck in. Her son crying in her arms she kept knocking until Vanessa finally answered the door, "Monica? What are you doing here? It's super late, are you okay?" Vanessa asked and Monica couldn't speak, her tongue dried just like her throat, tears pouring down her and her son's faces. Without speaking a single word Vanessa let them in with open arms.
The next morning, Monica found herself sitting in the living room. Unable to process what was going on all she could do was cry. Vanessa walked down the stairs to the living room, finding Monica still upset, "What's going on?" She asked as she sat next to Monica who could barely look at her, "Maybe if you talk about it, you'll feel better." Monica didn't know where to begin, so she just decided to let it all out.

Adina was just going through paperwork for her new employees and of course other small business that would like to sell their product in her store. She didn't expect the sudden knocking on her front door and she immediately thought it was Darnell, but the soft sounds of crying and then the sounds of a baby made her open the door quickly, "Monica?" In front of her was the sad faces of Monica and her son. Adina let them in, she knew that look of sorrow and heartache, in fact she knew it all too well.
The sweet smell of honey being mixed into chamomile tea filled the apartment. Monica who was now three blunts into finishing up the story of her reality to Adina and a sweet calm sleeping child in Adina's bedroom. It was the first time that Monica felt calm in the past forty eight hours, "Is there legit proof to what is being accused? DNA tests being ran?" Monica exhaled and passed the blunt to Adina who put it out, "He said he's waiting on the results." Adina couldn't believe that a man Monica was sleeping with and was in a full on relationship with could potentially be her father, it blew her mind. She couldn't imagine what Monica was going through. "Well you can sleep here, you and your baby boy for however long you need to." Monica looked at Adina and smiled, "Thank you." Adina got up and decided to head to the store to get some work done. She knew Monica and Nzuri would be harmless but she did give Derek a heads up, even though he was in the middle of getting some work done himself.