Diamonds in the Rough: VOL. I

twelve

Alanna watched as Chasity hugged the stone in front of them. She looked over the cemetery thinking of the gun in her purse. A blacked out Beamer pulled behind them. Alanna looked back to Chasity. "Chasity baby it's time to go."

Chasity looked back to her and smiled. "Okay." She set down the yellow daisies in her hand.
Chasity took Alanna's hand and they made their way down to the car. When they got to the vehicle the driver in the front seat got out. He opened the back door.

Chasity let go of Alanna's hand and rushed inside of the vehicle. Her eyes landed on Murphy and she smiled. "DADDYYYYY." She squealed as she jumped into his arms.

"Hi baby girl." He mumbled as he wrapped his arms around her. Murphy ignored the pain in his chest. As much as Chasity missed him, he missed her more. When Mario and Miya got word that Murphy almost died they took him back with them to let him heal properly.

Tracy kept Chasity, allowing Alanna to visit with her. Murphy didn't like that news. Something was off about the fact that the same woman who never wanted to see him again wanting to visit with his child. He pulled Chasity into his arms while the door shut behind her.

"Excuse you." Alanna spoke. The driver looked her over.

"He's keeping his word with you." Was the only thing she got before he climbed into the car. Alanna mugged him as she begin to pull on the handle. Her hands beat against the window. The driver quickly spun around and grabbed her pulling her away from the car.

"Let go of me motherfucker. I can't believe he's pulling this stupid ass shit. That's why he didn't respond to any of my messages. He can't be fucking serious. I lost my fucking mom because of him."

"Look. He don't want to hurt you no further than he already did so just let it go right here." Mario spat dropping her to the ground. "Stay away from my brother."

"Or what? He's going to kill me too?" Alanna shook her head. She got up from the ground. "I'm the one who made sure he didn't die that night."

"You the same one who told him you never wanted to see him again. Our mother should have never let you leave the crib with Chasity. Especially not to bring her to somewhere that Murphy should have taken her."

Alanna looked at the back of the car. "I want to talk to him."

"He don't want to talk to you."

"What did I do wrong!?" She shouted. Chasity looked to her dad and then out of the window.

"Daddy are you mad at Ms. Alanna?"

"No." Murphy lied as his hand touched her cheek.

"She wants to talk to you." Chasity looked in his eyes. He stared at her.

"Two minutes." Murphy sighed as he set her down. He opened the back door. Mario looked back at him. "Just two minutes." The brothers shared a look.

"I'll take the gun in your purse." Mario spoke looking at Alanna. She didn't hesitate to pass her purse over. Mario walked over to the car sliding into the driver's seat. He closed the door shut and played music blocking Chasity from hearing anything.

"Uncle Mario, I can't hear." Chasity whined. He laughed as he helped her over the seats. Murphy looked away from the car to Alanna. He shoved his hands into the pocket of his hoodie.

"How come he didn't take your gun?" Alanna asked making their eyes meet. "I didn't do shit wrong to you."

"I know Alanna."

"So what's all of this about? You're not even going to make sure I get to my car safely. Or thank me for saving your fucking life. Just take your daughter and go."

"That's how you wanted it to be."

Alanna stared at him. She nodded her head. "Give me my purse." Murphy knocked on the window. Mario dropped the window and held the purse out.

"Bye Ms. Alanna."

Alanna smiled at Chasity. "Bye Chasity." Alanna took her purse from Murphy. She looked into his eyes and then turned away. Murphy moved to the back of the car. He held onto the handle as he watched Alanna walk toward a car.  When she got to it she expected Murphy and his brother to be gone. She looked in that direction and her eyes met with Murphy's.

Her stomach knotted from the look in his eyes. Alanna opened the door to her car and slid inside. She closed her door and started her car. Murphy got into the back of the Beamer. He took Chasity from the front. "Make sure she gets home safe." Murphy told his brother. Mario nodded once and pulled out behind Alanna.

Murphy didn't worry about where she was taking them. He focused his attention on Chasity. "Grammy told me you got two more days left of camp."

"I don't want to go." Chasity pouted. "You just got home daddy."

"Daddy will be home when you come back from camp. I thought you liked it."

"I do daddy. Ms. Alanna helped me make friends."

"She helped you?"

"Yes daddy. She works at the camp. It's her camp." Chasity explained as she touched the c hanging from his necklace. "She's been very helping for when you wasn't here daddy."

"Helpful baby girl. Not helping." He explained as he fixed the c around her neck. "That's nice of her."

"I like her daddy." Chasity looked into his eyes.
"She's like a mommy." Murphy didn't say anything. He couldn't. Chasity wouldn't like hearing that Zaria had given him something he never asked for. Closure was a two sided thing. Murphy didn't mind that there was none between the two of them.

He knew that led to some of the wicked shit that happened but wicked was what got them both by. Now that Zaria was dead. Murphy had to see a lot of shit for what it was. He couldn't afford another mishap with his life. If someone told him to leave them alone he would.

Even if he wanted to say more, he couldn't. Zaria had granted him a wary heart in her death. He missed everything about her. From the way she laughed at something he said that wasn't funny, to the way she held him when she was upset with him. Murphy always expected to have Zaria.

In one way or another. He had played it cool with Laron for as long as he could. That wasn't supposed to send Zaria off the deep end. Not the way she had done at least. Normally they would bounce back. One way or another Zaria would have come to him.

He knew she realized that he didn't put anything in her to harm her. Murphy had pushed Zaria too far. Into a place he lived on the daily. The car stopped and Murphy looked out of the window at Alanna as she got out of her car. She held her keys in her hand as she walked towards the car.

"Pull off Mario."

His brother didn't hesitate to move his foot from the brake to the gas. Alanna stopped walking as she felt Murphy distance himself completely from her. A tear slipped past her eyelid. She was wondering what had his baby mother losing her mind. Now she knew the fraction of what she was feeling now couldn't have been anything compared to what Chasity's mother felt.

Murphy sighed as he closed his eyes. Chasity had fallen asleep in his arms. He wasn't sure when since he had been so in his thoughts. He looked up feeling his brother's eyes on him. "I thought you liked her."

"A nigga can't afford to play the same wicked ass games I played with Zaria again." Murphy shrugged. "Told you it's time to leave the game brother." Murphy shrugged as Mario nodded his head. "Time to leave the game." Murphy mumbled as his thumb moved over Chasity's cheek.