Seeds of Tomorrow

31

Isabella, the mother of Fernando's oldest grandkids, had called asking if he could help get them some school clothes. Though she worked full-time at a local gas station, she was struggling to make ends meet as a single mother. Fernando didn't mind helping her out, he'd failed his son Xavier his entire life and knew his grandkids deserved better-especially with no father in their lives.

He carried an immense amount of guilt for being a deadbeat father to Xavier whom he'd conceived at the tender age of sixteen. Fernando had seen him a whopping three times during his youth, reaching out to him as a teenager. By that point, Xavier was living the same life he had. Drugs, gangs, women.

Ultimately he'd been gunned down on a hot August night as he drank a forty out in front of his apartment complex. Victor had been there, along with several other homies. That had been enough to scare Victor, who was maybe eighteen, straight. It was a damn shame that Xavier hadn't been so lucky.

He'd been only twenty-two with two kids. Zeke and Tony. Zeke had been six, Tony was five. His death had destroyed Isabella. She stopped eating, stopped getting out of bed to care for the boys, and fell into such a dark place that she attempted suicide. Twice.

Thank god she came out of it for her boys.

It wasn't just being a shit father to Zeke that ate at his core, it was seeing Isabella in the same situation he'd put Angelina. Sure he wasn't dead but he was in and out of lockup. when he was free, he wasn't home because he was out in the streets doing his own thing leaving her to be a married single mother. The only thing that had made shit easier for Angelina was Fernando was steady providing income. That was the only thing he'd had going for their marriage.

Although Angelina swore she'd forgiven him for everything he'd put their family through, Fernando had his doubts. During a heated argument, she'd once told him she didn't hate him as a person, she hated him as a father and a husband. He couldn't say he didn't blame her though. He'd been more loyal to those who gave no fucks about him when he was down and out than the woman he had married.

It sounded funny to admit but he was glad she'd found Jermaine. He was a dorky ass fool but he treated her right, treated his kids like his own, and held her down during her struggles with Victor. That was a good man there.

"You good over there, momma?" Fernando asked, reaching over to squeeze one of Madison's thick thighs as she drove.

He knew she was going to quickly nod her head and say she was but he knew that she got anxious being in that part of Portland. Not because she was scared but because of all the negative things that had happened on that stretch of road.

She had, at one point, lived in a sketchy motel with Lainey when they were at the height of their drug addiction, working as escorts off an online forum. He'd made the mistake of introducing her to her deceased husband, Brad, the father of Gwen.

In that same motel, both Lainey and Brad had died of drug overdoses. Lainey's accidental and Brad's "accidental." Fernando didn't feel like thinking much about Brad. Or his death. Or all the bullshit he'd put Madison through. But he knew Madison was going through mentally it as she guided the Mercedes down 82nd.

He knew every single strip club and Jack shack she passed, she was reminded of Brad who was obsessed with them. Who disappeared at night to pay for prostitutes while she was caring for Gwen and then came home to fuck her afterward, risking her health due to his sex addiction.

Fernando regretted introducing the two. At the time it had just been for fun, he and Brad kicking it with Madi and Lainey to tweak and fuck. He hadn't even considered Madison as the type of woman he would settle down with, Madison had said the same about him. After all, he'd been married to Angelina and kind of thought they would be together forever.