Harlem Roses

Alternate Ending

9 Months Later

"Damn you have to be kidding me right now Vash?" My cousin Rosanda questioned as she took a seat at the kitchen table with a sigh. I shook my head sadly before pulling the seat out beside hers. She stared at me really hard before opening her mouth again, probably to throw every vulgar word in her colorful ass vocabulary that she could think of. "So now what?" She then asked, drumming her fingers on the table as she created an annoying beat. I wanted to tell her to stop, or just slam my phone on her hands, but I tried my best to calm down.

"I don't know." I replied honestly, staring out the window at the falling snow. "I've heard from someone that his friends bailed him out, so I guess he's coming home." I added, looking down at the phone in my hands for some sort of moral support. The look Rosanda was giving me was obviously one of much disappointment and disgust. I could tell she was just itching to say some slick shit to piss me off.

"But he murdered Sean!" Rosanda exclaimed, I literally cringed at the sound of Seans name as my stomach turned. I hadn't heard anyone mention his name in months, it was almost as if everything that had happened with him was completely wiped from my memory nearly a year ago. "Are you not remembering everything that he had put your ass through?!" She hollered, pointing her finger at me with complete rage in her eyes as my blood began to boil.

"Why the fuck do you even care?" I shouted back. My head was throbbing from all the yelling, and I wanted Rosanda to just leave my apartment. She must have read my mind pretty well since it didn't take long for her to scoff before grabbing her stuff and leaving my apartment with a slam of the front door. I sucked my teeth annoyingly as I made my way over to the couch with a sigh. The moment I slumped onto the plush pillows, my cellphone began to vibrate aggressively from the kitchen table. I sighed getting back up from the couch to answer the phone, as I slid to accept the unknown caller.

"Hello?"

"Vashtie?"

"Yeah . . ." I responded, making my way back over to the couch as I sat back down with a blank expression. "Whats up?"

"Nothing much really. Just got out, tryna find a place to crash until I get back on my feet. You do know who this is right?" He chuckled lightly over the line.

"Of course I know it's you, Vinny." I rolled my eyes as I sighed in response. Memories of my first and last visit flooded my thoughts as I tried to keep my cool while I ran my fingers through my hair. I was in serious need of a hair appointment, and a lot of pampering. "How did you even get out?" I then asked curiously. The line went silent for a couple seconds before he finally respond.

"I can't exactly discuss everything over the phone, but can I just meet up with you somewhere so I can tell you everything?" He then asked, a pleading voice now in effect as the guilt inside ate me alive. It wasn't like I would be housing a fugitive, but I couldn't exactly grasp the fact that this was the same guy that shot my long time best friend and at one point in my life lover. But eventually I just tried my best to look past all of the negative aspects of the situation and give Vinny the benefit of the doubt.

"Fine, you can come stay at my place." I concluded with a sigh. I knew he would he would owe me a ton once he was back on his feet, but I attempted to look past all of that as a act of kindness. "Where are you anyways?"

"Soho. Do you still live out in Harlem?"

"Yeah, do you still remember the address and everything?"

"I think I do, I'm taking a taxi over there so I'll call you in a few."

"Alright." I responded before hanging up the phone. I next looked around the apartment to make sure that nothing was out of place. I wasn't sure how long it would take for Vinny to arrive but I knew for sure that if he was already in Soho that it wouldn't take very long for him to get here.