Black Wynter 2 "Quiet Storm"

Chapter Twenty Three

Quameek stood on the corner making his sales, the way he usually did during the afternoon. So far, today had been a good day. He had gotten rid of a bunch of his bags, more than usual from other days. Probably because today was October 1st. Crackheads always got their checks on the first.

Meek grinned when he saw Scooby approaching him. Scooby was one of O-Lok's young boys. He was a corner boy just like Quameek. They had become real cool after having to hug the block together for some time now. "Wassup, Scooby," he said to him, showing Scooby love.

Scooby greeted Quameek with a pound. "Wassup, Meek," Scooby said back. "Nothing much. Just making this bread. You know," Meek replied, trying to sound down. But Scooby disregarded that. He had something to tell Quameek. "Yo, Meek. I'ma keep it a stack with you. I just witnessed some shit," Scooby began. Quameek's ears perked up. "What's up?" he waited for his friend to continue.

"I just seen your moms, bro. She was trynna get some crack from Prince. But she ain't have no money. She was offering to suck his dick and shit. She was OD'ing bro, but Prince dismissed her ass. I'm not gonna lie, I think she's using now. And she looks real bad. Like she's mad skinny, her skin looks wild dry. She looks bad. I just thought you would want to know," Scooby informed Quameek.

Meek thought about his mother. He couldn't help feeling bad. How and when did she start doing crack? She had always had that alcohol addiction, but now she was a user, too? He needed to see her and fast. Quameek held his hand out to Scooby for some more dap. "Aight, bro. Good lookin'. I'ma go find her now and see wassup," he said and took off.
*****
After searching for his mother in the hood to no avail, Quameek decided to go to over to her apartment. Returning to Gunhill was something he'd been trying to avoid for a while now, but it now seemed as though going back was inevitable. He banged on the door.

Meek heard a shuffle of feet inside and he knew someone was looking at him through the peephole. After a few seconds of still standing outside, Quameek banged on the door a second time. "Ma! Let me in! I know you're in there!" he hollered.

The door finally swung open and Tatiana stood in the entrance way. Right away, Quameek knew that his mother was high out of her mind. He bum rushed his way into the apartment and grabbed his mother. She didn't even try to fight him off. Tears welled in his eyes, he just couldn't believe that he was seeing her like this.

He had never even gotten used to the whole alcoholic thing. But this? This was just too much now! "Mommy, come on! Why you doing this to yourself?" he asked her. "I thought I told you not to come back here until you had some money fo' me," Tatiana said, in a low and raspy voice. Her words were slurred and Quameek could see that not only was she high, but she was also drunk. She was now addicted to both.

Meek ignored his mother and shook her some. "Ma, come on! You gotta be stronger than this shit!" he said to her. He then watched to his horror as Tatiana's eyes rolled to the back of her head and she dropped to her knees, falling backwards onto the floor. Quameek panicked. Was she dead?

He tried to shake his mother awake and get her back up. It wasn't working. "No! No! Ma, wake up!" he exclaimed, terrified. Not knowing what else to do, Meek called Kennedy. His sister answered on the first ring. She told him that she would be there even faster than she had picked up.
*****
As much as he hated to admit it, Quameek was so happy when Kennedy finally walked through that door. She wore a simple gray Christian Dior sweatsuit and her hair was pulled into a sloppy bun on top of her head. She wore a pair of cream colored Uggs and a blank expression was painted across her face.

Kennedy walked over to their mother, who was laid out on the floor. She bent down and began checking for a pulse.

After a few seconds, Kennedy looked up at a nervous Quameek; an eyebrow raised. "She's not dead, Quameek. She's just passed out," she announced. Quameek breathed a sigh of relief. Thank God, he thought. "Well, that's good," he said. "Yeah. Sure," Kennedy muttered. She stood and turned to leave. "Wait!" Meek called out to her, before she could make it out the door. Kennedy turned around to look at Quameek, a cold look in her eyes. "What?" she asked.

"You're just gonna leave now?" Quameek questioned her. "I don't see much of a reason for me to stay," she pointed out. "You don't wanna talk to me? Ask me how I've been? What I've been up to? If I need anything? Nothing?" Quameek demanded. Kennedy marched over to her brother and got all in his face. "No. I'm not. When I reached out to you before and tried to do that, you shut me out. Once you shut me out, I stay out. You know that, Quameek. You know me," she countered.

"I was mad at you!" Quameek bellowed. "So, stay mad! I don't give a fuck, Quameek! STAY MAD!" Kennedy yelled at him. "But I need you!" Meek blurted. Kennedy moved back a little, totally not expecting for him to tell her that. But she didn't say anything. Quameek studied his sister's face and noticed the black and blue bruise over her eye.

"He's hitting you,too?" he asked, quietly. Clearly, he and his sister were just sad cases. Nothing good ever seemed to work out for either of them, whether they were with or without each other. Quameek was a target on the streets by the same man who was now beating on his sister. Wasn't that about a bitch? It was then, looking into his sister's face that Quameek knew that they had never been meant to make it.

The two of them had never been meant to survive in that cold world. They had both become horrible products of their environments and he knew that it wouldn't end well for either of them. Quameek knew that he and his sister's days were numbered. They weren't going to make it. It just wasn't likely. He just hoped that Kennedy knew that, too.

Kennedy shook her head. "Meek, I don't want to do this. Go back to Nyasia's house. And stop checking on our mother. She's going to die here. And she'll take you with her if you let her. Leave it alone," she told her brother and then walked back out on him, for the second time.
*****
Quameek sat with Nyasia in her room, listening to her as she vented to him about what she was going through. He hadn't mentioned his situation with Kennedy and their mother and he wasn't yet sure if he actually wanted to. He knew Nyasia would react negatively to Kenny's heartless behavior and he didn't have the energy to calm her down.

"... I just feel like Nekhi and Tommoi are not being very understanding at all. I mean don't get me wrong, I know that there's no reason at all why my father isn't gonna do it. He doesn't want to help O-Lok because he doesn't want to. But I told Moi and Nekhi not to get their hopes up. Now, they wanna be on my back," Ny babbled.

Quameek did his best trying to listen and keep up with Nyasia. But his mind was just on other things. "What's wrong?" Ny finally asked him, sensing his distress. Meek studied Nyasia, trying to decide whether or not he could trust her with what he wanted to tell her. "Nyasia, can you keep a secret?" he asked her.

Nyasia looked at Quameek, with great concern. "Of course I can. What's the matter?" she quizzed. Quameek squeezed his lips tight and looked up at the ceiling, trying to fight back tears. "I think... I... Nyasia... I think I'm gonna die soon," he told her. Ny's hands flew to her mouth. "What? What would make you think something like that?" she queried.

A tear slid down Quameek's left cheek. Nyasia could see that he was such a troubled and lost young soul. He just needed some love. "Ever since I could remember my life has just been a complete nightmare. For me and Kennedy. It's just been one heartache after the next for us. I don't think either one of us were meant to make it out here," Quameek admitted.

Nyasia pulled Meek into a tight hug. "All you need is a fresh start. Come to Pennsylvania with me, Meek. You could go back to school. And get a little part time job. All you need is a change of scenery," she told him. Quameek allowed himself to relax in Ny's arms, taking in her sweet scent. She smelled like coconuts.

"You really think so, Ny?" Quameek asked, his voice barely above a whisper. Nyasia nodded. "I do. If I can't get Nekhi out of here, I will get someone out," she said to him. Quameek felt better. Maybe Nyasia was right. Maybe getting away with her was exactly what he needed.