Water Runs Dry | ON HOLD

XVI | Turn Around

XVI | Turn Around
|°| But this the price you pay when the Devil work. You put your heart with mine, I will never hurt. They burn when the fire's on. It can never affect me or what side I'm on, it don't matter. Just turned my life around, it started today. I'm gonna turn my life around, starting today |°|

Quentin Rashaad Harris POV

"Boy, you'n believe fat back greasy do ya? Ya dumbass about to lose ya damn life.", I heard a familiar wise, Deep Southern, old voice speak to me. I peeped over my shoulder and there stood my grandfather, standing in his angelic like stature. "Gramps? Fuck no! What the fuck?!"

"Watch that damn cussin' shit Quentin! Now I'm here to help yo slow ass. You wanna lose the best thang for you? You in a damn hospital fa alcohol poisonin'! Boy, keep on! Ya on the same path ya Dad was on. You ain't spend no time wit'em but ya act just like'em. You'n know when to stop. But I'll tell ya knuckle-headed ass this... this ya last chance. You got two weeks to get shit right or she leavin' you. Taking the kids and high-tailing ha' self on. Ion blame her either, gotta do what's best for them youngins. Just imagine, anotha man takin' ya place, ya kids callin' anotha nigga Daddy, makin' anotha' set of twins, giving her his last name, while you stuck being a damn drunk."
"Gramps, I'm trying! She don't want me back, I'm fighting for her and them but she don't want me to come back."
"Boy, you stayed over there tryna get ya stick in a hole. You wan' there to fix no relationship. Take ya ass to a damn church, go to rehab, and try again. Damn dumbass grandchild, you get that bullshit from ya grand'mama," with that he was gone.
Soon after I was pulled into a surreal daze.
There I stood in the midst of our home. Looking around I saw glass bottles, Black & Milds, weed, and cocaine. I saw myself, looking disheveled and wild, hunting around the house. "Come here Lia! I ain't fucking playing, bring your ass here!"
Almost like teleporting, I was in the hall bathroom. I looked around and saw Lia crutched down in the little hall bathroom with the boys. "Shh, don't cry y'all. It'll be okay, Daddy's just having a bad day, okay? Stay in here and Mommy'll be back to get you."
"Lia! Where you at?!", I heard my own voice yell out. "I'm coming!"
"Mommy, don't go. We can hold off Daddy!", Chase spoke up. "Yeah Mommy, you go get our stuff and me and Fat can do it."
She beamed with pride, with light tears coming down her face. "No, you guys stay here, okay? Stay here for Mommy, and then later on we can go to the store and get that new game y'all were talking about!", she hugged them and locked them in the bathroom.
"I wish Daddy was dead," Chase said, "Don't you, Fat?
"He ain't my Daddy, Jelly! Daddies don't hurt their families. He's nothing to me, and if he hurts Mommy, I'm going to kill him."
"Well he ain't mine either. I hate him!"
I watched as my only two sons wished me dead. I reached out to touch them yet my hand flew right through. I watched as they flinched at the sounds coming from outside the confined space. Their cocoa skin littered with large bruises, was that because of me? Soon I was ripped back into the living room.
"Q, baby, put the bottle down, please. It's too early for this the boys are home. Let's not do this?", I watched Lia beg 'me'. I watched this monstrous version of me chuckle darkly. "I don't give a damn!", he quickly hurled three glass bottles at Lia's head. She let out a loud shriek, as one landed in front of her, behind her and beside her head. It ran towards her and I watched as they fought. Punches, kicks, slaps, slams, until Monster Me grabbed Lia.
"You know I think you like fighting me. You know how it goes, drop them panties Liana."
By this time, Lia was sobbing, "No, no, no, baby. I'm sorry... please our babies are home. I'll make it up to you."
"We can do it now, while I'm giving you the option to enjoy it, or I'll make your babies watch as I take it. Your choice."
"Quentin, please... don't make me do this!"
"Guess it'll be the second option!"
I closed my eyes and called out for Lia, my sons, my mother, my grandfather, anyone who could save me from watching this.
"You wanna keep this drinking and drugs up? This is exactly the life you gonna end up giving them. Straighten up, or pay a price."
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I woke up to loud beeping and a tube on my face. "I know, you're tired of hearing me Q, but I really need you to wake up. You've been out to long...", I looked over and there she was. Looking glorious as ever, was my wife, my baby, Liana Kandyse Williams-Harris.
"I'm up baby.", I said my voice overly rasp. She let out a light squeal and let my bed up and held a cup and straw so I could sip.
"Lemme page your nurse, you've been out for a couple days. Q, alcohol poisoning and driving drunk? What were you thinking?"
I felt my eyes fill with tears, flashbacks of my nightmares and our happy moments ran through my brain. I couldn't keep pretending I was okay with not being with my own family. "I've been drinking real heavily since we left each other. That's all I basically been consuming. Lia, I know I'm not perfect, I'm not even a good man, but don't divorce me. Please! If I could I'd be on my hands and knees. Please don't leave me, I need you. I love you more than I love myself. I'll go to a rehab, I'll go to counseling, church, anywhere you want me I'll be there. Don't leave me, don't leave me, don't leave me please."
By now I was sobbing, holding onto Lia's hands. "I'm gonna get right, I just know I can't live without you. I need you to help me, I don't want you to leave and take my sons. Y'all are all I have, my heart belongs to y'all. I don't wanna be the reason my sons hate me, I don't wanna be a cokehead, I don't wanna take it from you. I know I'll be pushing it asking to move back in, but just promise me you won't leave me?"

Liana Kandyse Williams-Harris POV

I watched Q pour out his heart to me. I couldn't abandon him, I loved him too much. "Q, this is you last chance, if you mess up I'm leaving you. You're going to go into AA or rehab, you will attend church with us, we'll go to counseling. I'm serious this time this is your last try!"
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Sunday Morning : 10:45 AM
"Well good morning Sister Lia, how are you this blessed (A/N If You've Ever Been To An Old Baptist Church, You Know How It Sounds!) morning?", Rev. Davidson asked me. Reverend James Earl Davidson was the leading pastor at St. Paul Baptist Church and had been since I was a child.
"I'm doing fine Pastor. And you?", I replied to him. "I'm just happy to be able to be delivering this service today. Who is this young man here?"
"This is my husband, Quentin. Quentin, this is Rev. Davidson. "
"Hello, Rev., I'm glad to be attending service today.", Q said. I looked up at him with a large smile.
"Oh yes, I remember! I ain't even seen you since the wedding. Now I'm about to go get ready to preach but I'll see y'all after service."
"Uh, if it's not too much to ask, after service can I talk with you?", Q asked. I looked at him with confusion, as he placed a kiss on my forehead.
"Alright. Just come on back to my office," we nodded and walked in to find us some seats.
I found a seat beside my father and the twins. "Hey Paw-Paw! How are you this morning?"
"I'm good, glad you here now to take these grandkids of mine. How you manage to get Q to come?"
"Maaaa!", I looked over and seen Chance with his hands up. "What Fat?"
"Up!", he said. I smiled at him and picked him up. I slid him to my hip, and soon Chase was ready for me to get him too.
"Da! Da!", soon they both shot for Q. He picked them both up and they laid on his chest. This was the quietest I'd ever seen them in church aside from them being sleep.

After Service

Q held both boys as we walked to our car in a peaceful silence. Before we could get there, two women stopped us.
"Now Liana, who is this? Because I've never seen him come here before. Is this your baby daddy?"
"Uh-actually no. This is-"
"I'm her husband, father of our children, and judging by the lack of tan lines on y'all hands. You're not married, never been and probably never will be. Have a good day."