Lick

Revenge

"Can y'all hang that portrait up over there?" I asked Gunna and Tim who were holding this gigantic photo of a woman with a fresh new sew-in that was done by Erika. I was sitting in one of the salon chairs with my feet all prompt up on the counter reading a magazine.

"How bout you get your ass up and do it?" Tim asked with his smart ass mouth.

"Aye! Watch your mouth no cussing in here in front of my customers that's disrespectful!" Erika said while styling one of her clients' hair.

"Please, I bet you all these motherfuckers in here curse too!" Tim said. All the women in the store gasped at what he said.

"Alright, that's it." I had put my feet down on the ground and threw the magazine in another seat. "Hand me the picture, get the hell out!" I said to Tim while grabbing the picture from him. "Tyree just put it right here by the door." I said. We sat it down lightly while Tim was just starring.

"Ok let's go since I'm not wanted here, brother." Tim said to Gunna.

"First of all, he's MY brother!" I said snapping back.

"Girl you find out you got ONE brother and don't know how to act!"

"Y'all can't stop arguing to save y'all lives. Tim go head wait for me in the car I got to holla at Brook about something." Gunna said. Tim mugged me then left out the door. It's funny we fight and go back and forth like cats and dogs. Gunna and I walked to the back of the salon where the storage was so no one could hear our conversation.

"Wassup?" I asked Gunna wondering what was wrong as to where he had to speak to me in private. Usually, we tell each other everything and as in each other, I mean him, Tim, Erika and I all together.

"Have you talked to ma lately?" he asked.

"Earlier this week, why?"

"Well, I've been calling she hasn't been answering. It's been about 3 days."

"Well you know sometimes she's busy but she always calls back."

"Brooklyn, we're the ones who are usually busy. Ma is never that busy as to where she goes 3 days without speaking to us let alone 24 hours. I think we need to go see her." He suggested.

"Tyree I promise she's fine."

"Brooklyn, we're catching a flight up there I already got the tickets."

"What?! I have clients today Gunna you can't just do that!"

"Brooklyn I don't care what you say I have a bad feeling. When I get a gut feeling, I listen to it. Our flight is at 4 so we're leaving like around now. You better be at the house round that time because Tim is taking us to the airport."

"Oh, so Tim already knows about this?"

"No he doesn't and he doesn't have to know it's not his business it's ours. If she's fine then great but we're still going to check on her and that's final. Let's go." Gunna walked out of the storage room and also out the salon. I can't believe he's acting like that. I think if something was wrong with my mama me out of all people would know because she is my mama. He's just overreacting, but to avoid a further argument I'm just gonna go with him and to also prove him wrong. I followed behind him and got in the car with him and Tim.

"Why is she in the car?" Tim asked.

"Take us to the airport, we gotta go somewhere real quick." Gunna said.

"Real quick? If it's a plane y'all getting on I don't think it's really quick now." Tim said while driving off taking us to the airport. The whole car ride was silent and it was all because Gunna was mad. The whole time in the car I had to text clients and let them know that I couldn't do their hair today and hope that they'll reschedule with me. Some were extremely pissed, but some were also understanding. We left out of the salon without even telling Erika where we were going. Hopefully, Tim will tell her.

When we got to the airport, Gunna got out of the car and slammed the door. He banged his fist on the trunk signaling Tim to open it.

"I don't even have no bags!" I said to Gunna. He picked up a pink bag from the trunk and threw it at me.

"That's your dumb ass bag I packed your clothes already!" he said to me with anger. I picked the bag up from the ground and put it on my back as a backpack. Gunna grabbed his duffle bag, and we were ready to go.

"We'll be back in probably 2 days, tell Erika where we went." Gunna said to Tim. He nodded his head and drove off. Boy, I wish I was in that car going wherever he was going, I really didn't wanna go back to NY.

Going through security was an easy process and it wasn't all that busy surprisingly. When we got on the plane though, the more anxious I got. Gunna would not talk to me for the whole ride. He kept his headphones in the whole time and didn't speak. Since he wanted to be petty, I was going to be petty too. I just turned my head and looked out the window, and couldn't help but to think how happy I finally was. Then suddenly, I began to get sleepy and dozed off right before my own eyes.

When I finally woke up, we had already landed. People were gathering their belongings, heading off the plane and Gunna was one of those people.

"You weren't going to wake me up to let me know we were about to land?" I asked. He simply ignored. I didn't understand why he was so mad at me, but at the same time, I wasn't about to press him either.

After the whole process of the exiting the airport, that's when it hit me. I was really home. Home, where I know a lot of people want my head at, which is probably why I really didn't wanna come, but a place I can't run away from. If it was to ever happen that way, it'll just happen.

We called an uber from the pickup lot and our ride was there within 2 minutes. The whole ride to my mama's house I just felt anxious. I don't even know why. Maybe it's not such bad idea to see her, I actually miss my mama. The whole car ride the uber just kept talking to us. Asking us where are we from, where did we just come from, all this bullshit. Gunna was sitting here asking some of the questions irritably, but not the ones that were too personal. Me on the other hand, I'm not friendly at all don't talk to me nigga.

When we got to her house, you could see all the lights were off which is pretty strange.

"Ok, here's your destination. Hope you have a great night and a great stay!" the uber driver said.

"Thank you, you have a good one." Gunna said. He grabbed my bag and his and got out of the car before me. For some reason, now I'm starting to have a bad feeling. I got out of the car just starring at the house, confused on why all the lights were off. My mama is honestly terrified of complete darkness. Something wasn't adding up. We started walking towards the door and the scent of musty mothballs infused our noses.

"What the fuck is that smell?" Gunna asked while coughing.

I began to bang on the door waiting for her to answer. "Ma!" I yelled. No one answered nor did I hear anyone come to the door. I bang on the door again. "Mama!" I yelled another time and still no answer. I reached for my keys inside my purse, I still had a house key to hers on my set. I took the key and unlocked the door slowly. As soon as we opened the door, the smell was x10 stronger than what it was at first. Gunna and I both began coughing and try to see our way through the house.

"Brook, what is that swinging in the kitchen?" Gunna asked me. He led the way towards the kitchen while I stood behind him. He flicked the light on and I collapsed to the floor.

"MAMA!!!" I yelled at the top of my lungs crying and screaming. My mama's body was hanging and swinging in the kitchen. My mama was dead.