Love Lock Down

Chapter 17 (Leroi)

I paced the waiting room floor scanning the other people there. There was a little girl that was wrapped in a blanket holding onto her mother. She appeared to be four or five and she had tear stains on her face. The way that her mother held her and rocked her made me wish that Shayla could have had that. I know Navette loved her, but she was not her mother. Mama had went outside to smoke a cigarette and talk on the phone which was crazy because I thought that she had quit years ago. I went to sit down and held my head in my hands. Damn Navette was mad at me and now her sister had died. I needed to try to make this okay some kind of way. I just didn't know what to do. I decided to see if the gift shop was open to kill time. Luckily it was a 24 hours so I walked in setting off the door chime. The old white lady behind the counter put down her newspaper and smiled.

"Hello there welcome to the gift shop."

"Um thanks," I said walking to the card section. I looked through the cards, but none of them said what I wanted them to say. I rummaged  through a bin of marked down stuffed animals. I was almost to the bottom of it when I found a Minnie Mouse doll. I didn't care how much it cost I had to have it.I picked the doll and walked to the counter.

"How much for this miss?"

"Hmm let me see. Which shelf did you get it from?"

"It was in the bin back there." I said pointing to the corner.

"Oh okay well son that is half off in the bin. Let me scan it real quick."

I handed her the doll and she grabbed her glasses from around her neck. She adjusted her glasses and picked up the doll and scanned it.

"Okay son the will be fifty."

"Fifty dollars?" I asked surprised.

"Oh no son", she laughed,"it's fifty cents.

I reached for my wallet and realized I had left it in the car.

"Oh no I forgot my wallet let me go grab it."

"Oh son I won't be here when you get back."

"Oh okay well let me ask my mama she's right outside the emergency room.

"Tell ya what son I have some extra change in my register don't worry about it." She said handing me the doll.

"Oh thank you so much ma'am I really appreciate it." I said taking the doll and turning to walk away.

"Oh wait one second let me get you something to go with that." She said reaching under her counter.

She came back up with a card with a little girl on it being lifted by some balloons. I was kinda stunned when I saw it. I sat the doll down and opened up the card.

I know you are looking for me, but I am gone to glory

You were the best chapters in my lifetimes story

Although you loved me dearly you couldn't keep me here

Just know that my work is done, but I am always near

Take care of those I left behind and tell them I have won

They will see me in the moonlight and shining with the sun

I will be with you forever as you continue your journeys ride

Then you will leave me never when you come to the other side

I felt the tears stinging my eyes. She handed me a pen to sign it and she even sealed the envelope.

I just looked at her wondering how she knew what I needed when I noticed something weird.

She had on a white sweater, white shirt, and white pants. Her hair was whit and even her glasses were. I looked at her name tag and the name read Anne Angel. She noticed me staring.

"son I have been doing this work for a long time. I just knew. You better hurry I have a feeling someone needs you."

I was spooked at this point so I almost walked into the glass door trying to get out of there. As soon as the door closed behind me I could hear mama talking in the waiting room.

"So ma'am we have to take him down to the station for questioning and we need somewhere to take his daughter because we can't send her home alone after this."

"sure she can come home with us." Mama said as I walked into the waiting room.

"Mama what's going on?" I said eyeballing the same officer that had jacked me up earlier.

"He said that they taking Navette's daddy downtown for questioning and that she needs somewhere to stay. I told them we would be glad to have her."

I nodded my head in agreement as he walked mama back through the double doors. I was sitting there clutching the doll and the card when she came back through the door holding Navette's hand. Her eyes were swollen, and bloodshot. She had dried tears all over her face which was causing her hair to stick to it.

"Leroi go bring the car around please." Said mama still holding her hand.

Before I walked out I walked u to Navette and handed her the doll and the card then I ran to the back parking lot to retrieve the car. When I pulled back up I went in to help mama out when I notice Navette was missing.

"Ma where she go?"

"She went to the bathroom, but help me get to the car and come back for her.

I helped mama into the car and ran back in to the waiting room. I walked around looking for the bathroom and when I found the women I waited outside of it. After several minutes I figured she must have been taking a dump so I was about to walk back to the waiting area when the door opened. Out stepped a old white lady. She smiled at me and when that door closed it fanned all of the funk into the hallway. I damn near threw up. I walked up to the front desk to ask if there was another bathroom when I saw Navette coming through the double doors.

She ran to me and I hugged her tight.

"I just had to see her one more time and give her the doll." She whispered into my neck.

"It's okay mama, I understand." I said stroking her hair.

I held her hand and walked her out the car. I opened the door for her and we pulled off into the night.