Love Me Naked|Dave East

84

Looking over at Regina, she began to eat as if she hasn't eaten in days and I just watched as my best friend began to morph into something completely different and beyond my expectations. What would Sean say right now? What would her mom even say? She's been battling cancer and Regina's dad has been the one taking care of her. Luckily Mr. Hayes has a successful restaurant, but how long will he be able to keep up with that?

Her parents are in retirement ages and they shouldn't have to be dealing with the thought of their daughter out here in the streets struggling. Plus, Miracle has to stay with Regina's cousins who aren't in any better shape. The two of them have a whole bucket of kids and they live on welfare.

"What would you say if I looked after Miracle on my days off, huh? Or what about sending her with Slime and Candice? She watches Kairi when Dave and Slime is at work. You can dig yourself up and out of this mess. I believe that you can do this if you apply yourself to it. Loosing your job as an RN is just as bad, but I'm wiling to help you if you are wiling to help yourself for the sake of you and that child. Look at you Gina, you don't deserve this. You're getting caught up in the mess I so helplessly couldn't myself out of."

Holding onto her hands, I could see the burning tears flowing down her face and I couldn't bare the thought of her digging herself deeper into drug mess and men who don't treat her right. I've faced it and who knows what would've happened to me? Probably a drug addict or alcoholic listening to my heartbeat as my body on the outside is already dead.

"I-I can't go back there...n-not now at least," she sighed and I took a sip of my lemonade. She was broken and it was up to me to try and fix her before she ends up six feet under or married to heroin.

****

Dave

Today is a new day and I wasn't gonna just be like these other guys and stir up trouble. With the mop in my hand, I began to mop up the cafeteria floor and mind my business. Of course I wasn't gon act all shy and scared, you gotta toughen up inside these concrete walls or else they gon eat ya ass alive.

"You good fam," turning my head, I done seem Slicer and a couple of his other friends come up to me. Moving the mop around in a corner, I made sure to hit all the right spots. If you ever try to leave a speck of dirt around here, the guards ain't gon beat you for it, they'll find someone to do it for you. These prisoners pack a mean punch and they ain't joking.

"I'm straight," clenching my jaw, I looked up at him.

"Aye man, this is my homie Ritz and Jason. If they got me, they got you so don't worry about nothing. You aight when you got us cause all up in this prison is cats getting ready to start trouble."

Dapping them up I also gave them a nod before continuing my work. Once I was completely done mopping, they eventually invited me over to play cards and talk with them. Of course I gave them mad respect cause ion know nobody besides Slicer cause he was rocking with me when we was dealing with Mug. His ass got life for a couple of other charges, but we still cool.

"What you got locked up in here for?" Jason looked over at me and questioned me.

"I killed a couple people, but there's nothing more I can do about it, but sit in here and wait for my time to be over. All I wanna see is my daughter and that's it. I fucked up a good relationship, but what more can I do besides move on with my life? She's out there and I'm in here so what can I do about it? Besides, she got a whole football player."

Patting my back, I turned to look at Jason, "Don't worry bout that, if she cares about you, she'd come visit you, if not then it is what it is."

Nodding my head, he had a point, but no one truly knows how I feel about her; she was my everything. Turning my head, I could sense those same guys from earlier staring my ass down and it was pissing me off. Not only were they eyeing me, but they had the audacity to send me threats from across the room. I promised myself to stay cool and calm, but they are this close from getting they ass beat.