Shade:
I could not believe that my granny was gone. The only on that ever gave a damn about me for real. I doubted Aunt Bridget sometimes and poppa too, but I never doubted granny. When she coded they rushed us out the room in a hurry, but they didn’t cover the small window in the door and I watched her take her last breath. She reached up as if grabbing for somebody. Maybe she was grabbing for her beloved Detroit Hustle, or maybe it was me. I would like to think she was trying to hug me. Shyne was out here screaming bloody murder and it was pissing me off cause she didn’t halfway care about granny. “Ma’am you can come in if you would like.” I looked up at the doctor holding the door open and then I looked toward the waiting room. I could hear all the commotion and I wanted to have this moment to myself so I walked in hesitantly. “Granny you told me you was always gonna be here with me,” I said grabbing her hand, “you left me though mama, why you leave me?” Of course she lay there still, but I know I am not hallucinating when I say that a smile crept across her face. ”Granny I know that I gotta keep everything together. I done did some stuff that I got to ask forgiveness for, but the main thing is………I am sorry for every time that I disobeyed you, lied to you, and snuck around. I wish I could have been the granddaughter that you deserved.” I held her cold hand in mine and laid my head on her chest and I stayed there staining her gown with my tears until I felt somebody gently tugging on my waist.
“Come on baby you gonna make yourself sick,” I turned and Veronica held her arms out for me, “its okay baby she is in a much better place than this one.” I cried into her shoulder and she hugged me tight. It was as if she was grieving too and understood exactly what I was feeling. The doctor knocked on the door and beckoned for us to come out into the hallway. “Muthafucka you is a low-life ass niggah, you know that?!” “Man fuck what you talkin that’s my woman layin in there dead,” poppa said to Mississippi Red who was pointing his cane at him. “man you was never good enough for Quiana. I don’t know why she fucked with you, but if you check the record punk ass nigga I raised her damn grandchildren from the daughter she gave up!” My mouth dropped and Veronica put her hand over her mouth. “Gentlemen can you please stop this we have a lot of very sick people on this floor,” the doctor explained looking rom man to man. “Man I ain’t got to stop a damn thing until I tell this muthafuckin snake off,” Mississippi Red said walking up on poppa. Daddy rolled around the crowd and in between the two men, “Look Ms. Quilla is gone and we all have some damn skeletons in our closets, but what we won’t do is disrespect her memory with this foolishness. Anybody wanna discuss something do it as gentlemen and take it outside, if not then we gonna have two deaths today,” he said patting his pocket.
Mama rolled her eyes and grabbed Shyne and they walked to the corner to talk. Me, Veronica, poppa, and daddy spoke to the doctor to see what decision needed to be made about granny’s body.
Mississippi Red:
Me and my granddaughters got the hell out of that place. I was mad as hell, but I had all of them when we get together to discuss the funeral arrangements. I got into the car and waited for the girls to get in and then I pulled off. I dropped them off at the house and I went to go see Fish Bone. When I pulled up to his shot house he nodded as I told him what I needed. He said he would have it to me tomorrow morning and I handed him the agreed on $500.
Erica: Shyne was so tore up and I know I should check on Shade, but not while she was over there with Blue and Veronica. That bitch hugged up on my baby like she was her mother. I shook my head. Shyne was crying into my neck and rubbing her stomach so I walked her over to a couch and sat her down. I was walking over to the vending machine when I looked up the hall just in time to see Bridget. Oh shit.
Bridget: So when was I gonna find out?! Who was gonna tell me?! “ I walked over to Shade and grabbed her by both arms, “Is my mama gone?” She couldn’t speak, but her tears said it all. “Where is she at,” I demanded looking at the frightened doctor. He pointed to the room, and I pulled open the door and stormed over to mama’s bed. She had a smile on her face and I rubbed her cheek. I was in shock that mama had dies and the only one thought to call me was Blue. I kneeled over mama and my chest heaved up and down as I began wailing. I heard the door open and all I remember was falling.
Jeremiah:
Bridget fell into my arms as soon as I walked into the room. I pulled her over to a chair and tried to sit her down, but she went limp so I hoisted her over my shoulder. Blue rolled over to hold the door open for me as I walked into the waiting room and laid her on a couch. I was so lost right now and nobody could know how I felt. I knew some things about Quilla. But in my eyes she was always gonna be my baby regardless. He had tarnished her in front of everybody and the niggah was gonna pay heavily for that. I fanned Bridget as Erica, Shyne, and Shade fanned her with various magazines from the waiting room tables. In the midst of it all Blue’s wife began to sing “Order my steps.” She had a beautiful voice like Tamela Mann and all of us were crying. The nurses walked around passing out tissues and slowly we began to act human again.
