Rock And Hard Place ****Chapter Thirty-Six

The shower I'd taken was much needed, Nikki hadn't gone to work the next day and had said she'd likely lost the Wendy's gig. I tried to keep a smile on my face and had evaluated my lifeline, and I needed to be on some serious life improvement shit. I had planned to go get my babies in two weeks, Nikki had said I could crash at her crib until I got back on my feet. She'd known about the babies, I told her my story, starting at the night of the arrest, leaving out any self incriminating information and the fact that I was a nutcase. I saw a lot of me in her and she was older by two years being 31. She had never lived good, never been out of the hood, and didn't have shit to call her own, not even her children's fathers. Arriana was her oldest daughter, she had her in the 10th grade and I could tell she had her hands full, she was at the "boyfriend-sneak out of the house" stage.

Nikki advised me her sugar daddy was coming, and she would have enough money to loan me to get an ID cash the check. She began to clean up, I offered to help, she declined the gesture. The home had basically looked the same afterward, but that Fabuloso boiling bitch let Henry Lee in and gave me the money for the ID. She knew she could suck a dick in 7 minutes and be ready to go.

I knew I could go to the Bank that was printed on the check, I just hadn't told Daddy.

We drove around in her car, the power steering pump had went out overnight, the bitch was wrestling with that steering wheel while calling the car dealership all kinda muthafuckas. "I'm not payin no note!" She yelled, we were riding in a '02 Grand Marqius. A note?

I'd cashed the check after taking the worst ID photo in ID photo history. Trenton had blessed my game. The teller had even called him while I was there to verify he was aware, but both of our names had been on it. He could have cashed it before he brought it, as well as collected everything. I didn't even understand why I had been entitled, yes I had gotten severely injured but how the fuck was I even insured?

She had written my ID number and Social on the check. I'd previously had an ID from Texas when I left that hadn't expired so I only had to pay for a duplicate. The check though had almost expired, she'd asked why had it taken so long to cash it. "I hadn't really needed the money," I said, telling a bold face lie. She looked me up and down, then looked at the issue date on the ID. She could kiss my ass and just pay me, as she had. Also since I didn't have a phone she wrote Trenton's number down on the check as I mentally stored the last 7 numbers in mind. We left the bank, I had given Nikki 500 dollars, I really appreciated her. She was a genuine person, her and her children were all they had. Each other. She'd even told me about the 4 fathers to her 6 children, as well as her deceased daughter that was shot walking home from school. I'd seen the pictures and the urn. She seemed so easily influenced as I had been. She'd taken me to buy a car, I could drive but the doctors had always told Mama driving would be dangerous for me, the seizures were spontaneous. They never spoke of the Epilepsy improving, I should have known it would someday get worse.

I purchased a 2004 Chevy Impala, and some side of the road insurance, I definitely needed the insurance, also I went and bought a new cell phone, 214 area code.

She ditched her car in Walmart parking lot and we got inside of the Impala. I couldn't wait to put on new clothes, and flat iron my hair. We went shopping. I hadn't even been to have the staples removed and they were beginning to pop out on their own but I was happy to have some money and Trenton's phone number. I couldn't wait to tell him about Twan. I felt I could tell him anything. Nikki had a lot of beef and also liked to start shit, each baby daddy had two other baby mama's so she had 8 bitches to beef with, one was her cousin Trell. I saw that bitch and knew Nikki petite ass didn't want them hands. That bitch was Six foot Twelve. I knew she could cook a mean pan of cornbread though, hell wasn't my beef.

The whole household was a damn zoo, but she also had a cat. I would get high, that muthafucka would get to tiptoeing sideways and galloping like a horse in front of the TV, Nikki said "Oh, she do that." I was relieved but she was disturbing my equilibrium. I could look at her and tell she only had a couple lives left, the kids had pierced her ears. I would try to throw her over the fence, she kept coming back but she would see my headlights and haul ass.

Nikki though, she looked forward to arguing with them hoes on a daily basis, I knew why she was broke. She had looked out for me and I couldn't do anything but give her some game. She had asked me to go with her to Big Mama birthday party, at first I said no but thought about how much of a blessing it was for her to be around 88 years.

I wanted to visit Christy so I drove to the prison, I changed mind and drove away. I wanted to see her and then my babies and leave for Texas again. I called Trenton, he was glad to hear from me. I told him I would come by when I left the hospital, I hadn't called or anything I would just show up. He advised me not to go, I was confused. He would not go into details but made me promise not to go. I could hear the sincereness in his voice, he was begging me not to even come but I had to. I was so angry, I definitely had to do away with my old man now, I knew he wanted to see me locked away in an asylum. He had fucking done it. He would suffer, I would chemically castrate that muthafucka for Maliya Reed the middle grade student who went missing when I was in the 9th grade, Ladonna Ellis, Tramena Oliver, and RaShinda Underwood. Yea, the psychologists hadn't really wanted to know had they? I thought about killing him but fuck that, he had to endure what I had and then rot in prison. Those disappearances were so mainstream, but they never suspected. It would all fall into place. The medications hadn't suppressed those memories, I was sorry if he thought they had, and Kerri's coward ass knew, she had to. Mama hadn't wanted to know.

They should have pickled Peter Pipers pecker along time ago. I was just the candidate. Sick bastard, I would get angry trying to figure out what mama even seen in him, she too was a preacher's daughter.

I had already asked Nikki to ride along, that bitch got the 500 dollars and said fuck Wendy's so she didn't have a job and was free to travel.

She had uplifted my spirits like Christy had, and I think I felt betrayed when it had came to her extracurricular activities. She wasn't supposed to fall in love with Tobias. I would still do all I could to help her but they wanted a lot. One attorney would get her the money she was entitled to, and another attorney would get her a bond reduction.

Veronica had a daughter who was 8 years old that was Lamont's child, she wasn't even on the life insurance policy. Allstate held the auto, Kilpatrick held the Life Insurance and Liberty Mutual had held the homeowners policy. The home had been worth $800,000, his automobiles, there had been 3 on the policy, $140,000, $500,000 for the life, $500,000 for ADD, there was also an accidental death and disbursement at StateFarm, Christy had purchased the policy for them both and made herself and Tobias beneficiary, later on. She'd purchased the policy 9 years before, but wasn't that prior to the marriage problems? The bitch was slick and why had she purchased that policy and agreed to a 20 year term but had modified it 6 months before, and specified that 30 percent to go to Tobias Jerome Carter? Had he planned on killing Lamont? I still wanted to know if Twan had tried to kill her, and knew blood was thicker than water. I kept recollecting how he looked, either he was grieving or something was eating him alive.

I just could not fathom my babies being gone. I had Nikki to call, they surely were gone. That day my world was so dark, I knew I would lose it, it was as if I God hadn't thought I had been through enough. How could I ever get them back? My precious babies, I was competent, I knew I was! How had Twan cared, he allowed me to leave! He had been in danger and hadn't known it. I was completely alone again, only Nikki and her kids. I knew I could go and get Ryella but I needed to get situated. Nikki had enough of her own.

While in Shreveport I left Nikki at the Casino hotel and gps'd my way to my Daddy's home. I pulled into the driveway and got out. One thing Christy taught me was that men never lock doors behind them. The front door was locked but the back door was unlocked. I could hear their voices as I entered the hallway, the woman's voice sounded real familiar, I just figured it was coincidental. That bitch could get it too. All crackheads sounded the same I assumed, the crack smoke burned my eyes as it lingered through the home.

The back bedroom door was slightly ajar, he sat on two upside crates on a pillow naked from the waist down stroking his dick...and smoking crack.

Was that---Davinda? Why was her nose bleeding? She was naked, it looked like they had fought but she was pleading with him to take her home. How long had she been there? Her hair was matted to her head, I could see her legs stretched out across the floor but couldn't see if she was tied, I felt she was though, her arms were over her head. She probably would not make it out alive, I knew that but wanted to know if he really was that monster, I needed confirmation. He stood up and kicked her leg, she screamed. "OPEN YA MUTHAFUCKIN LEGS BITCH!" He was so drunk, that had to have been why the door was unlocked. Anyone could come in! He was in the midst of committing a crime! Dumb ass nigga! I heard her gasping for air, and begging, he was choking her.

She had fed me in jail, I had to save her but if I opened the door she would see me. I would have to kill him, either way, and if she panicked I would kill her too. That day was my birthday, I hadn't told a soul, but he knew.