Page 6 of Give Me All Of You

“Nah, I got shit to do.”

“Since when has that ever stopped you?” She was now sitting up with the only thing covering her was the afterglow that this dick provided her.

“Since when did I ever fucking explain myself to you? Aye, I’m out.” I snatched my phone and stalked to the front door. I made sure I locked her shit and got in my truck and went the fuck home. This was the exact reason why I didn’t do this shit with her.

I lit the blunt that I had in the ashtray and took a pull from it as soon as I pulled out. I was pulling into my driveway when my phone rang. I looked at the screen display and saw that it was the very person I was waiting to hear from.

“Hello?” I answered, as I blew out the smoke.

“Two o’clock at the house in The Valley,” was all he said.

“Bet.” I hung up because there were no more words to be said. I got the meeting, so now all we had to do was come up with terms that fit us. We weren’t our fathers, and I wasn’t doing everything the same way that my pops did, and I know he wasn’t I’ll just have to wait until Friday to see what that was. Right now, I was taking my ass in here and do what I said. I’ll take care of the other shit when it’s time.

Chapter Three

Rakeem ‘Rock’ Ashby

I planned on staying at my parents’ house tonight, but since Haze took care of everything earlier, I was taking my daughter home so that she could see her mother. It’s been about a week since she last saw her, and that’s because I didn’t want her to see her in her condition. My baby mama, Lucretia, had acute myeloid leukemia. We found out while she was pregnant with our now two-year-old daughter, Peace. When her bloodwork came back, the doctor informed us that her white blood cells appeared abnormal. After further testing, we were presented with her diagnosis. Since she was pregnant, she refused to get treatment. By refusing treatment, that caused her to progress faster than projected and as a result, my daughter had to be born via cesarean. By the grace of God, Peace came into the world healthy. She was a little on the small size, weighting exactly five pounds even, but she was still healthy, nonetheless. Now I was the sole parent that my daughter relied on while her mother resided in the guest room in my home waiting to die. Lucretia’s only family was her mother, Teresa, and her sister, Jalissa. They offered to help take care of her, so they took turns coming to the house sitting with her while a nurse came in every other day to check on her. Once I got my daughter situated in her car seat, I rounded my truck and got inside to pull off.

“See Mommy?” I heard Peace’s little voice say from the back seat.

I looked at her through the rearview mirror and said, “Yeah, baby girl. We’re going to see Mommy.” That had to be what she wanted to hear because she starting wiggling in her seat while clapping her little hands. This girl was a character and the highlight of my life. After spending all day around a bunch of niggas and handing out repercussions, it felt amazing to come home to my baby girl.

When I pulled up to my house, Lucretia’s mother, Teresea’s car, was parked in the driveway. I left her sister, Jalissa, here, but something had to come up if she wasn’t here now. After grabbing Peace and heading inside, I found Teresea in the kitchen washing dishes.

“Na-Na!” Peace squealed as she tried to jump out of my arms. It was no doubt that my daughter loved her people. As long as they did right by her, I would allow them to be a part of her life. I didn’t play those fuck ass games when it came to my child. It didn’t matter who you were.

“Hey, Na-Na baby.” She picked Peace up and kissed all over her chubby cheeks. “Hey, Rakeem,” she greeted me.

“Hey, Teresea. How was today?” I asked. I saw the look of anguish wash over her face, and I knew exactly what that meant. Today wasn’t a good day.

“It was rough. She barely ate and slept most of the day because of the pain. I had to double the meds so she could get some rest, so she’s asleep now,” she informed.

I took a seat at the table and leaned back. I hated I couldn’t get a handle on this shit. No matter how much money I had, there was nothing I could do. Even after paying the best oncologists in the US, there was nothing that could be done. Theleukemia was too aggressive and advancing at an accelerated rate. The only thing we could do was keep her doped up on medicine so she could be comfortable while we waited for her organs to shut down.

“I hate I can’t get a handle on this shit,” I spoke out loud. Teresea walked over to where I was seated and took a seat in the empty chair that was closest to me.

“There is nothing that any of us can do. I appreciate you stepping up and still caring for her the way that you do. Most men would have run out by now.”

“I’m only doing what I know is right. I love Lu and we share a daughter, so if that means I make sure that she has a peaceful transition, then I’m going to make that shit happen.” She nodded.

“I’m going to get Peace ready for bed before I leave. I’ll be back in the morning since Jalissa had to leave and check on Jace.”

Jace was Jalissa’s five-year-old son. That would be the only reason that she wouldn’t be here with her sister.

“Okay. I’ll go check on Lu while you get Pea together.” She nodded and rose with Peace in her arms.

While they went upstairs, I went and poured myself a drink before going to check on Lucretia. Even though I was fully aware of her condition, I was never prepared to face the shit. Once I downed two shots of Remy, I rinsed my glass out before sitting it in the dishwasher and heading to the guest wing where Lucretia’s room was located. When I walked in, she was sound asleep with just the lamp and TV on. The room was set up like a suite, with a separate sitting area on the opposite side. Since she had that small hospital bed, I was able to still fit a king sized bed in here. Her bed was set up closer to the window, so she was ableto get natural sunlight during the day. I don’t know when the last time I slept in my own room. When I was home, me and Peace slept in here with her mother.

I walked over to her, and she looked so peaceful as she slept. If it wasn’t for the faint rise and fall of her chest, I would’ve sworn she had already left us. I let my eyes sweep over her ashen skin. I know her mother made sure she was moisturized well, but her skin developed this permanent bluish hue that made her look dry as hell. Her mouth stayed dry as well, so we made sure that they stayed hydrated. Her dark brown hair, that was once healthy, was now thinning and brittle. Her sister would wash it as best as she could once a week and braid it so that it wouldn’t be all over her head. I couldn’t stop the panging in my chest as my heart beat relentlessly against my ribcage. Before me lied the woman who I knew I would spend forever with, yet I already had her funeral planned out because it was just a matter of time.

Giving her one last look, I kissed her forehead and headed to the bathroom to take a much needed shower to get myself together. I cherished the time that I spent in the shower because this was the only time that I could be vulnerable. I couldn’t show any sign of weakness at any point…to anyone, so when I was alone with my thoughts, I let the tears flow freely. I cried for Lucretia because she was so young. We weren’t even thirty yet, and she would never live to see it. I cried for my daughter because she’s so young and probably wouldn’t even remember her mother. I cried for myself because I was losing the love of my life. Before the age of thirty, I would be a single father and it’s not by choice.

Once I let the last of my tears fall, I washed my body and got out of the shower. After dressing in a pair of basketball shorts, tank top, and socks, I slipped my feet into a pair of slides and went to go get my baby so Teresea could go home and getsome rest. I met her coming down the stairs with a sleeping Peace in her hands.

“She’s out like a light,” she whispered, handing her over.

“We’ll see how long that’ll last.” We both laughed.

---