Page 14 of Somebody Else Will

“Mm-hmm. I’m gon’ fuck you up too.”

I ended the call, not bothering to tell him I reported it stolen. He had to be delusional if he thought this shit would fly with me. As I sat on a chair, I glanced over at my mama in the kitchen. She had turned on the Keurig and was preparing her sugar and cream for a cup of coffee. I didn’t see how she drank that in the evenings. I would be up until morning if I did that.

I lowered my head and took deep breaths, trying to calm my nerves. I had a headache from hell, and I just wanted this to beover. I didn’t understand what was going on with Will to where he thought this shit was okay. It was like it came out of the blue.No, it didn’t.He saw Ezekiel standing there with a bouquet of flowers and lunch. He was throwing a fit because he thought I was cheating on him.

Instead of asking the question like a man, he went with his assumptions, and like a child, he was having a temper tantrum. Then again, Ezekiel came to the shop after him. He was already there, acting a whole ass nigga. I was sure he saw the flowers Ezekiel held after the fact though. Why else would he be coming to a flower shop with flowers already in his hand? If he was there for Jamia, he would have gone to her instead of watching our drama.

However, none of that explained why he came to my job acting an ass about me not answering my phone. I was sure to delete the text thread between Ezekiel and me whenever he decided to step outside of our business conversation. I was still so angry, though, I almost didn’t care why he was behaving the way he was. No excuse he came up with would be good enough.

The point was that he was someone I didn’t need in my life. He was dead weight that I needed to shed before he gave me a stroke or heart attack. I knew my blood pressure had to be elevated. I was on the verge of high blood pressure. If my activity ever slowed down, I knew I would have it. I was on a small dose of Lisinopril to control it. If I stopped doing my own deliveries and didn’t replace the activity with exercise, I knew it would fully manifest itself.

I shifted my mind to Ezekiel and how he’d responded that we had a date when I asked him to go to breakfast Friday morning. I still hadn’t given him a definite answer on whether I would attend the party. I’d told Jamia and Jerzey about it, and they were begging me to confirm. I slowly shook my head as I recalled the conversation with Jerzey. She was talking about finding hera baller at the party so she wouldn’t have to work a part-time job to make ends meet.

I’d pretended to take offense to her statement, and she quickly apologized, thinking I was gonna fire her. She was a phlebotomist and worked at a lab Monday through Friday. I totally understood her standpoint. She was a single woman, trying to make it in life. She was saving for a house, and I could only admire her hustle and quickly explained that to her before she stressed herself out.

When I heard a ruckus in the kitchen, I turned to see my mama had fallen on the floor. I stood, making my way to her. “Oh my goodness. Mama, are you okay? Did you trip?”

She didn’t respond to me. I frowned as I made it around the island to see she was out cold, with coffee all over the place. I dropped to my knees. “Mama! Wake up!” I yelled as I shook her.

She remained unresponsive, and I noticed she wasn’t breathing. I stood and ran to where I was seated and grabbed my phone from the coffee table to make an emergency call. As I spoke to a dispatcher, I went back to my knees, dropped the phone to the floor, and checked my mama for a pulse. I didn’t feel one. I quickly started CPR as the tears finally surfaced. I didn’t understand what was going on. I felt like my life was spiraling out of control.

I was better off alone, where I couldn’t be hurt. I needed to focus on myself and now my mother, who still wasn’t responding. It was bad enough my father was nowhere to be found. I hadn’t seen the man since I was a small child and barely remembered what he looked like.Fucking deadbeat.My mama and grandmother were all I had in this world. If Ray Boswell were to come to the flower shop and smile in my face, I wouldn’t know him from Adam.

When I heard the knocking at the door, I stood and ran to it, allowing the paramedics to come in. “She’s in the kitchen.”

As they made their way to her, I called Jamia to let her know of what was going on. She immediately headed my way, knowing I needed the support. I didn’t want to call my grandmother just yet. She dealt with high blood pressure, also, and so many other medical issues. I wanted to wait until I knew more before calling her. I didn’t need her panicking her way right into a heart attack.

The paramedics seemed to be working hard but couldn’t seem to get her breathing again. Instead of saying so, they quickly got her on a gurney and hauled ass out of my house with me right behind them. I could see Jamia arriving as I got in the back of the ambulance with my mother. They were working overtime trying to get her going. They shocked her with the paddles, and that seemed to do it. Her pulse was there, and they were giving her oxygen as I stared on. Wiping my face, I thanked God for bringing her back.

When we got to the hospital, they took her to the back, and someone else led me to a consultation room. That wasn’t a good sign. We’d come in this same room when my grandfather had died years ago. I decided to call my grandmother. She would never forgive me if I didn’t. The phone rang and eventually went to voicemail. That wasn’t like her. She always answered her phone.

Once the greeting was done, I left her a message. “Grandma, I need you to call me back or just meet me at Baptist Hospital. It’s an emergency.”

I ended the call as Jamia walked in with Jerzey. I didn’t expect to see her, but I needed all the support I could get. I stood, and they both came to me, wrapping their arms around me. After releasing them, I grabbed my phone again and tried to call Grandma. It rang a few times then went to voicemail again. That shit was making me nervous. This was too much.Will acting a damn fool, my mama knocking on death’s door, and my grandma MIA.

Clearly, the Lord knew I had strength that I didn’t even know about. This was heavy. “Grandma, please call me back. It’s really important.”

Jamia came to me and grabbed my hand, rubbing it between hers. “It’s going to be okay, boo, no matter the outcome. Me and Jerzey will be here for you,” she said as Jerzey appeared on the other side of me, gently rubbing circles on my back.

I nodded and swallowed hard. Shortly after the doctor walked in with a look of defeat on his face. Before he could say a word, I flopped in the chair behind me.

“I’m Doctor Reynolds. Are you the family of Patsy Boswell?”

“Yes. I’m her daughter, Denishia Boswell.”

He nodded. “I’m sorry to inform you that your mother has passed away. We believe she had a massive heart attack. Her blood pressure was through the roof. The true cause is being evaluated as we speak. I’m so sorry, Miss Boswell. You have my condolences.”

He leaned over and gently squeezed my hand. What was I supposed to do without my mama? Jamia and Jerzey were both talking, but I hadn’t heard a word they’d said. I had zoned out, trying to accept that my mama was no longer here.What the fuck?

As I tried to compose myself, I looked up at them. “I have to find my grandmother once the funeral home leaves. She’s not answering her phone, and I’m worried.”

“Okay. Do you already know what funeral home you will call?” Jerzey asked.

“Yes. Proctor has all her information. Her funeral is already paid for. She was prepared. She wanted to make this as easy as possible for me. We’ve had the conversation. Her obituary is already done as well. She did it herself.”

“Well, at least you know what her wishes are,” Jamia stated.

“Yeah.”

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