Page 7 of His Noble Heart
Before leaving him with the water raining down on him, I hacked up a wad of phlegm and spat on his face. He groaned when it landed on his forehead, but he couldn’t do shit about it. I left him in the bathroom to figure out what to do next.
As I headed toward the back door, leaving a trail of water, the duffel bag he was carrying looked to be on the kitchen table. After a quick peek inside, I put it on my shoulder and ran my ass all the way to my car. With the amount of cash I suspected was in the bag, I could have a block party for the kids in my neighborhood before the end of the summer and take a break from robbing these worthless ass niggas. At least twice a year, I threw a block party for the neighborhood kids.
“Rowdy! Rowdy! Wake up!” I heard my sister shouting.
“What the fuck are you yelling for? What time is it?”
“It’s seven. Zelle’s been calling my phone all night.”
“I told you not to talk to that nigga again.” I rolled over and put my pillow over my face.
“I haven’t answered, but he keeps calling. What did you do?”
I sighed and removed the pillow. My sister looked petrified, but this was partially her fault.
“Block his number and calm your damn nerves. His ass shouldn’t be calling you anyway, after what he did.”
She still looked worried, but she swiped her finger across her phone screen a few times before looking at me again.
“I’m scared, Ro. Can you take me to work?”
“Yeah. Give me a minute.”
“Can you pick me up? I get off at three.”
“I’ll be there.”
She left my room, and I released a breath. I was covered from head to toe when I broke into Denzelle’s place the night before, so he didn’t see me. I doubt he recognized my voice because we weren’t cool like that. He’d probably connected the shit I’d said while beating his ass to what he’d done to Ramina. Regardless, he had no solid proof it was me.
I got up and relieved my bladder before washing my face and brushing my teeth. I kept on the shorts I wore and pulled on a T-shirt. When I left the bathroom, I bumped into my mother, who looked to be just returning from her morning walk.
“Hey, Ma.” I leaned down to kiss her cheek.
“Good morning, Son. Where are you off to this early?”
“Your daughter needs a ride to work. You want to go to breakfast when I get back?”
“Sure. I’ll be ready.”
“Let’s go, Mina!” I shouted as I headed out the door.
She rushed out about two minutes later and flopped into the passenger seat.
“Did you eat?” I asked as I backed out of the driveway.
“No. I didn’t have time.”
Without asking her what she wanted or where she wanted to stop, I pulled into the drive-through of the first coffee shop I saw. She ordered some kind of cold latte and a cinnamon roll. By the time we arrived at the recreation center where she worked, she’d eaten the whole thing.
“I’ll be here at three to pick you up.”
“Thank you. Bye. Love you.”
“Love you more.”
I waited until she was inside to drive away. When I returned home, my mother was waiting in the kitchen.
“What did you do, Rowdy?” she asked calmly yet very sternly.
