RedBone (26 page)

“No. Just your arms. You broke out in hives as usual. Farah looked at her arms and was happy it wasn’t too bad. “The doctor said you had a panic attack like you always do when you think you’re about to have an outbreak. He says that’s why you passed out. He doesn’t think it was related to the illness. ”

“Which doctor?” Farah frowned.

“Dr. Martin was at the hospital when he found out you were there.”

She sighed. “Why did you tell him, Mia? Damn! You know I don’t like his ass.”

“Bitch, I was worried about you! Plus he really does want to help. You just gotta do what he says.”

“I’m not playing the fake games anymore with his white ass. The shit he gives me works for y’all but it makes me worse. Just keep him away from me.”

Mia shook her head. “Your funeral.” She stood up. “Anyway, I know it’s too early to tell, but I don’t like that roommate of yours. So you better watch your back.”

“Why you say that?”

“Something’s up with her.” She moved toward the door. “And I know you don’t like to listen to me. But remember you’ve been warned.”

Chapter 21

“But I felt better and looked better. Didn’t I?”

—Farah

Surprisingly the building door was open when Farah rushed through, headed for Grand Mike’s apartment. Just as infested as before, she hoped bugs wouldn’t fall on her body and that he’d give her what she needed even though she didn’t have a dollar to her name. She knocked heavily on Grand’s door, stepped back, and waited for it to open. When Grand Mike answered and motioned for her to come inside, Farah rushed in and stood in the middle of the floor. “I see you’re on time.” He closed and locked the door. “You got my money?”

She looked at him and thought about exchanging sexual favors for what she needed. But when her eyes roamed over his dirty nails, matted hair, and filthy apartment, she thought otherwise. “Look ... I don’t exactly have your money but—”

“What do you mean you don’t
exactly
have my money?” Grand asked, looking at Farah harshly. “When you called earlier I thought I made myself clear. Bring my cash and I’ll give you what you asked for.”

“I’m sorry. I wouldn’t even be here if it wasn’t important, but I found that in order for me to be good, I have to double or triple my dosage.” He didn’t respond. “I’m out of medicine now.” She pleaded with her eyes. “But I had an outbreak and everything. Even fell out in the gym.” She paused. “I really need your help and I’ll be willing to do whatever I can to get it.”

“You’re not understanding me. I need my money prior to any services rendered. This isn’t a charity foundation.”

“I know, but—”

“Get out, Farah.” He turned to walk away.

She balled her fists up and said, “No.”

He stopped and faced her again. Then he slowly approached. “What did you just say?”

She swallowed and moved away from him. “I said I’m not going anywhere until you give me what I need.” Tears ran down her face. “All my life this shit has been eating at me, and that’s the only thing that works. It’s not like I’m not going to pay you back, Grand. When I get some money. Give me a few days.”

“You’re not hearing me. I want my cash straight up and if you don’t have it, there’s not a whole lot I can do for you. Are we clear?”

He saw she was desperate and wanted to fuck with her mind, since it was obvious she didn’t have his funds, and their relationship would end today. “You are pathetic.” He walked around her as she stood in the middle of the floor. “You have no idea that what I gave you only worked because you believed it would.”

“What are you talking about?”

“The placebo effect.” He winked. “When your cousin asked around trying to find some information about your condition, I got word back to him after looking up your ailment. I knew you would believe whatever I told you, because you didn’t want to die. Or worse”—he rubbed her cheek—“lose your looks.”

“I don’t believe you! It does work for me! I’m better!”

He laughed in her face and said, “Get the fuck out. I’m telling you the truth and you’re not even listening. If it wasn’t for Cosmo you’d be hurt right now.”

Grand was staring at her until he was no longer able to use his eyesight, due to the bullet that penetrated his face. His body dropped on the floor and blood poured out of him and dampened the dirty carpet. Lesa’s gun, which Farah borrowed earlier from her room, shook in Farah’s hand as she stuffed it in her purse. Looking down at him she said, “It does work. I wasn’t gonna hurt you if you just gave me what I needed.” She stooped down where his body lay.

She ran through his apartment looking for the cooler he was supposed to give her when he got his money. In the first two rooms she found nothing and she wondered if he had plans to rob her all along. Going into the final room, she noticed a bed, which had rope and a roll of duct tape on top of it. She knew then that he had plans to rob her if she didn’t pull the trigger and killed him herself. Now she felt totally justified. Nervous, she wiped her fingerprints off of everything she touched and bolted out the door.

“Cosmo, I need you to keep it real with me,” Farah said as she sat in her car in a dark parking lot. Night had fallen on DC, and she was glad because she needed privacy. It was a good thing he called from jail when he did, because she really needed to speak to him. “This is serious.”

“Why you gotta come at me like that? You know I always keep it real with you.”

She took a deep breath and said, “Good, because I’m not going to be able to use Grand anymore.”

“Good. You don’t need him.”

“No ... I really need you to understand what I’m trying to tell you. I’m not going to be able to use him but I still need help. Will you help?”

Silence.

“You hear me, Cosmo?”

“Yeah. I ... I hear you.”

“I need you to tell me what he gave me. That made me feel better. He charged me sixteen hundred dollars and it was worth it.”

“Sixteen hundred dollars! What the fuck! It was supposed to be fifty bucks! Just enough so you would believe it was real!” Farah was startled and Cosmo was angry that he played his cousin. “Farah ... I don’t know how to say this. You were fucked up all them years and I made you that promise, so I got somebody who said they knew what you needed.”

“What was it?” she cried. “Please.”

He sighed. “What did it taste like?”

Silence.

Farah rubbed her forehead and said, “Don’t make me say it.”

“Farah ... you don’t need what he gave you. You probably never did. Grand is in the business of selling dreams and you bought one, and if you asked me, you paid a little too much. If it worked, don’t worry about nothing else.”

“It was real for me,” she cried. “But I felt better and looked better. Didn’t I?”

He sighed and said, “I’m gonna kick it to you. You remember the language you used back in the day with your sisters and Shadow?”

“Yes.”

“I know it too and you’re about to use it again. Starting now.”

Chapter 22

“I heard our pussy better than theirs, too. It ain’t our fault.”

—Farah

Farah was sitting on the edge of the sink in her bathroom talking to her mother on the phone. For some reason, she was sure it would be the last time. After all these years she could never earn her love, so she learned to hate. “What happened the other day?” Brownie asked. “They telling me you passed out at the gym. Don’t overexert yourself just to keep your body together. When you get older you gonna spread cheek to cheek anyway.”

“What I do and how I do it is my business.”

“If you passing out in public it’s everybody’s business. Anyway, I thought you didn’t have outbreaks anymore. Everybody been yelling about how pretty Farah is since she did her own thing. What’s the problem now?”

Farah sighed. “Let me worry about me. Now what do you want?”

“Whatever,” she said with an attitude. “The reason I’m calling is because your sisters might have to live with you. And your brother too, when he comes home. Your father can’t help me like he used to because he’s not getting it the same in prison anymore. The little money he has he’s trying to save for his appeal.”

“Ma, I got a roommate now. It’s not enough room for her to live here, let alone three more people. If it was it wouldn’t be a problem.”

“You got four bedrooms in that apartment and two of the bedrooms got bathrooms. I know all about the apartment, Farah, and I know you got enough room. You mean to tell me you can’t help your sisters and brother out?”

“Why they gotta leave your place? Can’t they stay with Grandma?”

“When your grandmother moved out, she took her social security money with her.” Her voice appeared to fade away. “And they don’t wanna stay with her, because Mamma doesn’t wash up at all anymore. That’s why she isn’t as bad as us. I’d rather die than not wash my clothes or my ass but that’s on her.”

Her voice was irritating. “What am I supposed to tell my roommate?

“You know, if it was your father asking for your help, it wouldn’t be a problem.”

“Do you mean
my
father or theirs? Because we both know we all don’t have the same dad.”

“You think just because you live a few buildings down from me you better, RedBone?” She laughed. “Bitch, you still in the hood and don’t need to be looking down on nobody. I regret passing this disease to your sisters and Shadow. But I’m glad you got every last bit of it.”

That was the meanest thing she’d ever said to her, but Farah was determined not to let her know. “I’m tired of you trying to make me feel bad ... or guilty. That was done the day you put shit in my face. Maybe I should let Ashur know that his wife never got over her little white boyfriend.”

“Cosmo was wrong for telling you that. And I tell him every time I see him around.”

Farah smirked. “Yeah ... I’m sure he gives a fuck.”

“If Ashur ever found out about you, it would break his heart. And you know it!”

“Mamma, you broke his heart a long time ago. He may even know already I’m not his kid. Just one look at me and everybody could tell I don’t belong. I can’t believe you fucked Coach Jaffrey.” She laughed again. “You must’ve been one horny bitch.”

“You don’t know shit about my life! Nothing! That man was the first person who ever truly loved me. And if Ashur knew you weren’t his child you think he’d be calling you every week? Or asking about you when I speak to him? As far as that man’s concerned, you’re his child, and unless you wanna break his heart, you better keep your mouth closed.”

“Mamma, I love him. The one thing you’ll never have to worry about is me telling him about you. I’ll let you take that secret to hell.”

“Good! Because if you don’t I still have a certain knife with fingerprints matching yours that was involved in the murder of Dinette.”

“I didn’t have anything to do with that. And I was a kid!”

“We’ll let the courts say if that’s irrelevant or not.”

Knock. Knock. Knock. Farah hopped off the sink, still thinking about what her mother said. She placed her hand over the receiver and said, “Yes? I’m using the bathroom.”

“You been in there forever,” Lesa said. “Your puppies are going crazy and I thought we were gonna hit this jay. Fucking with me this shit gonna be gone! Plus—”

“Give me a second, Lesa.” Farah tried to cover the receiver harder. “My sister Chloe just called me about some problems she having with her boyfriend. I’ll be out in a second.” Farah didn’t know where that lie came from, but if it would get Lesa away from the door, it served its purpose.

“Your sister Chloe?” Lesa repeated. She sounded suspicious. “Okay. Well, hurry up. We got company.”

When Farah heard her footsteps walk away, she focused back on the call.

“Still lying, huh?” Brownie laughed. “After all this time you still can’t tell the truth. And you got the nerve to be talking about me.” She paused. “Remember what I said. You gotta make room for your siblings because, like it or not, they coming with you. Unless you want me to start making a few calls. Oh ... and the blackmail money for Jaffrey I used to give you stops today.”

“Fuck you!”

“Fuck you back!”

After the call, Farah brushed her hair and made sure every strand was in place. Then she applied a little hypoallergenic makeup on her arms since she was wearing a wifebeater and the sores were showing. The sores from the last outbreak were the only marks she had and she wanted to keep it that way. No longer would she have to worry about Grand Mike. Thanks to her cousin Cosmo she now knew what it took to be healthy, so she was fully in charge of her own life and she already put her plan into motion.

When she was presentable, she placed her hand on the white porcelain doorknob and strutted into the living room. The moment she turned the corner, she saw a pair of long legs she hadn’t seen in a while.
What the fuck is this bitch doing in my house?
She was wearing tight jeans and a brown pair of Uggs, and Farah wanted her gone.

“Hey, sis!” Chloe stood up and walked toward Farah. Her hair was pulled back neatly. She wrapped her arms around her, but Farah stood in place. “I missed you so much. How come you don’t answer my calls?” Farah pushed her off and watched her drop to the floor.

“Hold up, what’s going on?” Lesa asked. “She said she was your sister.”

“This bitch ain’t my sister!” Farah said. “What the fuck are you doing here, Chloe?”

Diamond and Pearl started yapping crazily, sensing Farah’s unpleasant disposition. “I’m sorry, Farah. I should’ve known she wasn’t your sister when you told me you were talking to her on the phone,” Lesa said. “Especially since she was out here with me the whole time.”

Farah was embarrassed for being caught in her lie. “Lesa, it’s a long story. I’ll explain later.”

Chloe stood up, smirked, and walked back toward Farah. “I know you better not put your fucking hands on me again. Unless you forgot how sweet I am with any weapon of my choosing,” she said, referring to Dinette’s stabbing.