Page 13 of Quasim II: King Inferno

I tooka few hits from my inhaler as I finished my skin care and combed through my wet hair. It had been two weeks since I was released from the hospital and all I did was lay around, drink nasty tea, and eat whatever Gams prepared for me.

I’ve never felt more taken care of in my entire life between both Gams and Jean making sure that I was alright. I was pumped with Licorice tea three times a day, and they made sure I was sleeping in a reclined position.

Quasim had a doctor make home visits, and he gave me the okay to ease up off the rest restrictions. He did tell me to continue using my inhaler as needed, so out of habit, I continued to do a pump every few hours.

Elijah was sitting on the ottoman in Sim’s room when I came out the bathroom. “Auntie Pri is on the news.”

I looked at the TV, and Capri was doing a press conference. My girl’s hair was bone straight, makeup flawless, and she wore a bad, two-piece, pin striped, cream suit with golden buttons. She stood in front of the microphones as she looked straight ahead.

“A home invasion occurred in my home while my children, my husband, and I were all present. My husband defended his home with a legal weapon, and he was threatened by NJSP… one of the officers was ‘this’ close to pulling his trigger and shooting a man that was clearly in shock. My daughter was present, screaming for her father. One of the men has served this country, a veteran.” She paused. “I’m holding every fu… body responsible. Excuse my passion. I’m not allowing this to fall by the wayside… I could have been speaking about my husband in past tense. Thank you.”

She excused herself and Zoya stepped to the mic. “My client is the district attorney of the city and has been doing the work to pull this city back together. That night, she wasn’t your district attorney. She was a mother and a wife, witnessing something that could have altered her life. The cop in question has several excessive force complaints on his record. Why is he working for the city? It’s a question I plan to get the answers to for my client and her family… thank you.”

Gams was over at Capri and Meer’s Lake house, leaving me and Elijah alone. I loved Gams, but I found myself wanting her to sit down and relax at times. She wanted to take care of everyone and all I wanted to do was take care of her.

Simmy hadn’t been back to the house, and I honestly didn’t know what he was into. I prayed every morning and night and appreciated when he called to check in on me. He kept the conversation brief with me and made sure I knew that he was alright, and that he loved me and Elijah.

I just wanted him next to me every night and knew that couldn’t happen right now. Someone had to answer for the shit that happened, and he wouldn’t rest until he found out who. I heard the front door chime and saw Meer and Peach walk into the kitchen holding hands. Elijah was sitting on the stool, and I was standing behind the counter, trying to figure out what to have for dinner.

“Hey, Peach,” I abandoned the counter, and she ran to me for a hug. “How’s my favorite girl in the entire world?”

“Sad.” She sighed, and I felt my heart flip inside my chest because Peach was never sad. My girl brought the light to every space she entered.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

She hugged me tighter. “Me and Daddy had a good talk about it.”

I smiled. “Okay. Do you want to skip rocks on the lake with Elijah… he’s feeling a little down, too.”

She nodded her head and then went over toward where Elijah was on his iPad.

“Hey, Meer,” I hugged him.

He kissed my forehead. “What up, Stabbalina?”

“You’re an asshole… want something to drink?” I asked while going back into the kitchen.

Meer crossed the room and took a seat where Elijah was sitting. “You got something strong?”

I opened the cabinet and pulled the bottle of rum that Simmy kept under the counter and grabbed two cups, pushing one his way. Pouring us both a healthy portion, I held my glass up and he did the same before we clinked glasses and took the drink back without wincing.

The feeling from the rum burned my chest more than usual. I needed that feeling, something to take my mind away from all the mess that was going on. “How are you, Meer?”

“Straight.”

I looked at him. “It’s me, Quameer. I know that you’re not alright… you’re my best friend. You can be honest with me, and I promise, nothing ever changes between us.”

“I fucking froze, B… they telling me to drop the gun and get down – something that my father has drilled into me since I was a teen when it comes to the cops – and I froze like a fucking idiot. Should have never put Sug in that position.”

The guilt that he carried was so strong that it sucked all the air out the room once he revealed that he wasn’t alright.

“You did what any father would do when their daughter is screaming for them. Look at me, Quameer.” He stopped looking down into his empty cup and looked into my eyes. “You protect my girl with everything that you have. You have since the moment you reentered her life. I need you to know and understand that she does the same for you. You are Capri’s entire world, and she would have done that, even if you never froze. The woman I just watched at that press conference is seething. They came for you, and this isn’t the streets. This is in her court, and she can handle them. I know it’s a lot on her at times, having to live two lives, but when Capri enters those courtrooms, she’s going to protect you the same as when she’s on her bike, riding out behind you.”

Tears fell from his eyes as he leaned back in the chair and wiped his hands down his face. “Her fucking hands and voice were shaking, and I couldn’t do shit for her. I had to stand down and allow her to handle it, even while that fucking prick was screaming at her to get down, too.”

I walked around the counter and hugged my best friend. Meer had been there for me, even before he and Capri got together. He’s seen me at my worst, and he had never judged me or made me feel less than.

“I’m sorry, Meer.”

---