Page 1 of Inmate 0976371

Chapter 1

Bird on the Wire

ROBIN

Beep! Beep! Beep!

“Wake that ass up. It’s DJ Envy, and Angela Yee, Charlamagne Tha God …” I groan, smacking my alarm clock, sighing as I blink at my screwed bonnet, not wanting to get up at all.Maybe I can sleep in?

As soon as the words leave my lips, like fucking clockwork my phone vibrates loud and fucking ominously with my mom’s picture on my nightstand.

Without hesitation, I snatch it up and place it on speaker, rolling over on my back.

“Hello?”

“Where you at?” her voice comes through loud and very much annoyed,and for no damn reason I bet.

“I’m still in bed, Mama. I just got up because I have to head out to go see Marcus,” I remind her and she snorts.

“Well, scrap that. I need you to take me to the store to get some canned Vienna sausages and Spam, water, and crackers. They say Hurricane Bertha is on her way in and is projected to make landfall as early as tonight. I’on got nothing here to eat in case we lose power, and knowing CenterPoint, we bound to not have power fa days,” she explains and I yawn, sitting up, fixing my screwed up top.

“Mama, I just took you grocery shopping yesterday. I?—”

“Well I need to go again. Come on, I want to get there before the stores get crowded.”

“Ma, I can’t. I need to go see Marcus. Can’t you get Gerica to take you? Or Vic?” I groan, swinging my feet out of bed and rubbing my face before going to the bathroom. I pull down my clothes to pee, not wanting to deal with this.

“You know damn well Gerica got work and Vic ass is busy. Come on now, I don’t have time to b?—”

“But I promised Marcus I’d come visit. I missed last week and?—”

“Marcus ass ain’t going no damn where. He’s been sitting his ass in prison for fifteen damn years, he can sit there and wait for a lil’ longer. Come take me to the store,” she demands and hangs up before I can even say much else.Shit!

I look down at my phone, baffled as hell and pull open my text to send a message to Gerica.

Robin: Can you take mama to the store today? I have to go see Marcus

Gerica: Nope I’m busy. My man coming over.

Robin: Gerica please it’s just a quickly trip to Food Town. I’ll owe you one

Gerica: Robin you smoking dope if you believe mama gone make any trip to the store quick.

Gerica: No, but tell Marcus I said hey

Robin: or you can come up there with me. He has you and the kids name on the visiting list.

Gerica: I’m good.

Robin: then at least add money to your Securus account so he can call

Gerica: I’m straight

“Uggghhhhhh!” I resist the urge to throw my phone down and instead set it on the sink after wiping and washing my hands, then brush my teeth. I barely have time to put on something decent because now I have to rush out the house. I made sure to get wake up with just enough time to get breakfast and shitbecause I knew that two-hour drive would be hellish, but I didn’t count on taking my mama to the store.

“Shit!” I rush out of the house, putting on my tennis shoes before locking my front door and running over to my Tesla. When I get inside, I groan, throwing my head back because I forgot to charge it last night and I know it’s cutting it close with taking my mama to Food Town, knowing they ass ain’t got no damn charging stations…

I could take her to Target and charge up there but…I shake my head, thinking better of it. I know damn well my mama don’t want to shop at Target with their overpriced selves… she wants to bargain shop, and you can’t beat Food Town. Oh well, I’ll just make this stop quick and then head to Marcus… besides, I need some groceries too.

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