Page 59 of Kandie Shoppe

“Y’all need to lie low for the time being while this all gets sorted,” he says when I’m done.

“Planned on it.” I nod, even though he can’t see me.

“Get Easy away from that motherfucker.” His cold words cut through the line.

“Say less.” Hanging up, I turn to Saban.

“Hey.” I turn back to the group of teens who are all looking at us with hope. I guess they were able to piece together my conversation with LL despite my dialect and their lack of fluency.

“Soon there will be people coming. It will be scary and they will probably have guns. They are not going to hurt you. They are going to take you somewhere safe and help you find a safe place to live.” Looking at each of them, I speak in clear though imperfect Spanish.

“You must claim asylum as soon as you see the officials. Keep saying it until the attorney says your paperwork is filed.”Saban takes over and repeats everything in French creole for the few Haitians among the group. After a few more minutes of answering questions and a few hugs of thanks, we leave.

“We have a clubhouse in the back of my cousin, Mimi’s house where we used to play when we were little. It used to be the color of buttercups, but now it’s a little faded. Meet me there,” I tell Saban, watching her pull her bike out of the underbrush where she hid it.

“Do you need to go back for anything?” I watch her swallow. Her eyes are swimming with unshed tears.

“Non.” Shaking her head, she brushes a few stray leaves from the seat. “Everything was his or given by him.” Turning away from the pain in her eyes, I feel like a coward. I know the same pain she’s experiencing. Finding out the person you put so much trust in is a fucking villain is never an easy thing to understand. We knew who they were. They never pretended to be good. But kids? Ain’t no way I’m going to allow that. Seeing those kids like that threw me right back to Bishop Smith’s home, what they did to a lot of those kids and almost did to me. That kind of powerlessness and fear never leaves you. It’s always been just beneath the surface. The least little scratch making me bleed with the pain and loss that time of my life etched deep into my soul. I won’t let these kids suffer any more than they already have.

I won’t stop until I see Angel and that blond bastard burn.

Chapter

Seventeen

Kandie

Me:Where you?

Easy: At the library. You need something?

Me: Yeah. Come to the shed at Mimi’s house as soon as you can. It’s important.

Me: Still at the library, I am almost done.I can see her rolling her eyes. I know she’s mad I wasn’t there for Krie last night. I text back, frustration and irritation warring inside of me.

Hurry. Don’t let anyone see you leave. Don’t drive your car. Saban will bring you.

She doesn’t respond, but I don’t worry knowing Saban will drag her little ass with her no matter what.

Looking around the neatly well-maintained space of the small little shed, my heart is racing. I look down at my phone, guilt eating me up left and right. Krie’s business, The Camelia, was burned to the ground. Everyone was there but me. I know the family is mad at me. No one but LL knows what’s going onand why I’m not responding to the family thread. A couple of my aunties are hinting that maybe I was “sleeping it off” with only Nikki chiming in to say that I was probably at the bakery and that I don’t have my phone on when I prep. True. This is why I don’t deal with a lot of them. Some of the same ones who turned their backs on Daddy saying he was an embarrassment when he was having mental health challenges are the same ones chiming in about my business.

Me: Sorry, I wasn’t there last night. What do you need?

Tapping my feet as I wait for Krie to hit me back, I won’t be mad if she told me to fuck off. I deserve it. All of us girls are best friends. Growing up together and close to the same age, though I held myself off so swamped with grief over losing Kerania, they kept showing me acceptance and love until I got over some of my anger and grief. I will never not be sad. My sister was the love of my life.

Krie: Don’t worry about it, hunnie. It’s okay.

Me: No it’s not. But when I see you I’ll let you know what happened.

Krie: Sounds good.

Me: You still at ol’ boy’s samurai mansion?

Krie: Oh, nobody told you. I would’ve thought Easy would for sure.

Me: Nope.

Krie: I left his motherfucking ass.

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