Page 148 of One Good Reason

“Okay,” she sighed. “We can do that.”

“Let’s go.”

Grabbing her hand, I held onto it as we walked back to the front of the hospital. Stopping at the front desk, I let the receptionist know that if anyone came looking for us to tell them that we were outside.

Finding a bench on the side of the building, I sat down and pulled Talitha down in my lap. “Take as much time as you need to get yourself together. We will sit right here until you’re ready,” I declared.

CHAPTER 34

Talitha

“Ithink we should try and get her in a rehab facility. These doctors round here don’t know nothing. Hell, the one just left out barely a man. Boy look like he still got milk on his breath,” Bonnie fussed.

“Mama got a brain bleed y’all. She ain’t gone come back from that and if she do, what kind of life is she gon’ live.” That comment spewed from my mama’s mouth.

“Tali what you think?” Willearl asked.

Gema had been unconscious for two days. Two whole days I’d sat in her hospital room and listened to them go from crying their eyes out to telling me what they thought I should do. I knew what I had to do. Gema and I discussed things like this after Papa Joe passed. Gema made me promise that when the time ever came, I wouldn’t hesitate to pull the plug. She ain’t want no machine breathing for her.

I knew what I had to do and yet it still ended up being the hardest decision I ever had to make. I was angry. Angry at her for doing this to me. Putting me in the situation where I had to choose between keeping her here or losing my best friend.

Gema was all I had left in this world and now I was going to have to figure out how to live without her. My first full day here,I got in bed and laid there with her, begging her to wake up. When word hit around town about her condition, people started flooding the hospital to pay their respects and out of respect for Gema, I kept my mouth closed when I really wanted to put everybody the fuck out.

Law had been my peace in the middle of this storm. He’d been the only thing keeping me sane. The night we made it into town, I refused to see her. I needed to get my emotions in check, and after sitting outside of the hospital for hours, I begged Law to take me to the hotel.

There wasn’t much I could do and since everybody else was sitting around her bed, shedding tears, I decided to give myself a moment to gather my feelings. With everything falling apart, I had to step up and be the backbone for people that I barely liked.

“Talitha,” Law grabbed my hand. “Did you hear what they said?”

Making eye contact with him, I dropped my head and massaged the back of my neck. “Gema doesn’t want to be on a machine. Her one wish was for me to let her go if this was the only option,” I finally croaked out.

“Then I say it’s settled. We can memorialize her before we let them unplug the machine,” Willearl delivered then sat back in his chair.

“I’m with Willearl on this one,” my mama agreed. “I done already reached out to Willie Watkins; they’ll come pick the body up. All that’ll be left to do is plan the funeral and figure out how we gon’ divide the assets.”

“This my Mama you talking ‘bout Litha. This ain’t ‘bout no money!” Betty Jo groused. The way her voice rose an octave gave off how perturbed my mama statement had made her.

“I ain’t say it was ‘bout no money. But the funeral gots to be paid for and I know Mama and Daddy had some money stashed away for that.”

“Gema funeral has been paid for and is already planned. Mr. Watkins will not be doing the body. And her plot is right next to Papa Joe.” I lifted my head from Gema shoulder long enough to let them know.

“Who paid for the funeral?” my mama asked.

“Who else?” I retorted. “Gema planned it the same time we planned Papa Joe’s. She was prepared for this. I keep trying to tell y’all she always been in her right mind. Y’all was the ones thinking she wasn’t.”

“Well, what ‘bout the money?” Meat asked.

Nigga ain’t been home since Papa Joe funeral and got the nerve to ask ‘bout some fucking money. Like we not sitting in the room with my granny on life support.

“What money, Meat? What money y’all think y’all ‘posed to be getting?”

“I know Mama had a will.”

“Yes she did.” Sitting up, I swung my legs around and stood from the bed. “Gema ain’t leave nothing to nobody but me.”

“What the hell you mean she ain’t leave nobody nothing?” Willearl asked.

“She didn’t,” I huffed. “And as far as I’m concerned, she made the right call. Y’all couldn’t wait for this day to come. The only thing standing in the way of y’all and some money y’all thought y’all was entitled to was Gema. With her out the way, I guess y’all thought it was ‘bout to be some big pay out. That’s fucking selfish and it’s tacky as fuck. This y’all mama. The fucking plug ain’t even been pulled and y’all worried ‘bout money. Damn!” I spat.

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