Page 20 of Quasim III: King Inferno

I should have known that the minute Lucia’s hand was wrapped into it, none of it would be good. Dr. Mercer went from being so nice and giving us stuff, to asking me to run errands when he visited.

He was a doctor, so I never thought too deep into things when I left Elijah behind. It wasn’t until I came backfrom the store and witnessed something that shouldn’t have been happening. Instead of being shocked, embarrassed, and apologizing to me and Elijah, he shrugged it off and left.

I cried to Lucia and told her what happened and really thought she cared. She acted more upset than I was, so I thought she was on the right side of things. That was until they came over a week later, and she told me that having all that we were provided with came with a price.

Instead of arguing with her, I moved out of the condo and into a new neighborhood. Did I know I was renting from Quasim Inferno or even knew who he was.

No.

I just knew this man had cheap rent that I could afford, and I didn’t need Lucia. That didn’t keep her away, and Dr. Mercer still visited. Hearing my son’s screams for me and I could do nothing broke me. I was shoved into the garage and had to allow things to happen.

It got to the point that I started to get high. I needed something to carve a hole in my memory. That was how I met Leon and fell for him. It was never love with Leon, just someone that provided an escape for me.

Quasim started to take notice with Elijah, and I warned that boy to keep his distance. I didn’t need him digging into an already messy situation. I went from being so broken when Dr. Mercer visited, to giving Elijah some liquor to help calm him and take his mind off our reality.

Getting high had become my life. I didn’t give a damn about going to work or making money because Leon provided that. Lucia stopped giving a damn, as long as I allowed Dr. Mercer in the house on his scheduled days.

Becoming high had replaced my need to be a mother. I was a shit mom anyway, and Elijah deserved better. He could neverget better because this had been our life, and I knew he would eventually turn to drugs like me.

I even offered his ass some, and he ran away like a little punk.

I never expected Quasim to take him for the summer. Elijah was going to move to Miami, to be with a client that had adopted him. The couple wanted a son, but I knew that wasn’t what they wanted him for.

What could I do?

I couldn’t go against Lucia and all those heavy hitters.

When they heard that Quasim got him, they knew it wouldn’t be easy to get him. After burning Quasim’s house down, I expected them to get Elijah, but they didn’t. Now, I didn’t have my son to hand over to them, and I knew my days were numbered if I didn’t run.

I ran to the only place I knew they wouldn’t find me.

Home.

Blair

Recommendation: Listen to When Will I See You Smile Again? By Bell Biv DeVoe

“Where the fuck you been,Blair? I called you, and you ain’t answer the fucking phone… how many times do I have to tell you to answer when I call?”

I looked over at Tyshawn and shook my head. Tonight was one of those nights that was beautiful, and something that I would cherish for a long time. I reconnected with Capri Delgato, someone I had missed. She had always been the brightness my dull life needed, and walking into Alaia’s house, and seeing her there was like a time machine had spit me out and shoved me back into her arms.

It was funny because I was going to bail on Alaia and not spend the weekend at her lake home. I was nauseous, and I hated to be around people when I felt sick after chemo. Everyone always felt bad for me, and I hated that.

Since my mother had passed away, I had been the child everyone felt bad for. Everyone felt bad for me, but no one felt bad enough to take me in. The only person with a heart andballs of steel was Augusta Mae. I often wished I would have been sent to her home earlier, so that I never had to go through all the pain of not feeling good enough.

Me and Tyshawn had been broken up for a good while, and although I continued to allow him around, a character flaw on my end, I hated whenever he just showed up to my apartment. He shouldn’t have had a key, but this man had my mind so fucked up that I would give him my hair out my scalp if that meant that I didn’t have to argue or be abused.

He had broken my spirit, so he knew he could get whatever out of me without many words. I didn’t have the fight to continue anymore. Being diagnosed with cancer didn’t help with that. The only joy I had was when I saw all those expecting mothers come into my studio, and they were ready for class.

My life had been on autopilot since losing my son. Nothing amused me, and I didn’t have the will to fight anymore. It was a challenge getting up every morning to continue living life without him. It was even harder knowing that the man that was responsible for his death still came around. After he told me that he hated me and could find another bitch, I thought he was done.

When I moved back to New York, I thought that would be the end of things for us. The studio rent was covered because of his guilt, nothing more. Tyshawn knew the shit he did, and he often got high to take away the guilt and that feeling in the middle of his chest that told him he was wrong.

After I showed up back to our apartment after losing our son, I told him that I lost the baby. He shook it off like it was nothing to him but came home later that night higher than I had ever seen him. As much as I hated him, he was in pain, too.

“I spent the weekend with my friend.” I kept it short, not giving up any more information than he needed.

Alaia had welcomed me into her home and introduced me to her family. I wasn’t going to speak about anything, because it wasn’t his business. “What friend you fucking got?”

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