Page 106 of Dope Boys: Most Wanted
When the gun smoke settled and Aunt Lucille’s body was gone, Reign had to step into position and be the balm and the vessel of peace in the midst of chaos. Nia and Ms. Ophelia had been a shell of themselves since leaving Aunt Lucille’s. Rightfully so. Aunt Lucille was a mother to entitled sons, the wife of Freeway Slim, and a pillar to the women around her. She held their secrets, wiped their tears, and spoke life into them. For the short amount of time Reign knew her, she allowed her, her sister, and Ms. Ophelia to pour into her freely. Missing her was an understatement. Aunt Lucille left a void, and there would be no one who could fill it.
Until she wandered into her own bed, she’d been lying by Nia for hours.
Reign followed the sound of the water running and found Nia in the bathroom, scrubbing her hands. Her sobs heart heart-wrenching. Like that night at the salon, Reign returned the favor.
“Hey, hey,” Reign softly spoke, grabbing the hand wash. “Let me.”
“T-there’s so much blood on my hands,” Nia cried. “So much. I can’t get off. I can’t sleep. I can’t.”
Reign finished washing Nia’s hands, dried them, and massaged the cream into them before wiping her face and pulling her into a warm embrace. “You’ve been strong for so long. For so many people. I got you.”
“Reign, please. Don’t,” Nia whimpered. She took a deep breath and blew it out, the hot tears still pouring down her face. “I’ve lost my best friend and my aunt in a matter of a day. How do I bring a life into this world knowing I’m responsible for someone leaving?”
Nia stopped fighting Reign’s embrace and let her body fully lean on Reign’s. “This is too much.”
Regn didn’t say anything; all she could do was hold her until the tears no longer had sound. They were on the bathroom floor now, Nia resting in Reign’s arms, staring at the tile. It was Reign’s soft voice that broke the silence.
“How far along are you?” Reign asked, feeling Nia shrug.
“Far enough along to be crying over it. I’m going to start showing soon enough. My emotions have been all over the place. Crazy thing is, I just told him about the baby I lost years ago. Now we’re back at this same spot, what if this one doesn’t make it either?” Nia questioned.
“We’re not going to think like that. Everything happens in the time it’s supposed to. I know it’s easier said than done, but try not to internalize all of this. Mourn Aunt Lucille. Mourn your friendship – not the person. She showed you who she was. You have to believe her.”
Nia sighed as she sat up. “I thought that maybe if I prolonged it, she would’ve come to me, asked for help. I don’t know… something. It never happened. I have to accept that. Lord knows I do because there’s so much more to put my mind on.”
“A baby and a funeral. When are you telling him?” Reign asked, holding Nia’s hand, knowing she needed comfort she wasn’t going to ask for.
“Maybe when this all settles down.”
“My suggestion, if it counts for anything. Tell him now, he needs something happy to look forward to,” Reign shared. “We all need something happy to look forward to.”
“How’d you make it out of your haze? I know it was a lot more than this…”
“Nia,” Reign laughed wryly. “Nothing is heavier than death. Death of self, ego, child, parent, family member, or dreams. I got through it by just going through it. I knew I couldn’t stay where Iwas. And I knew that I couldn’t be weak forever. I wasn’t going to allow anyone to strip me of the person I was finding again. I also had support. A pushy girl from Majestic Heights who wouldn’t let me disappear. So, for you, go through it. Feel it, expel it, let Svyn love you wholly. And you love him the same. You’re going to be okay. And I’ll be right here for you, every step of the way. That’s my word.”
Nia let the side of her head resting against Reign’s. “Auntie was right about you. You got a power that can’t be denied.”
“I’m just giving what I never had. It’s become clear that Emilliano isn’t letting me go, so we might as well settle in and take care of one another. That starts with breakfast for you and that little bean. I’ll make some homemade biscuits.”
“You cooking like this, he’s definitely not going to let you go,” Nia chuckled as she stood. Reign followed suit. “You heard from him?”
Reign swayed her head no. Not like she hadn’t attempted to check on him. While he was in the streets like this, she wouldn’t get him on the phone. She never had. One text was all she needed. One text that he sent like clockwork all the times before, but this was different. Her expectations of hearing from him were low. All she could do was whisper the same prayer his mother did and leave it in The Master’s hands.
“You?”
“No. I never do when he’s in this mode. Svyn said he’ll be here,” Nia shared, moving from the guest room to the kitchen, where Ms. Ophelia was finishing the rest of the breakfast. Her dedication to serving the Grants never seemed to turn off. Even when it came to the women shedding their blood-stained clothing. She stayed up all night soaking and scrubbing them free of the trauma they all experienced.
“So much for resting,” Reign said, giving her a soft put pointed look. “How long have you been up?”
“I’m sick of sitting here in silence and letting my mind just run with memories and what-ifs,” Ms. Ophelia replied. “I heard you moving around in the room. You’ve been up all morning.”
Reign shrugged it off, playing as if it were nothing. “I don’t sleep when he’s not here. I won’t sleep until he gets back.”
“Hmm,” Ms. Ophelia hummed softly. She knew the answer that Reign asked herself. “That boy is going to be chasing you to the corners of the earth if you ever leave him.”
Reign groaned and curled her lip. “That’s not an effect I want to keep having on people. Sit down and let me handle this.”
“I think you two are the ones who should sit down,” Ms. Ophelia said, looking at Nia, then at Reign. “Yesterday was a lot. And your bodies are holding precious things.”
