Page 44 of Certified Pressure 3
It had been two hours since they brought me in here, but it felt like I’d been sitting here all day. Every few minutes, the door opened, and women came and went. Some were crying, some looked used to it, and some just sat there quiet like me. I didn’t say much to nobody because my mind wasn’t here. My mind was with Zurie.
Thinking about her made my heart ache in a way I couldn’t even explain. They took her from me. Just like that... One minute she was crying my name, and the next she was being led out the house by a cop who probably didn’t even know how fragile she really was.
Zurie had just had surgery a few weeks ago, and even though she was doing better, she was still healing. She wasn’t supposed to be moving around too much or stressing herself. I had just set her next doctor’s appointment for next week. Now I didn’t even know if she’d make it there. My stomach turned every time I thought about what kind of state my mama might be in. I didn’t trust her judgment, and she wasn’t stable enough to be taking care of no child. That’s what hurt me the most, knowing that Zurie was probably sitting in that nasty ass apartment confused and scared while I sat in this cold-ass cell waiting to see what was gonna happen next.
I rubbed my hands together and looked around. The floor was dirty, and the walls looked old. A girl sitting across from me was crying about her bond money, saying she didn’t have nobody to call. Another woman was laying across the bench sleeping like she’d done this before. I wasn’t built for this, andthe thought of being pregnant in here made my stomach feel tight. I wasn’t even supposed to be here.
I understood that Zurie wasn’t my child, but she was my sister, and she was the only person I had. I loved her more than anything, and everything I did was to protect her. I had been paying for everything lately from small bills, the food, the medicine and the doctor visits. Every single thing she needed, I made sure she had it. The police didn’t care about none of that. They just saw a warrant with my name on it and treated me like I was some criminal.
I leaned my head back against the wall and closed my eyes. The last thing I wanted was a charge on my record. I hadn’t even done anything wrong. I just wanted my sister safe, and now I was sitting here being treated like I took somebody’s child. I thought about how many nights I stayed up watching over Zurie when she was sick. She used to get these bad headaches that would make her cry until she fell asleep in my arms. I’d be right there beside her, praying she’d be okay.
And that night a few months ago, I still couldn’t get it out of my mind. I had come home from a kickback and walked in on her having a seizure. Her lips had started turning blue, and I froze for a second before I grabbed her and called the ambulance. I really thought I was about to lose her that night. I remember crying while they carried her out on that stretcher. It’s something about seeing somebody you love fighting for their life that changes you. From that day on, I swore I would never let nobody or nothing hurt her again.
That’s why I’m fighting so hard to get custody of her. I don’t care how hard it’s gonna be. I want her to have peace. I want her to have a childhood, and now, just like that, all the work I was trying to put in feels gone.
I put my hand on my stomach and exhaled. The last thing I needed was stress. I had to protect this baby too. I couldn’t besitting in here crying all day, but the pain was getting too heavy to hold. I just couldn’t believe this was happening, and the only person who came to my mind was Pressure.
Pressure had always been here for me, even when I didn’t expect him to be. When everything went left with my family, he was the one who showed up. He paid for Zurie’s surgery when I couldn’t afford it, and he never once made me feel small about it. He came to the hospital and stayed just to make sure we were okay. He didn’t have to, but he did, and since then, he’s been showing up in ways nobody else ever did.
Every time I called, he answered. Every time I cried, he listened. He helped me fill out the adoption papers and told me not to worry because he’d handle whatever needed to be handled. He made me feel safe when everything around me felt like it was falling apart. And now, even with all this, I knew he’d find a way to get me out of here.
Still, it hurt to know that he was with Kashmere. That part of it always stung, even though I tried to pretend it didn’t. He hadn’t said anything about leaving her, and I had to accept that. He had his own life, and I couldn’t ask him to throw it away for me, no matter how much I wanted him to.
I leaned forward and rubbed my face. The minutes felt like hours. The sound of metal keys clanking made my head snap up every time someone came near the door. Women were coming and going, and I just sat there, not knowing when it would be my turn. I tried to keep calm, but my heart wouldn’t slow down.
At one point, a woman sitting beside me asked if I was okay, and I just nodded. I didn’t want to talk. Talking would’ve made it real. I just wanted to get out, find my sister, and make sure she was okay.
After a while, I lost track of time. The clock on the wall said almost midnight, but it didn’t even feel real. My back hurt, my stomach was growling, and my eyes felt heavy. I kept thinkingabout what it would feel like to walk out of here and breathe fresh air again.
Then I heard my name.
“Monroe.”
I looked up fast, confused at first because it didn’t feel like they were really talking to me, but then one of the officers waved me forward. “Let’s go,” he said.
My heart jumped. I stood up slowly, rubbing my hands against my thighs. I didn’t know if I was about to be released or if they were about to move me somewhere else. My nerves were bad, but I followed him out of the tank anyway. The hall was quiet except for the buzz of a light overhead.
He walked me down to a desk, handed some papers to another officer, and then told me I could go.
That was it.
Just a cold release that I didn’t even understand. They gave me my phone back, and I stood there for a minute trying to process what was happening.
When I walked out those doors, the night air hit me in the face. I looked around, and that’s when I saw a man in a black suit standing near the curb holding a sign with my name on it in bold letters. He didn’t say much, but nodded at me like he already knew who I was.
“Ms. Monroe?” he asked.
“Yeah,” I said lowly.
He stepped to the side and opened the back door of a sleek black car. “This way, please.”
I hesitated for a second, then turned on my phone. The screen lit up, and I saw a text from Pressure.
Pressure:I sent a car for you. Text me when you out.
I stared at the message for a long time, my eyes burning.
I didn’t text him back yet. I just stood there for a moment, clutching my phone in my hand while trying to hold it together.I didn’t even know what to say to him. He always came through, no matter what, and even though we weren’t together, he never left me stranded. That meant more than he probably even realized.
