Page 29 of Baby, You're My Weakness
I didn’t need her doing anything for my benefit, no matter how much I couldn’t stand being around her. “You don’t need to do that Auntie, she’s pregnant.”
“She is. But if she’s grown enough to get pregnant, she’s grown enough to make it on her own. If she did this to her own sister, Lord knows what she can do to me,” she said, her voicefilled with uncertainty. “I don’t trust her ass as far as I can throw her.”
Her head rocked back and forth in disbelief. “This is madness.”
I leaned my head on her shoulder. “I feel so fucking stupid. All this time, she knew what really happened and still let me go to prison.” I sniffed back tears, but they wouldn’t stop coming. “How could she do that to me, auntie?”
She took ahold of my hand and squeezed. “None of this is on you, Baby. You love and trusted Leah, that ain’t a crime.”
“It is if you go to jail for it,” I added, tilting my head to look up at her.
She rolled her eyes. “You know what I mean, and I know it’s hard to see right now, but things will get better for you, Baby. God knows your heart, and when he blesses you, you won’t even see it coming.”
I gave her a small smile. “Thanks Auntie.”
She squeezed my hand one more time before letting go and standing up. I was mentally exhausted from all the shit that happened. All I wanted to do at this point was sleep.
Before she walked out, she paused with her hand on the knob and faced me. “I want you to know whatever happened at that restaurant tonight, you can always talk to me about it.”
I appreciated her for wanting to be there for me, but the fact that I couldn’t talk about it, was my problem. How could I save Love without drowning myself in the process?
16
LOVE
“I told y’all,you got the wrong nigga.”
For two hours, I repeated the same thing to these muthafuckas, and frankly, I was tired of it. I was basically wasting my time because they weren’t listening to anything I was saying.
“Mr. Hamilton, things will go a lot smoother if you’d tell me what happened. How did Mr. Frescani end up in a coma fighting for his life?”
I sat back, peering at the new detective. This ain’t the same one that questioned me twenty minutes ago. They thought rotating muthafuckas was gone get me to speak, tryna play on a nigga’s intelligence and all that, but I wasn’t having none of it.
“What happened was, y’all pulled a nigga from his date in a middle of a crowded restaurant for no reason,” I spat, sitting up higher in my chair to look him in the eyes. “I told you, it wasn’t me.”
I knew it was my brother who did this. Even though I ain’t tryna go down for something I didn’t do, it’s no way I would snitch on my own blood. They gotta figure that part out themselves.
“Well, if it wasn’t you, you know who it was?” he fished for information, taking a sip from his cup.
“We’re not just spinning wheels here, Mr. Hamilton. The sketch that the witness drew up clearly shows a man who looks exactly like you. Is that just a coincidence?” he questioned sarcastically. These muthafuckas would do anything to back me into a corner.
“Yeah, it is. Because I don’t know nothing, and I ain’t saying nothing else. I need my lawyer and my phone call.” I licked my lips and ran my hand over my face.
Out the corner of my eyes, I saw him get up in a huff, stomping towards the door. I knew they were grasping at straws when it came to charging me. They ain’t take my fingerprints or nothing to identify me yet, that’s how I knew they were on bullshit.
This wild!
I was just on the dance floor hugged up with Baby when they slammed me to the ground. I was so focused on her, I ain’t even see them slide up on us. I was usually aware of my surroundings, but not when it comes to her ass. When I got out of here, I’mma make her mine, no matter what, my job be damned.
The detective came back ten minutes later, taking me into the hallway to use the phone. The first person I called was mama. I knew she was tripping out by now. I was supposed to pick her up from my auntie’s house and she probably worrying herself sick.
“Hello.”
“Mama, it’s Love,” I told her, leaning my arm on the wall.
My eyes scanned around me to make sure nobody was listening in on my conversation. I knew sometimes they’d tap in, so I’ll try to make it quick. “I’m in jail, ma. They said I robbed somebody, but I ain’t do it, aight? I’m getting out of here soon, but you gotta stay with auntie.”
“Well, if you didn’t do it, then,” she paused. I heard her inhale deeply. “It was Valentine, wasn’t it?”
