Page 1 of The Ninth

Prologue

I cracked the back window as we drove. Even though it was cold outside, I was overwhelmed with the smell of cheap perfume and cologne. My father drove while talking with his hands. My mother sat in front of me in the passenger seat while nodding her head profusely. My grandmother sat beside me, sniffling quietly. When she wasn’t talking shit, she was back to being the victim. The woman that had to bury her child and not the other way around.

“Devyn, raise that window up! It’s too damn cold out in Illinois!”

“Mama, I have a headache. It smells way too strong in here.”

“Oh, please! You know who always smelled strong? Cash!” she yelled, causing my grandmother and father to tweet in agreeance. “No matter how flashy or good he smelled that weed smell always came through.”

“Mhm. That’s how I knew when Devyn snuck out the house and smoked that reefer. Cassie never sneaks out. She doesn’t smoke or anything!” Grandma mumbled.

I rolled my eyes, continuing to watch the snowflakes fall outside of the window.

My family’s very small. We live in Jeffersonville, Indiana and it’s just the four of us. Me, my mother, her mother, and my father. My grandfather passed years ago. My grandmother is a retired schoolteacher. My father is a CO at the Jeffersonville jail. Everybody knows that any type of law enforcement in Indiana are straight dickheads.

My mother kissed her teeth, “I can’t believe my own sister wrote in her will that she wanted her best friend to arrange her funeral over her own family.”

“Well, Toni, I told you she packed up and left us behind. She wanted to start a new family and a new life in Chicago.”

“At least she found a nigga with a good job!” my dad interrupted my grandmother. “I worked hard to be a CO just for his crazy ass to make more slinging trash. “

“De’von, stop! He was probably making Cassandra piss for him so he could keep that job!” my mother coddled him.

All three of them chuckled.

I’m not sure what my mother did before I came along. She told me once that my father forced her to stay home, not work, cook and clean while taking care of children. She had me and left it at that. I couldn’t blame her. Who wanted to stay home with multiple kids while not pursuing at least one dream or hobby? My mother loves me and doesn’t resent me. I just believe she wouldn’t be as hard on me if she was happy with herself.

The only other family we had were Cassandra who’s my cousin, her mother Tami who was my aunt, and her husband which was Cassie’s dad, Cash. My aunt left Jeffersonville and moved to Chicago before I was born. She went there for college and just never came back. She said Jeffersonville was too slow. Too boring and gray. Jeffersonville was enough for me. But I always wondered when it would stop being that.

Aunt Tami was very nice. She never called for my birthday; they always came in person and never empty handed. She never missed a holiday. There were never arguments or nasty comments when they visited. But when they left? It’s all the family would ever talk about. My parents and grandmother are to this day relentless.

My grandfather Jones was ex-military. Grandmother Tish being a teacher and then everyone else’s backgrounds, they were very traditional. Very old school and by the book. They loved talking about people but smiling in their faces. They judged the hell out of Aunt Tami and her family but always loved on them when they came around. I tried to stray away from that, but most of the time, they were right. Every time I encountered a loud, Hot Cheetos eating girl in the morning that spent her day chasing after boys, I could feel the spirt of my bitter ass grandmother taking over me.

I was so lost in my head, I didn’t even notice we had pulled up. My mother’s car door slamming shut snapped me out of my deep thoughts. I opened the door, stepping out into the brutal winter air of Chicago. Every time we visited, I just wished we were home. Where it was familiar and safe.

“Come on, beautiful...” my mother smiled softly. She wrapped her arm around my shoulders as we followed everyone else inside.

There were cars everywhere. I mean, even on the side of the church and down the street from it. You would think it was a kickback and not a funeral. I could feel how tense my parents and grandmother were. I couldn’t blame them. Even I was uncomfortable.

Inside was just as packed as outside. Some people were sitting quietly, others were crying loudly, most of them were laughing. The laughing was the most confusing. It seemed very unfitting for this setting. But they were enjoying themselves.

“Oh! Hey!” someone said loudly. We turned and it was Aunt Tami’s best friend, Kelisha.

She was a very beautiful woman in a cover of Sports Illustrated way. Beautiful dark skin and smile. Pretty white teeth. Flat chested, but her round bottom made up for it. My mother always hated when she was around my father. Dumb, because my father thinks he’s too good for anybody but her.

“Do you like the arrangements I made?” Kelisha smiled. Her eyes were very sad. My grandmother and parents just scanned the place, not responding. “Cassandra is up front somewhere. We’re getting some extra chairs out and then starting. Everyone loved them some Tami, Cash, and Cassie.”

“Or maybe they’re sticking around for the pension...” my grandmother mumbled.

Kelisha jerked her head back. Before she could rebuttal, my mother spoke up, “Cassandra is just wondering around all these people? Alone?”

“Cassandra is surrounded by family!” Kelisha snapped, folding her arms.

“We’re her family, and you’re the only person in here we know!” my father cut in.

At that moment, I slipped away into the sea of people in black. I made my way to the front, sitting in the seat that had my name on it. My placement was between my mother and grandmother. The worst seat in the house. Without a thought, I switched my grandmother’s seat with mine. That way I was sitting by Cassie.

I was emotional but didn’t like crying in front of people. My heart hurts for my aunt and the way her and her husband passed. Chicago highways during a crazy storm. They had left to make it to one of the only stores open and rushed home to get to Cassie so she wasn’t alone. The storm caused Cassie to be in the house without a phone or electricity for hours before her Godmother got to her, sharing the news.