I got up slowly and made my way out of the room. It was morning or afternoon but still light outside. Everyone was either in their own rooms or just mulling around downstairs. I heard the high-pitched squeal of a crying baby. A newborn.
I got down the stairs searching where it was coming from. I looked behind the bar and could see Cherry with a baby in one hand. She was frazzled and trying to pour Enfamil into a baby bottle with one hand and still rock the baby.
“Cherry?”
A bright smile spread across her face when she saw me. “Oh Prez, I am so happy to see you.” She came from behind the bar and hugged me hard with her free hand. I grimaced a bit but endured the hug.
“You too girl, what’s this.” I motioned to the baby. “Whose baby is this?”
She looked down at the screaming squirming baby, “This is my little monster.” She smiled and looked back up at me.
“Daddy?” I asked, I knew Cherry. She would never try and mess up what she had. The girl was all about dancing, fucking and having a good time. Having a baby had never been on her mind.
She looked away wistfully, “Larry.”
“Fuck, I’m sorry. You know we will be here for you forever.” I spoke like I still had my patch on my back. I had no say in what the club did anymore.
“That’s exactly what Wire said. I know, doesn’t make up that he will never know his father. I am just glad he is going to have a shitload of uncles to look up to.” She gave me a wink and transferred the screaming baby into my arms. “You can start your shift now.”
I laughed and cradled the baby as much as I could, my sides hurt but the little boy seemed to like my voice, he settled a little bit and examined my fucked up face. He couldn’t be more than two months old. I cooed at the kid, I would have never thought that Cherry would be a momma but here was the proof that anything was possible. She came back over to where I was a newly warmed bottle in her hands.
“Ok, I got him.”
I passed the baby over to her. “What’s his name?”
“Larry, of course.” She smiled and plopped the teat into the baby’s mouth.
I turned and could see Wire standing by church. He was always observing and always plotting what was going to happen next.
I walked over to where he stood. The tables turned, I was a nobody and he was the president. His word was law.
“You got a minute?” I asked.
He nodded once and opened the door to church. I walked over and went to sit down in my chair.
“Get the fuck out of my seat!” Wire slammed his hand down on the table before I could even get out of the crouched position that I was in. I had walked to the head of the table and was going to sit down. I had been the president for almost a decade, that seat was ingrained into my head.
“I’m sorry, my mistake.”
“You damn right, do that shit again, I’ll make sure you don’t wake up from the next ass whooping you get.”
I got up and went to sit in the seat next to that.
“No, that isn’t your seat either. You don’t get to sit. You can stand like a fucking outsider. This table is for brothers loyal to this kutte.
He was testing me, he was pushing me to see how far I would let him go. I couldn’t take much but I knew I had to bide my time. He was right on every count. I betrayed them, I had to work back into it.
“You got it Wire.”
“Now what the fuck do you want? Why after all this time do you decide that now is a good time to show the fuck up?”
“I don’t want anything, I needed to be back with my family.”
He stood up fast, knocking the chair he was sitting in back. “Your family! You left us, you put us in a fucked up situation and you left us there to rot! You think you can just walk back in here and claim your spot as president?”
“No, you are president, your word is law.”
“You left your family high and dry when we needed you, you don’t get the option to just come back.”
I bit my tongue, I wasn’t used to being reprimanded. “Wire, I’m not here to fight you. You’re right about all this shit. I am just here to help if possible. If you want me to fuck off. I’ll be gone.”
“Help with what? We needed your help six months ago.” He sat down heavily in his chair.
“I know Vilanuevas is still causing havoc. I see that you are getting the numbers but I know that he is getting bolder and bolder. I can help with the prep.”
“Prep, you mean you don’t want to run into gun fire and get everyone killed again? I’m surprised, that was your M.O. before.” He smirked a bit and it was enough to break my compliance. I tossed a chair out my way and walked right up to his face.
“I don’t give a fuck about how you feel about me now. I know I fucked up, I know what I did, I don’t need to be reminded of it every ten damn seconds. You want to be a fucking prick to someone pick someone else. You forget it was me behind every one of you bastards when anyone of you fucked up. You either accept what happened and move the fuck on or you don’t and move the fuck on. Those are your only two goddamn options.”
Wire was already up and right back in my face. “You honestly
