“I’ll leave you two alone,” the nurse said, walking towards the door.
Asia couldn’t help but stare at the side of Sandino’s head that looked as if an entire section had been removed. “Why does his head look like that?”
“That’s from the surgery where doctor’s had to remove part of his skull to retrieve the bullet fragments,” the nurse advised.
“Damn,” Asia said under her breath. “Can he talk?”
Sandino was slumped over with dried up saliva on the side of his mouth and crust between his eyes. The oversized sweat suit he wore swallowed his now slimmer physique and his large feet were turned together in an awkward position between the petal guards of his wheelchair. It shocked Asia to see him that way.
“He’s working on it. He can mumble a few things, but nothing comes out that well other than yes and no sometimes.”
Asia looked at her but didn’t respond. She wasn’t used to Sandino not being the asshole he once was.
“Let me know if you need anything.”
When the nurse left the room, Asia walked over and sat in a chair near Sandino staring at the large scar that stretched across his head. Sandino watched her as well.
“Long time no see, Sandino. Damn, you all fucked up,” she said, staring at him once again. “I just wanted to come by and introduce you to your son.” Asia took the baby out of the car seat and placed him close to Sandino’s face. “Doesn’t he look just like you? I named him Sandino Jr. Thinking about calling him SJ for short.”
Sandino cut his eyes at the baby. He studied him for a long time before directing his eyes back on Asia.
“I just came here to tell you that I need money. I know Skye and your lawyer are trying to block your third son outta his share and I think that’s fucked up. I know you’re probably still mad at me about that money I stole, but that shit was in the past. What’s important now is making sure your son is taken care of. I know you believe in making sure your kids always have the best,” she said.
Sandino’s eyes turned angry. He moved his mouth trying to speak and after stuttering for a few seconds he yelled out the word no, then spit on Asia. Luckily, the saliva didn’t land anywhere near her face.
She jumped up with the baby in her arms. “I know you didn’t just spit on me you handicapped muthafucka!” She stared at him for a few seconds, before returning the glob of spit. She then reached for her cell phone and snapped several pictures of him.
“I tried to be nice to your evil ass by coming here like a lady to ask for your help. But since you want to disrespect me, I’m about to disrespect you. I’m sure all the paparazzi outside would give me big money for these pictures of your sickly looking ass. Not to mention I could see the headlines now, ex pro ball player Sandino’s Washington’s illegitimate son. One way or the other… you will pay!” Asia yelled. She quickly placed the baby back inside the car seat as the nurse walked back into the room.
“Is everything alright in here, Mrs. Washington?”
“Don’t call me that shit. I’m not Mrs. Washington. It’s no way could I ever be married to this selfish ass bastard!”
As soon as the nurse’s eyes widened, Asia ran out the room and headed back to her truck. After securing the baby’s seat back into the base, it didn’t take long for her to start up the engine and skid out of the parking lot.
“What have I gotten myself into?” she asked out loud.
Asia didn’t like kids and definitely wasn’t feeling the whole mommy thing, so something had to be done. She couldn’t take care of a baby broke. She needed a nanny and a nice house on the beach like Skye once had.
“I’ll hold onto these pictures of Sandino as back up reassurance. I won’t have a problem making a few calls and selling them to the tabloids to get some cash if it comes down to that,” Asia said, trying to come up with a plan. She got upset when the baby started crying.
“Shut up, I need to think!”
CHAPTER 5
When Skye and Cruze pulled up in front of her apartment complex on Sweetwater Road late the next evening, the cloudy and dull Georgia skies had her missing Miami’s beautiful weather already. Georgia was a far cry from sunny Florida. Although her new neighborhood was far better than the one in Marietta, where she often witnessed drug transactions and young boys rolling dice on the curb, it still wasn’t the type of environment she wanted to raise her kids in. Not to mention, she was tired of apartment living.
When Cruze pulled up in front of the building to let her out, Skye looked over at him with an evil expression. Tired and worn out, she was still pissed at him for causing them to miss their early morning eight a.m. flight. Instead of traveling for only an hour and fifty minutes, that time had been turned into ten hours after Cruze heavily insisted that they drive back to Georgia versus being on standby for the next flight. Skye didn’t understand his logic, so not only did she refuse to help drive back, but she also refused to answer his questions about the meeting. Each time he asked, her response was always the same. “I don’t feel like discussing it.” With Cruze eventually getting an attitude, the two of them didn’t talk much. It was obvious that they both had a lot on their mind.
When Skye gathered her things and opened the car door to get out, Cruze grabbed her arm. “Where my kiss at?”
She looked at him funny. “Are you serious? You’ve been acting salty the entire trip and now you want a kiss.”
“I’m not salty. I just don’t see what the big secret about that meeting is, that’s all. But I’ll wait for you to tell me in your own time,” he replied.
It was the nicest thing he’d said since they left Florida. Skye reached over and planted her lips on his, giving him a quick peck. When she got out of the seat Cruze patted her on the ass.
“Just be naked and ready for me when I get back,” he said with a huge smile.
“Just don’t’ be all night,” Skye responded. “You’re just going to the airport to take the rental car back and get your car, right?”
“You obviously weren’t listening to me while we were driving. Remember, I told you that the dealership just got in a new shipment of cars today. One of my co-workers called out sick earlier, so I just need to run down there and help.”
“But it’s after seven o’clock. The dealership should be closed,” Skye replied. She loved the fact the Cruze was such a provider, but she hated his job as a car salesman for some reason.
“It is, so that’s why it’s a good time for me to go down there and help. Don’t worry, baby. I’m not gonna be gone all night.”
“Okay,” Skye finally gave in before closing the door.
Cruze rolled down the window before pulling off. “Love you!”
“Love you, too!” Skye responded.
Needing to figure out what to do about the whole Sandino situation anyway, it was probably best that Cruze was leaving. Him harboring over her wasn’t what she needed right now.
As soon as she started walking towards her apartment, some young boys in a nearby car began to whistle and holler at her.
“Damn, you look good shawty, can I get with you?” one of them yelled.
Skye ignored them and kept walking. She shook her head thinking,
As Skye walked closer to her apartment, she was surprised when she saw Lydia and Payton headed in her direction. Payton who had just learned to walk, waddled over with a big smile spread across her small face.
“Ma Ma!” Payton called out.
“Hey, baby girl,” Skye said, picking her daughter up and kissing her fat, juicy cheeks. She then directed her attention to Lydia. “What the world are you doing here? How did you find out where we lived? Where’s Kareem?” Skye questioned her.
She hadn’t seen her old neighbor since they’d moved forty-five minutes away, eight months ago. Ever since the shooting, Skye really didn’t trust anybody around her family and she certainly didn’t want to answer any questions
