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Authors: Dijorn Moss

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BOOK: Men After God's Own Heart
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Chapter Thirty-five
Will
Two Weeks until the Wedding . . .
 
 
Will arrived at Quincy's house early on the day he and the crew were supposed to go to Palm Springs for Jamal's bachelor party. Will had been to Quincy's home on many occasions. The spacious five-bedroom home was awe-inspiring. He rang the doorbell, and moments later, Karen opened the door.
“Hey, Will,” Karen said.
“Hello, Mrs. Page.” Will entered the house and made his way to the living room.
Will saw that Chantel and Quincy were already in the living room, and it did not take a smart man to figure out that something was up with the woman. Karen came into the living room and sat next to Chantel.
Even though Will had never been to jail before, he has been interrogated, and the experience was both eye-opening and rewarding. Will could discern when the detectives were fishing for evidence and when they had solid evidence. But Chantel and Karen were cold enough to scare the hardest criminal into a confession. They reminded him of the woman on that show called
The Closer,
except there were two of them.
“I know you're protected by this guy code, but come on. We won't say anything. We just wanted to know where you are going,” Chantel said, without so much as a hi.
“I'm being straight with you. I don't know. I'm just along for the ride.” Quincy said
“Uh-huh. There better not be any strippers there, you hear me?” Karen pointed a finger at Will.
Will felt the pressure of the women's statements.
“You know what the Bible says about strippers?” Karen asked.
“I don't know what the Bible says about strippers, but I do know that the Bible speaks against immodest behavior,” Will told her.
“You just better keep that in mind when you're out. I love my husband, and God has brought him a mighty long ways.” Karen paused and looked around to make sure that Quincy was not in earshot. “Keep him away from alcohol and casinos.”
“You don't have to worry about that. I got you,” Will said. He knew his brother was trying to walk the right path, but life had a way of throwing him a curveball. Finding out that his baby girl was pregnant would make any concerned father stray away from the path.
 
 
Jamal took in the desert air. It provided no reprieve for Jamal and his boys. Even in the middle of December, Palm Springs boasted warm temperatures. Quincy had booked a suite at the same hotel he and Karen had planned to stay at, until Sasha came home with her bad news. So Quincy had rescheduled, thinking that it was the perfect place for Jamal's bachelor party.
Jamal was nervous about his wedding being less than two weeks away. He and Chantel had decided to bring in the New Year as husband and wife. Everything would change after New Year's Eve, but for now, Jamal was going to enjoy his last trip with his close friends as a single man. He was also going to enjoy the bikini-clad women who hung out around the pool.
“This is the life, Q,” Jamal said as he reclined in his beach chair.
Jamal had noticed that Quincy was quiet on the drive up to Palms Springs. He knew that the whole situation with Sasha had taken a toll, but now it seemed as if something else plagued him.
“You all right, Q?” Jamal asked.
“Oh yeah, I'm good,” Quincy said, but Jamal believed differently.
“Man, it's a trip, because it wasn't until I became a Christian that I started traveling,” Will interjected.
“Well, I'm just glad that we didn't go to Sin City,” Chauncey added.
“Just be glad that you got invited,” Quincy said as he sipped his iced tea.
Chapter Thirty-six
Will
Will waited for his brothers in the casino near the Parker Hotel. Quincy had raved about the restaurants at this casino and wanted the guys to get together and have dinner after playing a round of golf. After lunch at the swimming pool, the guys had decided to go play golf. Will had respectfully declined. The casinos in Palm Springs were not like the casinos in Los Angeles. Will pondered how the casinos in Palm Springs were situated in an affluent area, while the casinos in the inner cities were surrounded by poverty and decay. Will sat on a chair in the casino lobby and watched people with money walk in and out without a care in the world. He guessed that these people could afford to lose, while people who lived in Compton or Gardena couldn't afford to lose.
Will was not much of a party person. He was happy for his brother Jamal, who was getting married and had found the woman that he would always love. Even though Will did not classify himself as a romantic, he did marvel at the fact that two imperfect people could form a perfect union together. Maybe that was God's divine joke, Will thought as he removed his iPod from his front pocket and unrolled the headphones. He turned it on and decided to listen to his artist of the moment: Sam Cooke. Will could not recall where he was, but he heard a song called “A Change Is Gonna Come” on the day of the presidential election, and it was like Will's mini biography. The difference lay in the fact that Will knew a change had already occurred for him and that changes would continue to occur.
Will allowed Sam Cooke to serenade him, and he rested his forehead on his clasped hands. Usually, his mind raced through the different worries that made up his life. As the slow melody played, Will's thoughts played in slow rotation. His brother had been headed down the wrong path but had recently turned his life around. His father had not changed, his mother was too high to do anything, and his former gang was out for him.
He felt a gentle finger tap his knee, and when he looked up, a pretty, light-skinned girl with almond-shaped eyes smiled at him. Will knew that Sam Cooke would understand if he put him on pause to have a conversation with the girl.
“What are you listening to?”
“Sam Cooke, ‘A Change Is Gonna Come.'”
“What you know about Sam Cooke?” the girl asked.
“Not much, but I know his song is about redemption, and I know that no man is beyond redemption and that every man needs to be redeemed.”
“Oh, so you're one of those deep thinkers?” the girl asked.
“Not even. I'm just trying to be more conscious of my decisions.”
“I'm Cherese.” The girl extended her hand for a handshake.
Will told her his name, shook her hand, and sat back in his seat. Will didn't care too much for makeup. He felt like most women put too much on. Cherese, however, had just enough makeup to highlight her mocha complexion. She looked like a black Barbie doll. Flawless.
“You got a favorite verse?” Cherese asked as she pointed to Will's iPod.
“I love the whole song,” Will replied.
“Okay, okay, tell me about it.”
“I don't know. I guess you could hear the song and get down about your situation. But I listen and think about how one of the most powerful things that can happen in our lives is change. God gave me an opportunity to change, and I ain't wasting that gift on nobody.”
“You're a Christian?” Cherese asked.
“To the fullest.”
Cherese received a text message. “Hold on,” she told Will. She responded to the text, and without looking up, she said, “I'm supposed to be meeting with my girlfriends. We're having this bridal shower for my best friend.”
“That's crazy. I'm here for my best friend's bachelor party.”
“Why are you not up in a strip club somewhere or a hotel room, making it rain?”
“Not my thing. I'd rather win a girl's heart with my mind than with my money.”
“Hey! Now, that's what I'm talking about. It's rare to find a guy like you.”
“I don't think so. I just do me, that's all,” Will said.
Cherese let out a smile. She had a perfect set of white teeth, and her smile was complete with dimples. She was not a regular girl, the kind he came across in his neck of the woods.
“I got to get back to the party, but it was nice meeting you, Will. Maybe we could get together for coffee and talk about the Bible some more. What's your cell phone number?”
“For sure.”
Will and Cherese exchanged phone numbers. Will shook her hand, and it felt both cold and soft. Cherese left, but her mango scent remained. Just then Will saw Chauncey and Jamal approaching him.
“Will, we got to find Q. He's missing,” Jamal said.
 
 
Quincy savored the sweet taste of sin and noted how it offered pleasure and even made his skin come alive. He was using alcohol to drown out his problems, but in the back of his mind he knew that come morning, he would regret his actions. Still, Quincy rolled the dice and let it ride.
“Come on, six. You're overdue.”
Quincy rolled a six, and the people that surrounded the table exploded in cheers. Quincy took another swig as a sign of his victory. He picked up the dice and rolled again without hesitation. This time he was not a winner, but he was unfazed by the deep sighs of the people who had just lost by betting on him. Quincy took a swig, and it was no different than what he felt when he won. He kept on gambling, throwing both the dice and caution to the wind. He just did not care. It wasn't until the ninth roll of the dice that his conscience rolled in, in the form of his two brothers Will, Chauncey and Jamal.
“Q, man, what are you doing?” Jamal asked.
“Just having a little fun. Shouldn't you be back at the hotel with some Luke dancers?” Quincy rolled the dice, and the crowd roared.
“You haven't been drinking, have you?” Will asked.
“No. This is primarily iced tea.” Quincy held up his drink.
“Come on, man. Don't go down this road. I know you're going through it, we all are, but let's just go,” Jamal said.
“If I roll a seven, I'll pay for your and Chantel's honeymoon. Wherever you want to go,” Quincy said as he shook the dice.
“Come on, seven,” Jamal said, and he was nudged by Will.
Quincy rolled an eight, and that loss stung him. He lost twenty grand, which was one man's life savings and another man's salary. For Quincy, it was the equivalent of a speeding ticket. With that, he did what he should have done a long time ago, and that was fold. Quincy left, his brothers escorting him out of the casino. Once outside, Will and Jamal stood him up against the wall.
“Q, what's wrong with you? Don't let your daughter cause you to trip like this,” Jamal said.
“Sasha cheated on Dwight, and she's not sure if he is the father,” Quincy said after a long, awkward moment.
“Wow!” Jamal said. “Q, you've got to stop punishing yourself for the things that your daughter did.”
“I've never failed at anything, and to fail at parenting is a bitter pill to swallow.” Quincy knew he had disappointed his brothers, but there was someone who he held to a greater standard that he had let down. “Father, forgive me for my sins. I just don't know what to do.”
Quincy's prayer did not go unnoticed, and he appreciated that his brothers carried him to the car and did not interrupt his prayer with his Father.
Chapter Thirty-seven
Will
Will took Joshua to lunch and brought him back to his parents' place. For a week, Will had spent as much time as he could going through the scriptures with Joshua and helping him with his homework. Not once did Will's mother reach out to talk to her son. Will found this odd, but not surprising. She knew that Joshua was with Will. Will figured his mother knew that Joshua was safe. Will wanted his brother to have some foundation before he headed home. The scriptures said that a person should work out their salvation, and Will wanted to help his brother in that cause.
The motorcycle was too dangerous for Joshua to ride on the back of, so Will took the bus with his brother back to their apartment on Atlantic. As they walked up to the apartment, Will felt uneasiness set in. Something was wrong, and Will started to look in the different corners around the apartment building, which were dark even in the daytime. He waited for an ambush, while at the same time he did not break his stride.
“You all right, bro?” Joshua asked.
“Yeah.” Will told a lie because he did not want his brother to freak out. Will was not sure why he felt uncomfortable, but he knew that he could not dismiss a feeling as persuasive as the one going on in his stomach.
They ascended the stairs, and Will's uneasiness only grew. When they arrived at the apartment, the key did not work in the door. Will peeked in a window. The apartment looked empty as far as tenants went, but it still had a lot of furniture. Will took a closer look and noticed all the lights were out. For as long as Will could remember, Carroll had barely left the house. No one being home was beyond peculiar.
“Look!” Joshua pointed to the sign on the door.
Will didn't know how he had missed the sign. He figured that he did not want to accept the truth that the apartment had been vacated. A notice of eviction was posted on the front door of their parents' apartment. Will's uneasiness turned into a cold chill that spread through his body. He did not know where his parents were, and he didn't know where his baby sister was, either.
“Let's roll, Josh.” Will tapped his brother on the chest, and as they turned to head downstairs, he saw a dozen members of the Untouchables gang.
“I got this, bro.” Josh headed downstairs.
Will did not know if he was going to make it to find his mother and sister, so he did what he knew how to do best.
Father, protect me and Josh, and allow us to find our family. Devil, you have no authority, and I know that with God all things are possible.
“What up, J-Rock?” asked Curtis, who had taken over the gang from D-Loc, as Will finished his prayer.
“What up, man?” Josh had reached the bottom of the steps.
When Will made it downstairs and stood next to Joshua, all he got was a smirk from Curtis.
“What up, Will?” Curtis asked.
“Nothing much,” Will replied. Even now Will could take Curtis in a fight, but wisdom had to prevail.
“That's burnt how you did the fam. Some think that you're responsible for getting D-Loc killed,” Curtis said.
“You know I ain't had nothing to do with that. D-Loc got his own self killed.” Will's tone was a bit more aggressive than he wanted it to be.
“What, cuz?” Curtis reached for his .45 pistol, which he had tucked underneath his shirt.
Will wished that somehow God could remove him and Joshua from this situation, because Will was certain he was about to die. He didn't mind dying while standing on his two feet for something he believed in, but he didn't want any harm to come to his brother.
“It's cool. Curtis, it's cool.” Josh stood between Will and Curtis.
Will moved Josh out of the way and stood his ground. There existed nothing but space and opportunity between Curtis and Will.
“Naw, it ain't cool. He better be lucky that you're a part of the set, otherwise I'd murk him right now.” Curtis brandished his weapon.
Will wanted to snatch the gun from Curtis and empty the clip. He felt horrible that he was still having those thoughts. The devil was playing with his mind, and the devil was whispering thoughts of a coward and a punk.
“My brother is no longer a part of the set. He's given his life to the Lord,” Will said.
“What he talking about, J?” Curtis asked, furious.
“I did. I want out,” Josh said timidly.
“Well, you both about to meet the Lord.” Curtis raised his gun and aimed toward Will's face.
Will had had enough of people who felt like they could put a gun in his face. Will snatched hold of Curtis's wrist and turned the gun on Curtis and rested the muzzle underneath his chin. More guns were drawn at this point, but none were fired. Will looked into Curtis's eyes and saw a scared little boy, for Curtis had started to whimper and cry.
“You guys don't have to be a part of a gang to be strong,” Will said to anyone within earshot. “I'm stronger now than I've ever been, and all I had to do was embrace love, forgiveness, and faith.” Will let go of Curtis, but he did not let go of the gun.
“I ask you guys to forgive me for walking away, but I felt like my life is worth more than taking from others. I believe you guys are meant for more as well.” Will removed the clip and emptied the bullets from the chamber before laying the gun on the ground. “I just wish you guys could see yourselves the way God sees you.”
A squad car passed by and stopped in the middle of the street. Members of the gang started to disperse to avoid being harassed. Will was grateful for the boys in blue. Curtis left with his pride severely damaged. Will waited for the squad car to leave before he wiped down the gun with his T-shirt and disposed of it in a nearby Dumpster.
“Josh, take one good last look at this apartment, because we're never coming back here.”
 
 
Long Beach was all Will's mother knew. They had moved to different parts of the city, from North Long Beach, by Jordan High School, to a few blocks away from Long Beach Poly. Of all the places, Will remembered when they lived downtown, next to the beach. His mother never took him to the beach for fear that Will might drown. Funny how she had shielded him from one danger but had left him vulnerable to many other dangers in the world. No matter the circumstances, Will knew that his mother would never leave Long Beach. For Will, that fact alone was good enough.
In the middle of his living room, while Joshua played his Xbox 360, Will sat with his eyes closed and searched for his mother in his mind. He searched for places he remembered his mom taking him to. Most of the images were fragmented, and after a few minutes, frustration set in.
Lord, help me to find my family. Lord, please!
Will prayed and meditated some more, but to no avail. Will felt like his prayers were useless, until an image of a house popped into his mind, a brown house that barely held together. Will focused in on this image, and another piece came to him. Will remembered a rusty, crooked gate that he had to enter, along with a broken screen door. Will tried to settle his mind and not get too excited, lest he lose both the image and its relevance to his current search for his mother and sister.
Will concentrated more, and he remembered playing on the floor with some kid and his mother lying on the couch, high on drugs. Will's mind went back to the house, and he tried to remember anything about the surroundings. That was when he remembered that the house was near a freeway, and knew where his mother could possibly be.
“Josh,” Will said as he opened his eyes.
“Yeah?”
“Stay here until I get back. You understand?” Will said.
“Uh-huh.” Joshua continued to play the game.
Will walked over to Jamal's room and knocked on the door.
“What's going on?” Jamal said as he opened the door.
“I need to borrow your car!” Will told him.
“You're tripping,” Jamal said.
“I think I know where my mom and sister are, and if so, I can't get them here on a bike.”
Jamal grumbled at Will's request, which was understandable. Jamal had poured a lot of money into that new car and would not want to see anything happen to it.
“You owe me big for this one,” Jamal said before he turned his back to Will and snatched the keys off of his dresser. “You need me to go with you?”
“Naw, I'm cool. If you can just keep an eye on Josh, I'd appreciate it,” Will said.
Jamal gave Will a head nod in agreement, and Will shot out of the house and made his way to the elevator that led to the underground parking lot. The short elevator ride could not prevent Will's mind from drifting to the what-ifs. What if his mom was not there? What if his mom had OD'd on drugs? What if Elisha had been hurt in the process? What-ifs could drive a man over the edge, so Will focused first on getting out of the elevator and then on getting to Artesia Street, which was where the house was located, as fast as possible.
Once Will entered the parking lot, he did not have any trouble spotting Jamal's Camaro. The sound the engine made when Will turned on the ignition let the driver know that this car was not built for an amateur. Will was not an amateur, and his past as a car thief proved that he could handle a car. If he found himself in a tight spot, he had the tools to maneuver out of it with the right kind of car. Will sped out of the parking lot and raced along Long Beach Boulevard. It was a long shot that his mother was at the house in Will's vision. It was a chance he was willing to take, though.
The house Will used to go to with his mother when he was a kid could've been a crack house or a friend's house. So long as his mother and sister were there, Will couldn't care less. It took Will about ten minutes to get to Artesia, and when he reached the street, he made a sharp left toward the area where the 710 and the 91 crossed. Will had just got past the freeways when he saw a liquor store and a small neighborhood to the right. He made a right turn, and at the end of the block was the brown house he had envisioned.
It would've been a shame if Will had used his mind to tap into forgotten memories and pull forth an image of a hot spot for his mom, only for his mom not to be there. Will parked the car along the side of the street facing the house. The house was at a dead end, so Will would have to do a U-turn to get out. As he approached the house, Will could tell that it had once been a luxurious two-story. Now it would be a prime location for inner-city dramas and horror films.
Will arrived at the door and gave a solid knock, which might have been misinterpreted as coming from the police. Will heard rumbling and the sound of things being rearranged.
“Who is it?” a woman yelled from the other side of the door.
“It's Will, Carroll's son.”
More rumbling ensued before the door opened and a heavy woman with gap teeth smiled at Will. “My, my, you've turned into one fine young man. You don't remember me, do you? I'm your Auntie Pat.”
“I'm sorry I don't.” What Will did remember was that he didn't have an auntie named Pat. “Is my mother here?”
The woman didn't answer. She just opened the door wider and extended her hand for Will to come in. Will had thought his parents' house was foul-smelling, but their house didn't have anything on this place. He entered the living room, and there was his mother, in the same position as in his memories, on the couch, high.
“Hey, baby,” his mom said with her eyes half closed.
“Mom, where's Elisha?”
“She's running around here somewhere.” She pointed lazily in a random direction.
“She's in the back room, just past the stairs.” The heavyset woman pointed Will in the right direction.
Will made his way toward the back room, and along the way, he passed a couple that had forgotten to close the door before they got into having sex. The smell grew worse as Will reached the back room, where his sister was. Will opened the door and nearly tripped over the numerous toys on the floor, and there was his sister, Elisha, asleep. Peaceful. He didn't want to wake her, but he didn't want her to stay in that house any longer. He grabbed Elisha in his arms and walked out of the room and made his way back toward the living room.
“Mom, we're getting out of here. Where's Elisha's car seat?”
All Carroll did was laugh and rub her nose.
“Mom!”
“What do I need with a car seat? I ain't got no car. I ain't got no home, neither. I needed the money,” Carroll mumbled.
“Them crackers put her out and didn't care that she had a family,” the heavyset woman said.
Will could not put his baby sister's life at risk. If he was caught driving an infant without a car seat, then he would go to jail and the car would be impounded.
“I have a car seat,” the heavyset woman said.
BOOK: Men After God's Own Heart
4.03Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
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