Latter Rain (5 page)
Authors: Vanessa Miller
7
Driving down Broadway, Isaac's heart sank. He had once ruled this area. He remembered stepping onto the grounds right across from Church's Chicken, on the corner of Broadway and Riverview, and claiming the land. Kinda like the gold rush days of old, but his pot of gold was crack. The Promised Land is what he had dubbed this area. His kingdom, and everybody in it, bowed down to him. Oh, how wrong he had been. He hated driving down these streets now. He wished Nina would move. Wished he didn't have to remember it all as if it were yesterday. Maybe that's why he got busy and didn't show up sometimes. He didn't do it on purpose. But these streets wouldn't let him forget. Even the graffiti still called out his name.
Every time he passed the alley that he set Mickey up in years ago, he thought of the lost look on Mickey's face the day Isaac got out of prison. For years now, Isaac had wondered if he'd made the right decision when he got into Bishop Sumler's car and left Mickey at the pick-up zone. Should he have left with Mickey? Would he have been able to convince him to give up the gangster life and accept Jesus?
Turning onto Oxford, he saw Nina sitting on the front porch. He knew right away that things weren't going to go well for him. Her arms were crossed tightly around her body, lip twisted, as she recognized his car. Even without being in close proximity, he could tell Nina had been crying.
Putt-putting his way into the parking spot in front of her house, his classic Oldsmobile passed gas as he shut off the engine. He got out of the car and fanned the air. He needed to get a new car, because this one was on its way to car heaven.
“Hey, you.” He waved at the evil looking woman on the porch. Her arms continued to hug her body. Those sweet hazel eyes murdered him a thousand times. Summer was a month away, but it was chilly on this street.
Lately, all he got from Nina was harsh words and daggered eyes. Sometimes he wondered why he even bothered with the small talk. She had given him more respect when he was slapping her around. Maybe she missed getting beat down. Maybe she wanted him to man handle her. Then he stopped himself.
Wrong thinking. Really wrong thinking
. If he wanted respect, he was just gonna have to earn it. He lifted his hands in surrender, stepping onto the porch. “Whoa, bring it down a notch. I come in peace.”
Wrong thinking. Really wrong thinking
. If he wanted respect, he was just gonna have to earn it. He lifted his hands in surrender, stepping onto the porch. “Whoa, bring it down a notch. I come in peace.”
She stood and unfolded her arms. “What do you want, Isaac?”
“What do you mean,
what do I want
? I'm here to pick up Donavan.” Despite himself, his eyes rolled upward. “We talked on the phone just a couple hours ago, remember?”
what do I want
? I'm here to pick up Donavan.” Despite himself, his eyes rolled upward. “We talked on the phone just a couple hours ago, remember?”
“Six hours ago, Isaac.” Her voice rose and was a little shaky as she continued. “Not a couple hours ago. You should have been here by five. It's nine o'clock, and my son is not here.”
“Where is he?”
“I don't know. He ran off.”
“Didn't you tell him I was coming?” He was getting angry and sick of Nina's mess. “Why would you let my son run off when you knew I was on my way?”
“First of all,” Nina shook her finger in his face, “I didn't let
your son
do anything. He's got a mind of his own. And we both know where he got that from.”
your son
do anything. He's got a mind of his own. And we both know where he got that from.”
Isaac started to open his mouth to defend himself, but Nina wasn't finished.
“And furthermore, how was I supposed to know you were on your way? You've cancelled on
your son
the last three times you were supposed to pick him up.”
your son
the last three times you were supposed to pick him up.”
The truth of that statement calmed him. “Okay, Nina. I'm not here to argue with you. Just tell me where I can find Donavan.”
She screamed, blowing salsa, chips and that chicken burrito she had for dinner in his face. “I don't know where he is. I told you he ran off.” A tear trickled down her face. She sucked in her breath and put her hand over her mouth. “I can't believe he did this.”
He touched the hand that held her mouth. The left one. The one that held that big rock. His mouth opened, then closed. He touched the diamonds encased in her ring.
Donavan picked that moment to roll his two-wheeler in front of the house, jump off and stomp up the stairs. “Well, look who's here,” he said as he passed his father.
Isaac's eyes lingered on Nina and thatâthat ring, as he grabbed Donavan's shirttail and pulled him around. “Boy, where do you think you're going?”
Donavan puffed up. “In the house. Now let me go.”
Slapping the backside of Donavan's head, Isaac told him, “It's nine o'clock at night. Where does your eleven-year-old half grown self get the nerve to roam the streets at night?”
Donavan jerked away from his father. “I can do what I want.”
Isaac hit him again. “You can get beat down, is what you can do.”
Nina raised her hand. “Stop hitting him, Isaac.”
“The boy needs a good beating.” He turned back to Donavan and shook him. “Isn't that right, Donny Boy? If I beat the snot out of you, the next time I ask you where you've been, you'll open that smart mouth and tell me real quick, won t 'cha?
Donavan was silent.
Isaac raised his hand and eyed his son. “I asked you a question.”
“Yes, sir. IâI was at the park.”
Nina pulled Donavan away from Isaac. “Look at you. All you know is violence. Your father beat you all the time. Did it do you any good?”
Seeing red, Isaac turned away from Nina and glared at Donavan as he eased out of his hold. “Hey, go get your clothes, boy. And get back down here.” Donavan scurried away, then Isaac turned back to Nina. “I told you not to mention that man to me. He was no father. He killed my mother, and you dare compare me to that man?”
“That's your problem, Isaac. You don't know how to let things go.”
“Like you let us go?”
“What are you talking about? I didn't let anything go.”
Isaac pointed at her engagement ring. “So, I guess that guy you've been seeing asked you to marry him?”
Lifting her hand and gazing at her ring she told Isaac, “It's about time Donavan had a mother and father in the same house. Don't you think?”
Isaac's lip curled as if he'd had a little too much mad cow. “I tried to give him that, but you didn't want me.
“No. I asked you to deal with your issues before coming to my doorstep. You refused to do it.”
The way he'd remembered it was that he showed up on her doorstep with hat in hand and begged her to marry him so that she and Donavan could move to Chicago with him. But all she wanted to talk about was his usually wrong daddy. Nina told him that he needed to find his father and set things right with him before she could even consider marrying him.
She acted like Isaac had the problem. Like he was supposed to go and thank his usually wrong daddy for smacking his mother around. Maybe he should treat him to dinner. Sit down over a few steaks and tell Usually Wrong how he felt when he saw his mother laid out in a pool of blood.
He'd only been thirteen when that monster took his sweet mother away from him and his brother. Donavan, his brother, was twelve and too young to die. But that didn't stop that bullet from exploding in his head while Isaac was in Juvee for beating Usually Wrong down. Maybe he should tell the old man that Donavan now resides in hell. But what would he care? And what did Nina know? Her save-the-world attitude really ticked him off sometimes. “Have it your way, Nina. Ruin your life with this guy. I'm tired of trying to live up to your high standards.” He turned and stomped off the porch.
Before he reached the last step, Nina grabbed his arm and turned him back to face her. “Don't you pin this on me. You had your chance. If you really wanted us to be a family, you should have found your father so you could address your issues. But, no. You chose to follow behind that jack leg bishop and move to Chicago.”
He pulled his arm from her grasp. “I'm not following behind nobody but God. And how do you know I haven't found my father?”
Nina's face lit up. Those hazel eyes sparkled, sparkled for him.
“Please tell me you mean it. When did you find him?”
“See how happy you are?” Isaac smirked. “And I know why. You think that if I go to that old man and forgive him, then whatever demons I'm dealing with will be gone, and we'll be free to marry.”
“Don't flatter yourself, Isaac,” Nina told him while waving her ring finger in his face. “I'm already spoken for.”
“Nina, are you really sure you want to marry that DA sucka?”
She folded her arms around her small frame once more. “I smiled because I want you to be happy, Isaac. Don't read more into it than there is.”
“Whatever helps you put on that dress and walk down the aisle,” he told her while opening his car door.
Before he could get in the car, Nina yelled after him. “Did you find your father or not, Isaac?”
Just before he slammed his car door and sped off he told her, “I saw him.”
“Be a man, Isaac. Handle your business,” she yelled at him.
8
Donavan was in his room angrily throwing clothes into his Cincinnati Reds duffle bag when he heard his father's car door slam. He walked over to the window just in time to see father of the year speed off like he was a carjacker running from the po-po. “That's right, Dad, get mad at her and forget that you even have a son. Leave me behind like you always do.”
Donavan walked back over to his bed, picked up his duffle bag and poured the contents on the floor. He sat down, shoulders slumped, staring blankly at the wall. He tried to imagine what it would feel like if he mattered to somebody.
One day he would know what it felt like, and he wouldn't be part of no package deal either. His dad had this lovesick thing going on that said, if Nina Lewis wouldn't be his woman, then he needed directions to the nearest how-to-be-a-daddy boot camp.
Forget 'em. Donavan would make his own way in this world. As a matter of fact, he was going to find JC and see if he could hook him up with something. Only problem with going to JC was that JC would want to run his big mouth to Donavan's daddy. JC idolized Isaac.
“Man, your daddy was the Pope around here. Didn't nobody mess with the Ike-man. Not unless they wanted some instant death
,
JC had told him. Donavan didn't know the Ike-man JC drooled over. But if JC really wanted to know the truth, the Ike-man thought JC was a loser, and had told Donavan not to hang with him.
,
JC had told him. Donavan didn't know the Ike-man JC drooled over. But if JC really wanted to know the truth, the Ike-man thought JC was a loser, and had told Donavan not to hang with him.
To Donavan, his daddy was the preaching man who must not have read the part in the Bible that said
a man who doesn't take care of his family is worse than an infidel
.
a man who doesn't take care of his family is worse than an infidel
.
He opened his window. There was a knock at his door.
“Yeah?”
Without opening his bedroom door, Nina asked Donavan, “You want to pop some popcorn and watch a movie with me?”
With one foot out the window, he told her, “Naw, I'm cool.”
She wasn't gone yet, he knew she was still standing on the other side of his door.
With her forehead pressed against his door and a tear running down her face, Nina said, “I'm sorry, Donavan.”
“Don't sweat it, Mom. I'm all right.”
He would show them. If the Ike-man had been the Pope, then he would become king. He had a self-assured smile on his face as he climbed out of the window. It still amazed him that his mom hadn't noticed that he had sneaked out of the house the last three Friday nights. But hey, when her life is so busy, busy, busy, who could expect her to add supervision of a wayward son to her to-do list?
Mickey sat across the street, watching Donavan climb out of the window.
Bad little nigga. Somebody sure 'nuff spared the rod on that one
. Mickey had driven back over to the house to put a couple nice clean bullets in the assistant DA's new family. Then Isaac pulled up.
Bad little nigga. Somebody sure 'nuff spared the rod on that one
. Mickey had driven back over to the house to put a couple nice clean bullets in the assistant DA's new family. Then Isaac pulled up.
He banged his fist against his forehead. “Stupid, stupid, stupid.” How could he have forgotten that Isaac's son still lived in Dayton? Well, because Isaac didn't write and didn't call, that's how. “See,” he wanted to shout at Isaac. “You didn't keep in touch like you promised, and your son was almost dead. You shouldn't have played me, Isaac.”
Mickey chewed on his nubby nails. “So now what am I going to do?” He hated Charles Douglas III with all that was evil in him. He wanted to hurt him. Give him some pain to carry with him for the few years he had left on earth. The man had been dogging him for years. It was Charles who caused the FBI to investigate him. Charles who stood in court and told the judge that Mickey was a menace to society. Charles who tried to block his bail.
“He's no better than a dog,” Charles had told the judge. Just like his dopefiend mother, had said. But Mickey had shown her. Sometimes, when he was feeling real low, he liked to remember the day his worthless mother had come to him begging for some crack.
Oh, she needed him now. She said she was sorry about the way she had treated him. Of course he wasn't a failure, wasn't a loser. “Thanks for the apology, Mom. Now get your dopefiend self on the street and work for your drugs like the rest of my hookers.”
Mickey laughed out loud. He had to put his hand over his mouth so Isaac and Nina wouldn't hear him. The look on his mother's face that day was priceless. He'd pay money to see it again.
Charles had called him a dog. Well, he could call him a stalker now. Mickey liked the sound of that. Yeah, the night stalker. He just never imagined that the DA's woman would be Isaac's baby's mama. Talk about total turn about. This girl needed to pick which side of the law she was going to pull her men from. She was probably a bad mother just like his had been. Maybe she was the informant that got Isaac sent up all those years ago. Maybe offing her would be doing Isaac a favor. Paying him back for all the advice and upstart money.
“Don't waste tears over that one, Isaac. I'll have a bullet in her before you send off the next child support check,” Mickey whispered with a smile on his face as he thought of the good deed he was about to do for Isaac. But then the smile faded as he realized that relieving Nina Lewis of her life meant Isaac would have to watch the kid. Isaac had been his mentor. He'd taught him everything he knew about running the streets. Now he was on top. He commanded respect. No way was he going to give the man who helped him get where he was today the full time responsibility of raising Chucky.
Mickey drove away from the house wondering where Charles's mother lived.
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