Love Don't Live Here Anymore (The Love Collection Book 3) (18 page)

Getting ready for work in the morning was hectic enough. All week, Sumer had been preparing in the morning as if she had to take Akia to daycare so that when the time came, she would have a better hold on her timing. She had already decided that she would do as much as she could the night before so that her morning tasks would be minimal.

Since she had forgotten to get some milk from the grocery store the night before, she told Mrs. Heyward that she would run out to get milk because she had to stop for gas anyway. While Summer was putting on her coat, Akia followed her around the house with her arms outstretched, indicating that she wanted Summer to pick her up. Summer placed Akia in her arms and gave her all kinds of kisses.

“Akia, baby, Summy has to go to work. I’ll see you later, okay?”

“I wan go wit’ you,” Akia whined.

Summer looked at Mrs. Heyward, who smiled from the gesture. She was glad that her granddaughter had taken such a liking to Summer. Mrs. Heyward adored her should-have-been daughter-in-law and was glad that she was the one who her son had chosen to marry.

“I’m going to bring her with me. I’ll be right back,” Summer said. She put Akia’s coat on over her one-piece Dora pajamas and strapped her into the car seat. Summer stopped at the Shell gas station and got out to pay for her gas. As she was walking into the store, she turned around to check on Akia and the two of them made eye contact. Although Akia wasn’t crying and didn’t appear to be in distress, something kept telling Summer to go back and get her. No matter how much she pushed the thought out of her head and reasoned that she was just running in and coming right back out, a feeling in the pit of her gut screamed, “Go back and get her!” and Summer no longer ignored the feeling.

She walked back to the car and opened the back door, taking Akia out of the car seat. She paid for her gas and purchased the milk, and when she went back outside to pump her gas, she dropped the milk and looked around frantically. Her car was gone. Someone had stolen her car! Summer’s purse was with her, but her cell phone was inside the car, charging. She grabbed Akia and quickly went back into the gas station and asked to use the phone. The cashier gave her the cordless and Summer first called 9-1-1 to report the theft, then Mrs. Heyward to come get them, and lastly, her job, to let them know what happened. “Fuck!” Summer yelled. If it wasn’t one thing, it was another. She was really starting to hate Atlanta, Georgia.

As she waited for Mrs. Heyward to pick them up, her mind drifted to Braxdon. Too many days had passed, and he wasn’t calling her. If she wasn’t occupying his time then that meant someone else was.

When Mrs. Heyward pulled up, she sat in the back seat and placed Akia between her legs. She buckled up and guided Mrs. Heyward through Atlanta. In an attempt to be slick and see if Braxdon was fraternizing with his son’s mother, she had Mrs. Heyward ride past Siyahna’s place, but was upset when she saw that they couldn’t get through. Ambulances, fire trucks, and police officers crowded the street. Summer couldn’t even tell where they were because traffic was rerouted several blocks back, with no clear view of the scene.

When they made it home, Summer followed up with her insurance company and gave her statement. She borrowed Mrs. Heyward’s car so she could go check on Ms. Honey.

Summer tapped on the door a few times and twisted the knob. It was unlocked, confirming that Braxdon was home. The only time Ms. Honey locked the door was when no one was in the house with her.

“Hi, it’s Summer,” she announced cheerfully.

Ms. Honey invited her in. “Come on back, baby.”

Summer heard the shower turn off and several more moments passed before she heard Braxdon’s voice.

“Good morning, Gram,” he called to his grandmother from the kitchen.

“Hey, baby. Did you sleep good?”

“Better than an insomniac turned narcoleptic,” Braxdon said. He walked into the living room, right into his grandmother’s laughter and Summer’s presence.

“What’s up, Miss Lady? You here kinda early.”

“Good morning. Yeah, I don’t have my car, so I decided to come while I had access to one.

Their house phone rang and Ms. Honey answered it because she was the closest to it. “Hello? Okay, hold on. Braxdon, it’s for you,” she stated, concerned. Whoever was on the other end was frantic and Ms. Honey could barely understand what she was saying.

Siyahna cried hysterically. “Braxdon, Sirad was hit by a car! You have to meet us at the hospital.”

“I’m on my way there,” Braxdon yelled. “Sirad was in an accident,” he said as he rushed out of the house, grabbing his jacket on the way.

Summer ensured that Ms. Honey took her morning meds. She put the bag of pills away and told her she would be back. She hopped into the car and headed to the hospital after Braxdon. When she got there, she saw Siyahna crying frantically. Tears were pouring out of her eyes and she was screaming for them to save her son. Braxdon rushed over to her and asked what happened but another woman spoke up.

“We were both coming out of the house at the same time to put the kids on the bus. Siyahna had zipped Sirad’s coat up and was walking down the stairs behind him and me and my baby were right behind her. The bus had just come to a complete stop and before the driver had a chance to signal the kids to cross, Sirad ran into the street and a car was speeding down the road and hit him head on. Braxdon, it was bad, real bad,” the lady explained.

Summer helplessly looked on as Braxdon fell weakly into a chair. The woman was barely able to get the rest of her words out before she, too, started crying. Braxdon sat on the chair and just stared into space. He couldn’t say anything if he wanted to. He was in a state of shock and denial and there was no way in hell they were telling him that his little man was dead. Not his boy. Sirad was going to live longer than him. He was going to be a scientist and explore the solar system. He loved science more than any other subject and always told his dad that he was going to be an astronaut.

Siyahna kept crying and shaking. Nothing her neighbor did soothed her pain. In a matter of minutes, the emergency room was flooded with family from both sides. Some cried as soon as they saw Braxdon and others were still in a state of disbelief. When the doctor came out to confirm Sirad’s death, the whole room erupted in sorrow. Braxdon, on the other hand, needed to see his son. He wasn’t going to believe anything the doctors were saying. Maybe they had the wrong kid. He had to be sure. When he asked to be allowed to see his son, the doctor told him that the body was mangled pretty badly and they didn’t think that was a good idea.

“Fuck what you think is a good idea. I need to see my son before I air this fucking place out,” Braxdon warned. The doctor turned red, the nurse looked scared, and the staff started scrambling. A young black male had just threatened bloodshed and no one was going to take him lightly.

“Sir, I understand your anguish but I think its best that you don’t see him right now. I would like for you to see the chaplain first before—”

“I don’t want to see a fucking chaplain. I want to see my muthafucking son, right now!” Braxdon yelled as he grabbed the doctor by his white coat.

The doctor, seemingly intimidated, reluctantly agreed to bring Braxdon to the room where Sirad was being held. Nothing on God’s green and blue earth could have prepared him for what he saw. His seven-year-old son was lying lifeless, with half of his face missing and his head barely attached to his shoulders. The sight instantly brought Braxdon to his knees. He screamed at the top of his lungs and then pulled on the doctor’s pants, begging him to help his son.

“Doc, look at him, you got to help him. Please, man. That’s my only son. Doc, please save him. I need him. Put him back together, please,” Braxdon begged. “I don’t care what it costs. I need my little man. I need him.” Braxdon continued to cry.

The doctor stepped outside of his profession and bent down to console Braxdon. He allowed him to cry on his shoulder as he did his best to compose himself. A couple of nurses had entered the room, along with the chaplain, and they were able to escort Braxdon to another area of the hospital.

The doctor had offered him a sedative but he declined. He asked to see his son once more, but they wouldn’t allow it and Braxdon grudgingly accepted.

Summer walked over to him and placed her arms around his neck. Her heart was gushing for Braxdon and all she wanted to do was hold him. But when he saw who was comforting him, he pushed her out of the way.

“Get the fuck off me! Now ya ass wanna come support a nigga! Fuck you. Get out my face, bitch!” he spat.

Summer’s face was painted with anguish. She looked around to make sure other people had witnessed what she had. By the looks on their faces, they had. She slowly rose to her feet.

“Matter of fact, I’m leaving.” Braxdon turned and walked toward the hospital exit.

The detectives had just left Summer’s house and told her they had found her car but it was now part of a homicide investigation. Although they couldn’t give her specifics on the case, they did tell her that they suspected that the car thieves were behind the incident. Summer felt nauseous and had to keep herself from throwing up. The news that her car was used to commit a violent crime floored her. She said a prayer and asked God to please look after all involved. She excused herself after the detectives left and went to her room.

“Autumn, I … I can’t stay here anymore. All kinds of shit is happening and I just can’t do it. I want to come home, Autumn. I need to come home,” Summer cried.

“Summer, what happened? What’s wrong?” Autumn was at her adult novelty shop, doing inventory and checking in with her employees. She raced upstairs to her office and closed the door.

“Someone stole my car this morning and used it to commit a crime. The police said homicide! This shit is so unreal, Aut. I feel like I’m in a nightmare.”

“Wha-at did you just say?”

“You heard me. My car was stolen and involved in a homicide,” Summer repeated.

Her TV was already on. Prior to the detectives’ arrival, she had been sitting in her room, watching the news while talking to her insurance company. “Breaking News” flashed on the screen, and there was Vincent, doing a press conference, as he stood next to the mayor, police chief, and district attorney.

“Hold on. They’re doing a press conference now,” Summer said to her sister as she retrieved the remote and turned up the volume.

“At approximately seven-fifteen this morning, a vehicle was stolen from a Shell gas station on the 1300 block of Peachtree Street. That same vehicle was involved in a pedestrian accident that resulted in the death of a young child. The suspects have been identified and arrests have been made. Charges are being filed.”

The media began firing off a series of questions, but of course the authorities declined to comment, citing, “Still under investigation,” as an ambiguous response to most of the questions.

When the press conference was over, Summer got ready to lower the volume when the news reporter spoke.
“Just in: The identity of the little boy who was killed has been revealed as seven-year-old Sirad Jones.”

“Noooooooo!” Summer cried.

“Live from the boy’s neighborhood is Jamie Wilson. Jamie?”

“Thanks, Carol. It has only been one hour since little Sirad Jones was struck by a speeding car and killed. Already, dozens of mourners have shown up to pay their respects to a little boy who they say was a great kid. With us, is Stephanie Dobbs, who has known the family since they moved into the neighborhood six years ago.”

“Sirad was the sweetest kid I knew. He would always speak to everyone and was so patient with the other little kids around. He was quick to share a toy, chips, it didn’t matter. If he had it, he was willing to give to others. This is such a sad day for us. Parents are going to have a hard time explaining to their kids that they’ve lost a friend forever,”
Stephanie said as she dabbed at her tears.

“Carol, that is an example of the kind of stories we’ve been hearing since we’ve arrived on the scene moments ago. Teddy Bears, flowers, candles, toys, and other trinkets grace the curb, only a few feet away from where little Sirad’s body took that fatal blow. We tried getting ahold of the family, but they have asked that we respect their privacy during this time of grief.”

“And rightfully so. Thanks, Jamie. Police have identified three young males, known as the Scrappers in the theft of a vehicle and the murder of seven-year-old Sirad Jones. Nineteen-year-old Zyjuan ‘Zy’ Buckley, twenty-year-old Matthew ‘Munch’ Olsen, and twenty-one-year-old Herman ‘He-man’ Frost.”

Whatever the news reporter said after that fell on deaf ears. Summer had completely zoned out and it took her a long time to snap out of her shock.

“Summerrrr … Sis, answer me. Oh God! Come on, Summer, talk please. Summer! Summer!” Autumn hollered.

Summer finally came back to the phone. “Autumn, what the fuck is happening?” she bellowed.

“What? Fill me in, because right now I’m clueless,” Autumn said.

“The boy, Aut, the little boy that got killed was Braxdon’s son.”

“Dear God,” Autumn whispered.

“And the guy that stole my car; he’s Ginger’s brother. The one from that mall incident,” Summer revealed.

“Double dear God. Holy shit, baby sis. Oh my goodness! Oh my fucking goodness!”

Neither of them knew what to say. It all just seemed too surreal. Again, Summer felt like she was the equator of Planet Tragedy and couldn’t find her balance. She was tilting on her axis and felt like this was the end to her world as she knew it.

“I’m ready to come back home, Autumn. This move has been the worst move of my life and I don’t want to be here any longer than I have to. AJ’s parents will just need to travel to Dallas to see Akia or vice versa,” Summer cried. “I knew it! I knew that all these deaths were because of me! I’m cursed, sis. I’m cursed. Can’t you see? God is punishing me for killing Winter and Spring!”

“Summer …” Autumn said slowly. “What are you talking about? You didn’t kill the twins.”

“Yes, I did, sis. I killed them. Momma called me down for breakfast and I threw the blanket in their crib without looking. They suffocated and died because of me!” Summer yelled. “I should have killed myself, like I planned, sis. I should have done it and everyone may still be alive.”

Autumn called out to Summer, but she wasn’t getting a response. “Summer!” she yelled as loudly as she could. She heard Summer sniffling. “Summy, listen to me. This is not your fault. Freak shit like this happens all the time. It’s unexplainable, but you’re not to blame. Do you hear me?” Autumn yelled. Summer didn’t reply. “Summer, do you hear me?”

“Mm hm,” she managed to say.

“Now listen to me. Pack your things and come home! This isn’t optional. When you go to work, give your boss a notice that you plan to leave. Abaki and I will pay for the movers. All you have to do is get the stuff you don’t want them to move and put it in your car.”

Summer respected her sister and admired her brother-in-law and the fact that the two of them felt exactly like she did. She knew she had no other choice but to make things happen. In five minutes, she decided that she was going to uproot her life, again, and hoped that this would be a better move than the last. If all she had to worry about back in Dallas was crazy ex-girlfriends, like the one Abaki dated, who had caused Autumn hell, then she would take that over the wickedness she was experiencing in Atlanta. Summer ended her call with her sister and went back into the living room to join AJ’s parents and Akia.

They didn’t know she had been dealing with Braxdon but she did say that she knew the family of the little boy who had died
and
the guy who had stolen her car and hit him. She explained that he was the brother of the abused teenager she had told Mrs. Heyward about before. They sympathized with Summer and offered their condolences and prayers.

Summer told them that she typically checked up on Braxdon’s grandmother on Thursdays and she was going to stop over there again to offer her condolences. Both said that was fine and told her to take her time. She took a nice, long shower and let her tears go down the drain with the water. She cried for Braxdon, Siyahna, Brenda, and Sirad. She cried for Herman, Ginger, AJ, Akia, Jessica, Moet, Larita, and she cried for herself. She learned a long time ago to never question God and right now that was proving to be the hardest thing she ever had to do.

She changed into a sweat suit and a pair of sneakers and threw her leather jacket on top, kissing everyone on her way out. There were so many cars in front of Ms. Honey’s house that she second-guessed herself about going inside. This was such a personal matter; she felt a bit intrusive. On the other hand, she felt that if she didn’t stop by, it would be disrespectful to the family, Ms. Honey, and Braxdon. She owed him a personal condolence, which was why she had stopped at the drug store and got a sympathy card to give him.

There were so many people outside, in the hallway, and in the house that she didn’t know which way to go. She spotted Ms. Honey sitting in her usual spot and excused herself so she could speak to her.

“Hi, Ms. Honey. I’m so sorry about what happened to Sirad.”

“Oh, thank you, baby. That’s a shame. I still can’t believe it myself,” Ms. Honey stated in a melancholy tone.

“Is Braxdon here?” Summer asked.

“Yeah, he’s back there in his room. Been there all day. No one can get him to come out,” she said.

Summer hugged Ms. Honey again and told her that she was going to talk to Braxdon. She stepped past a few people in the hallway and headed toward Braxdon’s room. She knocked on the door several times but didn’t get an answer. She tried wiggling the knob, but it was locked. When he didn’t respond when she called out to him, she slid the card under his door and walked away. Siyahna was exiting the bathroom with Brenda on her hip and the two of them made eye contact.

“What are you doing here? What the fuck are you doing here?” Siyahna screamed.

“Chill, Yahna,” someone called out.

“No, I’m not chilling. Who she think she is, showing up here? She ain’t got no business here!” Siyahna yelled.

Summer was embarrassed, upset, hurt, and taken aback by her outburst. Siyahna had seen her and Braxdon together, so it should’ve come as no surprise that she would stop by and offer her condolences. Since when had she become the bad guy? Summer didn’t make a fuss; instead, she gracefully left the house and headed to her car. When she got a few feet away from the house, she heard her name. She turned around and Braxdon was walking toward her with a hoodie on.

“What’s up?” he asked her.

“I just stopped by to give my condolences. I left you a card,” Summer said with her head half hung. She glanced up at him.

“I got it. Thank you,” he said.

“Braxdon, I’m not sure if you saw the news or heard but I think you should—”

“I already know,” Braxdon said as he inhaled deeply. “When they described the car, I knew it was yours. My cousin’s boyfriend was there too and described the car in detail, down to the plate number.”

“I am so sorry. Maybe if I had turned the car off and removed the keys, this wouldn’t have happened. I’m like the Grim Reaper or something.” Summer bawled.

“Nah, Miss Lady. I wouldn’t go that far.” Braxdon placed his arms around her and cried with her. “Bad things happen, and that’s the way life is. Don’t carry this burden,” he told her. “We’ll get through this. All of us. Somewhere behind the gray clouds is a rainbow with our names on it. I’m just going to wait for the storm to pass and welcome the sunshine when it does arrive. I suggest you do the same, Miss Lady. Right now, I just need some time to myself.” Braxdon kissed her on the forehead and walked away.

Summer turned around and headed to her car. She knew what it was like to need space. She’d felt the same way when AJ had passed away. In fact, it had been too much space for her own good. Summer wondered if she was acting irrationally by deciding to up and leave Atlanta. She went back and forth with whether her decision to go back home was a hasty one. Sure, things happened that seemed surreal at times but she felt alone when it came to dealing with those things. She reasoned that there was no need to contemplate it any further. It was a done deal. She was going to her boss tomorrow and putting in her resignation letter. Before the year was out, she would once again be a permanent resident of Dallas, Texas.

When Summer got back to her place, Mrs. Heyward had prepared dinner. Akia walked right up to her and Summer picked her up and gave her a big hug. AJ’s parents couldn’t help but admire the bond that the two of them were creating. Akia seemed to take to Summer very well and everyone was pleased to see that.

The attorney that Vincent had connected her with had called her yesterday to let her know that paperwork had been sent to Jessica for her to appear in court for a custody hearing. The attorney told Summer that the letter Jessica had left would have been enough for some judges but their assigned judge wanted to be absolutely certain that Jessica was waiving her parental rights before granting Summer full custody. Although Summer was nervous about being a mom, she knew that she would feel a way if for some reason Jessica wanted Akia back. She prayed that things worked in their favor because right now she needed all the blessings she could get.

Before she left, her goal was to tie up loose ends with everyone she had grown attached to over the past five months and within the past year. It was going to be more than difficult. But staying in a city where she no longer felt comfortable was proving to be a much harder task.