Two Tears in a Bucket (18 page)

Without a second thought, Simone shoveled the money and the baggies in her jacket pocket. It wasn’t the first time she’d held the drugs for Big Bob.

“
I’ll come back and get ’em from you later,” he said as he jogged off.

“
Hey,” she yelled out to him. “Is your mother home? I need her to babysit for me next week.”

“
Yeah,” he hollered back. “She in the house.”

Just as he’d promised, Big Bob paid Simone and Lavon their money in bits and pieces…two hundred here, four hundred the next time. It didn’t matter to the girls, especially when all he’d requested was a simple date to the movies.

One by one, the police cars flooded the parking lot. Instantly, Simone felt a little awkward. No, the police had never checked her, but there was a first time for everything.

Should we be going to Ms. Alice’s house right now?
Then it dawned on her. Her burgundy short skirt and suit jacket were nice and professional, and she figured with Jordan on her hip, she didn’t look like a drug dealer or a drug dealer’s girlfriend.

“
Naw, they not gonna mess with your momma, are they?” she cooed to Jordan as they continued down the walkway leading to Ms. Alice’s.

“
Hey!” a forceful voice yelled. “Hey, you!”

Simone glanced over her shoulder, wondering who the hell he was referring to.

“
Yeah, you,” he said, pointing at her.

Oh my God.
Her heart started pounding as the officer marched in her direction.

“
Hey, hold up, Officer Bristol.” A professionally suited black man trotted down the walkway. “She’s straight.”

“
She’s straight?” Bristol frowned. “Y’all already checked her?”

“
Yeah, I checked her,” he said with authority, as if daring the officer to challenge him. “And she’s straight like I said. Go catch one of the drug boys.”

Officer Bristol stared at the federal officer as if he wanted to challenge his decision. Simone stood there, silently wishing Bristol would tuck his tail between his legs and do as he was told.

“
Yeah, whatever, Perkins,” he said, shaking his head.

A slight smirk eased across the federal officer’s face.

Simone changed her mind about going to see Ms. Alice. Fighting her rattling insides, she casually headed toward her own building.

“
You know you owe me, right?” the federal officer said, trotting behind Simone.

“
For what?” Simone asked nonchalantly.

“
Come on, now.” He laughed as he quickened his pace to catch up to Simone. “I bet you got something on you right now. The drug boys always get the pretty ones to hold their stash, thinking we ain’t hip to that, but we are. That’s why the county officer wanted to check you.”

Simone didn’t know what to say.

“
Is that your baby?” he asked, letting her off the hook.

“
Yeah.”

“
She’s pretty, just like her mother. I bet her father’s out here hiding from us.”

“
No,” Simone said, “he’s not.”
Y’all already locked him up,
she thought to herself
.

“
Good. Don’t let these fake ass roughnecks get you in trouble. What’s your name?” he asked.

“
Simone.”

“
Well, Simone…” He stopped, causing Simone to stop, too. “If any of these lil’ officers ever harass you again, give them my card and have them call me.” He passed Simone his linen-textured business card. “I’m Agent Perkins, but you can call me Andre.”

“
Thanks,” Simone said. She accepted his card and headed home where it was safe.

The savory aroma of meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and mixed vegetables, also known as Thomas’s Tuesday night special, greeted Simone as she and Jordan walked through the door. Thomas was in the kitchen wiping down the stove and whistling along with the O’Jays.

“
There go my little boo-boo,” he said. Jordan’s face lit up. She kicked her legs and grinned with excitement at the sight of her grandfather. “Dinner’s done,” he said as he tossed the sponge in the sink and reached for his granddaughter.

“
Did you tell your momma she won’t be there tomorrow and next week?”

“
Yeah, I thought she was going to have a fit. I still have to talk to Ms. Alice, though. I’ll probably just call in sick tomorrow and talk to her then.”

“
Go talk to her now. You don’t need to be missing no unnecessary days from work,” Thomas said.

However, going back outside was too risky and the farthest thing from Simone’s mind.

“
I’ll go later on,” she said as the phone rang.

Thomas glanced at the caller ID box. “That’s your crazy momma.”

“
Hello?” Simone greeted into the cordless phone.

“
I got a solution,” Angela said excitedly.

“
A solution to what?” Simone asked, heading back to her room. She tossed her suit jacket across her bed.

“
Jordan can stay with me until the van is fixed.”

“
Ma, it might be two weeks before the van is fixed. I’m just gonna ask Ms. Alice.”

“
Simone, Jordan’s not used to her.”

“
Sorry, but Jordan doesn’t have any options. Besides, it’s not like she won’t get use to her.”

“
Well, why can’t she just stay over here with me?”

“
Because it might take two weeks. The guy’s fixing the van on the side, not at a shop.”

“
And again, why can’t she stay here? She’s only spent the night with me twice, but she’s at Ms. Kennard’s every weekend. I’m her grandmother, too.”

Simone mulled it over. “Actually, I never thought about it because I never knew it was an option. Since when you start wanting to keep her overnight, anyway?”

“
I rather keep her than have her go over some stranger’s house.”

“
She’s not a stranger,” Simone chanted, slightly irritated.

“
Listen, Simone,” Angela said. “Ricardo’s vacation starts next week. We’re thinking about driving down to North Carolina for a few days. Jordan can go with us. She can have her first vacation with her grandma. And just think,” she added. “It’ll give you time to sleep, since she’s still waking up all hours of the night. I’ll probably have her trained by the time she comes home.”

“
Come get her!” Simone said. She didn’t need any more convincing.

“
No, I’m serious.”

“
I know. I’m serious, too. She can stay. Hopefully, it won’t take two weeks for him to fix the van, though.”

“
Yeah, well, just in case it does, she’ll be here. Ricardo’s getting ready to go to his mother’s house. I can get him and Alicia to swing past and pick her up. So, get her ready. Oh, and send her swing, too.”

Thomas walked in the room, cradling Jordan in his arms. “She fell asleep,” he said, laying her across the bed. “What you doing?”

“
My mother’s gonna keep her while the van’s getting fixed. They coming to pick her up.”

“
Umm, I don’t know if I like that idea.”

Simone noticed the unsettled look on her father’s face. “What’s wrong with her keeping her for a week or so?”

“
Simone, you think I’m playing when I say your momma’s crazy.” Simone chuckled. “You laughing, but I’m serious. Remember, I was married to the woman.”

“
So what you saying? You don’t think I should let her go?”

“
A few days is a’ight, but not for no two weeks.”

Simone chuckled. “Well, hopefully, it won’t take that long for the van to get fixed.”

An hour or so later, Alicia tapped on the door. Simone carried Jordan’s swing out to the living room and opened the door.

“
Here,” she said to Alicia. “Carry this out to the truck. Then you can come back and get Jordan. I don’t want to see your father.”

Alicia chuckled and toted Jordan’s swing to Ricardo’s pickup. Minutes later, she returned and followed Simone back to her room.

“
You can grab her bag while I put on her jacket,” Simone instructed.

Alicia grabbed the bag from the bed, knocking Simone’s suit jacket to the floor. Two crack-filled baggies fell from the pocket.

“
Aw, Simone!”

“
Aw, Simone what?”

“
I know what that is!” Alicia said. Wide-eyed, she pointed at the baggies on the floor. “This boy in my class brought some to school and got suspended.”

Simone saw the baggies lying on the floor. Brushing Alicia off with a simple wave of her hand, she kicked the baggies under her bed, just in case Thomas walked by.

“
I love you, baby,” she said, kissing Jordan on the cheek. “See you in a few days.”

● ● ●

A gentle breeze flowed through the sheer panels draped at Simone’s bedroom window. Lying across the bed, she starred into space as she absentmindedly toyed with one of Jordan’s rattles. Thomas stood at the bedroom door. The entire weekend had slipped by, and she hadn’t even left the house.

“
Call your momma and tell her you coming to get your baby.” Thomas startled Simone, waking her from her daydream.

“
They not home. I think they still in North Carolina.”

“
Jordan’s been gone almost two weeks. Didn’t you tell her the van was fixed?”

“
I’ve been calling over there. I guess they’re not back yet.”

“
Well call ’em again,” Thomas suggested.

Simone grabbed the phone from her nightstand and hit redial. To her surprise, someone answered.

“
Hello,” Alicia greeted.

Simone’s face lit up. “Hey,” she sang into the phone as she sprang up from the bed. “How come nobody called and told me y’all were back?”

“
Huh?”

“
Did you have fun? How was North Carolina?” Simone could hear Jordan cooing in the background. The mere sound nourished her spirit.

“
North Carolina?” Alicia questioned.

“
Who is that?” Angela yelled in the background.

“
It’s Simone,” Alicia responded.

“
What did I tell you about answering the phone?” Angela screamed.

“
Dang, Alicia, who pissed her off?” Simone laughed to herself. “Just let her know that I’m on my way to get Jordan.”

“
You’re coming to get her?” Alicia seemed surprised.

“
Yeah. Y’all back, so I’ll be leaving here in a few minutes.”

“
Mommy, Simone said she’s on her way to pick up Jordan,” Alicia repeated, sounding almost in a panic.

“
What do you want, Simone?” Angela asked coldly, taking the phone from Alicia.

“
Dang, hello to you, too. I’m on my way to pick her up.”

“
Oh yeah?” Angela barked.

“
Oh yeah?” Simone repeated. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“
Simone, you can come if you want, but Jordan’s not going with you. You left her here for damn near two weeks, and now you want to come get her? Please!”

The phone went dead. The annoying tone echoed in Simone’s ear as she sat there dumbfounded.

“
What the fuck?” she mumbled.

Thomas poked his head back inside her room. “I heard you talking to somebody. They back?”

“
Yeah, but she just told me I wasn’t getting Jordan back and hung up.”

“
What the hell she mean you ain’t getting her back? Call her ass again.”

Simone hit redial. This time the bass from Ricardo’s voice bellowed through the receiver. Any other time, Simone would’ve hung up the minute he said hello. But this time, she refused to be intimidated.

“
I’m on my way to pick up my daughter.”

Before Ricardo could utter a response, she slammed down the phone.

“
See what the hell I mean. I told you your got damn mommy crazy. Her and that got damn Ricardo over there playing house with your baby. They ain’t bit more took their ass to North Carolina than we did.” Thomas stormed down the hallway to his room, yelling, “Call the police and tell them your mother’s trying to keep your baby!”

Dazed, Simone followed her father’s instructions.

“
Operator. What’s your emergency?”

“
Yes. My mother has my baby and she’s refusing to give her back.”

“
Does she have custody?”

“
No.”

“
Why is she refusing to give her back?”

“
I don’t know.” Simone was baffled.

“
Do you have documents supporting that you’re the child’s mother, like the birth certificate, her insurance card, or anything of that nature?”

“
Yes, I have all of those things.”

“
Okay. Take those items with you, and we’ll arrange for an officer to meet you there in about thirty minutes.”

Simone gathered everything she could find—Jordan’s birth certificate, her insurance card, and the tiny bracelet she had worn around her wrist in the hospital.

“
They gon’ meet us?” Thomas asked, standing in the doorway with his jacket on and his keys in hand.

“
No, Daddy. They are going to meet
me
.”