drink. “Nah,” he said nonchalantly.
Gigi threw down the fork she was using to turn the meat and stared at him. “How can you be so selfish?” she asked. “Grandma went out and spent hundreds—maybe thousands—of dollars on you for Christmas, and you haven’t thought of one measly thing you can get her?”
“Yo, what’s your problem?” Andrew asked, looking at her like she was crazy.
Gigi sighed and took a seat at the table. “I’m sorry,” she finally said softly.
Andrew took a seat across from her. “What’s going on?” he asked.
Although they were cousins, Grandma had raised them both, so in a lot of ways they were closer than most brothers and sisters.
“Grandma told me the only thing she really wants for Christmas is new kidneys,” she said, finding herself near tears again.
“So we’ll make the money back,” Andrew said. It was the closest he had ever come to admitting that Grandma was sick.
“How?” Gigi asked. “How the hell we gonna make twenty-five thousand dollars in, like, three weeks?”
“I don’t care. I’ll make the money,” Andrew said, getting up from the table. He pulled up his jeans, which were sagging around his butt, tucked the gun on his waist, and headed toward the front door.
Gigi ran over to stop him. “What you gonna do?” she asked.
“I’ma get some paper,” he said, trying to step around her. “How?” she asked.
Andrew looked her in the eye. “Trust me, you don’t wanna know,” he said.
“You promised Grandma you were gonna stop robbing people, Andrew,” she said sharply.
“Yeah, whatever,” he said as the front door opened. Grandma walked in, looking tired, and Gigi hurried over to help her.
“How was dialysis, Grandma?” she asked, kissing her on the cheek before helping her out of her coat.
“It was fine, baby,” her grandma said, giving her a tight smile. Gigi helped her over to the sofa then went to get her a glass of water. When she came back, Andrew was gone, and she made a mental note to talk to him about his thieving ways. There had to be another way to help Grandma.
Gigi got dressed for her date with Mel, although she really wasn’t in the mood to go out.
Chapter Three
B y the time Gigi returned home the next morning from spending the night at Mel’s place, Grandma was still asleep, and it looked as though Andrew hadn’t been home.
After checking on Grandma, Gigi thought about going to bed, but she realized she wasn’t sleepy, so she studied instead. It was around nine o’clock in the morning when she finally heard Andrew come in. “Where have you been?” she asked before the front door could even close.
“Where you think?” he said, barely able to catch his breath. His round face was red and sweaty.
“What happened?” she asked.
“These dudes were chasing me,” he said.
“Why?” she asked, peeping out the window. “Get away from there,” Andrew yelled as he snatched her back. “Someone might see you.”
After they settled on the sofa, Gigi turned to him. “You know Grandma doesn’t like you stealing,” she said.
“Grandma’s the reason I’m doing what I do,” he said, removing a balled-up handkerchief from his baggy jeans. He opened it on the cushion, revealing three crack bundles.
“Where’d you get that?”
“I stole it from some bitch-ass nigga’s stash two blocks over.” Gigi didn’t know what to say. While she didn’t agree with what Andrew was doing, she understood why he was doing it. His heart was in the right place. She was willing to do anything for Grandma, too.
As though reading her thoughts, Andrew turned to her. “This would be a lot easier if you helped me,” he said.
“Help you?” she repeated. “What … rob cats?”
“Nah, I ain’t talking ’bout that,” he said. “If we both hit the block and bump off them bundles, we’d make the money for Grandma’s kidney transplant twice as fast.”
Gigi realized Andrew made sense, but she didn’t like the
Gigi threw down the fork she was using to turn the meat and stared at him. “How can you be so selfish?” she asked. “Grandma went out and spent hundreds—maybe thousands—of dollars on you for Christmas, and you haven’t thought of one measly thing you can get her?”
“Yo, what’s your problem?” Andrew asked, looking at her like she was crazy.
Gigi sighed and took a seat at the table. “I’m sorry,” she finally said softly.
Andrew took a seat across from her. “What’s going on?” he asked.
Although they were cousins, Grandma had raised them both, so in a lot of ways they were closer than most brothers and sisters.
“Grandma told me the only thing she really wants for Christmas is new kidneys,” she said, finding herself near tears again.
“So we’ll make the money back,” Andrew said. It was the closest he had ever come to admitting that Grandma was sick.
“How?” Gigi asked. “How the hell we gonna make twenty-five thousand dollars in, like, three weeks?”
“I don’t care. I’ll make the money,” Andrew said, getting up from the table. He pulled up his jeans, which were sagging around his butt, tucked the gun on his waist, and headed toward the front door.
Gigi ran over to stop him. “What you gonna do?” she asked.
“I’ma get some paper,” he said, trying to step around her. “How?” she asked.
Andrew looked her in the eye. “Trust me, you don’t wanna know,” he said.
“You promised Grandma you were gonna stop robbing people, Andrew,” she said sharply.
“Yeah, whatever,” he said as the front door opened. Grandma walked in, looking tired, and Gigi hurried over to help her.
“How was dialysis, Grandma?” she asked, kissing her on the cheek before helping her out of her coat.
“It was fine, baby,” her grandma said, giving her a tight smile. Gigi helped her over to the sofa then went to get her a glass of water. When she came back, Andrew was gone, and she made a mental note to talk to him about his thieving ways. There had to be another way to help Grandma.
Gigi got dressed for her date with Mel, although she really wasn’t in the mood to go out.
Chapter Three
B y the time Gigi returned home the next morning from spending the night at Mel’s place, Grandma was still asleep, and it looked as though Andrew hadn’t been home.
After checking on Grandma, Gigi thought about going to bed, but she realized she wasn’t sleepy, so she studied instead. It was around nine o’clock in the morning when she finally heard Andrew come in. “Where have you been?” she asked before the front door could even close.
“Where you think?” he said, barely able to catch his breath. His round face was red and sweaty.
“What happened?” she asked.
“These dudes were chasing me,” he said.
“Why?” she asked, peeping out the window. “Get away from there,” Andrew yelled as he snatched her back. “Someone might see you.”
After they settled on the sofa, Gigi turned to him. “You know Grandma doesn’t like you stealing,” she said.
“Grandma’s the reason I’m doing what I do,” he said, removing a balled-up handkerchief from his baggy jeans. He opened it on the cushion, revealing three crack bundles.
“Where’d you get that?”
“I stole it from some bitch-ass nigga’s stash two blocks over.” Gigi didn’t know what to say. While she didn’t agree with what Andrew was doing, she understood why he was doing it. His heart was in the right place. She was willing to do anything for Grandma, too.
As though reading her thoughts, Andrew turned to her. “This would be a lot easier if you helped me,” he said.
“Help you?” she repeated. “What … rob cats?”
“Nah, I ain’t talking ’bout that,” he said. “If we both hit the block and bump off them bundles, we’d make the money for Grandma’s kidney transplant twice as fast.”
Gigi realized Andrew made sense, but she didn’t like the
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