how hurt she was over losing her baby boy. He couldn’t even look her in her face when she broke down crying and screaming in the middle of her living room floor; he hated to see his moms that way.
“Mama! Mama! It’s me, open the door!” he yelled while banging on his mother’s front door.
It was late in the evening and he had made Moe drive him there after they left the hospital the day Nino was killed. Nino’s dry blood was still all over his t-shirt and hands. He ripped his shirt off at the door and tossed it in the bushes beside her front door. He didn’t want his mother to see all the blood on his shirt.
“Ma, please open the door.” Meek continued to bang. He knew his mother like the back of his hand, and knew that she had gotten off from her evening job and went straight to bed like she always does.
“Boy, I’m coming. Why you doing all that banging and yelling like somebody is….” His mother swung the door open and paused when she laid eyes on her oldest son. The first thing she noticed was the stream of tears running from his red eyes, then the blood on his hands and forearms. “Son, what’s, what’s going on?” She stuttered on her words as she feared the worst. She clutched at her chest, awaiting a response.
Meek stepped into his mother’s house and wrapped his arms around her tightly. “They got him, Ma. Raninous is gone. They shot him down,” he informed her while trying to keep her calm, but that didn’t work.
She broke free from his hug and stared him strangely in the eyes. “Boy, what did you just say? Where’s my baby, Dameeko?” Her eyes were gloomy and she was still clutching at her chest. “Don’t you sit here and tell me my son is gone.” Her face began to twist up, then she started to scream at the top of her lungs. “Not my baby, not Nino,” she cried. “Son, tell me what happened to my baby.”
“Ma, I don’t know what happened. I’m still trying to figure out why,” Meek replied to his mother.
When she dropped to her knees and started to call on the Lord as she shouted, Meek turned away. He hated to see her hurting. As the sounds of her cries echoed in his ears, he dropped tear after tear, looking at the ton of framed family photos his mom had of them from the time they were babies to young men.
“Ma, I’ma find out what’s going on.” He kneeled down and placed a kiss on his mother’s forehead. “I love you, my lady,” was the last thing he said before leaving her broken on the living room floor.
“Hey, I’ma go ahead and drop y’all off at the hospital. I need to go holla at my Moms and handle a few things. Is that cool, baby?” he asked his wife.
“Sure, we need to spend some time with Ro today anyway,” she said.
Meek pulled up in front of the University of Miami hospital and hit the unlock button. He waited until Moe and Carmen were inside before he pulled away. As much as he wanted to go up and visit Roshel, he didn’t because he couldn’t even pull into the parking lot without thinking of his brother. He knew going inside would only make things worse.
He left the parking lot and hopped on the expressway. His mother lived about thirty minutes away. As he drove, he bobbed his head to the music playing on the local Miami radio station. He kept his eyes on the cars traveling around him in case one of them was the police. They were known to drive normal cars to blend in, but Meek knew what was up. He peeped everything. When he pulled into his mother’s yard, he turned the volume down on his radio and turned the truck off. He sat there for just a second, trying to prepare himself mentally in case his mother was still in a funk. When he felt ready, he got out of his truck and entered his mother’s home.
“Mama!” he yelled upon entering.
The smell of lemon scented candles burning and the soft sounds of gospel music wafted from her bedroom to greet him. He turned the corner leading to his mom’s room and there she was. At age 53,
“Mama! Mama! It’s me, open the door!” he yelled while banging on his mother’s front door.
It was late in the evening and he had made Moe drive him there after they left the hospital the day Nino was killed. Nino’s dry blood was still all over his t-shirt and hands. He ripped his shirt off at the door and tossed it in the bushes beside her front door. He didn’t want his mother to see all the blood on his shirt.
“Ma, please open the door.” Meek continued to bang. He knew his mother like the back of his hand, and knew that she had gotten off from her evening job and went straight to bed like she always does.
“Boy, I’m coming. Why you doing all that banging and yelling like somebody is….” His mother swung the door open and paused when she laid eyes on her oldest son. The first thing she noticed was the stream of tears running from his red eyes, then the blood on his hands and forearms. “Son, what’s, what’s going on?” She stuttered on her words as she feared the worst. She clutched at her chest, awaiting a response.
Meek stepped into his mother’s house and wrapped his arms around her tightly. “They got him, Ma. Raninous is gone. They shot him down,” he informed her while trying to keep her calm, but that didn’t work.
She broke free from his hug and stared him strangely in the eyes. “Boy, what did you just say? Where’s my baby, Dameeko?” Her eyes were gloomy and she was still clutching at her chest. “Don’t you sit here and tell me my son is gone.” Her face began to twist up, then she started to scream at the top of her lungs. “Not my baby, not Nino,” she cried. “Son, tell me what happened to my baby.”
“Ma, I don’t know what happened. I’m still trying to figure out why,” Meek replied to his mother.
When she dropped to her knees and started to call on the Lord as she shouted, Meek turned away. He hated to see her hurting. As the sounds of her cries echoed in his ears, he dropped tear after tear, looking at the ton of framed family photos his mom had of them from the time they were babies to young men.
“Ma, I’ma find out what’s going on.” He kneeled down and placed a kiss on his mother’s forehead. “I love you, my lady,” was the last thing he said before leaving her broken on the living room floor.
“Hey, I’ma go ahead and drop y’all off at the hospital. I need to go holla at my Moms and handle a few things. Is that cool, baby?” he asked his wife.
“Sure, we need to spend some time with Ro today anyway,” she said.
Meek pulled up in front of the University of Miami hospital and hit the unlock button. He waited until Moe and Carmen were inside before he pulled away. As much as he wanted to go up and visit Roshel, he didn’t because he couldn’t even pull into the parking lot without thinking of his brother. He knew going inside would only make things worse.
He left the parking lot and hopped on the expressway. His mother lived about thirty minutes away. As he drove, he bobbed his head to the music playing on the local Miami radio station. He kept his eyes on the cars traveling around him in case one of them was the police. They were known to drive normal cars to blend in, but Meek knew what was up. He peeped everything. When he pulled into his mother’s yard, he turned the volume down on his radio and turned the truck off. He sat there for just a second, trying to prepare himself mentally in case his mother was still in a funk. When he felt ready, he got out of his truck and entered his mother’s home.
“Mama!” he yelled upon entering.
The smell of lemon scented candles burning and the soft sounds of gospel music wafted from her bedroom to greet him. He turned the corner leading to his mom’s room and there she was. At age 53,
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