Authors: Treasure Hernandez
Resurrection (9 page)
Halleigh had heard Malek express his dislike for the rehab center, which he thought was helping to dry up his business. And she knew that wanting to take Scratch to the rehab center was sort of like sleeping with the enemy. But the way she looked at it, Malek would be good with or without the rehab center; Scratch, on the other hand, would be dead very soon if he didn't get his habit in check.
“Come on, Li'l Rina, I don't need help!” Scratch said, feeling slightly betrayed.
Halleigh put her car in park and placed her hand over Scratch's. “Look, Scratch, it might seem crazy, but you are the only family I got. I know we're not blood, but we family. You the only one who acted like they gave a damn about me when I was out in those streets. I don't want to see you like this anymore,” Halleigh said, tears forming in her eyes.
Odd as it may seem, Scratch was like a father figure to her. He was the father that she'd never had.
Even though they'd smoked drugs together, Scratch always felt guilty and wanted to reject the high, but the monkey on his back was too heavy. He looked in Halleigh's eyes and could not help but surrender. Her big brown eyes got him every time. He noticed how much she resembled her mother, and his heart melted. He used to have a thing for Halleigh's mother before she got turned out on the drugs.
“Well, I guess, Li'l Rina,” Scratch mumbled as he dropped his head. He didn't want to admit it, but he didn't like who he had become. Scratch was one of the biggest drug dealers in his day, but fell victim to his own product. Halleigh didn't know it, but she was Scratch's only family also. No one gave a damn about him, and for Halleigh to tell him that he was family meant the world to him.
“Yes!” Halleigh yelled as she hugged Scratch, disregarding the foul odor that reeked off of him. She felt obligated to help Scratch beat his addiction, like Tasha had helped her beat hers.
One of the most painful things she'd had to do was walk away from Tasha at Malek's request. Tasha had single-handedly gotten Halleigh off drugs, so she was grateful. She had no way of showing her gratitude to Tasha, so by helping Scratch get off drugs, it helped put her mind at ease. She looked at it as passing on the gift of unwavering concern that Tasha had shown her.
“But I ain't getting up in front of no folks talking about I'm a crackhead and all. I be seeing that on TV. Them folks make you get up and say what you did for a hit. I even saw a man say âI sucked dick for crack.' He had to be outta his cotton-picking mind. Scratch might be a junkie, but I never pulled any gay shit to support my habit. Scratch love the ladies too much fo' that. Hey, I might be ugly, but in my day I woulda gave them a run fo' they money,” Scratch boasted, poking his chest out and patting his Afro.
Halleigh smiled and admired how Scratch could look like he did, but somehow could charm a lady with a couple of sentences. She exited the car and walked hand and hand with Scratch into the building.
Scratch squirmed and tussled in his dorm's bed, as his body tried to separate him from its addiction. Suffering from the worst of both worlds, Scratch was addicted to heroin and crack cocaine. Drenched in his own sweat, he clenched his aching stomach. The lack of heroin in his system caused his body to undergo complete agony.
The counselors offered Scratch methadone to help him wean himself off the drug, but he refused. He wanted to beat his addition cold turkey. He wasn't trying to shake his heroin addiction just to become addicted to methadone. No. He was going to shake it on his own.
Scratch stood up out of the bed and began to pace the room in attempt to ease the pain in his stomach muscles. Even his footsteps against the concrete floor sent pain through his body. The drug was calling for him.
“Come on, Scratch!” he said to himself as he frantically paced the small room. It took all of his might not to storm out of the rehab and hit the streets in search of a fix. The thought of Halleigh appeared in his head, and it crushed all desire to relapse. For years no one had shown that they cared for Scratch, but when Halleigh showed concern, he totally appreciated it.
“Scratch finally got someone in his corner!” he said, talking in third person as he always did. He balled up on the ground and clenched his aching stomach and cried himself to sleep. Scratch was taking this battle head on.
Scratch stood up in front of the group of fellow drug users. “Hello, “ he said. “My name is Marcus âScratch' Pipes, and I'm a mu'fuckin' crackhead.”
The room burst into laughter at Scratch's brutal honesty. Halleigh smiled as she saw Scratch trying to better himself. She sat toward the back and just watched as he testified in front of the small group.
Scratch continued, “I'm forty-two years old, and I've been smoking, shooting dope, stealing, and robbing for the past ten years.”
Halleigh wasn't supposed to be in the meeting, but the rehab center agreed to let her sit in just that one time, since it was the only way Scratch would have gone through with the process. The rehab center had to also first make sure that it was okay with the other addicts.
The mediator, Moses, said as she sat in the middle of the group, “The first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem. Marcus has done that. Please give him a hand.”
“Uh, no disrespect, baby, but could you please call me Scratch? Crackheads do have dignity, ya know. I don't want everybody to know my government name, baby,” Scratch said smoothly before sitting back down and crossing his legs. Even though Scratch dressed in shabby clothes and smelled like ass, he had a certain swagger about himself. You could tell that he was somebody in his heyday. He looked back at Halleigh, who smiled at him, and he winked his eye at her.
Halleigh smiled back and took a glance at her watch. “Oh shit!” she whispered as she realized that she was late for her lunch with Malek. She quickly gathered her purse and slipped out the door. She put on her oversized shades and discreetly slipped into the brand-new BMW Malek had purchased for her.
She knew she was playing with fire, being on one of Malek's blocks. She wanted to tell him about helping Scratch, but she had promised him that she would stay out of the hood for all reasons and leave her former life behind. She didn't want to disappoint him, so she kept it a secret. After she made sure Scratch was good, she would never step foot in her old neighborhood again.
Halleigh maneuvered her luxury car through the city streets, trying to rush to the Italian restaurant to meet Malek.
Attorney Hill walked into the Genesis Rehabilitation Center with an Armani two-piece suit on, carrying a briefcase. He stuck out like a sore thumb amongst all the addicts and counselors. Malek had sent him to give the president of the rehabilitation center an offer she couldn't refuse. Hill approached the front counter and set his briefcase on the desk.
“Hello, I would like to speak with the owner of this facility,” he said with a smile.
“Just a minute. I'll get her for you.” The receptionist picked up the phone and notified Moses that she had a guest.
Moments later Moses came out of the back, her dreads neatly pulled away from her face. She greeted Mr. Hill with a smile and an extended hand.
Like a gentleman, Hill stood when she entered the room and shook her hand.
“Hello, I'm Martha. Everyone around here calls me Moses, though. How may I help you?”
“Jacob Hill. Nice to meet you. I'm here on behalf of my client. I would like to discuss a few things with you.”
“No problem. Follow me into my office,” Moses replied and waved for Hill to trail her.
Once they entered the office, Moses sat behind her desk and offered Hill a seat.
“That won't be necessary, ma'am.” Hill set his briefcase on the desk and popped it open. “I've researched the worth of this property. Since this is a non-profit organization, the revenue isn't that great. So, I say you gross about thirty thousand a year from the federal grants, correct?” Hill asked.
“Yeah, that's about right. What are you getting to?” she asked as a confused look formed on her face.
Hill turned the open briefcase toward Moses, revealing the stacks of Benjamin Franklins. Hill fixed his tie and smiled slyly. “My client wants to offer you one hundred thousand dollars. You see, he wants this establishment to close down immediately.”
Moses closed the briefcase and gently pushed it toward Hill. She couldn't believe her eyes. She looked up at Hill in puzzlement. “I know what you getting to, Mr. Hill. This won't be necessary. Genesis wasn't established to be a profitable organization. We're here to clean up our community and help with the increasing drug use that's killing our residents.”
“I thought you might say that. My client would like to offer you two hundred thousand dollars, double the amount.”
“What are you trying to do, Mr. Hill? We are not going anywhere. You must work for a drug dealer. I can't stand people like you. You come in here with your fancy suit and blinging cuff links, trying to push people like me out of the community so you can continue to poison it. You can tell your client that I said no thank you,” Moses said as she walked to her door and opened it. “Have a good day, Mr. Hill.”
Hill closed up the briefcase and proceeded out of the door.
“Good day,” Hill said as he exited the office.
Moses didn't know what she had just gotten herself into. Whether she liked it or not, that neighborhood belonged to Malek Johnson.
Chapter Twelve
E
ver since Sweets had made that “girlfriend” remark, Malek was concerned for Halleigh's safety and was keeping constant tabs on her. He called Halleigh's cell phone and didn't receive an answer. He hadn't heard anything from Sweets, but the threat that he had made was still fresh in his mind. Yeah, he had been paranoid since seeing Sweets, and the fact that Halleigh wasn't answering her phone only irritated him more. His money had still been coming short, and as the rehab center grew more popular, his pockets grew shorter and shorter.
ver since Sweets had made that “girlfriend” remark, Malek was concerned for Halleigh's safety and was keeping constant tabs on her. He called Halleigh's cell phone and didn't receive an answer. He hadn't heard anything from Sweets, but the threat that he had made was still fresh in his mind. Yeah, he had been paranoid since seeing Sweets, and the fact that Halleigh wasn't answering her phone only irritated him more. His money had still been coming short, and as the rehab center grew more popular, his pockets grew shorter and shorter.
Malek had plenty of money saved up, but he wasn't ready to let go of the game. He loved the power and respect that he received in the hood. He was a boss, and he was going to hold on to that status until he no longer could.
His lawyer had called and informed him that Moses had denied his proposition, so he knew that he had to approach the situation differently. He was going to go to plan B. If Moses wouldn't leave his hood willingly, he would make her.
Halleigh sent Malek to voice mail for the third time. She hated ignoring his calls, but if he knew that she was in the inner city, he would trip on her. She couldn't handle his questions right now. She just wanted to help Scratch, and she knew that Malek would never understand why.
When Halleigh walked into the clinic, Moses greeted her with open arms. “Welcome, Halleigh,” she said. “It's so good of you to come here as often as you do to check on your friend.”
“It's really not a problem. I just want to support him. I know how hard this is, and I'm proud of him for trying.”
As Moses nodded, her medium-length dreads, bounced up and down. She was the kindest woman that Halleigh had ever met, and Halleigh would've never guessed that the woman had once been strung out on drugs.
“Well, his body is still detoxifying itself. He's in a lot of pain, so be sure not to touch him.”
Halleigh nodded and then made her way back to Scratch's room. She sat with him as he shook and trembled. He looked so weak, and seeing him like that reminded Halleigh of her own experience. Tasha had taken good care of her. She was there for Halleigh and had been such a good friend, and Halleigh missed her dearly.
She sat with Scratch for an hour and promised to come back later that week.
“Take care,” she said when she left. She looked at her phone and noticed that she had two more missed calls from Malek. She knew that she would have to come up with a good excuse because he was going to want to know where she was.
When she walked into her house, Malek and Mitch were sitting in her living room. Both men looked up at her, and she could see the worried expressions on their faces.
“Where you've been?” Malek questioned. “I've been blowing your cell up all day.”
“I was at the mall.” She felt bad for lying to him, but she couldn't tell him the truth.
“When I call you, answer the phone!” Malek yelled as he pointed his index finger in her face.
“Okay, Malek, damn it! You don't have to yell at me.” It was the first time that Halleigh had seen him display that kind of aggression toward her, and tears came to her eyes.
“I'm sorry. I didn't hear you call. I probably didn't get service in the mall,” she added, hoping that he believed her story. The last thing that she wanted was for him to become suspicious of her and think that she was cheating.
“You heard what I said!” He grabbed his car keys and put on his fitted hat. “Keep your ass in the house until I get back,” he said as he walked out of the house.
Mitch rose from the couch. As he walked past Halleigh, he could see that she was on the verge of tears. He wiped away a single tear that had trickled down her face, and she tensed up from his touch.
“When that nigga fuck up, you got somewhere to go,” he whispered in her ear.
Halleigh knew what he was getting at. She could tell that he was feeling her, but this was the first time he had verbalized his interest. Every time she was around him, she felt awkward, but she couldn't see herself jeopardizing her relationship with Malek to be with him. She turned her head to the side and walked to her bedroom as Mitch let himself out of the house.
Mitch had been spending a lot of time at Malek's crib, since the two of them were constantly talking business and trying to make sure that everything was straight. And ever since the second time that he had come over to the house, he would flirt with Halleigh with every opportunity that presented itself.
Halleigh thought back to the second time that Mitch had come over to the crib with Malek and what had transpired when Malek went to the basement of the house to use the bathroom.
Mitch spoke in a low, seductive tone as he moved in close to Halleigh. “That pussy still tight?”
Halleigh's heart began to beat from fear of what Malek would do if he walked in the room and saw Mitch all up on her. “Mitch, what are you doing?” Halleigh said through gritted teeth. “Back up off me!”
“You ain't tell Malek that we fucked, did you?”
Halleigh's heart sank to her feet. “Mitch, you are really bugging right now! Do you know Malek would murder you in a heartbeat if he heard what you just said? No, I didn't tell him!”
Mitch smiled and then leaned in and kissed Halleigh on her neck and said, “Good. Then we still got our little secret.”
“Mitch! What is wrong with you?” Halleigh punched Mitch and pushed him off.
“My bad, my bad,” Mitch said, smiling a devilish smile and then backing off Halleigh just as Malek re-entered the room.
Halleigh's stomach turned sour at the thought of Malek not knowing that she had been with Mitch, and at the thought of lying to him. She felt like she had to throw up and rushed into the bathroom as the contents of her stomach came up.
Afterward, she ran herself a bath and prepared herself for bed. She was extremely tired. She looked at the clock on the nightstand beside her bed. It was only eleven o'clock, so she knew that Malek wouldn't be home anytime soon. She picked up the phone and dialed his number, but Malek's phone sent her directly to voice mail.
Halleigh left a message saying, “I love you, Malek,” and she retired for the night, but she felt a huge amount of guilt as she lay in the bed tossing and turning.
She felt like she had to come clean with Malek, so she called his cell phone right back. She was actually glad when he sent her to voice mail once again, but this time she left a longer message:
“Baby, I feel bad about something, and I just gotta come clean with it. But please promise me that you won't get upset. Okay, well, I know how you feel about the rehab center cutting into your business, and I just wanted to tell you that when you was calling my phone and you couldn't get me, that was because I was really with Scratch at the rehab, trying to get some help for him.” Halleigh winced as she said those words, as if she were bracing to get slapped by Malek.
Then she added, “And, baby, there's something else that I wanted to tell you, but I have to tell you that in person. It's about Mitch, okay, baby. I love you. Be safe. Call me back.”
Halleigh let out a huge sigh of relief, but she knew that she had to first wait for Malek's reaction before dropping the bomb on him that Mitch had fucked her. But at least she felt like she could turn off the TV and sleep in some peace.
Halleigh felt Malek crawl into the bed with her at around four o'clock in the morning. Her heart began to race. She was feeling nervous, not knowing whether Malek had listened to her voice mail. She still had no idea why he had tripped on her the way that he had. She didn't know what was up with him and Sweets, and she was wondering if he was just stressed about his business.
Malek realized that by loving Halleigh publicly, he had exposed his weakness to those around him, and now Halleigh could be a potential target. Her back was against his chest as he held her tight. He didn't say anything; he didn't have to. She knew that he loved her.
Halleigh could feel his heart beating through his chest. Something inside of her glowed as she thought about Malek. She thought about all that she had been through and knew that she would do it all again, if that's what it took to find her way back into the arms of this man.
The next morning, Halleigh woke up with the same urge to hurl. Feeling nauseated, she lay in bed groaning from the horrible feeling.
“What's wrong?” Malek asked.
Halleigh realized that Malek must not have heard her message, so she decided to just not bring up the subject. “I don't know. I don't feel good at all.”
“You need to go to the doctor so you can get checked out.”
“I don't think it's that serious,” Halleigh replied.
Malek sat up on his elbow and brushed Halleigh's hair out of her face. “Do it for me, a'ight. I just want to make sure everything's good with you, ma.”
“Okay, but you're coming with me.”
Halleigh's trip to the doctor revealed that she was four weeks pregnant. It was the happiest news of her life. Tears came to her eyes when the doctor told her.
She looked at Malek to see what he thought, but she had a hard time reading his emotions. “What are you thinking?” she asked.
Malek was silent for a minute, so she continued, “If you don't want me to have this baby, I won't.” She let her tears fall at the thought of terminating her pregnancy, but she would do anything to keep Malek, and if he wasn't happy about their situation, she would have no choice but to change it.
“You're having my seed,” Malek whispered in disbelief as if the news was just now hitting him. He placed one hand on her flat stomach. “I can't believe I'm about to be somebody's daddy.”
“So you're not mad?” she asked.
“Hell no,” he said. “You're having my baby. I didn't think it was possible for me to love you anymore than I already did, but I do because you are the mother of my child.”
Malek thought about his mother. How he wished she was still alive to be able to see her soon-to-be-born grandchild. Then his thoughts went to having a little boy. He visualized teaching him how to play sports, how to mack hoes. A huge smile came across Malek's face. He was about to be a daddy. Life is so beautiful, he thought.
Malek left the doctor's office that day with a new inspiration for life. He was about to be a father. He and Halleigh had made a lifetime commitment. Through their child, they were about to bond forever.
With his new responsibility to consider, Malek was determined to get on his grind even harder because he was going to make sure his family was taken care of. And he wasn't going to let Sweets or Moses get in the way of his family's safety or financial security. He made a phone call on his way home.
Mitch answered on the first ring. “What's good, fam?”
“Have you heard anything about Sweets?”
“Nah, since that shit popped off at Big Al's, he's been laying low. Maybe he got the message,” Mitch replied.
“For his sake, I hope so. I'm tying all loose ends. Hal is pregnant, and I need to get this money, nah mean?”
“Yeah, I hear you, fam.”
“Ride out with me tomorrow, a'ight. It's time to take care of that rehab situation.”
“No doubt,” Mitch replied. He thought of the seed that was growing inside of Halleigh's womb and couldn't help but wish that she was his. “Congratulations, fam. Send Halleigh my love.” He hung up the phone and tried to take his mind off Malek's woman.
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