Crossroads

Part 1:

In the midst of all the hustle and bustle of life; all the unexpected turns and lengthy weekdays. I don’t know how I seem to make it to the end of the week! But it is, what I have come to call, “Sat’s” that I look forward to! This is when me and my closest friends gather over food and drinks. By the end of the week it’s mostly drinks for me! Me and my friends are all over worked, over stressed, under paid and all of this equals to being full of many frustrations. But I always thank God to make it to the weekends. By the time I drop my daughter to her friend’s house and do the weekly food shopping, I only have enough energy to throw a few drinks down my throat. It seems like ever since I moved out to Jersey my car has been shitty on gas. As soon as I fill it up, its right back on E and Deb takes the train into the city early on Saturday to teach a class at Columbia University. So that leaves me with no other choice but to drive into the city on Saturdays, but I usually get Deb to drive back across the water. Some weekends I would just stay in the city, depending on what was going on with my daughter. And I think I will stay this weekend, being there’s no school on Monday and my daughter is staying over her best friend’s house for the weekend. My he/she bestie Gerard has an extra bedroom in his Brownstone and I have been crashing there since our teenage years. Shit, his house was like my second home when his parents were alive. He lost his parents in a car crash a few years ago and everything was left to him, including the Brownstone.

I was racing to the restaurant and my cell phone was ringing off the hook. Finally I answered, I couldn’t take it no more.

“I already parked, I’m walking up the block now.”

“Wait!! I’m calling to see if you spoke to Gee?” Deb asked on the other end.

I had to think for a second, cause it wasn’t until that moment I realized I hadn’t spoken to him either.

“It’s crazy cause I hadn’t realized, I didn’t speak to him until you mentioned it. Did you call Sharon and see if she spoke to him?

“Yes and she hadn’t either.”

I sat still for a few seconds, this was NOT like Gerald. He’s the one who’s always on the phone line a hundred times a day.

I snapped out of it. “Listen, go get the table and I’m gonna swing past the brownstone.”

“Okay cool, keep me posted.”

I pulled out of my parking space and headed towards Gerald’s brownstone. God must have been looking after me cause I found a parking space a couple of houses in down from his. I dug out my key and went straight upstairs to his room. I see a body silhouette of a body.

“Gee? Hey Gee is that you?”

I walked slowly over to the bed& pulled the covers back. Through the tears and dried blood laid my BFF.

“What the fuck?! What…”

I was lost for words. I mean there were no words for a situation like this. So I did what any friend would do…. Held my friend, cried with my friend and listened. Listened while he tried making logic out of why he was laying in his bed beat the fuck up, while all of our friends were less than a mile away waiting for us.

I reached for my cell and dialed Sharon, when she didn’t answer I tried everyone’s cell. Much against Gee wishes, but i didn’t give a fuck! This wasn’t no shit to be negotiating! I text Sharon telling her to call me and it was 911! I forwarded the message to everybody’s phone and continued to clean Gee up. You could tell, just by eye he needed his lip stitched, a few stitches three or four maybe. Dee called back, very tipsy.

“Hey girl! where the fuck ya’ll at? Gurlllll this spot off the chain, drink list sick! What’s taking ya’ll so long!” Dee screamed through the phone. It was loud and people talking in the background.

I walked downstairs before answering. “Look ya’ll guys pay the bill and come over to Gee’s. Some serious shit went down!”

Dee was confused, but she relayed the message to the rest of the group and they did just what was told. They jumped out the cab, within 10 minutes they were there. The entourage ran up the stairs, I was there waiting at the top to let them in. Gee laid on his recliner with the covers over his head.

Dee demanded to know what was going on.

“Oh my God, what’s going on!

“Come up stairs. I got over here and found him in bed under the covers. I pulled the cover back and his lip was bloody and busted and his face was very bruised.” I explained as we walked slowly up the stairs. The groups faces where blank and confused.

“Well what happened… Who did it”? Sharon whispered.

I just shrugged my shoulders, he hadn’t told me what happened. He just made it clear he didn’t want me to call the rest of the crew, which he knew was not gonna happen.

All mouths dropped when they saw Gee and the tears started falling. The questions followed, but Gee wouldn’t give any straight answers. Like who did this to him. All we got was pieces. Obviously he and some man he’s seeing got into a really big fight and he’s insisting he cannot tell us the whole story and how we wouldn’t understand, but at the same time we found ourselves in the emergency room within the next hour and Gee was admitted with three broken ribs, a broken wrist, a fractured jaw and he’s diabetic. Not to mention his sugar was 410.

Everyone left worn out and still with no answers. I decided to stay over night in his room with him. I stared at him as he slept, trying to figure out how he’d let something like this happen. Because he is not the type to deal with a man who is capable of doing something like this. It was almost scary, cause a lot of his changes didn’t come to head until tonight. For a minute he wasn’t being himself but I didn’t feed into it too much. I fell asleep trying to piece the pieces of this puzzle together. It was the strong scent of cologne lingering in the air that broke my sleep.

I looked over at Gee, he was still sound to sleep. But the scent of the cologne told me someone else was in the room while I was sleep. Gee cleared his throat and opened his eyes, as far as his injuries would allow him.

He cracked a smirk and mumbled. “He was here. He came to check on me.” He said with a groggy voice.

I stood over him and stroked his forehead. “Who was here Baby?” He closed his eyes and struggled to take a deep breath.

“You smell that? Yeah he was here, he came to check on me. I knew he would feel bad.”

He slipped back into a slumber before I could ask any questions. But only took a few minutes to put two and two together. “He” must have been the beast who had done this to my friend. But what I couldn’t understand was the security Gee felt knowing he came to His hospital room after viciously beating him t he way he did. I thick feeling of anger took over my body! I wished his mother fucking ass came back while I was woke!

Part 2:

Still with nothing said about what had happened two weeks ago with Gee, we all gathered at his house and nursed him back to good health. it actually felt like we were walking on egg shells. Everyone was watching time, waiting for Dave to land. We all knew it was no holding back with him. We didn’t want to call him all the way in Japan, in the middle of his business meeting, with Gee’s situation but we had no other choice. When the bell rang we all knew it was Dave and we knew he was bringing the drama with him! And really this was one of the times I didn’t mind his drama.

Now Dave is one of those gay men that you know what he is as soon as he walks in the room, but at the same time he has a presence that requires and receives total respect. That’s why he’s where he is at in the corporate world. Gee didn’t know we called Dave and he was flying home five days earlier then he was suppose to. I went down and answered the door, while Gee just laid on the sofa in a dazed. We didn’t know if it was a mental thing are if it was the pain killers.

Dave was not playing no games when I opened the door he was standing on the stoop. with his luggage and a yellow cab pulling off.

He kissed me on the cheek and gave me a tight hug. “Hey, baby. Long ass flight thank God for First Class. Now where he at? Cause you know I’m not only stressed but I’m ready to zap the fuck out! So tell me real quick before I walk up there, what to expect?”

“Well he’s looking…. not as bad as he did when it first happened.”

He dropped his luggage in the front room before marching up stairs. He walked into the room greeted everybody and walked over to the sofa. His whole face expression changed!

Dave gasped and grabbed his chest.”Oh my mother fucking God Gee!!! who the fuck??!! What the fuck happened?”

Dave lost his everlasting mind! he began pacing the floor asking everybody questions trying to figure out what happened, but we had no answers. Gee refuse to let us know anything and that was not like him. Dave wasn’t giving up!

He sat at the end of the sofa and stared in Gee’s face. “Listen sweetie, I’m not going for this silent treatment shit! This is some serious shit, as if you don’t know! Like somebody tried to kill you and this silent treatment shit aint making it no more! Now who the fuck did this to you!”

Gee eyes began to water. “Listen it’s all just a little mix up, Dave. I’m okay I got this.”

Dave jumped to his feet. “You got what!!?? You okay where? What’s the big fucking secret? I mean everybody in this room is tighter then thieves, so I’m not understanding what the fuck is the problem and why the fuck you never called the police and made a report! Like did you meet some weirdo freak on the Internet and shit got out of hand or something?”

“No nothing like that? Gee whispered

“Okay, then what’s it something like then Gee?”

Gee didn’t reply, he just went back into quiet mode.

Dave continued. “We already know it must be someone you know Gee,the incident happened inside your crib it wasn’t a break in. You know what, fuck this shit I’m gonna go to the police and see if I can make a report on your behalf.”

Gee sat up and pleaded with Dave, “look there’s no need for that. Please don’t do that Dave, I don’t want to be bothered with no police Dave, please.”

Dave looked at him with confusion. “I’m not leaving here until you tell me somethang Miss.Thang. I’m actually I’m going to give you bout sixty minutes before I call my brother!

Gee sat back up, he knew he couldn’t let Dave do that. He was trying to think of something real quick but his brain was scrambled. Then he thought about how worst the situation could be if sixty minutes came and Dave called his brother.

Sharon sat in the corner with a weird look on her face. And every now and then her and Gee would make eye contact and gave each other these funny looks. I noticed it and Dave was too sharp not to noticed too. Through looks me and Dave let one another know. Know we knew Sharon knew something. but we waited to the rest of the Crew walked to 8th Ave. to get food before they started grilling Sharon.

Dave stood up and started. “Okay Bitch what you know!” He asked. Sharon looked at him with a blank look on her face. “What are you talking bout Dave?”

“You think we ain’t noticed them looks between you two?” He asked I had to intervene. “Yeah Sharon come on we known you for years, the way you looked at Gee girl and the way he looked at you…… Just spill the beans!

Gee got up for the first time all day, he struggled to talk. “Come on guys lay off her. You sound crazy.”

Dave got up and stood in front of Sharon with his arms crossed. “I can’t believe you playing the 5th with some shit like this Miss Thang! Why you keep looking at Gee for answers every time you’r asked a question?”

She sat speechless and Gee came to her rescue. “Why are you two jumping down Sharon’s throat? She doesn’t know any more about what’s going on then anybody else. All IM saying is, I think this is something I can take care myself. And don’t get me wrong I appreciate all of my closest friends loosing their minds over but…..” he struggled to get his medication from the nite stand?

I got it for him and went into the kitchen to get him something to drink.and Dave ran downstairs to get some castor oil to rub on his bruises and some green alcohol he was putting aspirin in it and warming it up a little. That was to take some the swelling and Aches away. This was the first opportunity for Sharon and Gee had to be alone. Gee turned to Sharon with a funny look and she shot the same look back.

Sharon got up and sat next to Gee, on the edge of the sofa,the look in her face had changed,it was more of a troublesome.

She whispered with her voice tremberling and cracking.”Look Gee I’m just trying to figure out, like everybody else, but my God I been putting two and two together.”

Their was a moment of silence between the two before Gee spoke. “I know you prolly figured it out already….”

She interrupted him, “No Gerard we are friends and friends are suppose to look out for one another.” Her eyes started to water,she continued “My mind is twirling in circles Gee…. Cause if it’s what I’m thinking it is….. This is isn’t good Gee. How can you let it get to this? I mean if you don’t tell the rest of us, at lease tell talk to Dave.”

He spoke not only with a stern voice but with a serious face. “Look and listen to me clearly…. This is something we gonna keep on the hush! Do you understand me? This is one of those things we take to our graves. One of those things we know happened but never is spoken about.

“What’s never spoken about” Dave appeared back in the room with his hands Full of medical supplies.

Sharon and Gee was caught off guard. Sharon shot to her feet and backed away from the Sofa. She began trying to explain, but had no luck with her words.

Gee jumped in to her rescue “This whole situation i’m going through we were talking about. I know all of you are worried and trust I know you guys love me. but please let this go and trust I will take care of this situation and Most of all no police. Dave put the stuff down and looked back and fourth between Sharon and Gee.

He folded his arms with a smug look.”Okay you a grown ass man, but knowing my brother it wouldn’t be a drag on investigation. This is in house situation so he going to be on his job. But if you are seriously insisting on handling this shit ya way…. What could I say. But!!

What’s puzzling me is how comes it seem like she” pointing at Sharon, “knows more about what happened then anyone of us.?”

Sharon nerves starting tweaking her out and everyone knew she falls apart under pressure.

Dave moved closer to Sharon,”okay kido spill da beans!! Cause I’m convinced you  know more then the rest of us.”

By this time the rest of the crew were back from getting the food.

“Well what did we miss?” Deb asked.

Nobody said anything, just shot looks across at one another.

Sharon broke the silence.”Listen I can’t take this bullshit!!! You muthafuckers already know I’m on meds for my anxiety and shit! And still you keep pushing and pushing me. Got Damn!!! Gee I’m sorry this had to done to you it’s not fair and it’s not right that you  keep the details away from us! And I don’t feel like being in the middle of this bullshit! And Gee you know I got you back ALL the time, I love you and everybody in this room. But I Cant do this bullshit!” I went over to console her, I put my arm around her. She and Gee exchanged looks saying don’t do this while Sharon looked back at him, with sorry written all over her face.

Dave began to push the issue. “Ok, Sharon is there something you like to say?”

Gee just dropped his head cause he knew what it was once Sharon said something and revealed who was behind his brutal beating………

Part 3:

Sharon softly pulled away from my arms and looked around the room at everybody. She wiped the tears from her eyes and face, before continuing to speak.

She took a deep breath and gathered her composure. “You know what? I’m going home and pray on this whole situation, because I feel like I’m in the fucking Twilight Zone right now and I don’t like feeling the way I’m feeling right now!”

She began to gather her belongings and she walked straight out the house.

Leaving everybody hanging, just when Dave thought he was going to get some answers.

A frustrated Dave couldn’t take the bullshit no more either. “Well listen here Gee. If this animal, that has turned your life upside down, is that important to you that you don’t want to let your friends know what the fuck is going on… then fine with me Honey Chile. But if ever you come around to ya’ senses you know my number. Now all this drama and that flight got me feeling like I need to be getting me a drink right about now. Is there anything you need or need done, Gee, before I leave?”

Gee just held his head down and nodded no.

Me trying to be passionate I rubbed Gee’s back. “Hey, I’m going to stay with you tonight. I got Baby Girl straightened out already. I’m going to go with Dave and Deb for a drink, okay?

“Cool. And I’m sorry for any incontinence and pain I’ve caused any of you. I have to call Sharon,” Gee said to his friends.

He got up, with his arm wrapped around his stomach and walked slowly to his bedroom… In which, I have to say, was a motherfucker to clean after the attack.

We got to the lounge and Dave just wouldn’t give up! After a few drinks he grabbed his cell phone and called his brother. I tried to stop him. Gee did not want to get any police involved, including Dave’s brother.

“Stan! Can you hear me? Listen some crazy shit went down wit Gee. You know my buddy Gee, right? He doesn’t want to get any police involved but it’s just that serious that I can’t stand by and not get involved.” He paused and then continued. “Bad enough he had to be hospitalized broken ribs and shit. He was beat half to death Stan! So, I’m going to need your help on this one, Bro. No I’m back! I had to come back for this. This is how bad it is. Okay so please make sure you call me in the morning. No I don’t have a name he won’t tell none of us who this fucking beast is!”

They said their good-byes and hung up.

I swallowed the last of my drink and rolled my eyes at him. “Now you know you wrong! Gee did not want you calling no police, including your brother!”

Dave sipped his drink and returned the eye roll. “I don’t give a fuck what Gee said! My friend is not in his right mind! The mother fucker lost his mind I think. You and I know if Donnie knew bout this, which I don’t now why the fuck nobody hasn’t told Donnie. But you know she would be down wit me. And I’m calling her tomorrow.”

I just looked at him cause there was apart of me that knew he was right. Now what you have to understand is Donnie is the “Hood” friend out of our crew and it’s no point of return with Donnie. Gee made me promise I wouldn’t say anything to her. But it’s getting harder to keep it from her.

It was like the devil was working over time because not more than five minutes later, my cell phone rang with Sharon ranting and raving on the other end something bout ‘if I didn’t get this nigga out her house he will be leaving in cuffs or a body bag!!!’

We hurried and paid the bill and headed over to Sharon’s apartment. Of course I walked into, rather a drunken us, walked into a disaster! Sharon and her boyfriend faces both displayed signs there was a physical altercation. A big one at that! Not as bad as Gee’s situation and I aint see how bad the person he was fighting with looked. But I came to the conclusion Gee caught the bad end of the stick. On the other hand with Sharon, she looked like she wasn’t haven it!

“Dear Lord! Ya’ll done tore this mother fucker up! What the hell going on?” A very upset Dave shouted.

Sharon and Keith (her man) starred one another down and if looks could kill, oh boy! Sharon just kept pointing at Keith and saying, “it’s him, he knows he’s the shit at the bottom of a bums holly sneaker!”

Keith snapped back. “What bitch!”

Dave intervened. “Oh, hell to the mother fucking no! We aint gon be callin nobody no ‘bitch’s’ in here. Now I like you Keith and everything but you know Sharon’s my girl.”

Keith looked at him like he aint give a flying fuck, but at the same time he had to respect him. It was something about Dave that called for respect, no matter how gay and flamboyant he was. Then out the blue Sharon picks up a vase and throws it across the room, busting Keith in the middle of his forehead. Blood started gushing out like a running faucet. Before anyone could react Sharon jumped on top and across the dinning room table and began beating on Keith like a maniac! Me, Dave and Deb tried to separate them but it took hell doing so! It took about five or so minutes (which is a long time when you talking bout breaking up a intense fight!).

“This motherfucker got the nerve not to only be fucking around on me, but with my long time collage friend?!” Sharon yelled at the top of her lungs.

My mouth dropped! “Who Brittney!!” I shouted.

“Yes!! In my house and around my kids! She’s the God Mother of my oldest child, for Gods sake!!” Sharon said while sliding down the wall to the floor.

“Listen you need to get to the hospital Keith. And Sharon, Baby pack a couple of things, you’re staying with me. Where’s the kids? Cause they can come too and I will set up car service to take them & pick them up from school.” Dave spoke calmly but sternly.

Keith snapped. “Fuck the hospital and the kids aren’t here and if they were, they wouldn’t be going anywhere with Sharon or you!!”

Dave got a look on his face that I’ve seen before, not very often, but I knew the look. But before I could jump in front or grab Dave, he had already made his move. Somehow he had grabbed Keith and had his arm pinned behind his back and body pushed up on the world.

Dave took his voice up a notch “Now you listen here nigga, I might be Gay, how you may call it sometimes, a Fag or fagot! But please don’t forget I am a man first! And you will not mother fucking disrespect me nor my friend! More or less put hands on her! Now Sharon, you don’t need a bag. We will go in the morning and you can buy any necessities you may need.”

He let Keith go in a stance waiting for him to pop off! And surprisingly he didn’t! He grabbed his jacket and walked out, leaving a trail of blood, from his head.

I was buzzed. I didn’t know what the fuck was going on in my friends lives right now! It’s like we all are dysfunctional at some point, every now & then but all this bullshit with Gee & now with Sharon and Keith. The shit made me think about my life and if I had any up in the air bullshit goin on in my life, besides that bitch at the office who insist on fucking with me.

To Be Continued……………