"DOWN THE DRAIN"

“Down the Drain” By: Antenette Franklin



“Malik, Malik, open the door baby” she cried. Banging none stop, Malik finally open the door. “Girl what you want?” he said wiping eye boogers off his face. “Malik, bay, they got yo mama, Malik they got her!!” she cried harder. Finally realizing that she was crying he snapped to reality. “Who? Who got my mama, what you talking about?” he asked anxiously. “The hospital” she cried, “they got her and your brother, they got... They got hit by a … car, a hit and run, Malik, I’m sorry baby!” she pleaded through stumbled words. “WHAT!? Where she at… what hospital? Tell me now… wait why are you sorry?” he said puzzled. “I don’t know, I love your mom, your brother, and you, I’m feeling bad because something bad happen to ya’ll” she said. “Oh… well don’t worry just tell me what hospital!” he asked. “Thelma’s Critical Hospital, that’s where they took them” she answered. “Okay stay here, calm down, I’m on my way there” he said while grabbing the bus card off the table. “I want to go with you Malik don’t leave me with … you know…Theresa” she worried. “Don’t worry about her okay and try to keep her calm so she won’t do nothing stupid” he said quickly. “Okay…I love you…” she responded. “I got to go get my mama” refusing to respond back to her comment, he left out the house with a doo-rag white beater and pajama pants.
Forty-five minutes wasted riding the bootleg train, he arrived at the hospital. “Damn… why they put her in the dirtiest, bootleg hospital in the city?” he asked himself. “Hi, May I help you?” asked the clerk. “Um… yeah, my name is Malik Thompson and my mama is in this hospital” he answered. “Do you have a room number you can address so I can write you a pass?” asked the clerk. “Man I don’t know, they just brought her here a few hours ago…dang don’t yall automatically put her in the system or something?” he said angrily. “No, we don’t, now sit down and I’ll see if we can send you up there to see her” she replied rudely, smacking gum and then returning to the phone and asking for numbers and what not. “Whatever man, do whatever you go to do for I go up there myself” he said sitting down. “Aye! Lil boy I don’t know yo nappy headed ass so don’t come in here talking shit, now shut the hell up and do what I say” rolling her eyes. “Aye bitch, you do what the fuck I tell you and stop worrying about what comes out of my fucking mouth aight and that’s all I gots to say” and he sat peacefully. “Whatever” was all she could say. Ten minutes later a doctor came back down stairs to Malik reporting that Ms. Thompson was in bad condition but he could come see her if he liked. He got a pass and walked up to the floor where his mama was at. “Hey baby how are you?” she asked. “The question is how are you?” he smiled a little. “I’m fine… (coughing) baby (coughing)” she hardly said. “It don’t sound like it” he said. “You wearing pj’s?” she asked trying to crack a smile and also changing the subject. He laughed a little “yeah… I uh rushed to check on you as soon as I got the news.” “Oh” she smiled, knowing that her son cares for her. “Where is Joey?” he asked. “I don’t know… I think he is in another room” she said worried. The doctor came in to see if Malik could come along to hear about Joey Thompson. “What?”… Is he alright?” he wanted to know anxiously. “Well…I don’t know a easy way to tell you this but…” Malik already knew what happened to his brother, He died. Everything the doctor was talking about was at mute. “Code blue, cold blue, cold blue!!” yelled the doctors running to room A203. “That’s my mama, that’s my mama” he yelled. He rushed to A203 to see what was going on but the doctors forced him out and told him to go back in the waiting room. He couldn’t believe it. His heart raced, he started crying softly to himself, beating himself in the chest telling him to man up. “Don’t cry…they got my brother but not my mama too…nah nah it can’t be…GOD won’t this to me…I’m faithful at church.” He thought to himself trying to convince that everything was going good. Three hours later the doctor came with shameful eyes. “What happened?” Malik asked. “We tried everything but…” damn that goes that “but” again. “She had a massive heart-attack and passed away.” Said the shameful doctor. “Not MY MAMA, NOT MY MAMA TOO!!....DAMN YOU GOD, WHAT THE FUCK I DO SO FUCKING BAD TO YOU?!” he yelled across the awaiting room, screaming and jamming his body against the walls. “Sir, sir, sir please…SECURITY!!...calm down please, please…you will hurt yourself sir!!” he demanded kind of. After three body guards he finally settled down a little and walked out the hospital, he couldn’t take no more. His cell ring, it was know Tamela. He didn’t feel like talking but he knew how worried she was and answered anyways, “Hey babes, is everything good?” she asked. Sighing he responded “No.” “NO!? You short-answering me baby, what happened?” she asked. “What Theresa doing?” he asked. “She sitting here impatiently just as I, can you tell us what happened?” she asked. “I’ma explain when I get there aight” and he hung up. Another forty-five minutes he was home. He greeted both with a long hug. “Hey bay” he said spiritless. “Look um no easy way to say this but the car accident cause mama to have a heart-attack and her and Joey died.” He couldn’t speak the words. “WHAT!! OH MY GOD!” both girls shouted. Theresa looked kind of phony, like she didn’t care or either suspicious. On the other hand he took Tamela to his room and they both grieved. Theresa left out without a word.
Two O’clock the next morning Theresa came back home drunk. Must’ve had about 5 too many drinks. “Heeey ugly” she said. “Where you been?” looking at her disgusted and dry-eyed. “And when have YOU become daddy?” she asked. “Whatever” he responded. “Anyways, speaking of adults, I am you guardian now and since moms gone I’ma step up.” Couldn’t really tell what she was saying. “I got a new job at the $5 strip but I’ma still work at Hoochies too.” She was in it for real. He just stared at her. “That’s ashame…she just died, don’t you got any sympathy?” he said angrily. “All I gots to say is that good thing they got insurance” she belted out loud and that’s all she spoke.
Flashbacks always startled Malik. As he just reflected back on all that happened that night. He was sitting in the recliner watching SpongeBob. Its been about 2 years since that incident happened. These thoughts vanished as soon as he heard his sister’s voice. “What Theresa?” he answered annoyed. “Can you cook me something to eat?” she asked coming into the room rubbing her belly. “Man what I look like to you…yo…” interrupted Theresa responded “Aye aye none of that smartass” cleaning dirt out of her cuticles. “Who is paying the rent, bills huh? Well managing them too” she added. “Now go fix me something” she said pushing his head. “If you wasn’t so busy bussing around you a know how to cook!” he said softly. “What you say?” she said quizzically. “Nothing madam” he said sarcastically “SLUT!!” he whispered under his breath. The doorbell rang. “Who is it?” Theresa asked. “Tammy” she answered. “Aw” she opened the door. “Whatchu want?” she asked. “Um can I speak with Malik?” “You know he screwing some other chick right, you ain’t the only one girl, not no more” she said looking her up and down. She spoke loud enough for the whole neighborhood to hear, soon as Malik heard her he ran to the door from the kitchen. “Hey baby, ignore her comments” he said. “Well it’s true!” she yelled. “We ALL not like you” he smiled because he just settled the conflict. “Whatever, remember it pays the bills!” shameless of her booty shaking at the strip, she smiled and walked away. “So what sup” he said kissing her softly on the lips. To him her lips always tasted so good to him, he loved kissing her. Felt he was at best at the task, he smiled to himself. “Oh um I just wanted to help me with this homework problem…I know you good in math soo” she smiled a little. “Um, ok I guess” he said inviting her inside. They went up to his bedroom to do the study. “Dang it’s a lot of pictures of your family in here now” she said gazing at the photos. “Yeah I know, that slut tried to burn all our photos or throw them away. She used some of them for blunt paper too. Weird ass” he said angrily. She kissed him again. “Don’t worry, I don’t know what’s up with your sister but she need a reality check” she chuckled. “What she needs is an ass whooping. And a real ma cause that nigga she got now looks like the hair on my balls” they both laughed hearty. “So where’s that homework at so I can get back to the sponge” he asked. “I um, I don’t have it” she replied. “So you telling me...you walked four blocks to my crib with a fat ass book bag on your back for nothing?” he asked puzzled. “I just need to talk to you” she gave puppy eyes. “Aw, well okay just hope it ain’t about school cause I told you I ain’t coming back man!” “Naw, naw it ain’t about that though, it’s just that…” she paused. He laughed. “C’mon girl spill, you acting like you pregnant or something” the smile turned into a frown when she turned and looked away. “Aw shit naw” he said. “I told you we should use a condom” she spoke softly. “Damn, Damn, Damn! How you know? You took a test? “Naw” she said. “Naw? Then how the fuck you know you pregnant then, huh?” he was getting extremely mad. “Because I keep eating a lot and sleeping, my stomach feels different every now and then.” She said unsure. “That don’t mean shit girl, you always eating” referring to her weight, she was about 185 pounds. She got up and starts walking away. He held his head down and ran after her. “Wait, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t went there, my bad, it’s just confusing. You know you only 16 and me being 17, it’s just to damn soon.” He said calming down. “I know. I’ma go check with a doc to see if I am though, I just wanted to check wit you about it.” She sadly said. Still shocked, he asked her one more tome for forgiveness and then dismissed her. “A baby?” he asked himself. Mama always told him to wear protection. “You never know what these skanks got these days” he remembered her words and smiled.
Two hours later he got dresses. Not the usual way but casual today. He got a interview with this company “Shop and Stock”, yeah he thought a stupid name for a company but it was better then nothing. He left out the house feeling good as the door squeaked behind him. He felt super fresh with the black dickies, white button-up, black blazer and black ones. He was about to hop on the train but couldn’t cause he was disturbed by the drug dealer named Tony. He pulled up and walked outside his car door. Hey lil’ man” he smiled deviously. “What sup” he said still walking cause he really didn’t want to talk to him. Tony walked a little faster to catch up. “Aye wait up though” stopping Malik in his tracks. He slowly pulled out a wad of cash. “I heard you need help with the bills son” he chuckled. “Nah… we straight” he responded pushing the money aside. “You know you want some boy, stop being so damn stubborn, just like ya mama” he smiled again. Now Tony was a slim, tall, super crispy type of guy, as in he was super black. Malik swear he came straight out of Roots. “Nah I don’t, now let me go where I supposed to go” he said angrily. “Damn you nigga” yelled Tony and snapping his fingers at his body guards. They ran towards Malik