There's Levels To My Thug (12 page)

Before I had a chance the lil Nigga pulled out a Glock 9mmand blasted me twice in my back three times in my chest and one caught me on my side. I never thought my life would end up this way. As I gasped trying to breathe out, the little Nigga who shot me walked over and kneeled down next to me.

“Nigga who’s the Bitch ass, Nigga, now, remember me? Probably not, it’s me Smoke Nigga. I’m going to finish what my brother started and ruin ya ass. And there’s no one to stop me, I’m going to have ya little girl’s calling me daddy soon.”
Smoke said.

    Before blacking out, I looked up at him and said
“FUCK YOU NIGGA!”

I could hear sirens and a woman’s voice talking to me.

*Chapter Fourteen*

Savannah

    All I could hear was screaming and shouting over top of gunshots. My first thought was to go looking for my Babe. When I couldn’t find him out front like he said he would be, I started calling his phone. When I didn’t get an answer, I quickly hung up and called Rico cell. When he picked up, I started screaming into his phone asking where he and Dragon were.

“Rico, where are you and Dragon? They’re shooting outside of the club and Nigga’s fighting inside of the club and ya’ll are nowhere to be found.”
I said to Rico.

    “Savannah sweetie what are you talking about? I left the club I’m in route to the Diner.”
Rico said.

“Then where is Dragon? He’s not answering his phone or anything Rico. I don’t like this shit at all.”
I said in a worrisome tone.

“Where are you, Savannah? I’m turning around as we speak. I’m on my way back to the club now Stay where you are...”
Rico said to me.

    I didn’t even see when Rico pulled back up. The cops were on the scene, they’d taped off the alley way saying there was shooting and no one could go beyond the tape. Rico grabbed me by the arm rushing me and Desiree over to his car. I started calling out for Dragon trying to see if he was pushed out of the club by the mob squad of people trying to get out. Rico told me and Desiree to stay right there while he went back to look for Dragon and to also speak with the police.

    It had to be about twenty minutes out there with no sign of Dragon and now Rico had disappeared somewhere. Not being able to wait another second I went in bum rushing thru security. As I made way over near the Alley way in the back of Onyx, Rico grabbed me pulling me back away from the club holding me tight. Rico started to hug and rock me.

“Savannah, listen sweetheart Dragon was shot. He’s going to be taken to Temple University Hospital. We can meet him over at the hospital follow me, the car is over here.”
Rico said to me while still holding on to me.

“Hell No! I want to ride with my Babe, he shouldn’t be alone he wouldn’t want to be alone. He’d want me right next to him as I should be. Let me in the fucking Ambulance Rico, Now! Let me the Fuck Go!”
I exclaimed trying to yank away from him.

    Just as I was yanking away from Rico Desiree and Tameka came running up to me grabbing me and screaming. Desiree kept crying out they shot my baby brother. Tameka held us both walking us over to Rico’s car just as he pulled up.

    Rico started yelling
“Get in get in, come on let’s fucking ride now.”

    Rico hopped on I-76 beating the Ambulance over to Temple. I paced back in forth waiting for the Doctor’s to come out of OR from working on Dragon, hoping and praying they had good news to tell me. About ten minutes later a Doctor came out calling for the family of Mr. Cunningham. When I looked up, I shook my head thinking here’s another young one. She had to be every bit of 23 24 very small petite black girl. She called for us five times before Desiree answered her.

    “Yes, that’s us over here Doctor. Can you tell me how my brother is? Please?”
Desiree responded.

“Hi I’m Dr. Murphy, I’m looking for Savannah Sunders?”
The Doctor said.

“Yes, that’s me. Mr. Cunningham is my Fiancé, please tell me something.”
I responded.

“We’re still working on him. He is bleeding around his lungs and some tears in his large blood vessels and it’s causing some internal bleeding we’re doing everything we can to stop it. I’ll keep you posted. I just wanted to come out because I know you’ve been waiting.”
The Doctor replied.

    They worked on Dragon for almost an hour and forty-five minutes, which seemed like forever. The Doctor finally came out and walked over to me.

“Ms. Sunders we’re so sorry we tried everything we could. Mr. Cunningham didn’t make it.”
She said.

I felt like someone had just knocked the fucking life out of me. I buckled and hit the floor the entire Emergency room was in an uproar. People were crying, screaming and shouting. I couldn’t understand, like why my baby. Dragon was never the type who started the trouble, just the type to finish it. Dragon was all about his family and nothing else. He had no enemies that anyone knew about. So many things were racing through my head and the only thing I wanted so badly was for Dragon to walk through them double doors and say April Fools or some shit. I knew one thing for sure and two things whoever did this would pay. I won’t get any sleep until I do. After twenty minutes of crying and asking why I looked over at Rico asking him to take me home to New York to my daughters.

    Desiree, Tameka, Rico and I climbed into his car. We sat in the car outside the hospital for a minute. Rico reached over into his glove compartment and pulled out a cigar case. When he opened the case and took out a pearled up Dutch, it lit the entire car up. Tameka made a joke trying to ease the moment, saying
“Light that Shit up!”

    At that point, everyone in Rico’s truck was taking a tote on the L, shit before I knew it another was floating around in the air I even hit it three or four times. This night went from a night of celebrating to a night of mourning. I didn’t feel right at that moment not doing anything. Rico kept reassuring me that everything was going to be ok and he would find out who took my soul mate from me.

    It seemed like forever getting up to New York. I couldn’t wait to hold my babies. The hardest thing Desiree and I had to do was tell his parents. We refused to call them and tell them that their only son was taken away from them at 32 years old. Rico pulled up 5 in the morning into Dragon parent’s driveway on Avon Street, in the home Dragon just purchased for them in Jamaica Estates about a week ago.

    Mrs. Rachal was already up getting breakfast ready for Mr. Randall and the girl’s. As soon as Desiree and I turned into the kitchen Mrs. Rachal looked up at us smiling. When she connected eyes with us, she dropped the pitcher of fresh squeezed orange juice shattering the pitcher and started crying. There were no words said she just knew. She started yelling for Mr. Randall to come into the kitchen. Just from the sound of her voice, he knew something was wrong, he came running into the kitchen still in his Robe asking what was going on. Tameka excused herself out of the kitchen so she could go check on the girls. Desiree followed behind not to long after Tameka. I sat at the kitchen table with Mrs. Rachal, holding her hand and rubbing it while Mr. Randall stood behind us rubbing the both of our shoulders. At first, it was crying and then straight utter silence. I ended up speaking.

“I don’t know what happen. We were all just having a good time celebrating him. To him telling me he needed to use the bathroom and he’d be right back. That was the last time I saw him. We were amongst friends and family who could do such a thing. Everyone loved him, he didn’t have any enemies. We were getting ready to start fresh in Philadelphia. And now the only man I love is gone, what am I going to do? Why would God do this to me? What did I do to deserve this? What did my girl’s do to not have their father watch them grow up and protect them?”
I kept mumbling out loud.

    All of a Sudden Mrs. Rachal stood up and slammed her hands on the table.

“Girl what did you do? You have the nerve to sit in my home and question the Man above. Baby what you’re going to do is love them little girl to pieces, you’re going to put on your big girl panties and woman up. I know you have it in you. Obviously, my Father the good LORD above thought it was my Baby time to go. And whoever did this to my son will suffer the consequences. Just, PRAY Savannah, that’s all I can tell you. Now go upstairs and hug Faith & Hope. I have some phone calls to make.”
Mrs. Rachal said to me, excusing me upstairs to Faith & Hopes Quarters.

When I reached Faith and Hope, they were up walking around dressed playing with Tameka and Desiree. Looking at them was like looking at Dragon, especially Hope it was like he spit her ass out. I played with them for a little while. Faith must off have noticed or sensed something was wrong and or missing because she started to look around. I burst into tears when she walked over to their bedroom door yelling
“Daddy”.
I removed myself from the girl’s room and into the guest room. I didn’t want them to see me upset or crying, I eventually cried myself to sleep.

    I was eventually awakened from my cell phone ringing. It was a 215 area code I quickly answered thinking it was the police station telling me of some leads.

“Good Morning,”
I answered.

“Oh Yes, good morning may I speak with Ms. Sunders please?”
The caller said.

“Yes, this is her. May I ask whose calling?”
I asked.

    “Yes this is Mr. Cohen, I’m calling to speak with you about your interview you had with us recently. Is this a good time?”
Mr. Cohen asked.

    As much as I wanted to tell him, he had very bad timing. An inquiring mind wanted to hear what he had to say.

“No it’s okay, I have time,”
I said to Mr. Cohen.

“Well, Ms. Sunders my Partner has been speaking very highly of you. And he thinks I’d be a fool if I didn’t agree with him to hire you. We here at Domus Inc. would like to offer you a position here, starting at 75K a year plus bonuses and of course commission and full health benefits, etc.”
Mr. Cohen said.

“Yes, I’ll accept the job offer, Mr. Cohen. My only question is when were you looking for me to start?”
I asked him.

    “We’re giving consideration that you have to put in your two-week notice with Blue Fountain Media. We would like for you to start in three weeks if it’s possible for you.”
Mr. Cohen replied.

I was delighted with his offer but still sad and hurt at the same time. Dragon was the only one who believed I’d get the job after I lost all faith in it when I didn’t receive a call right back. I told Mr. Cohen I’d be willing to accept the position. This had to be the works of my Guardian Angel (Dragon) watching over me. He just made it to heaven and was already putting in work for his family.

*****

    Trying to put everything in to perspective on what and where my life would be going without my right hand. I still had to provide for our girls and myself. It was the day before Dragon’s funeral services and I really couldn’t stomach this being the last time, I would see him in the physical form. I’d been keeping to myself since his death and staying locked up in my bedroom. Desiree and Tameka had been staying with me at our home in Staten Island. They tried different ways everyday to get me to come out of my room. Since I’d been back in our Staten Island home, I put the last t-shirt and sweatpants Dragon wore on and locked myself in our bedroom.

Mrs. Rachal started keeping the girls and Desiree was keeping a close watch of me because I’d been a mess since my babe was killed. Closing myself off from everything and everyone, I thanked God everyday for giving me the time I did have with Dragon. I ended up sinking into a deep depression not being able to hold anything down, every time I tried to eat it would just come right back up. Desiree and I spent day and night together. When Tameka came back, we all came to the conclusion that it was time to go back to Philadelphia. There were too many memories here in our first home that Dragon and I shared. It was a constant reminder of what I had that I lost. It was time to start fresh, not just for me but our girls as well.

*Chapter Fifteen*

Savannah

It’s been almost a year since Dragon was killed. I’d started my job over at Domus’ Inc but I wasn’t feeling it too much. I could hear Dragon in my head all the time singing his favorite song by Mary Mary
“Go get it”
. I could feel it being my time to shine right about now, Dragon’s stores were doing wonderful. Luckily for me Future and Sonya moved down so I had the power couple running the stores here in Philadelphia and over in New York. So I could start looking into office spaces in the Jenkintown and Chestnut Hill area for my Advertising Company.

    Tameka was in and out of town. When she was in town, she would come and stay with Desiree the girls and me. She thought that it would be good if Desiree and I got out and did some retail therapy when she came in for Faith & Hope 1
st
birthday. We planned to go all out for them being their father wasn’t here to be with them. Without any hesitation, Desiree and I hopped in the Range and headed up 611 to Old York Road thru Jenkintown on our way to Willow Grove Mall. It took us a little longer to get there because they were still cleaning up the streets from the snow storm earlier this week. Desiree and Tameka had been down my back about getting back out there and dating again. I would think Desiree of all people would be against it especially with Dragon being her baby brother and all. On our way to the mall she turned the music down and looked over at me.