RIPPED & READY (PART 43)

RIPPED & READY (PART XLIII)

I made it to the County Hospital in San Mateo in record time and, luckily, found a parking spot immediately -- this older couple was pulling out, and I pulled right in behind them.  There was an SUV waiting for it, however, they had driven down the wrong way and were not in the right direction to get the parking spot.  When I exited from my car, I was met by a large, male, islander who pointed in the direction of his car, telling me that the park belonged to him. 

I looked past him at his Emerald Green, Cadillac Escalade, and advised him that I wasn't in the mood to humor him about the parking space.  I continued to let him know that my space was not his and he needed to continue with his search because I was not moving.  Well, that didn't go well and, before I knew it, he had me hemmed up against my Volkswagen Jetta, and was just about to gut punch "dat ass" when a security officer grabbed him by his raised arm. 

"What the hell is going on here, gentlemen?" he asked, in an authoritative tone.  He was just as large as the Polynesian brotha.   

"He stole my parking spot, if it's any of your business, nigga," the large islander said, scoffing, struggling to get his punch off.

The security officer was an African American brotha, and he was just as strong as the guy.  "Look, I will ignore what you just called me, and I promise not to haul your ass in, but that offer has a very small window so, you decide on how you want to spend the next 48 hours of your life," he said, gripping the guy's arm tighter, and pushing him against the car that was next to mine.

The islander probably realized that he was no match for the security officer, so he slid from between him and the car, and, mumbling under his breath, he headed back to his Escalade, slammed the door, and sped off. 

Whew, that was a close call.  That guy would have re-arranged my damn face and, like Muhammad Ali said, "I'm much too pretty," to have my damn mug bashed in. 

I thanked, Nate (The name on his badge), for saving me from getting my head caved in.  He shook my hand and advised me that it was his job -- he also said that he had seen the whole thing and that the guy was in the wrong.  He tipped his hat, and walked away from me but, not before I got an eyeful of that nice tasty looking butt-buffet he was carting around on his back. 

Damn, he had a two of the plumpest slices of chocolate cake I had seen in awhile.  I quickly shook myself out of my lusty-trance and hoofed it up to the back entry way and dashed inside of the hospital.  I took the elevator up to the third floor, exited, and continued the journey to see about my boy, Collin.

When I turned the corner onto the ward he was supposedly on, I ran smack dead into familiar and his two magnetic hazel eyes.  I hadn't seen him in over eight months and, I must say, the honey-glaze dripping off of his skin had me feeling like Gary-Grizzly, and I was instantly zapped back into my room -- with him straddling me, being hypnotized by the the shimmer of that sliver chain he wears around his neck, dangling above me.

It was D'Andre Washington; my almost, my damn near, and my came close to getting.  He had on this marvelous, snug fitting, peach, nylon, jogging suit that left nothing to the imagination.  For a moment, I had damn near forgotten the main reason why I had came to the hospital and, it was most definitely, the same reason that he was there as well. The only one missing, was Todd, but he was oblivious to the situation by active military status.   

"I heard about Collin last night and took a red-eye to get here to be with him," he said.

There was no flirtatious gesture from him like there had been in the past.  When I grabbed him around the waist to hug him, he did not reciprocate.  The heat that was once there was gone – it was now just a vivid yet faint memory – something I could only recall.  Inside I felt hurt, and rejected, but we were there for a more serious reason and there was no time to get into the why-comes and the let-me-explains. 

I searched his face, hoping to make eye contact with him, but once I had removed my arms from around him, he turned from me, and started heading in the direction of the ward that Collin was in.  He never said, come on, or follow me, he just started walking.  I was outdone but, instead of sulking, I forged my pride and followed behind him. 

When we reached the lobby of the ward, a very pregnant Tootchie (Now going on her fourth month), and his Godmother, Flora-Mae, were sitting side by side with looks of worry etched across their faces.  D went over to them, and leaned down giving them both individual hugs.  "You're going to have a big ass baby, girl," he said, rubbing her stomach.

I walked over and wrapped my arms around both of them, and gave them one together.  "Hi, Ms. Flora-Mae," I said stooping down in front of them, getting in the kneeling position. 

She grabbed me by the face, lovingly, and said, "I'm glad you both made it," tears streaming down her face -- which triggered the water works in all of us. 

"They haven't told us anything, Marco, but I think they'll let you and D'Andre in if you tell them you are his brothers," Flora-Mae said. 

We both agreed and headed to the nurses desk.  This young, Latin sistah advised us that we could go in for just a few minutes, but we would have to return to the waiting area, until the doctor gives the official okay for visitors.  We started following her down the corridor, and after passing four doors; we turned left into Collin's room. 

When we saw our boy lying there, lifeless,  bare-chested, with two I.V.'s taped across the top of both his hands,  and the transparent oxygen tube inserted into his nostrils, our knees buckled a bit (We caught each other).  That's was the first time I felt any warmth coming from D -- we grabbed a hold of one another and started to embrace each other.  I looked over D's shoulder while we were hugging, and on Collin's left, upper chest pectoral, I saw the tattoo he told me he had gotten.  

M6

I began sobbing uncontrollably, and D joined in. 

We both sobbed for the same reason I, however, was sobbing for an additional one that only Collin and I knew about. 

M6

M6