Christmas in the Hood (9 page)

“Andrew, you bleeding!” she cried out when she spotted her grandson’s bloody head. Bloodstains soiled the right half of his shirt.

“I’m okay, Grandma,” Andrew assured her as Gigi spun around to look. “He just grazed me.”

“Thank God,” Grandma said, rubbing the rosary beads hanging around her neck.

Caught up in the moment, Gigi hadn’t realized her cousin had been hurt. “You sure you okay?” she asked.

“Yes,” Andrew replied, shoving her forward. “Let’s clear the house ’fore we all end up back in jail.”

As Andrew’s words sunk in, the trio rushed into the apartment and tossed all the drugs, money, and guns into two book bags.

Gigi grabbed both bags and hurried out of the apartment, running up one flight to her friend’s place. She pounded on the door, her leg shaking nervously as she waited. Finally she heard footsteps growing closer.

“Who is it?” a woman asked through the door.

“It’s me,” Gigi said, trying not to shout.

Gigi heard a series of latches being unlocked before the door swung open.

“What’s wrong, girl?” a slender female asked as Gigi rushed into the apartment. “Is everything okay? I thought I heard gunshots.”

Gigi didn’t answer until she reached the living room and made sure no one else was around. “Someone tried to rob us, Tiffany. My cousin got grazed, but he’s all right.”

“Oh shit,” Tiffany replied, dumbfounded.

“I need you to stash this,” Gigi said, dropping both book bags on the couch.

“What’s in the bags?”

“Trust me, you don’t wanna know,” Gigi replied, before turning on her heels and heading for the door. “I’ll be back for them later.”

No sooner than Gigi returned to the apartment, the police were ringing the bell. Answering the door, Gigi recognized the two detectives standing in the hallway with four uniformed cops. The same two detectives that had questioned her at the precinct the day Grandma’s apartment was raided. The two plainclothes narcs invited themselves inside.

Minutes later, EMS arrived and attended to Andrew’s wound in the living room while the detectives questioned Gigi and Grandma in the hallway.

“Way I figure, word must’ve leaked Grandma has large sums of cash and drugs stashed in the apartment,” the white detective said, staring at Grandma before turning his cold blue gaze on Gigi. “Why else would someone break in?”

“It definitely wasn’t for the fine art,” the black detective added.

“Grandma already told you, my cousin stopped selling drugs,” Gigi snapped, glaring right back at the white detective, showing no signs of fear. “Andrew almost died, and y’all treating us like the criminals. There ain’t no drugs in the house. You and your dumb-ass partner can look.”

The black detective’s nostrils flared as he spoke up.“You got such a fresh mouth for a young lady.”

“Damn right,” Gigi replied, rolling her eyes.

“I can’t help people who refuse to help themselves,” the white detective said, shaking his head in frustration as he glanced over at his angered partner. “Let’s get outta here.”

“Yeah, good idea,” Gigi said, as the two detectives made a bee-line for the staircase.

*  *  *

When the Diaz brothers found out about the home invasion, both drug dealers were livid. Chico and Joe couldn’t believe someone had had the balls to fuck with Grandma and her family.

Grandma pounded the coffee table with her fist. “Nobody fucks with my blood,” she said, through clenched teeth. “I want y’all to find that bastard and make him pay.”

“We got you,” Chico said, rubbing his palms together. “We gonna make an example outta this muthafucka.”

Joe cut in. “Only problem, we don’t have the slightest idea who the hell we looking for.”

“It’s only a matter of time before the ’hood starts talking,” Chico replied.

In Grandma’s bedroom, Gigi and Andrew had their ears
pressed to the closed door, eavesdropping on the conversation taking place in the living room. They had never heard Grandma curse before. Matter of fact, they had never seen her lose her cool. But that night, they saw a side of Grandma they’d never expected.

Chapter Six

O
n Christmas Eve, Gigi sat counting all the money she had made. She couldn’t believe she had actually managed to make close to twenty-eight thousand dollars in such a short time. She would be able to give Grandma just what she wanted for Christmas: a new life with new kidneys.

*  *  *

Christmas morning, Gigi got up and decided she just wanted to spend the holiday with her family in peace.

She smiled to herself as she turned off the hot shower and stepped out of the tub to dry herself off.

*  *  *

Up bright and early, Grandma was already busy cooking Christmas dinner. The aroma from the cooking food radiated throughout the apartment. All the noise Grandma was making in the kitchen finally woke up Andrew.

A few seconds later, he walked into the kitchen with his head still bandaged, rubbing his red eyes. “Mmmm … that shit smells good,” he said with a yawn. “I can’t wait to eat.”

“It does smell good,” Gigi said, as she joined them in the crowded kitchen. “Merry Christmas.”

Planting a kiss on Grandma’s cheek, she glanced at the pots and pans cooking on the stove and then greeted her cousin. “Morning, knucklehead. Merry Christmas to you, too.”

“By the time everyone gets here in a few hours, the food’ll be ready, and we can all eat,” Grandma said over her shoulder as she stirred the collard greens bubbling in one of the pots.

“Grandma, that’s still hours away. I’m starvin’,” Andrew said, rubbing his fat belly for emphasis.

Following her cousin’s lead, Gigi held her washboard stomach and added, “You ain’t the only one.”

Grandma laughed. “I knew you two would be hungry,” she said, reaching into the microwave and pulling out two plates overflowing with breakfast food. She placed one in front of each of her grandchildren then went back to bustling around the kitchen.

“Aren’t you going to eat?” Gigi asked, cutting into a sausage link.

“I’m not really hungry. I ate a little earlier,” she said.

“You’re feeling okay, right?” Gigi asked.

“I’m fine, baby. It’s Christmas Day. I couldn’t be better.” They spent the morning laughing and talking, and Gigi thought several times about giving Grandma her present before the family arrived. Now that she had the money, it occurred to her that Grandma would ask all kinds of questions about where she had gotten it, and she didn’t know how to explain it.

Finally, she decided that she wasn’t going to tell her grandma
where she’d gotten the money, but she was going to insist she take it.

Later that afternoon, Gigi and Andrew were glued to the TV, playing one of his new PlayStation games, when the doorbell rang. Pausing the video game, Gigi glanced at the clock hanging on the living room wall. It was five minutes after two. She skipped down the hallway and opened the front door to find her mother and younger sister, Lulu, standing in the dim hallway. They had several containers of food and plenty of gifts sticking out of their bags.

“Merry Christmas,” they said, greeting Gigi in unison.

They exchanged hugs and kisses as she hustled them inside the apartment.

“Give me your coats,” Gigi said, holding out her hand.

“I’m ready to open my presents,” Lulu said, as she stepped past Gigi and then stopped to take off her North Face jacket. Lulu lived with their mother, Carmen, even though Gigi preferred to stay with Grandma. Carmen and her older daughter couldn’t get along. They butted heads because they shared the same type of temperament.

Sniffing the air, Carmen smiled at Gigi and added, “I’m ready to eat dinner.”

“Remember that we have to kiss under the mistletoe,” Gigi announced, motioning to the mistletoe hanging above the door frame. After kissing her sister and mother on the cheek, she skipped to the doorway of Andrew’s bedroom and tossed their coats onto the bed. “Who wants eggnog?”

“Dag, Gigi, calm down,” Lulu replied with a laugh. “We just
walked in.” Heading into the living room, she placed the bag of gifts down and greeted everyone else.

Singing “Santa Baby,” Gigi happily passed out decorative Christmas mugs filled with eggnog. Just as she handed out the last cup, the doorbell rang again, and once again Gigi skipped down the hallway to answer it. This time it was Uncle Tito and his kids. Gigi greeted them with a jovial “Merry Christmas,” grabbed a camera from a side table, then snapped a picture, blinding them momentarily with the bright flash.

Gigi was the life of the party. She was already tipsy from drinking two glasses of Coquito, a mixed drink made of coconut and spiked with Puerto Rican rum. She happily handed out everybody’s presents and forced everyone to kiss under the mistletoe at some point during the evening, all the while snapping pictures.

Her boyfriend, Mel, stopped by. He couldn’t stay long because he had to have Christmas dinner with his mom and little brother. Before he left, Gigi dragged him to the mistletoe to give him a juicy kiss.

“You get your Christmas present later,” she whispered in his ear.

“Santa got a yule log for you, too,” he whispered in hers.

Ten minutes later, the entire family was seated around the dining room table enjoying the huge Christmas dinner Grandma had slaved over most of the day. The table was cluttered with all kinds of dishes—turkey,
pernil
, macaroni and cheese, apple pie, stuffing, chicken. Name it and Grandma had it on the table. Everyone was caught up in conversation, stacking their plates full of food. Grabbing the remote control, Gigi turned on the stereo
in the living room to a station playing Christmas carols and raised the volume up high.

Slowly but surely the Christmas songs took the place of conversation as the family dug deeper into their meals. Every now and then a few of them stopped stuffing their mouths long enough to make light chat. For the next thirty minutes or so the family filled their bellies before each one slowly drifted away from the table into the living room, where they opened their gifts.

Gigi was so nervous about how Grandma would react to her present, she ignored the pile in front of her. When Grandma finally opened Gigi’s gift, she didn’t say a word. Tears filled her eyes as she read the note Gigi had attached.

“Something wrong, Grandma?” Lulu asked, seeing her grand-mother’s expression.

Grandma could only nod.

“What’d she get you?” Carmen asked curiously.

Grandma just stared at the box, shielding the contents from view and she softly whispered, “A second chance.”

She walked over to Gigi and hugged her tight. “Thank you, baby,” she said. “Thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome,” Gigi said, hugging her back, relieved she wasn’t upset about the gift. “You know there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you.”

“And there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you,” Grandma said.

She picked up a neatly wrapped box off Gigi’s pile and handed it to her. “Merry Christmas, baby,” she said.

Gigi shook the gift, trying to figure out what it might be. Finally, curiosity got the best of her, and she ripped the paper off
and tore into the box. She frowned when she saw the red-and-white Santa hat.

“Thanks, Grandma,” she said, trying to act as if she really liked it.

Grandma didn’t say a word as Gigi pulled the hat out of the box and revealed a diamond tennis bracelet resting on a personal check. Gigi’s mouth fell open when she spotted the shiny piece of jewelry.

“Grandma, I love it!” she screamed. Jumping to her feet, she gave the older woman a big hug.

“You’re welcome, baby. Merry Christmas.” Grandma smiled triumphantly. “Now, try it on.”

After putting on the bracelet, Gigi shook her wrist beneath the light, watching the diamonds sparkle. Grandma’s gift had caught her by surprise.

Gigi picked up the check, written out for four thousand dollars, more than enough to cover her tuition, expenses, and books.

All she had been expecting was the Lazarus chain, but the expensive bracelet and tuition money surpassed all that.

By the time they finished opening presents, the entire family was caught up in the Christmas spirit. Grandma had really delivered on gifts for everyone. Uncle Tito and Carmen were dancing away to Spanish music without a care in the world, while the little kids played with one of the PlayStation 3s, although Grandma had bought one for each of them. Worn out by the long day, Grandma remained seated at the table, enjoying the moment.

The doorbell rang and Gigi answered it. Carmen’s boyfriend, Guido, stood there. “What’s up, Guido?” Gigi said as she motioned him in.

He strolled into the apartment with his usual swagger. He always sported a long leather trench coat with a button-down shirt and slacks underneath. Nobody would know by looking at the short, lanky Colombian with slicked-back hair that he smuggled cocaine into the United States for the cartels back home.

“Merry Christmas, Gigi,” he said, heading to the living room. “Hey, Ma, how you doing?”

“I’m okay. What about you?” Grandma asked.

“Can’t complain,” Guido replied. He always seemed to be in a good mood, thanks to his booming business, and he always showered Grandma with money and gifts. He treated her as if she were his own mother.

“I need to speak to you before you leave,” Grandma said, anxious to talk to him privately.

Happy to see her man, Carmen greeted Guido with a peck on the cheek before he had a chance to answer Grandma. “Merry Christmas, baby.”

“Hey, sexy. You look hot,” he replied, causing Carmen to blush.

“I hate to break up your little love connection, but I wanna talk to him in private,” Grandma said, getting to her feet. “Give us a few minutes.” She motioned for him to follow her to the bedroom.

*  *  *

The celebration finally died down around one a.m. Gigi kissed her younger sister and her mother, who were the last to leave, good-bye. She wished Grandma a Merry Christmas once more
and sent her off to bed, then she cleaned up the mess her family had left behind.

It was almost three o’clock in the morning when Gigi finally made her way to bed. She was just drifting off when her cell phone vibrated. By now she had gotten used to the late-night phone calls and figured it was one of her customers. This time she didn’t answer the call. She had reached her goal. She smiled, realizing it was all over and she didn’t have to hustle anymore.