Thicker Than Water E-Book

Gregory Lamont Hemphill

• Herausgeber: Spines
• Kategorie: Poesie und Drama
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Beschreibung

Elaine, a widow with a young son, grapples with the cryptic aftermath of her husband's death, which sets off a series of dangers and betrayals in her life. As she delves into the machinations of a powerful family patriarch, she navigates the treacherous lines between friend and foe. A tale of intrigue and resilience unfolds, drawing in characters whose fates intertwine with the specter of deceit looming over them. On this perilous journey, Elaine seeks justice and redemption, protecting her son and exposing the truth beneath a web of lies.

Leseprobe

Gregory Lamont Hemphill

Thicker than water

All rights reserved

Copyright © 2023 by Gregory Lamont Hemphill

No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

Published by Spines

ISBN: 979-8-89383-203-7

THICKER THAN WATER

GREGORY LAMONT HEMPHILL

CONTENTS

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

CHAPTERONE

“David, get in here and eat this food,” his mother shouted.

“Okay, Mommy!”

She was a single mother, trying her best to provide the bare necessities for her son. The loss of her husband was a blow, but she knew for the sake of her son, she needed to go on. Every time she looked in his eyes she saw Rudy. He was a handsome five-eleven, one hundred-eighty pounds, green eyes, curly hair, and bo-legged.

The two of them were in love with each other despite the fact that their parents didn’t approve. Mainly because she was a beautiful black woman and he was white. She was a short, outspoken, brown-eyed, jet black hair, smooth brown skin, beautiful woman.

Every day she feared for her son’s life and hers, knowing what she knew. The information was given to her by her husband that one horrific day on his deathbed. Hanging onto this secret was like holding onto a bomb.

Wiping mud on his clean clothes, “Momma, did you cook macaroni and cheese?” David asked.

“No, cheeseburgers and fries.”

“Yay,” he said, running to the bathroom to wash his hands.

She always followed him into the bathroom to make sure he did. Sometimes he would put the soap between his hands and say they were clean. There were never any suds in the sink that were dirty, so that was a giveaway.

“Look young man, you wash your hands with soap and water or no dessert,” she said, turning on the faucet.

“Momma, why do I have to always wash my hands?” he asked.

“Because when little boys don’t wash their hands, they get sick and can’t eat dessert.”

She put her hands on his and started to wash their hands together. He looked up and smiled at her as she smiled back at him. Elaine grabbed his favorite towel off the towel rack and dried their hands. She gave him a horsey back ride into the kitchen.

Later on that night, David had eaten all this food and was ready for bed. She remembered buying his pajamas with his father on his birthday. After tucking him in, she kissed him goodnight and turned out the light.

Pretending he was sleeping, he opened his eyes, “I love you, Mommy, goodnight.”

“I love you too, baby, goodnight.”

She closed the door to his room and thought about the many nights his father and her would kiss him goodnight.

While locking up the house, Elaine noticed a car parked in the front of the house. She tried seeing who was inside the car, but it was too dark. What she did see was there were two men in the car. Paying it little mind, she walked upstairs to her bedroom and went to sleep.

The next morning, Elaine felt something crawling on her face and woke up to find it was David with his toy spider.

“Wake up, Mommy,” he said smiling.

“Give Mommy five more minutes, ok?”

“Okay, time to wake up again, Mommy,” he laughed.

Pulling the covers off of her, “What do you want Mommy to cook for you?” she asked.

“Pancakes, waffles, sausage, eggs, and–”

Interrupting him, “Wait a minute, Mommy can’t cook all that. How about some pancakes and sausages?”

“Okay”

“Now go brush your teeth and wash your face,” she said, giving him a kiss on his forehead.

The doorbell rang downstairs and Elaine went to answer it. She opened the door's curtain to see who it was. It was Mr. Simms, the mailman. He was always polite and had a smile on his face. He was also a flirt with all the ladies in the neighborhood.

“Hello and Good Morning, Mrs. Devant,” he said grinning from ear to ear.

“Hello, Mr. Simms, and Good Morning to you.”

“I’m sorry to hear about your husband,” he said, trying to look into her house.

“May I help you with something?” she asked.

“I was just admiring how nice your home looks”

“May I have my mail please?” Elaine asked.

Handing her the mail, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be nosey.”

“Goodbye, Mr. Simms,” slamming the door in his face.

She locked the door and went upstairs to shower, so she could fix breakfast for her and David. Some time had passed, she came into the kitchen, and found everything ready for her. Elaine made breakfast and got the school bag ready for David.

She walked out the door with David and went to the corner to take him to his bus stop. While she was putting his jacket and hat on, she watched his grandparents driving up and parking across the street.

The two of them were getting out of the car and started walking towards her and David. Elaine looked over at them in disgust, for the lack of compassion for their loss.

Grabbing hold of her son, “What the hell do you two want?”

“We just came to talk and maybe see our grandson if that was okay?” his grandmother asked.

Elaine was never diplomatic when it came to her son’s grandparents, but she decided to be for her son’s sake. She moved him in front of her so they could see him.

“He’s so adorable, he looks just like his father,” his grandmother said. Elaine Looked at the two of them wondering what they were up to this time, She knew something was happening, but not sure what. She quickly moved David back behind her.

“The two of you are being so friendly, why is that?” she asked.

“We’re just trying to get involved in his life and to help you, if you need it,” his grandmother replied.

“Where was all this love when I was married to your son and he was alive?” Elaine asked,

“We were wrong.”

“The world must be coming to an end,” she said sarcastically.

“Please, Elaine, give us another chance, we’ve learned from our mistakes,” David’s grandfather said.

“I’ll think about it.”

The school bus came and she helped David onto the bus. She walked past his grandparents without saying a word and went home. The two of them looked on in shame, She knew she’d have to stand her ground or she would lose her son too.

CHAPTERTWO

It was ten o’clock and Elaine was at home cleaning up. She was at the kitchen sink washing dishes reminiscing about Rudy. He had a habit of spraying the window from the outside with the water hose. Tears rolled from her eyes down her smooth skin. This was a rough year for her and David, and it wasn’t getting any better.

She finished the dishes and went into the sitting room, not far from the kitchen. She sat on the couch, staring out of the window into the backyard. Every day about this time, a red cardinal would fly into the yard and onto the birdfeeder/ Elaine hadn’t seen the bird in a long, long time.

She continued to look out the window and daydream, when she heard the phone ring.

Walking into the kitchen to pick up the phone, “Hello.”

“Is Elaine there?”

“This is she, who is this?” She asked, puzzled.

“Your mother,” she answered

“How are you doing?”

“I should be asking you that, sweetheart,” her mother replied.

“I’m taking one step at a time, trying not to think about him so much.”

“You’re gonna make it through this, I’ll always do what I can. You’re my child, I love you,” she said.

“I love you too.”

“Where’s David?”

“He’s at school,” Elaine answered.

“So have you heard from Rudy’s parents?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact. This morning on the way to take David to school,” She answered.

“And?”

“They were acting real nice, as if they were up to no good as usual,” she replied.

“Do you think they’re up to something?”

“I wanna give them the benefit of the doubt, but something’s telling me to stay on my guard.”

“Just hold on to that instinct, nine times out of ten, you’re right,” her mother said.

“We’ll see.”

The two of them talked for hours about everything. This was always a wonderful thing no matter what either one was going through. Her mother had a way of getting her to smile in any situation. Like Elaine and her son, this was a bond no turmoil or person could break.

CHAPTERTHREE

David’s school bus stopped in front of the house and let him off the bus. At the same time, Elaine opened up the door to greet him. This was a ritual she always did with her late husband. Simple, loving things like this, had become a major blow to her heart when she wasn’t able to do them anymore with her husband.

She hugged David and gave him a kiss on the cheek. He gave her one back on the cheek. The two of them hugged each other tight. She took off his book bag and always checked to see if he ate his apple. As usual, he took one bite and put the rest back.

“Mommy, guess what I did today,” he shouted.

“What, baby?”

Pulling the picture out of this book bag, “This is a picture of me, you, and Daddy.”

With tears rolling down her face, “This is so beautiful, baby.”

“Mommy, why are you crying?” He asked, touching her face.

“Mommy’s just proud of her little prince.”

“You’ll be ok, Mommy, I’ll take care of you,” he said, hugging her.

“Now go and wash your hands for dinner,” she said, giving him a pat on the butt.

The two of them were eating dinner, and usually his favorite. She pointed over at the broccoli, trying to get him to eat it. She knew the only way he would eat it is with cheese. This was their little battle a couple of nights a week with vegetables. He usually won, or so he would think.

“You’re the best mommy ever,” he said.

“Thank you, but you still have to eat your vegetables”

“Oh, Mommy,” he said, pouting.

He ate half of the vegetables and she was pleased. Tonight she won this battle and tomorrow night, it will start all over again. She glanced over at the empty chair where Rudy would always sit. She was remembering how he would always eat food out of her plate when her head was turned. David would always laugh when he did.

The phone was ringing and Elaine got up from the table to answer it.

“Hello?”

“You and your son need to leave town before the two of you get hurt,” the voice said on the other end.

“Who the hell is this, how did you get my number?” she asked in a mild tone.

“What’s wrong, Mommy?”

“Nothing, sweetheart,” she replied, and hung up the phone.

The two of them finished up their meal and went to take their baths and go to bed. She put David to bed and made sure all the doors and windows were locked. Panic was starting to set in, but she had to stay strong for her son.

She went into her room and looked out the window at the moon in all its beauty. This was a tradition Rudy did. It meant more now that Rudy was gone, and it became her line of peace.

CHAPTERFOUR

Elaine got up early and went into David’s room and he was gone. She started calling for him, but he didn’t respond. Immediately she thought about the call she received the night before. She frantically ran into the living room, hoping he would be there. He’d get up early sometimes to watch cartoons, but the room was empty.

“David, David,” She called out in despair, but still received no answer.

She ran outside to the backyard to see if he was in the sandbox, be he wasn’t. There was a secret hiding place she knew he would go but she couldn’t remember. On her way back to his room she was starting to remember. There was a door in his room that she had overlooked. This door led to the attic where he would play a lot.

Elaine quickly opened the door and ran upstairs. She got halfway up the stairs and heard his little voice. Tears poured from her eyes at the sight of him.

“David, baby, you scared Mommy,” she said in relief, hugging him.

“Mommy, you can’t interrupt the court case,” he said with his little robe on,

“Mommy thought something happened to her little judge,” she said, wiping her tears.

“I’m fine, Mommy.”

“Okay, baby.”

“We’ll take a five minute break so I can talk to my mommy,” he said, looking over at his toy robots.

“Mommy came to wake you up. but you weren’t there, sweetheart.”

“I always wake up early and play court because I wanna be a judge, Mommy, when I grow up.”

“Mommy will love you and be proud of you no matter what you become,” she said.

“I don’t want you to be scared anymore, Mommy. I’ll tell you when I play from now on,” he said, giving her a big hug.

“Okay, baby.”

She watched and smiled at him playing court with his toys. Of course he was always the judge in court. Elaine believed Rudy had first started the game with him. It was one of the many games the two would play.

The two of them went down to his room and watched some cartoons. David’s stomach was starting to mumble and she knew it was time for breakfast. She looked over at him and smiled, glad to see his appetite didn’t change.

“I’m going downstairs to fix you some breakfast, okay?”

“Some pancakes and sausages!” he shouted.

“Yes, David,” she replied.

On her way down she heard a noise coming from the back door. She went back into David’s room and grabbed one of his baseball bats. David looked over at her taking the bat, but didn’t pay too much attention. She creeped down the stairs.

Her heart started racing as she slowly came down the stairs into the kitchen. The noises got closer as she moved more into the kitchen. She saw a tall man, broad shoulders with a black jacket, that looked familiar. He turned around. It was her brother. He’d always come in the kitchen back door and grab something to eat.

“Victor, what the hell are you doing?” She said, putting down the bat.

“I always come in through the back,” he answered.

“This bat almost went upside down.”

“Come on now, you wouldn’t hit me,” he said with a banana in his mouth.

“Intentionally, no, but I thought you were someone breaking in.”

“Did someone try to break in?” He asked.

“No, but I did receive a crazy phone call last night.”

“Who was it? What did they want?” He asked, looking back on the counter.

“Who they were, I don’t know, but they wanted me to leave her with David,” she replied.

“You think it has anything to do with Rudy’s death?”

“Maybe, there have been a lot of strange things happening,” she replied, leaning the bat against the wall.

Elaine went to the refrigerator, getting what she needed for David’s breakfast. She looked over at Victor eating his banana, like he and David did a lot.

“Are you staying for breakfast?” She asked.

“No, I’ve got things to do today.”

“Okay, I guess I’ll see you later,” she said.

Elaine closed the door behind him as he left. She and Victor were the closest of all the siblings. She always knew she could depend on him for anything. Along with her parents, he was her rock.

Later on she called for David to come down and eat his breakfast. He always came down with his judge robe on. Sometimes he would trip, but he never allowed anyone to help him up.

“Mommy, why did you take the bar downstairs?”

Hesitantly, “Mommy thought she heard something in the kitchen.”

“Heard what?” He asked, eating his pancakes.

“It was nothing, eat your food, baby.”

CHAPTERFIVE

It was three o’clock in the afternoon and there was a knock on the door. Elaine looked out the front door window to see who it was. It was her mother with packages and some food. She knew the meals weren’t as nig when Rudy was alive and thought they needed it.

“It’s me, your mother.”

Opening the door and smiling, “It’s you, I thought it was somebody else, Elaine replied.

“Who did you think it was?”

“It’s nothing really,” she answered.

“Dont’ lie to me , I’m your mother,” She said with her signature look.

“Why do you always say that?” Elaine asked, smiling.

“Because it always works, now tell me.”

“Some things have been happening around here and it’s starting to bother me,” she said, closing the door behind her mother.

“Did someone try to break in?”

“I’ll tell you when we get in the kitchen,” she replied.