room; however, the one luxury Shirley and her man afforded themselves was a thirty-two-inch plasma TV.
Raphael navigated through the toys on the floor to the window and peeked out of the blinds. “What street is this and what city are we in?”
“You are in trouble. Now look, I can’t have no cops coming up in here. I’m doing you a favor, but if it has to do with the cops, you’ve got to G-O, go.”
“Do you have a car?”
“No car, but my boyfriend does. I take public transportation.”
“Okay, okay. Where are we?”
“You’re in Durham, baby.” Shirley turned on the television. “Missy, Sissy, and Baby Boy, ya’ll come on into the living room so me and this gentleman here can talk in the kitchen.”
Gravy and gummy rice stained their undershirts, but the motley group tumbled into the living room and began to play with their toys. “Okay, Raf, let’s go in the kitchen. You’ve got to get going. You’re wasting time.”
Raphael dialed Mimi and thanked God when he heard her frantic voice on the other end of the line.
“Where are you, Raphael?” Mimi shouted into the phone.
“Calm down, baby. You won’t believe the night I’ve had. Victor had me at gunpoint; I just escaped.”
“What? Oh my God! Are you all right? Where are you? Where is Victor now?”
“Oh, my Lord!” Shirley hollered.
“Who was that, Raf?” Mimi wanted to know.
“This kind lady let me find refuge in her house. Victor was behind me, but I think I managed to dodge him. I’ve got to get out of here, baby.”
“You’ve got the car.”
“The car is another story. When I went to Brenda’s house, I left the car unlocked. Victor must have been watching the house and saw me go inside. He was hiding in the backseat of the car when I got in. He pulled a gun on me…your gun…”
“Oh, God!” Mimi said. “Baby, did he hurt you?”
“No, but he made me drive to some neighborhood in Durham. And I had to leave the car after I knocked him down; it was the only way I was able to get away from him. Baby, you’ve got to help me get away from here. I can’t risk walking in this neighborhood because Victor may still be out there looking for me.”
“You can’t stay here all night,” Shirley said in the background.
Raphael fished for his wallet and threw her another twenty.
“I’ll see what we can work out,” Shirley said.
“Baby, I’ll call John,” Mimi said on the other end of the line. “He’ll help us. Give me the address so we can find you.”
“Shirley, what’s your address?”
“Who wants to know?”
“My wife, so she can get me out of here before your boyfriend comes home.”
“Okay, okay. It’s 555…hold on a minute. Missy, Sissy, and Baby Boy, shut that noise up in there. I can’t hear myself think. Okay, let’s try this again. It’s 555 Dunbar Street.”
Raphael repeated Shirley’s address to Mimi. “Hold on, baby. I think I hear sirens.”
In two giant steps, Raphael moved to the window in the living room, waddled through the children’s toys, and pulled back a corner of the blinds. Red and blue lights streaked by, sitting on top of three or four patrol cars whose sirens pierced the night.
“Let me have a look,” Shirley said. “Lawd, here comes a fire truck. Must be bad.”
Raphael drew the cell phone to his mouth. “Something has happened, Mimi. I saw several patrol cars and a fire truck pass by. If I had just stayed my behind at the hospital, I wouldn’t be in this predicament.”
“It’s water under the bridge now. I’ll call you back once I find John.”
“Hurry.” Raphael hung up the phone.
“She better make it fast,” Shirley said. “My boyfriend will be home soon.”
“You ain’t getting any more money, Shirley.”
50
Mimi ended her phone call with Raphael and breathed a sigh of relief, although she shook her head in disbelief. It was hard to fathom that her coming back to Durham had caused so much hurt and pain. Hindsight was twenty-twenty.
She walked back into Afrika’s room to check on her; she was still asleep. The room was quiet and still; the only movement came from the monitor that recorded Afrika’s vitals. Mimi leaned over the bed and pulled the thin spread up to her shoulders. She patted Afrika’s head and said a prayer. Mimi thanked God for her family, specifically that Afrika was going to be all right and that Raphael was safe.
Taking one last look, Mimi slipped from the room and dialed John’s number.