Dirty Work: Part 1

Kid fell back on his rudeness. It was torture for him.

Nana ignored him and went on being the kind, old, sickly lady.

They talked while Kid stared out the room window. He heard Nana complain about her medication, how it had gone up. Kip was listening to her, but Kid was completely sicker than her inside and out. He felt his stomach churning from hearing her bullshit. She walked with a cane that Kid felt she did not need. He wanted to push her out the fucking window.

Nana said, “I’ll tell you, Kip, the way things are today, this system is going to send an old lady like me to an early grave.”

“Nana, I told you to stop talkin’ like that. You gonna be fine.”

“With what their charging for my medication, they want the elderly to become sick and move on.”

“How much is your medication? What do you need?” Kip asked.

“Kip, you’ve already done too much for me,” she said.

Kid muttered under his breath, “Damn right, he has.”

They both heard him.

Kip shot his brother a screw face.

Nana sighed. She sat her old, aching bones in a chair near Kip, looked at him with simplicity and said, “If I’m not mistaken, at least nine hundred dollars.”

“For what?” Kid said, taken aback by the price. “What medication you’re taking that cost nine hundred dollars?”

Kip hollered, “Kid, chill. What’s wrong wit’ you?”

“She’s what’s wrong with me, Kip! That woman ain’t sick! She’s obviously faking it.”

“And you know this how, huh? You a damn doctor, Kid? You’re smart, but you ain’t a doctor. And I don’t like how you’re coming at Nana.”

Nana sat there silently. She always thought that she had been good and fair toward both brothers, but Kid’s animosity came toward her like a ninety-mile-per-hour pitch from the mound aimed for her head.

The brothers argued for a short moment.

Kid said, “You know what? I’ll be downstairs in the lobby. Y’all two have fun.” He stormed toward the door, wheeling himself quickly into the hallway and to the elevator. He didn’t want anyone’s help or sympathy. He couldn’t tolerate her fraud and his brother’s foolishness.

“I’m sorry, Nana. He’s just going through some things, that’s all.”

“It’s okay, Kip. Your brother is just upset and angry. He’s in that chair . . . maybe he feels vulnerable and needs someone to hate.”

Kip didn’t respond. He just wished that the two favorite people he loved would just get along.

Before leaving, he gave his Nana twenty-five hundred dollars for her expenses and some spending money.

Nana looked reluctant to take it, but Kip wouldn’t take no for an answer. She beamed inside. The cash was more than plenty for her to have a good time with. Tonight, she would hit the casino and play her slot machines and the blackjack tables then maybe attend the local bar for a drink. Nana was living the good life, and she had Kip to thank for it.

***

The brothers were silent on their way back from Poughkeepsie. Kid was upset with Kip because he felt Nana was playing his brother for a fool. Why couldn’t Kip see that she was a fake? Now suddenly she had all these medical problems and injuries. And the cane was the icing on the cake. He didn’t plan on seeing that old bitch again.

Kid sat in his seat and stared aimlessly out the window. Traffic on the highway was flowing, which was a good thing. He wanted to hurry up and get home. He needed some sleep. It had been a long and trying day.

Kip drove and listened to the disc jockey. He would rather listen to the radio than beef with his brother. He soon heard that there was updated news on Jason Miller’s condition. He turned up the volume slightly.

The news announcer went on to say that the assault on Miller had cost him his career. The two gunshots to his ankles shattered bones and tore tissue. His rehabilitation would be extensive and expensive, and several doctors all came with the same bleak news—he would never be able to play basketball at a professional level again.

“Animals, whoever did this to Jason Miller!” the disc jockey exclaimed. “Whoever is responsible for shooting this man and taking away his livelihood should be locked up for life! Jason Miller was a good man and a great basketball player. The NBA will miss him. I knew he would have brought the Nets a championship.”