Dirty Work: Part 1

He continued to sit by the window, feeling the afternoon sun splash against his face. The warmth of the day was inviting. He was itching to go down to the park and play a game of chess. It was what kept his mind free from troubles and worries. The game was his escape. He mobilized his chess pieces so well because he himself was immobile, so he gave his king, queen, pawns, knights, and rooks legs to travel freely and conquer. Though he felt powerless, his chess pieces gave him power.

While sitting and contemplating, his cell phone rang. Kid wheeled himself toward it and answered. He didn’t recognize the number.

“Hello,” he said.

“Good afternoon, Kid. It’s your Nana.”

He frowned. Why was she calling him? He didn’t even think she had his number. “What you want?” he asked harshly.

“I don’t mean to disturb you, but I’m calling looking for Kip. For some reason, he’s

not answering his cell phone, and I’m concerned.”

“Maybe he finally came to his senses.”

Nana sighed. “Why such hatred for me, Kid? I did nothing but love and take care of you and your brother the best I could.”

“Because I know what you are. I see you, and you may have Kip fooled with that old sick-granny routine, but you don’t have me fooled.”

“But I am sick, Kid.”

“I call bullshit!”

“Kid, please. This is important. I need to contact your brother. I need to tell him something that he needs to know. I’m a dying woman, Kid.”

Kid felt nothing for the old lady. If she were to drop dead that day, he wouldn’t feel any contrition. He knew the bitch’s crocodile tears were only about money. He didn’t believe she was sick at all, and if he could prove it, he would. But for now, he could only trash her and lash out with words.

He hung up. He didn’t plan on passing any messages to his brother about that woman. She’d never called, and they’d never spoke.

Feeling alone and gloomy on a sunny day, Kid needed to get out. He was tired of the apartment and tired of looking out the window and seeing the woman he loved love somebody else. Though Jessica and Eshon had beef, he was still with team Jessica. She could do no wrong in his eyes; it all had to be a misunderstanding.

Later in the day, Kid went down to St. Nicholas Park, played a few games of chess, and won over three hundred dollars. He spent four hours in the park and then arrived home as the sun was setting over the horizon.

An hour after he came home, Kip walked through the door. Kid could see he was in a sour mood.

“What’s wrong?” Kid asked him.

Kip didn’t have any words to say.

The look on Kip’s face already told Kid that he must have spoken to Nana, and she had gotten to him already. Kid felt there wasn’t anything he could do about it. Kip was silent and acted like he wasn’t even there.

Kid rolled himself into the bedroom and closed the door. That manipulative bitch, he thought. She was always messing with his brother’s psyche and creating stories to make him feel sorry for her.

***

The next day, Kip was in his minivan, speeding on the interstate, on his way to see Nana. By early afternoon he was knocking on her door and dying to speak to her.

Nana answered the door in her teal housecoat, fuzzy slippers, and curlers, clutching her walking cane.

Kip gave her a hug and took a seat inside the room. “Nana, tell me what you said yesterday isn’t true. You ain’t got cancer, right?”

Nana, looking bleak and sickly, took a seat opposite him. She had told him that she had been diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer that could have already invaded nearby lymph nodes and muscles. And though the cancer was advanced, a number of effective treatment options were still available.

Kip didn’t want to believe she was dying from breast cancer, but she had the proof, the letter and her diagnosis from her doctors. He looked downhearted. Nana was the only woman in his life that he loved and cared for so much.

“What are the doctors saying? You can fight this, right? It’s treatable?”

Nana released a deep, sorrowful sigh. “I don’t know, Kip. The insurance company is refusing to pay for my chemo and the experimental drug treatment.”