Thicker Than Water (Unedited Chapter 1) I thought I would try - TopicsExpress

Thicker Than Water (Unedited Chapter 1) I thought I would try something different with this story for marketing purposes and give the main character my first name. No part of this story may be copied or dublicated without the written permission of author © copyright Therone Shellman Please share your thoughts on the first chapter. Thanks beforehand. CHAPTER ONE RESPONSIBILITY Birds are chirping and flying about cable wires and street poles. Their wings fluttering in the air sending vibrations like music. Aside from the car traffic in the distance the air waves belonged to them. Therone walks out the front door, looks around at the houses on the block. No one is outside, except for an occasional car which passes by. He notices the birds right away and delights in their sense of freedom. In his hand he holds copies of six books he wrote while incarcerated, Love Don’t Live Here, No Love Lost, The Secrets of Self-Publishing, Survivor I Changed the Rules Part 1, and All You Need to Know to Become an Entrepreneur, and Third Eye Awakening. A little red sports car drives by and the woman looks at the books, which brings his attention to the fact he’s carrying them. Humbly he smiles at his accomplishment. He watches the ladies car drive down the street and whispers, “Through the Creator all things are possible.” A car horn beeps; Therone looks out in front of him and sees a car pulling into the driveway. The sedan is a black unmarked Crown Victorian. He knew it had to be the cab he called for. For who else would be visiting him? No one even was aware he was home and his fiancé rarely had anyone come over besides members of her immediate family. Once the car pulled in he opened the door and gets in the back, stumbling upon the seat sending the books sliding to the opposite door. The taxi driver looked over. “Are you ok brother?” Therone gathered the four books, stacking them neatly in the corner before sitting squarely in the back seat. “I’m good. I haven’t been in a car in a while, so I had a hard time getting in.” He starts laughing, and the cabbie joins in. The cabbie had a familiar scar on the back of his neck. It was the mark of someone who had been cut with a razor or knife. The familiar scar of someone who been locked up and obtained a battle scar. Therone thought about asking him if he ever been locked up before. But then he quickly thought against it. The last thing he wanted was the brother to get all rowdy. “Then Lord knows what would take place after this. And he didn’t need any trouble.” The cabbie takes his attention back to driving. Therone rests back in the seat and closes his eyes. He quiets his mind to dwell upon the day ahead. Minutes later he wakes up as the car is pulling up in front of the small but beautiful house. The familiar scene reminds him of moments spent there in the past. A closed lip smile comes to his face. He looks up front at the driver. Butterflies enter his stomach. “They told me on the phone its ten dollars. Do you have a business card so I can call you back when I’m ready to leave?” The taxi driver looks around so their eyes face one another. “Its ten dollars bro. Yeah and I have a card too. Just hit me on my cell when you’re ready. My name is Roscoe by the way. What’s your name?” His pearly white teeth glisten in the sun. Therone is a bit embarrassed by his own rudeness. “Therone, my apologies brother.” Roscoe nods his head in acknowledgement and reaches in-between the sun-visor and pulls out a card, handing it over to Therone. Therone hands him ten dollars, grabs a hold of the books, and makes his exit out the cab. On the way out he says, “Brother, I’ll call you soon. I have to go spend some time with my son. I hope his crazy mother acts civil.” Roscoe lets out a wild laugh. “Haaaa! Haaaa! Haaa! Ok brother call me. I just came on shift so I’ll be around. Haa! Haa!” Roscoe then takes a look ahead of him, then shifts the car into drive and pulls off. Therone watches the car cruise down the block. He then walks up the driveway to the stoop. He shakes his head and smiles. “That’s a good brother”, he whispers while walking slowly. Tish is standing behind the window curtain staring at Therone on the stoop. She turns to the gentleman on the couch. “Troy, here comes my sons’ father.” Troy pays her no attention. He fixes his chain, grabs the medallion, lets go and takes his attention back to what he was doing. Tish places her right hand to her waist. “I’m glad Osiris aint here to see him because, he thinks he’s Gods only son. But he’ll be back to that b/s real soon, watch!” Troy now stares at her briefly then takes his attention back to the TV screen. The NY Knicks are playing. Troy mumbles and sucks his teeth as if he has candy stuck to them. “What do you care. Let the man see his son. You don’t have to deal with him.” Tish sucks her teeth and crosses her arms in front of her. She turns her attention back out the window. Therone starts to back away from the stoop. He places his hands up to his head, moves them back and fourth in a rubbing motion. He then walks back up the stoop, without hesitation and rings the doorbell. “Shit!” he says quietly not knowing what to expect from his sons mother. The last thing he wants is problems. Tish fixes her clothing. Feeling satisfied with herself she walks to the door, hesitates to open it, but then does. Her and Therone’s eyes lock onto one another’s. Therone breaks the silence. “Hi Tish, hopefully for Osiris’s sake we can have a parents relationship without any drama. I just got home three days ago. I miss my son, and I know he needs me just like I need him. I just want to be there. Seven years is a long time to reflect on my responsibilities.” Tish smirks and huffs. “Seven years is a long time. Too long to be playing both parents. Osiris is at basketball practice and will not be back until much later. But you can come in so I can get your number so he can call you. He’s mad at you one minute, and the next it’s like you can do no wrong.” “Listen Tish, you knew what I was doing and didn’t complain when the money was coming in. We both got used to the lifestyle. Had I known that you were going to up and bounce do you think I would have had a kid with you. I thought that whatever happened you would hold it down. In that life there is a down side, not everything is all peaches and cream. It is what it is, and it’s seven years later.” Tish doesn’t respond, she just rolls her eyes and neck and sucks her teeth. Therone hears a basketball game on television. Nothing about Tish’s demeanor gives him negative vibes, so he doesn’t have reservations about coming inside. He steps in, while Tish backs away to make room. Once inside he notices she is staring at him seductively. Not wanting to send her any wrong signals he keeps his stare as nonchalant as possible. Seeing that she is seeking to push the boundaries he takes his eyes away from her and looks at Troy who’s sitting on the couch. She is looking as beautiful as ever with her dark smooth skin, and nice body he had to honestly admit to himself though. Troy turns toward him and nods his head. Therone nods his head back. “I see your brother is still doing his thing. I ran into him the other night getting off the train. He was picking someone up and he hollered at me.” Troy smirks and lets out a little laugh. “Yeah, big brother is doing it real crazy. But he learned that from big dogs like you. You and Ree put the game down out here. When all you cats started getting busted it created opportunities for cats like him. The market was there, so all he had to do was step in. In fact right after you left I laid my gangster for a bit. I caught a six months-five years probation. Got out, had a daughter, got a little job and called it quits. I dabble in it a little here and there.” Troy nods, sucks his lips and rocks back and forth as if reminiscing about the past. His eyes almost roll back. Therone crosses his arms and nods his head acknowledging what Troy is speaking about. He also senses some confrontational energy coming from Tish, so he looks out from the corner of his eye at her. Tish is a bit annoyed that Therone and Troy are politicking. It’s all over her face. Her cheek bones are showing and her mouth is closed tightly. Without thinking she speaks freely. “You two can reminisce another time. Osiris is sixteen years years old. And for seven years I was daddy. I did everything by myself. And you know what? I don’t need no man, stranger or his father coming into his life and screwing things up, then back in prison and out of his life. Against my better judgment I’m going to let you do the father thing. Just don’t f’up or you won’t see him again until he turns seventeen.” Tish nods her head up and down making a scowl and somewhat half smirk which had always served to annoy Therone in the past. He always said it made her look ugly and wasn’t feminine at all. “Gangster face” he would call her when she did this. The only thing he did now was shake his head and then look toward Troy. He didn’t care to say anything because, now she wasn’t his problem to contend with. She is now the next mans hassle. He looks at her. “Thank the prophets for small favors!” he thinks as thoughts of Sherril come to him. They were worlds apart in personalities. Troy is shaking his head. “A woman cannot raise a boy into manhood. You ladies don’t know nothing. Hmmm.” Tish rolls her eyes, throwing them both a dirty look. Troy goes back to watching the basketball game. Periodically he feels the chain around his neck. Therone remains calm, takes out a pen and writes his phone number on the back of a business card. In a diplomatic manner he says, “Did you worry about all I was doing when I was buying everything you wanted. You never once asked me to stop hustling. It didn’t become an issue until after a year I was locked up and you decided to mess with one of my friends. When the cat out the bag that’s when you had to come clean about your intentions.” Tish folds her arms, “You expected me to do nothing for seven years. Any plant needs to be watered. You made the choice to hustle, not me. So why should I be by myself. I said I was sorry about who it was with. That’s life, you made out fine, got yourself a new pretty thang to come visit you right after I fell off. Damn, you even wrote some books. Well, now you can do for your son. At least you can repay him back a little f-cking something for the time lost. My investment is gone. I have my life, and you have yours.” She rolls her eyes and neck in a smooth rhythmic motion. Therone puts his hands up as if to say he doesn’t want any problems. Tish immediately shuts up. He then looks toward Troy and then moves his gaze back to Tish. Placing his hands to his head, and crossing his fingers he looks to the ground. For about ten seconds he stands quietly and just thinks before responding. He knows he needs to choose his words carefully. “Tish, I have no issues with you. I just want to be a father to my son. If I have to tell you this every day I will. Please give these books to Osiris.” Therone places the books down on a chair. He gives Troy the peace sign, and Troy does the same in return. Therone then heads for the front door. Troy and Tish watch him walk away. Tish has a wicked stare, while Troy on the other hand has a look of respect. He actually admired the man ever since he was a teen watching him make moves in the streets.