Enter Zane
April 15th 2010, 10:00a.m:
*Riing!*, *Riing!!*
*Ringing stops. The call is picked up.*
“Hello. This is the MCcollin residence. How may I help you?”
I woke up to the sound of my mother’s shriek in the morning. I tell you it’s not a very pleasant memory to remember.
I head downstairs, but not before checking up on my lil bro, and, perfect, he’s asleep.
Downstairs, my mom is still on the phone, except she is on her knees, and I hear little cries coming from her.
“Mom! What’s wrong??”
She looks at me with red eyes. The kind you get when you’re crying heavily.
“Come here,” she says.
I approach her, and she hugs me tightly.
We stayed like that for quite a while. I can hear her heartbeat racing and an attempt to keep her composure, but that doesn’t last long.
The waterworks begin to flow, and the once quiet house is now flooded with soft cries.
She looks at me with my body in her hands. The words I never expected to hear—words that rang through my ears, traumatizing them—
“Sweetie... “You know I love you, right?” she asks.
“Yes, mom,” I reply.
“Okay,” she says, wiping the tears from her eyes and face.
“Okay, Dad, you won’t be coming home,” she says.
“Oh?, It’s okay if he doesn’t come home today. It’s not the first time. Is that why you’re crying, mum? It’s no big deal, really mu-”
“No, honey, dad won’t be coming home ever. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever. He is gone”, she says.
Gone-gone-gone. The sound echoes throughout my head.
I rush upstairs. “Hey..wait, baby”, she says, chasing me upstairs.
I head straight for my room and lock the door behind me.
“Honey, Zane!, Zane, open the door please, Zane!” she says as she begins to sob.
“I’m really sorry, Zane!” she says.
I looked for my Apple iPad, unlocked it, and then went to Google.
I look up the word “death.”
Death: the action or fact of dying or being killed; the end of the life of a person or an organism.
I drop the iPad to the ground and just stand there completely still.
So many emotions. I just can’t seem to grasp what it is exactly that I am feeling.
I head towards the door, rotate a full 360, and plummet to the ground, resting my back on the door.
“Zane, dear. “I’m so sorry”, mom says, sobbing.
I too try to hold back my tears, but the waterworks begin to flow. Everything goes silent, and the only sound is my mother and I sobbing our hearts out.
2 years later
My dad was a playful, energetic, patient, and loving dad.
He bought me ice cream every Sunday and played sports with me anytime he had the chance.
I remember his smell, his laughter, and his voice. My dad was quite strict, and my grades at school were never below 80%. The 90s were ideal, but the 80s were an exception as well.
I recall my father lifting me into the air and flinging me around the house. It helped boost my imagination about being a superhero like Superman.
He would also let me eat from his bowl even though I still had food left on my plate. He was quite tolerant.
After his death, things weren’t the same anymore, and it started falling apart. My grades were crumbling, and I got into constant fights at school. I grieve differently; crying made me feel horrible, so I just took out my anger on the world around me. I was being toxic and self-destructive.
(June 10th, 2012): We arrived at our new house, which is not as big and beautiful as our previous house, but it is enough to feel like a start.
Mom wanted us to start over. A new town with new people The air felt clean here.
September 9th, 2012:
*Woof*
*Woof*
A puppy with a coat as white as snow and brown pupils.
“It’s a white lab,” my mother says.
I got the puppy from one of our neighbors. The Simpsons turned out to be handing out puppies for free, so I decided, why not? This way, both of you boys can develop a sense of responsibility, she says.
“Thank you so much, Mom!” we both exclaim.
“What should we name it?” she says.
I look at my brother, and he nods his head.
“Alright, let’s name it Snow,” we both say.
“Wait, it’s a male right,” I ask.
“Ah, turns out it’s a female, but Snow still fits, either way,” she says.
You have named her; she’s yours now. She says, “Take good care of her.
“We will!” we say excitedly.
*4 years later*
Knock!, knock!, knock!
“The hell,” I murmur.
Knock!!, knock!!.
“Who’s there?” “I’m trying to get some damn sleep here! “, I shout.
“How are you still trying to get some sleep at literally 10 a.m. in the morning, Zane?” the voice asks.
“Shit Drey that you, my bad man,”
I hop off my bed and open the door for him. There stood Drey, lively as ever.
Wearing his usual getup: Nike Air sneakers, black jeans, a white top with the word ‘slay’ on it, a black wrist watch, and his afro punk hair style that actually fits him.
“Good morning, sunshine,” Drey says.
“Morning,” I say, yawning.
“Dayum boy. You ate dog shit last night or something. “Your breath stank!!“, Drey says.
“Shut up, you Goop!!“, I say to him.
“Did you forget what today is? Jay’s gonna be pissed when he finds out you overslept on such an important day”, Drey reminds me.
“Wait, what’s the time?” I ask.
“10: 06,” Drey replies.
“When are we supposed to be there?” I ask
“11:20 a.m., I think,” Drey says.
“Shit, shit. The luggage is on the right side of my closet. Let me freshen up quick!“, I tell him.
“Yeah, yeah. You do that. Better hurry; I don’t want to get scolded along with your ass”, Drey says.
“Yeah, my bad,” I reply.
I get prepared. Rushing through every process, I get out of the shower fast, wear my clothes fast, and head downstairs fast.
I see Drey being Drey. He’s going through the kitchen’s cabinets again.
“Yooo, where’s the good stuff at?” Drey asks.
“It’s finished. “Gabe finished it,” I say.
“Huh!” Drey says.
The door to the downstairs bathroom opens. My lil brother Gabe walks out.
“Morning, Drey,” Gabe greets Drey.
“Don’t even, you fat ass. You ate the cookies I left in the cabinets,” Drey greets him back.
“Huh...ooh. “Sorry, I was hungry, so I helped myself,” Gabe says.
“Broo, I didn’t buy that shit for you!” Drey says to him
He looks at me.
“Yeah, I know.” “I will pay you,” I assure him.
“Good. Let’s go,” Drey says.
“A’ight ″. I search my wallet in my pockets. I bring out 500 Urons. Then hand it to Gabe. He collects it.
“A’ight, I won’t be home till later tonight.” “So man the fort and be good,” I say.
I dap him and tell him I love him. I leave the house, go down my front house stairs, and get into Drey’s car. The Ford Mustang.
“A’ight you ready?“, Drey asks.
I glance at my house. I close my eyes and take a deep breath.
“Yeah, I respond.” “Let’s go,” I say.
Vroooom!! Off we go!
Drey is what we call a speed demon. Man loves to drive fast, for some reason. If Drey died one day. It would probably be from a car accident because this man speeds unnecessarily.
Down a road slope, up a road slope, past a four-way traffic light, then left into another neighborhood. All so fast. It’s not until we get to the main road that he actually becomes a proper human driver and not a demon-speed-possessed human being. He drives normally from there on.
................................................................................................
35 minutes later:
................................................................................................
We arrive at Jay’s house. There he is, sitting outside on his porch with his sunglasses on. He’s wearing all white. We both get out of the car and walk submissively towards him. Making sure we look at the ground while walking towards him.
Jay is the supposed savior and boss of our street gang. Everyone in the G7 gang looks up to him and treats him like some sort of god, but he is not my god. My inclusion in the G7 gang is only temporary.
“Hold it!” Jay says in a loud, confident voice.
We stop dead in our tracks. Another thing about Jay is that he demands the utmost respect from his subordinates. So no talking unless you’re spoken to.
“What time is it right now?” Jay asks.
“Don’t even try to answer. I will tell you what time it is. The time is your both late!!. What did I say about being late, Zane... and Drey?“, he asks.
“We are sorry, there was traffic, and...”
“You think I am dumb; I know the traffic on the main road doesn’t form until after 10:30 a.m.,” Jay responds.
“I know you both knew that, so why didn’t you leave earlier?” Huuh!!?. “I feel you both need to be disciplined!” Jay says.
“Give it a rest, Jay. We have more important things to worry about right now. Punishment comes later,” says Big Willy (the underboss, second to Jay), after stepping out of the house.
“Raise your heads,” Big Willy commands.
We raise our heads. Staring at Big Willy, you can’t help but notice that big golden chain on his chest that says “ChAoS”, his golden wristwatch, his new fresh Bald Fade + Cornrows haircut, the left ear piercing, his Air Jordan Metallic Gold sneakers, his blueish-white pants with a matching blue shirt, and his sunglasses.
Sheesh, the man knows how to dress. Damn, today must really be a big deal if he’s dressed like that.
Before, he used to dress like a dowdy, but now he’s done a whole 360.
“You got the supplies?” he asks.
“It’s in the car’s trunk,” I say.
“Good. Jay, how about we forgive them for today?” Big Willy asks Jay.
“Whatever, bring out the luggage, Drey,” Jay commands.
Drey heads to the car trunk and brings out the luggage I had in my closet. He pulls out the handle and drags it straight towards Jay and Big Willy.
“Not here. Take it inside and sit down, and you as well, Zane. We got shit to run as usual, except this time. It’s a pretty big fish”, Jay says.
We all head inside: Drey, Jay, Big Willy, and then me.
