My friend looked at me directly in the eyes, I looked back.
“You… what???” I asked him.
He took a few steps closer to me on the bedside.
“Bro, I said...”
“I. Love. Her.”
I stared at him as he stood over me on the bedside. I didn’t quite understand the words that was coming out of his mouth. What is this “love” that he spoke of?
“Bro you high, you don’t know what you’re talking about.” I said to him.
“Bruh, I am not high. I love your little sister. Is that so hard to believe?”
“Uhh… yeah!” I replied back to him.
“Bro… that’s my little sister. You not just gon’ treat her dirty like you do all these other girls.”
Jerry immediately responded and raised his voice. “I’m not!”
“Why would I do that? That’s dumb. I would never…”
“Bro… I KNOW YOU!” I said to him.
He started to back his head away a little. “Obviously… you don’t.”
“If you think I’ma treat your little sister dirty like that than you don’t know me bruh.” He said.
I looked at my friend for a few seconds. I wanted to believe him… but for some reason I just couldn’t.
“Ard, tell me why you love her?” I asked him.
Jerry gave me a weird look and cocked his head back.
“Bro, I love her because…”
Christy then slammed the door open and walked in.
“Jerry, you do not have to answer that.” She said.
Then Christy turned her head to look at me.
“Jason… me and you are done.” She said calmly.
My eyes widened as I stared at her.
“WHAT! WHY??”
“Because… Why would you ask him that? If he loves her that’s his business. He doesn’t have to explain anything to you.” She said to me.
I blinked as I stared at her with wide eyes. “But…”
“Why are you breaking up with me though?” I asked her.
“Because Jason, you’re being rude and very disrespectful.”
“You do not have the right to ask him why he loves Cecilia, that’s his business.”
I then lifted the white hospital sheet that was on the bed and got off. I then bowed to her and began rubbing and kissing her feet.
“PLEASE DON’T LEAVE ME!”
“I am just a lonely African boy, I need you in my life.” I said in my dad’s Liberian accent.
Christy began snickering. She lifted her hand up to cover her mouth.
The flap behind my hospital gown came off and my backside started showing, Christy saw this and erupted in laughter.
“Bro YOU ARE GAY!” Jerry said to me.
“Get up off the floor, you look ridiculous.”
Christy continued to laugh as I kissed her feet and rubbed her ankles.
I looked up at her laughing and drew on a straight face.
“You think this is funny? Seeing me on the floor like this…” I said.
Christy nodded her head up and down while trying to hold back her laughter.
“I am a man with dignity okay, I deserve respect!”
“I DEMAND respect!” I said.
I then farted, wind came out. Christy immediately burst out in laughter, she held her stomach and almost fell over.
Jerry covered his nose with the back of his palms.
“That jawn stank bro!” He said.
I ignored him, I kept my gaze fixed on Christy.
“Bae I love you, I need you in my life okay.” I said.
She continued to laugh. “Stop laughing! I’m trying to be serious.”
Christy kept laughing for a few more seconds, then she started waving her hands over her mouth.
“Okay okay!” She said.
Christy stopped laughing, though she was still smiling. Her gaze was fixed on me again.
“Thank you! Now please…”
I farted again. Louder this time.
Christy fell down on the hospital floor as she erupted in laughter.
“I’m out!” Jerry said.
“This room stink!”
I turned my head to look at my friend as he got up off the chair and began heading out.
“Wait bro…”
Jerry continued walking towards the door. “Nah bro.”
“I’m not staying here if you keep farting!” He said.
“Bro I’ma stop.” I said.
Christy continued to laugh. Tears were now coming out of her eyes.
Jerry slowly turned around and began heading back towards the chair.
“You’re making a fool of yourself.” He said while sitting down.
“Bro I DON’T CARE!” I said to Jerry.
“I love this girl, when you love somebody you’ll do anything for them.”
Christy then got up off the floor and wiped the tears out of her eyes.
“Exactly Jason! That’s the same way that Jerry feels about Cecilia.” She said to me.
I gave a short pause, then I turned my head to look at Jerry as he was seated on the chair next to the bed.
“Really bro?” I asked him.
“That’s how you feel about her?”
He turned his head to the other side and frowned.
“Bro, I love her.”
I looked at my friend conspicuously and very carefully. Trying to see what he could possibly see in Cecilia. She’s been my sister for damn near my entire life, and I never saw anything special about her.
I would just… have to trust him. If he says that he loves her then that’s what it is. I couldn’t understand it. But I guess he couldn’t understand the love that I had for Christy.
I then got off the white ceramic hospital floor and started walking towards Jerry.
“I’m sorry bro. Give me a hug.” I said.
Jerry immediately got up off the chair and clenched his fists and lifted his guard up.
“You touch me and I’ma break your jaw.” He said.
I stopped walking towards him and started frowning.
“Bro, it’s called brotherly love!” He said.
Christy erupted in laughter again and almost toppled over.
I walked back over to the hospital bed and laid down, then I spread the white sheet over me.
“Okay bro, if you say you love her and you wanna be with her…”
“Then I cannot stand in the way. Just please… She’s my little sister bro. Don’t do her dirty.” I said.
Jerry turned his head to look at me with a serious face. “I got you bro.”
He then held his hands towards me to shake it. I took his hands and nodded to him as I shook it.
“Awww… you guys are so cute.” Christy said.
“Shut up!” I said.
“You’re fat.”
“And you stink”
Christy playfully punched me in the arms. I grabbed her hand as she swung and pulled her down to the bed close to me as I wrapped my hands around her.
“You still breaking up with me?” I asked her.
Christy smiled as she looked at me in the eyes.
“Umm… I’ma think about it.” She said.
“I don’t think you’re gonna do it.” I said to her.
“Mhmm… And why do you think that?” She asked me.
“Because… I think you love me, and I think you know I gotta crush on you.”
“But you should also know… that I am happily married, to the most amazing girl.”
“And… what is her name?” She asked me.
“Violet!” I thought about saying.
“Whatever we decide to name our first daughter.” I said instead.
Christy turned her head to look at me as I held her in my arms. Her long black hair brushed across my face.
“Awwwww… really bae?” She said.
“Yes… really.” I said to her.
I then drew my face in close to her, I brushed her hair to the side. “I love you.”
“Jason… I…”
I already knew what she was going to say. I kissed her before she could finish her sentence.
She kissed back. We stayed in that position for a couple minutes. Jerry then got up off the chair and walked up to us.
“COOTIES!” He said.
“Bro she’s a COOTIE QUEEN!”
I smiled widely and began laughing.
“Shut up, Hairy Jerry!” She said.
I then started to rub Christy on the side of her arms as she was in my arms on the hospital bed.
“Bae… it’s getting late.”
“You need to go home okay.”
Christy began pouting. “But… I wanna STAY!” She said.
“Ard well… I wanna solar powered laser beam cannon, but we all can’t get what we want.”
“Take your stuff and go home, I don’t want your mom to start tripping, you know how she be getting.” I said to her.
I then turned my head to look at Jerry.
“Bro, could you please take the bus with her and make sure she gets home safely.”
Jerry nodded his head. “Call me when you get home okay, both of you.” I said to my friend and my wife.
Jerry then got up off the chair and started to walk out the door. Christy got off the bed she gave me a peck on the cheek.
“What did the doctors say?” She asked me.
“He said I only got like three more days and then I’m gonna die.”
Christy punched me in the arm again. “Bye boy.”