1 week later

Ashanti Renèe Robinson, NY📍

"Damn that was a long ride." I said stepping out the car.

"Yea I took a few wrong turns." I shook my head and grabbed Aqua out the back.

"Mommy." She said pointing to the door of the spa.

"Yea we're goin in there."

We walked in and it smelled so good and it was already relaxing.

"Hello and welcome. Did you schedule an appointment?" The lady at the desk asked.

"Yea here." Jay took out his phone and showed her what was on his screen. She tapped around on her ipad before looking up at us.

"Okay. This way." She said walking us to the back of the spa.

"This is Aubrey & Leslie they will be taking care of you guys today." She said gesturing to the two women in their uniforms.

She later left and we started our spa day. We started with massages. Jay sat in the corner and watched us to make sure we were okay. I promise you Aqua prolly feel asleep twice.

We later moved to our hands, then lastly our feet. We sat at the chairs and put our feet in the water.

Aqua's area was so small it was adorable.

"How is it?" Jay asked coming back towards us.

"Relaxing." I replied as Aqua held up her thumb.

"I saw lollipops in the front do you want one?" He asked her.

"Skiddle."

"There's more candies that exist besides skittles."

"Skiddle."

"Imma best Demarcus's ass." I said laughing.

He waved his hand at her and down in the open chair. We talked and laughed until the spa ladies came back.

"Gel?" She asked holding up the gel nail polish.

"Yes please." I said she she started to apply it.

I relaxed when I heard my phone ringing. "Jay can you answer that."

"Hello...no this is her husband, hold on. Bae they wanna talk to you." He said walking towards me with the phone. I took it and put it to my ear.

"Hello?"

"Hi is this Ashanti? Ashanti Renèe Robinson?"

"Yes this is she."

"We're sorry to give you the news that inmate 54667 was found unresponsive in his cell late last night."

"Huh?" I asked with a crack in my voice.

"Inmate 54667. He was found unresponsive in his cell at 11:56 pm."

Tears built up in my eyes as I heard she spoke.

"Where is he now?" I asked as Jay moved closer to me.

"He's being held at Robert Wood Johnson's Hospital in Rahway, New Jersey."

———

Jay'shawn Lawson, NJ📍

I don't know what was said on the phone but Ashanti's face said enough. She was broken but I didn't want to ask.

"You're all done now miss." The lady said as she hung up.

"Bae." I called out. She was staring off into space. "Ma." I snapped my fingers in front of her face.

"We have to go. Thank you." She said to the lady before slipping her socks and shoes on.

I picked up Aqua and she laid her head on my shoulder.

———

We rode back to Jersey in a hurry. The whole ride was quite. We dropped Aqua off with Stephanie and Que because they were the closest at the moment.

"What's going on?" Stephanie asked me.

"I don't know yet." I ran back outside to the car and hopped in.

"We need to go to Rahway. Just please drive to Robert Wood in Rahway." She said as she silently prayed in the passenger seat.

———

"I'm here to see Jovan Robinson." She said to the lady at the front desk.

Her dad.

"Room 104."

We sped to the room and walked in it was loud and a lot of commotion going on.

"You can not be in her right now." A doctor told us as she blocked us from entering.

"That's my dad." Ashanti told her.

"Right now is not the best time to see your father."

I pulled Ashanti back as doctors rushed into the room. We tried to look through the window but there were so many doctors in there that we couldn't even see him.

"Clear." We heard from behind the door.

"The lady o-on the phone she said that he was unresponsive in his cell." She said to me as tears ran down her face. "I can't lose my dad Jay. I can't lose my dad. He was the only one that was there for me."

I pulled her into a hug and rubbed her back. "Bae don't jump to conclusions. They can help him."

She didn't answer me just cried. But I let her. I know the relationship she had with her father. so know how much she cares about him.

———

We've been sitting in the waiting room for 2 hours. It was starting to get dark outside when two doctors walked in.

"Robinson?" The woman asked Ashanti. She nodded and we got up.

"We're sorry to say that unfortunately Mr. Robinson didn't make it."

I looked over at Ashanti and she was blank. The man stepped forward.

"He died from a stroke he had in his cell. He wasn't responsive when he got here but we've been working on him all day. We tried everything and we couldn't save him."

———

The ride home was quiet as Aqua babbled in the backseat. We just picked her up from Stephanie's house. I heard silent sniffles in the passenger seat. I reached over to her and grabbed her hand.

"He didn't even get to meet Aqua." She said.

It was a long night of crying and reminiscing. Once we put Aqua to bed we sat and looked at all her childhood photos with her dad which wasn't a lot, unfortunately. She read the letters he sent her outloud to me. Words couldn't explain how hurt she was. I couldn't say that I understood cuz my father was a piece of shit.

She fell asleep in reading the letters. I gathered them together and put them on her nightstand for when she woke up.

I kissed her forehead and wrapped my arm around her as I fell asleep.