The light

Sitting in this hotel lobby, I can’t help but think “Do I want this shit?” Growing up, I always found myself in something. For some reason, I cannot leave anything alone. I would soon realize that mistake.

“It may look like roses, but it still smells like shit.”

~~~

“Rayvon, hurry up and get over here. We have to leave soon.” I can hear my mom call me. But, I have to see what this light is first. It’s so… Bright!

I get closer, and I reach my hand out to touch it.

“AAAH,” I scream.

My mother rushes into the room and says. “See, that’s what your ass gets. I keep telling you to stop touching shit.” She looks me in my eyes as they fill with tears and say. “Ok, baby. Let’s put some Vaseline on your fingers. We have to go.” She walks into the bathroom to get the Vaseline, and I look up at the light again. Still wondering what it is, I reach and touch it again. “AAAHH,” I scream again.

My mother, now rushing back into the room says, “What the hell Rayvon! You have a death wish or something?” She takes my hands and rubs Vaseline on them. She puts a band-aid on my hands, looks down at me, and says “son. You are gonna be one dangerous man if you keep this up.” I was only five at the time, but I remember everything.

“I just wanted the light.”

~~~

“Yo Rayvon, what ya on foolish?” I hear Kev call out. I stop and say “nothing but the wind, you got something for me?”

“Hell yeah. I know this guy, who knows a guy. He got that light shit you were looking for.” I look him in the eye, pull him to the side, and say “don’t you ever say that shit out loud again.” I look around to make sure no one heard him. “That shit can be hazardous to your life span,” I say. Kev looks at me and says “my bad. Boy, you tripping. You're right!” I look around again and say “just give me the info and get the fuck on. You think this shits a game.”

He hands me an old flip phone and walks off. Instantly, the phone rings. I pick it up and before I can speak, a voice says “come to Showman Hotel on Blackson Ave.” The phone cuts off. I get home, and my mom is sitting on the couch watching television. “How was school Ray, did you learn something new?” She asks me, as she stares into my eyes.

“Umm, yea mom. Learn something new every day.” I respond as I throw my book bag down. “Dinner in the oven.” She says as she flicks through the channels. I run into my room, grab some cash, and I walk back into the living room.

“Aww man mom, I won’t be able to stay,” I say.

“What the hell you mean you can’t stay?” she responds.

“I have to make a run,” I say. She stands up, looks me in my eyes, and says “I hope you are ready.” I shrug my shoulders, tell her “I Love you,” and walk back out the door.

~~~

I walk up to the Showman and nobodies here. I look up the building and then down the street. I say to myself “My mother was right” as I walk into the lobby. One of these days I will leave the roses alone. But today, I’m going to find out what that light is.

I get a text on the phone “Have a seat, someone will come to get you.”

fifteen minutes later, some beautiful ass juicy girl comes walking into the lobby from outside. She stops at the entrance and looks directly at me.

I’m not going to lie, my meat got really hard. I couldn’t help but imagine.

“Damn…”

She cuts me off in mid-thought. “Follow me,” she says, in a most sexual way.

At least, that’s how I heard it.

I instantly got up. “Sure thing baby, what’s your name?” I say. She continues to walk as if I didn’t just say something to her. “So, sexy. Did you get a man or something? Damn ma, you got a boy leaking.”

She stops walking, turns towards me, and looks me up and down.

“Humph” she responds, before continuing to walk.

“Damn, baby it’s like that?” I say as I continue following her.

We walk towards the elevator, and the doors open up. There it is.

The Light!

~~~

All I remember is my mom telling me not to touch the light. I probably should have listened, and now it’s too late.

~~~

We enter into the light. All I see are dirty streets and abandon buildings.

“Where the hell am I?” I ask as I still follow this honey dip. I grab my phone to see what time it is. “29:08” is the time on my phone.

“What the fuck is this shit?” I say aloud. “Excuse me, baby, where are we?” I ask the chick I’m following.

“Why am I following her again? Damn.”

She doesn’t answer me. She just keeps on walking, like I’m not confused as shit.

We walk past a homeless-looking man, and I ask him. “My dude, where are we?” I don’t stop walking at this point because I’m still following Missy here. When I turn around to see if the old dude was answering me, he was instead charging at me. I jump back.

BANG, BANG.

Ol dude falls flat on his face, right in front of me. I turn to see some big ass bulky guy standing there holding a gun. “Got Damn, my dude. Now my ears are ringing and shit.” I said. The guy looks me up and down. He turns to Ol girl and says “take this bitch back, he is ungrateful as fuck.”

“No, wait!” I say, holding my hands out straight. “My bad, my guy,” I say more respectful since the Hulk got offended. He turns to me, then to the old girl. “Take him upstairs, Boss waiting for him anyway.” He says. I look up and see nothing but the sky. We walk into the building, and all I see are stairs. We start to walk up the stairs. I blink and we were walking through some double red doors. I turned around so fast, but nothing was there.

I continue following the chick while looking around, I’m not blinking this time. All the walls are just red, like the double doors we walked through. There are no paintings or pictures. Just, nothing and some damn red ass walls. We finally stop walking, and there’s an all-black glass door. The chick knocks three times, twice.

Knock, Knock, Knock.

She paused.

Knock, Knock, Knock.

The door opens up as soon as the last knock. We walk into the room, and the door closes behind us instantly. I look ahead; I see a desk, and a chair facing a big window the size of a wall.

I hear a deep voice, “Thank you, Mary. You can go now.” “Oh, that’s your name, Mary. So, Can I…” I turn and say to her as she walked away, and she was gone. Not, walk out the door gone but blink and she’s gone, gone. That was creepy a hell, “WTF.” I say.

I turn back towards the chair and it turns around. I can’t believe what I am seeing.

“You should have listened to your mom.” He says.

~~~

Have you ever heard someone say “don’t stare at the sun for too long... You might go blind.”

Don’t do it! I must be blind or dreaming.

I pinch my arm and say “Ahh shit. That hurt! Fuck, this is real.”

“Yes, this is real.” He says.

Damn, I am so confused. “It’s me! Are you me?” I ask.

“No, and Yes.” He says.

“Then how, the fuck, do you look like me if you’re not me?” I ask.

“Technically, you look like me. In this dimension, time doesn’t move.” He says, and I respond “OK.”

Looking at my phone, it still says 29:08. “I’m your father. Your mother sent me here. Now you’re stuck with me.” He says.

He turns back around in his chair and begins to laugh.

“Hahaha…

You should have listened to your mom!

Hahaha”