Read Christmas in the Hood for Free Online Page A

can barely get outta bed some days.”
    Before they could respond, another officer came into the room and whispered something to one of the detectives. He looked at the officer in disgust before turning to Gigi. “Your cousin has admitted to everything. You’re free to go.”
    Gigi wasn’t one bit surprised. Little did the detectives know the three family members had set a pact when Grandma first started selling crack: if the apartment ever got raided, Andrew would take the blame for the drugs since he lived with Grandma.
    Being a minor, Andrew faced minimum jail time, if any, for his first offense. Grandma, on the other hand, was much too old and sickly to do any time, and Gigi was the pride and joy of the family, with her entire life ahead of her.
    “Can I see my grandma?” she asked.
    “Sure,” he said. “They just took her to the hospital. You better hurry. She didn’t look too good.”
    *  *  *
    By the time Gigi arrived at the emergency room, her grandma had already been seen by the doctors and was feeling much better. She looked over and smiled as Gigi entered the room.
    “Grandma, are you okay?” she asked, hurrying over to hug the woman.
    “I’m fine. I’m fine.”
    “So they’re gonna let you go home with me?” Gigi asked excitedly, sitting down on the edge of the bed.
    Grandma shook her head. “They’re keeping me overnight for observation.”
    Growing quiet, Gigi looked around, taking in the new environment.
    Grandma patted her on the thigh reassuringly. “Stop worrying,” she said. “I’ll be outta here by tomorrow afternoon.”
    “I’m not leaving you here all alone.” A part of Gigi felt reassured, but another part of her did not want to leave Grandma in the hospital by herself.
    “Nonsense,” Grandma replied. “I’ll be fine. When you leave here, get some rest.”
    “I should be telling you that.”
    They stopped talking long enough for the nurse who had entered the room to check the various machines hooked up to Ms. Lewis. As soon as the white woman left, Gigi and Grandma resumed their conversation.
    “What a curse it is to be poor.” She sighed as she looked deep into Gigi’s brown eyes.
    Gigi stared back with a confused expression. “Grandma, we’re far from poor.”
    “I’m sorry for getting you and Andrew mixed up in this mess. This no kinda life to live. I want a better tomorrow for y’all. That’s why you have to stay in school, get your degree. I want you to be better than me.”
    “I know you want the best for me, Grandma,” Gigi replied. “I’m gonna be all I can be, trust me. But for now I’m gonna hold you down. That’s all there is to it.”
    At that moment Gigi’s mother, Carmen, walked in, followed by her aunt Maria and uncle Tito. With her head held high, Carmen looked sharp in her formfitting business suit. She shot Gigi a stare that let her know Carmen was upset.
    Laid back as ever, Uncle Tito planted a kiss on Gigi’s cheek. Sporting a five o’clock shadow, he was in need of a shave. “Hey, Ma,” he said, leaning in to kiss his mother. “You looking good.”
    Too busy chasing high after high to care, Maria looked like she didn’t want to be there.
    “Where’s Lulu?” Gigi asked, wondering where her younger sister could be.
    “At work,” Carmen answered. “I tried to reach her but couldn’t get through.”
    They all crowded around the older woman’s bed, making sure she was all right. After all the niceties were out of the way and Carmen realized her mother was fine, she let Grandma and Gigi have it about the drug arrest.
    “Gigi, I told you before to move back home with me,” Carmen said, “but you wanted to stay with Grandma. Now you’ll have a record trailing you the rest of your life. You’re so much better than that.”
    Gigi had already known her mother would fly through the roof once she’d heard the news and was well prepared for her nagging. That was Carmen. It didn’t matter that Grandma was sick, Carmen had to