The Birthday Hit

Expecting a birthday surprise on his 21st birthday; Fernando sure does get one when his best friend and uncle show up.

Sweets.  Bullets.  Trees.   Cars.  Objects lacking an obvious connection.  Still, if we think carefully, it becomes clear.  Each one if used a certain way can be an instrument of torture and death.  When confronted with those words; how often do they  bring to mind numbers two and four?  They invoke fear. We’re cautious.  Constantly on the lookout.  Almost never seeing that numbers one and three, when used stealthily, can do just as much damage; if not more. Whenever I think of this, my best friend, Fernando, comes to mind. 

Knock! Knock! Knock!  I tapped at his apartment door with anticipation.  

Snatching it open, he squealed.  “Barrett?”

“Yes my brother! You don’t recognize me?”

Hugging me warmly, he invited me inside.   “This is definitely gonna be a birthday to remember! It’s 7:15 in the morning; when  did you get here?”

“A few minutes ago.”

Jumping up and down; an excited ball of energy, he shouted.  “Who picked you up?”

“Someone who’s part of your birthday surprise,” I said, looking at the door; my eyes widening; my heart racing. 

“Huh?”

“Someone who’s part of your birthday surprise!”

“My what?” he chuckled, confused.

“Someone who is part of your birthday surprise!”

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Looking at Fernando, I smiled heartily.  “I’ll get it.”

“Allow me!” he beamed; racing over, he looked out the peephole, snatching the door open.  “Perry?”

“Yep! Happy birthday,” he bear-hugged Fernando.  “I’m here, and I’m your uncle, which means you gotta do what I say. ”

Laughing from deep inside, he retorted.  “Uncle or not; I’m older than you by two months!”

“Don’t matter, I’m the uncle. Now let’s go.”

“Go where?”

His eyebrows sinking; Perry tilted his head to the side.   His eyes now pouncing on Fernando, he decreed. “Ain’t telling you; just come on, nephew.”

“Do I need to change clothes?”

“Nope.” I answered anxiously.  

Looking at his birthday cake by the stove, Perry looked at me and back at Fernando.  “Nah, nephew.  T-shirt and jeans is cool for where we going."

Putting on his tennis shoes, he followed us blindly.  

“You forgot this,” I said, taking the cake with me.  

Looking all around, Perry stopped.  Reaching in his backpack, he handed me a large, paper bag.  “Use this.”

Putting the bag over Fernando’s head, I whispered, “What about the cake?” 

“Put it in my backpack.”

Complying, we walked him from the elevator,  to the door, to the car.  My frantic eyes darting everywhere; afraid he’d remove the bag and ruin it, I put him in the car and jumped in the passenger seat, not taking my eyes off the bush where Kel was well hidden.  Breathing with rapid rhythmic laboriousness, Fernando shouted. “Can we move the bag?” 

“Nah, not yet!” Perry demanded, climbing in the driver’s seat. 

Putting the backpack on the backseat, I trembled; parked so close to the bush where Kel was waiting, I prayed.  We had to pull this off.  One false move and he would discover it.  Playing it cool, lest he remove the bag and ruin it.  "You, sir, are going to let us take care of you today.”

“Yeah, fam, we gotchu, so you gon’ take it easy today.  Yuh feel me?” Perry stipulated.

"Yes, sir!” Fernando replied, saluting his uncle playfully; his face still hidden by the paper bag.  And proceeding to hum the whole tune of Ode to Joy, he bounced about.  

Looking at Kel, who moved toward the apartment building step by step; he looked quickly at me.  As Kel rushed toward the building, that was our cue, and Perry thrust the car in drive; mashing the accelerator.

Getting further and further away, Fernando began to analyze.  “Okay, it’s taken us ten minutes to get up here, that’s about eight miles the way you drive.”

“He still got a sharp mind,” Perry announced; his voice a cistern of surprise.

“We just made a right,” Fernando continued.  “That means we’re likely on South Parker Street.”

“Maybe we should uh sedated dis fool,” Perry joked.

“This is much more useful,” I refuted.  

“Guys, can I take the bag off my head, I’m lightheaded?”

“Nah nephew, just relax.  Breathe.  We almost there.”

  Racing up the freeway, Perry glided from lane to lane; flowing wherever there was open space.  Looking at Fernando fall asleep,  my eyes widened.  “Do we have time?”
“Yeah, we got plenty uh time.”
“How do you know?”
“I do this for a living.  Trust me, we got time.” 

“They just texted me.  The cake is in your bag, but how much did he eat?”

“One slice.”

As I texted, Perry continued.  “You call them and let them know we  almost there?”

“Yeah.”

“What they say?”
“They’re waiting for us and we can bring him straight in when we get there.”

“Bet!”

“Are you sure we have time?”

“Yeah bruh! Chill out!”

“Okay.”

Racing around the winding roads like a pro, Nascar had nothing on him.  Almost as fast as we’d left, we were here.

“Fernando, you okay?” I called.  “We’re here.”

“Huh?” he gurgled.  Sitting up, pulling the bag off his head.

“This way,” Perry blurted, walking him toward the whitewashed building.  “We here nephew.”

“Yeah, stay with us.”

Hastening, we flew.  Determined to reach our destination; I picked Fernando up, draping him across my shoulder.  Running up the hallway, my eyes bounced around until I saw it to the side.  A tool strategically placed and on time.  

Thrusting Fernando in the wheelchair, we continued our run up the hospital corridor.  Frantically shouting, I handed him to Perry and ran ahead.  “Dr. Green! Dr. Green!”

“I’m right here, “ he proclaimed, following me.  Seeing Fernando, he pointed frantically to the right.  Whooshing by people and doors, he directed us with a point of his finger.  “Get  him in here!” 

Moving the wheelchair at breakneck speed, Perry rushed him inside of the room; threw him onto the gurney.  Holding his hand, Perry began to pray.

“You’re very lucky, my friend,” said Dr. Green, placing a thin, plastic tube down Fernando’s throat.  Lurching awake, he convulsed in violent agony.  Shooting copious streams of saltwater down his throat, the doctor clicked several buttons, causing all food in his stomach to suction upward.  Fighting and thrashing; he snatched at the tube, attempting to rip it violently from his throat.  Tearful and helpless, Perry and I each held down one of his arms.  His body trembling wrathfully; he looked up at us.  

A few more violent shakes as the tube forced the last of his stomach’s contents upward; his body at last lay still on the gurney. 

Looking down at his nephew, Perry couldn’t compose himself.  “Fernando, we almost lost you bro! If not for Rachel, you’d be dead right now.”

Weak and speaking in a hoarse whisper, Fernando gurgled.  “Dead? From what?”

“Mr. Grayson, you have no idea how lucky you are!” thundered Dr. Green.  “Your neighbor, Rachel, called your uncle and your best friend this morning, so they came to get you.”

“For what?”

“Is Jenny your fiancée?”

“Yeah?”

“Well, I’ll let the news speak for itself,” he decided, turning up the television.

Geneveive Carter was arrested today on charges of attempted murder.  According to a neighbor, who testified that she overheard the whole plan Carter made with Kelvin Matthews, she attempted to murder her fiancee for a $500,000 life insurance payout and of all days, on his birthday.  According to police, Mr. Matthews was seen entering the house at 6:00 this morning, an hour before her fiance, whose name has not been released, was scheduled to get home.  Mr. Matthews is accused of lacing a birthday cake with two eight balls of cocaine; a concoction sure to induce death in mere hours.  Banging frantically on his door, the neighbor says she could not get him to answer.  She reportedly called family members who rushed over and took him to the hospital.  In confessing, Carter allegedly informed police that Matthews was camouflaged in a bush with a loaded rifle, just in case the ambulance arrived, The building owners say that this  account has been confirmed by surveillance cameras.  In a further statement, police say Carter admitted to planning so carefully that she quote gave Matthews instructions to follow the ambulance and complete the job if they should escape.   Her instructions allegedly went further and according to police said “look for the cake.”   It is still unclear how family members got him out of the apartment undetected.  According to family members, he is hospitalized and expected to make a full recovery.  

“Here you go, Dr. Green,” I said, handing him the cake.

“Thank you! I’ll take this to the police.”

“No! Jenny?” Fernando cried.

Hugging him with a death grip, Perry, still frantic, was a bundle of nerves.  “Yeah fam, she did.”

“Fernando, the important thing is you’re safe.   You’re gonna be okay.  We tried to tell you,” I said, steadying my breathing,  speaking with a forced calmness. “Nothing about how she treated you said love.  Do you believe us now?”

“Yeah,” he wept.  “I believe y’all.”

“It’s gonna be okay bruh.  I swear that to you.  Your Mom and Dad are on the way.  We’ve been keeping them informed by text.”

“Love you guys,” he mouthed, the last bit of his hoarse voice gone.

Looking at him with sad countenance, I replied.  “I love you too, brother.”

“Yeah, love you to life bruh,” Perry chimed in. “Now we ‘bout to step out for a second.”

Looking at us with confused puzzlement, he inquired voicelessly.  “For what?”

Holding his nose, Perry barked.  “Cause, bruh, you gon’ hafta let da nurse change ya draws!”

(C) Copyright 2024

Author's Note

Please let me know about my execution of the story as I am taking a creative writing class in which I must create a collection of short stories . (Would tell you the criteria but that would ruin it).