Snow, page 1
Contents
Synopsis
About the Author
Title Page
1. June 2018
SNOW
2. June 2018
KENZO
3. SEPTEMBER 2018
KENZO
4. SEPTEMBER 2018
KENZO
5. SEPTEMBER 2018
SNOW
KENZO
6. SEPTEMBER 2018
7. SEPTEMBER 2018
SNOW
8. OCTOBER 2018
9. OCTOBER 2018
SNOW
10. OCTOBER 2018
11. OCTOBER 2018
SNOW
KENZO
12. October 2018
KENZO
SNOW
13. October 2018
KENZO
14. October 2018
SNOW
15. October 2018
SNOW
KENZO
16. November 2018
17. November 2018
KENZO
SNOW
18. November 2018
KENZO
SNOW
19. November 2018
SNOW
KENZO
20. NOVEMBER 2018
21. December 2018
SNOW
22. DECEMBER 2018
KENZO
SNOW
23. December 2018
KENZO
BAE
SNOW
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Synopsis
Azu Wilson gave his oldest daughter the name Snow, because she was born amongst his snowfall on the city of Gary, Indiana, in 2001. At that time, Azu had just began to drop tons of kilos of coke on the city, starting the birth of his empire.
Fast forward eighteen years; Snow is Azu’s favorite girl and only daughter. She has been doted on by her father. Now, she is off to college at the HBCU, Florida A&M, with her best friends, Tristan and Bae. They hope that their move out of the violent streets of Chicago to Tallahassee will bring positive change to the brutally savage lives they have lived.
However, “wherever arms flow, violence follows”. Amongst the excitement of freshmen year and college parties, Snow is forced to return to Chicago in order to rescue her family from sudden hardship and misery.
Unbeknownst to her, she receives the help that she needs from one of Azu’s most trusted crew members, Zo. Zo encourages her to make the biggest move of her life, as he falls violently for the brown-skinned beauty. Snow isn’t interested, however. Her focus is on her family. Yet, having been raised by a hustla, wouldn’t she be moved to fall in love with one?
Copyright © 2019 by Jessica N. Watkins
Published by Jessica Watkins Presents
All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. Without limiting the right under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form by means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.
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About the Author
Jessica N. Watkins was born April 1st in Chicago, Illinois. She obtained a Bachelor of Arts with Focus in Psychology from DePaul University and Master of Applied Professional Studies with focus in Business Administration from the like institution. Working in Hospital Administration for the majority of her career, Watkins has also been an author of fiction literature since the young age of nine. Eventually, she used writing as an outlet during her freshmen year of high school, after giving birth to her son. At the age of thirty-two, Watkins’ chronicles have matured into steamy, humorous, and gritty tales of urban and women’s fiction.
Jessica's debut novel Jane Doe spiraled into an engrossing, drama filled, and highly entertaining series. In August 2013, she signed to SBR publications, which ignited her writing career with the Secrets of a Side Bitch series. Click the buttons to the right to view each book in detail!
In 2014, Jessica began to give other inspiring authors the opportunity to become published by launching Jessica Watkins Presents.
Jessica also speaks to youth concerning topics such as overcoming obstacles, teen pregnancy, being a teenage mom, etc.
Jessica N. Watkins is available for talks, workshops, and book signings. For bookings, please send a request to authorjwatkins@gmail.com.
1
June 2018
DAWN
Dawn stared at Dr. Tanner with a blank expression. She blinked rapidly a few times as if opening and closing her eyes at a fast pace was a magical gesture that would teleport her to the past, before she was here, listening to Dr. Tanner ruin her life with four simple letters.
“I have what?” Dawn asked for clarification.
Dr. Tanner’s thin lips pressed into a line. “Acquired Immune De—”
“I know what it means!” Dawn hissed sternly.
Dr. Tanner’s pale skin instantly began to redden. Dawn cleared the feeling of desperation from her throat. Then she ran a shaky hand through her long, blonde, Peruvian tresses.
“How…” She had to clear her throat again to force herself to have this conversation. “How long have I had it?”
“In all but a few rare cases, if left untreated, HIV will progress to AIDS. Generally speaking, the time it takes to go from the HIV infection to AIDS is around five to ten years, if no medical intervention is made. Differences in time can be due to any number of factors. When was the last time you were tested?”
Dawn had been with Azu since she was twenty years old. She had given birth that same year to her oldest and only daughter, Snow. Then came Killion five years later, and then Prince just four years ago.
Therefore, there was no telling when in the last four years Azu had infected her with this disease.
However, Dawn was sure that Azu had indeed been the one to infect her. She had been faithful to Azu for over eighteen years. It wasn’t because he’d been so perfect that he had left no need unfulfilled. Quite the contrary, Azu had given all his attention to his first love—drugs. His children had come second, in particular, Snow, and then and only then, did he give Dawn his consideration. After eighteen years, they still weren’t married. Yet, Azu was all Dawn knew, despite his neglect.
Azu’s main focus had been on the streets since he had started selling drugs back in the day when he and Dawn had first met in Gary, Indiana. Even though Dawn had dreamed of stepping out on Azu—if only for one night to experience a man who would focus on her—she had been too afraid to do so.
“When I was pregnant with my last child four years ago,” Dawn finally answered.
Dawn didn’t know whether she was appreciative or offended at the warm smile that slowly spread across Dr. Tanner’s face as he told her, “Well, this is 2019. People diagnosed with this disease live very long lives. It is no longer a death sentence.”
She guessed he was trying to soothe her, but it wasn’t working.
The rest of his words went in one ear and out of the other. Dawn sat in the hard, uncomfortable chair across from Dr. Tanner’s big, brown, antique desk, wondering how Azu had gotten so sloppy that he had done this to her. She knew her man. He was the typical, whorish, street dude. It was easy for him to be unfaithful because he was a rich and powerful gangsta. Those combined ingredients created the perfect recipe to make women fall at Azu’s feet. Dawn had been able to compete for his attention when they’d first connected. But now, at thirty-eight years old, Dawn knew her flawed body and aging face were nothing in comparison to the young hoes that threw themselves at her man. She’d always known that he cheated. There were days when he couldn’t be accounted for, when he didn’t answer his phone, and when his stories didn’t quite match up. But she’d never had proof of his unfaithfulness. He had never disrespected her in such a way that he’d brought his infidelities to their front door…until now.
SNOW
“Maaaa!” Snow ran around her room frantically. “Maaaa!”
Then she groaned, “Urgh!”
She couldn’t find the other white Louboutin stiletto. Those shoes made her entire graduation outfit pop. The denim tube top dress with a sweetheart neckline was only on her body because she had to wear something. But those pumps were seventeen hundred dollars, and no other girl at Whitney Young High School’s graduation would be walking across the stage in them, except her. Sure, many of the young card crackers or booster shoppers would have on high-end labels. However, Snow had been stunting in labels since grammar school, and all of her expensive treasures had been paid for in cash. People waited to see what vintage or exclusive pieces she would wear.
She had to come correct.
“Maaaaaaa!”
Tired of waiting for her mother to finally climb out of her funk to come to her aid, Snow darted out of her bedroom and jogged down the long hallway towards her parents’ room.
Once at the bedroom door of the master suite, Snow saw her mother sprawled across the California King. Snow rolled her eyes at the sight of her mother in bed yet again. “Ma?”
“What?” Dawn asked without even lifting her head from
“Did you try on my Red Bottoms with the graffiti on them?”
Though eighteen years apart, Dawn and Snow were identical. They were the same size in clothes and shoes. Dawn simply was the older version of her daughter. Therefore, they often shared. Sometimes, it was willingly, and sometimes without the other knowing.
“No,” Dawn spat.
Snow shook her head, disappearing from the bedroom door, huffing and puffing along the way.
Her mother had been in a horrible mood since returning from her doctor’s appointment the day before. Yet, Snow was used to it. The entire Wilson family was. Though her mother would never own up to it, Snow knew that Dawn had been suffering from depression for a long time. Though only eighteen, Snow had done her research on the mental illness when Charlemagne the God started highlighting mental illnesses in the black community on The Breakfast Club. After her research, she knew that her mother had been suffering from depression for quite some time. Snow had tried to convince her mother to get help, but Dawn didn’t believe that black folks needed therapy and pharmaceutical drugs to ease the pain. She’d rather drink, smoke, or pray away the hurt that Azu’s neglect had caused her all these years.
Once back in her room, Snow tore it up, looking for that shoe as if it were the slipper that would change the rest of her life just like Cinderella.
And Snow was right.
Indeed, her life was about to make a change…a very drastic one.
That evening, after the pomp and circumstance were over, the Wilson family sat around a table at Gibson’s Steakhouse. Snow was eating her filet mignon impatiently, eagerly waiting for this family dinner to be over so that she could meet her best friends, Tristan and Bae, at the graduation after party. The party was being thrown by Six-Nine, the basketball star at Whitney Young, in a suite at the Godfrey Hotel. After graduation, Snow had changed into a Fendi jumpsuit, so she could be cute yet comfortable while partying with the rest of the seniors that had been popular enough to get an invitation.
“Yo’, Snow, let me ride out to that party with you,” her brother, Killion, whispered as he leaned over into her space to make sure his parents couldn’t hear him.
Snow’s face dramatically contorted into a frown as she glared at Azu and Dawn’s middle child. “No.”
He sucked his teeth. “C’mon, Snow, let me slide. I heard Sharice is going to be there.”
Snow’s snarl deepened. “Boy, Sharice doesn’t want anything to do with you.”
He had the audacity to lick his soup cooler, like he was some experienced playboy. “Oh, she’s feeling me fa sho.”
Snow’s eyes rolled dramatically. “She is not feeling a freshman.”
“Bet me,” Killion challenged.
“Boy, bye. I am not betting you. Sharice is not messing with a freshman, period.”
“Whatever, Snow.” Shaking his head, Killion went back to murdering his steak.
“Look, you need to stop worrying about girls and focus on school,” Snow chastised him.
Though only fourteen, Killion was already a little male whore. Because he was the son of Azu, many young girls flocked to him. Sometimes, even older women tried to get his attention. Therefore, he was well educated in women already, but he was barely passing with his classes.
“Don’t start, Snow,” Killion groaned.
“I’m serious. Don’t you wanna get out of Chicago when you graduate? Then you can come with me to Florida.”
Killion frowned. “Nah, I’m straight. That college stuff ain’t for me.”
Unfortunately, Azu had allowed his kids to see way too much of his lifestyle. While Snow wanted to get far away from the violence, drugs, and her father’s involvement in the game, Killion looked forward to being a part of it. Yet, Azu outright refused. Despite his family’s insistence on him being on the straight and narrow, Killion insisted on showing out by ditching school, failing, and getting caught up with the wrong crowd.
Suddenly, Danny, Azu's plug, rounded the corner and entered the private dining room. He did not stick out in the crowd of the other people that were dining in the restaurant. He was just as white as they were, and his suit was just as expensive. Contrary to most plugs, Danny wasn’t Middle Eastern or Italian. He was a white man, Greek in fact, who had been using the means inherited from his father, a physician, to supply connects in the United States with pure cocaine that he acquired from his many overseas trips. He was one of few plugs able to get his hands on pure cocaine straight from his sources in Columbia. Since he was also a physician, more specifically, a pediatrician, he kept his circle of distributors to a very bare minimal. Azu was one in a lucky group of ten connects in the United States that were able to connect dealers to Danny’s exclusive product.
However, Danny did stick out in the private dining room amongst Snow's family. But Danny had been Azu's plug since shortly after Azu had started in the game. Danny had known the entire family for nearly fifteen years. Therefore, he was more like an uncle to Snow and her siblings and much like a brother to Azu. He had made sure to be around for every important occasion since Azu was one of his biggest distributors.
Snow was especially happy to see Danny because she knew that he would come bearing gifts since this occasion was for her. For every birthday, Christmas, and special occasion, Danny gave the kids very expensive presents. Therefore, Snow was excited as he came towards her with a big smile as he reached into his pocket.
“Hey, Danny!” Snow pushed her chair back and jumped to her feet.
“Congratulations, Snow. I can't stay, but you know I wouldn't miss this.” Danny wrapped his arms around Snow and gave her a small peck on the cheek. When he pushed back and released her from his embrace, he put a large wad of money in her hand.
Snow knew better than to disrespect him by counting it in front of him, but because she was Azu’s daughter, she had handled a lot of money in her short life. So, simply by holding the money, she knew that it was more than a thousand dollars.
Once Danny sat comfortably at the table next to Azu, the conversation turned to Danny telling the table about his most recent trip to Dubai. He had just returned that morning. The table was so engrossed in his story of the fabulous excursions he had experienced with his wife that time flew by. Eventually, the “itis” started to hit the older people at the table. The children were getting bored, so, they were also getting antsy. The waiter had already brought the check and had returned a few times to see if Azu was ready to pay.
“Well, I guess I should give Snow her gift so that she can get out of here,” Azu announced as he stood from the table. “I know she's ready to go to her party.”
Snow beamed and waited impatiently as Azu pulled out his trusty wad of bills from his pocket, rolled in a circle and bound together by a thick rubber band. Azu peeled off a few one-hundred-dollar bills and then left the cash in the billfold.
“C'mon, Snow,” Azu ordered with a smile.
Snow looked at her father. Confusion was etched all over her chocolate face. “I thought you were giving me my gift. Where are we going?”
With a mischievous smile piercing through his salt-and-pepper beard, Azu told her, “It’s outside in my truck.”
