Prologue

The day I succumbed to my injuries, I was twenty-four years old.

"Huey, I don't care." Jazmine snapped as she angrily snatched something out of her suitcase. "You're free to do whatever you want."

Translation: I was definitely not free to do whatever I wanted.

"I mean wow, Huey. This is low, even for you." Jazmine tilted her head to the side and stared at me, her eyes narrowing into dangerous slits as she let out another dark laugh. "Cindy warned me this would happen. Even Riley warned me not to go there with you."

My head whipped up at the mention of my brother's name.

"Yep, Riley." Jazmine sucked her teeth. "The brother you never talk to anymore."

My phone buzzed again, and I started for the door.

Looking back, it was clearly warning #1.

"So that's it?" Jazmine stood in the corner of the hotel room with her arms folded, not even crying, or yelling.

She was tired. Finally tired of putting up with my shit.

"You're just gonna leave?"

"Like you said." I shrugged, not bothering to look at her. "I'm free to do whatever I want."

"Yup." She didn't react when I finally found my nerve, not even when I glanced back at what I was leaving behind.

"You are."

I sighed, my voice softer, trying to find a way to make her understand.

"I didn't mean….I'm sorry."

"What?" She narrowed her eyes. "Why?"

"Because, Jaz. You want something more." I gestured towards the bed, still a mess from last night. "And I can't give that to you."

There was nothing more to say, and we both knew it.

I let myself out into the cool night air, my phone already plastered to my ear.

"How'd she take it?" Caesar asked, loudly washing dishes in the background.

I shook my head before walking across the street. "She never makes much of a scene, but this time seemed different."

"I'm sure." He kept his voice even. "Jazmine's a class act."

I refused to take it personally. Jazmine was his friend too.

"Yeah." I nodded, moving faster when it started to rain. "She is."

Caesar left it at that.

"So, will any of us see you for Christmas this year? Your granddad keeps asking about you, hasn't seen you in a while."

"I call." I said gruffly, speeding down the sidewalk. "He knows that I'm busy."

"Of course." Caesar said, his tone, though even, filled with concern. "We all do."

I'd arrived to my destination, the tall building at the front.

"Caesar….."

"I know." He said. "You've got stuff to do."

This was the rough part, the part nobody understood.

I was better off alone, better off fighting for the things I believed in.

"Take care." Caesar gave me one last chance to make things right. "I'll hit you up later."

I considered calling back and rescheduling. I'd wanted to tell him I'd consider visiting a few days after Christmas.

...But it was too late.

The blinding lights darted closer, and the car hurtled towards me before I could react.

Before I could blink, I was pinned between the headlights and the building.

The Christmas music in the distance sounded faint. There were people screaming nearby as someone called out for help.

The pain was excruciating.

For a moment, it was unbearable.

And then, I was weightless, floating away from my body and into the sky.

The pain faded, replaced by a gentle, serene calm.

My surroundings shifted, the city lights dissolving into a soft, ethereal glow.

I came to, squinting as I covered, and then uncovered my eyes before standing to my feet, taking it all in.

Apparently, heaven was real.

"Huey Freeman?" A slim black angel with large, heavy wings smiled at me, nodding as she typed furiously on her laptop. "We've been expecting you."

I had no clue how to answer that.

"Still in shock?" The angel filled in the blanks for me. "It happens more than you know."

I watched a man in the background, sobbing loudly at the gates as he begged for redemption.

"Like him?" I nodded towards the man, weeping louder when the other angel shook her head, her white, billowed skirt rocking back and forth.

"Heavens, no!" The angel wrinkled her broad nose, snorting. "He's going to hell. Ignore him."

Behind him was a young girl, a small speck compared to her tall guardian angel.

She clutched her gleaming hand tight, her eyes wide with fear.

"No pain, no suffering." The angel reassured her gently, leading her through the gates into a blinding light. "He will face eternal suffering. Not you."

It didn't feel right, not feeling anything but bliss and joy, especially seeing that.

"It's not easy for us, either." The angel narrowed her eyes at the man, watching as he suddenly flew downwards. "But the Big Guy wanted to give you all free will. And sometimes, this is the result."

I blinked, staring back at her. "The Big Guy?"

"The one and only." She nodded casually.

My eyes widened when I heard a loud ping and the gates flew open.

The sky darkened, as if someone had dimmed the lights, and He was walking through them and towards us, emerging from it.

"The Big Guy." I paused, staring at the pearled gates. "That means…"

"He's real." The angel smiled at me. "God is real."

"That's impossible." I shook my head. "He can't be real."

But as he walked closer, his voice thunderous, all I could feel was that soothing, infectious joy coaxing me into silence.

"You have work to do, Huey Freeman," God announced, his voice enveloping me in warmth. "I'm offering you a second chance at redemption."

"I'd rather stay dead." I shrugged, shaking my head. "There's nothing worth going back to."

God laughed, the sound echoing in the distance.

Then, I saw them—Riley, Granddad, even Cindy, all gathered at my wake, their faces heavy with sorrow.

Caesar and Isis were there too, supporting Aunt Cookie as she wailed inconsolably.

I searched for her, the one person I'd expected to be there no matter what.

"She didn't show." I muttered in disbelief.

God smiled, a mysterious twinkle in his eye. "Nope."

I gazed at the vision, stunned.

"She'll be moving on soon. That's why I'm sending you to help her—with something crucial."

"I can't give her what she wants." I frowned, looking away.

"That's why you're going to help the person who can." God explained, his hand warm on my shoulder. "You'll be assisting Jazmine's husband, Cairo. He's a reverend, new to his role, and their marriage is floundering."

"What's the catch?" I frowned again, eyeing the glowing contract he produced.

"Simple." God's laughter was rich with amusement. "You must not fall for his wife."

I scribbled my name down before I could think about it, unable to resist once he'd thrust the paper in my hands.

Without warning, I was off, floating back down to Earth.

"Remember, Huey." God said one last time before everything went black. "Do not fall for his wife."

Author's Note:

Think of this of this as the preview to my Boondocks Holliday Stories. It won't be updated for a little bit, but posting it here keeps me accountable.

I will also post another Holiday Oneshot around Thanksgiving called Payday. Lol. It's precious as hell, and I really do hope you guys enjoy it. I might also do another story/oneshot where an adult Huey, Jazmine, and Riley go to the North Pole? Just depends

You may also get another Juey story from me called Bad, but it's doubtful. So….

If you like this one, please feel free to favorite, review, PM me telling me to shut up, whatever.

I hope you all enjoy it!

- Miss Ace Thank You

P.S. – When the world needed Aaron McGruder the most, he vanished.
Seriously, where is that man?