Bobby Love - The Redemption of Bobby Love: The Humans of New York Instagram Sensation

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First published in Great Britain in 2021 by Bantam Press
Penguin paperback edition published 2022

Published by special arrangement with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

Copyright Bobby Love and Cheryl Love 2021

The moral rights of the authors have been asserted

Cover design by Jack Smyth

Every effort has been made to obtain the necessary permissions with reference to copyright material, both illustrative and quoted. We apologize for any omissions in this respect and will be pleased to make the appropriate acknowledgements in any future edition.

ISBN: 978-1-473-59179-0

This ebook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorized distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the authors and publishers rights and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.

For our parents:

Annie Miller & James Edward Miller (Bobby)

Reverend George Leon Williams & Gertrude Williams (Cheryl)

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

The Redemption of Bobby Love is a memoir. The story youre about to read is true and is based on our memories and recollections of the events we lived. To protect the privacy of the people who did not agree to have their stories told in these pages, we have changed the names and identifying details of most of the people mentioned. In a few cases, to limit confusion, we have created characters who are an amalgamation of multiple people in our lives.

It was still dark when I opened my eyes. Bobby was asleep next to me, but I could hear Jordan rattling around in the kitchen. It was Thursday. That meant Jordan had to catch the subway by 6:15 in order to make it to school for his 7:00 a.m. class. I gave thanks that the twins were so responsible that they didnt need reminding to get up for school and out the door on time. As high school juniors, they showed us every day their growing maturity. I peered at the clock on my nightstand and sure enough, it was 5:30 a.m.

I slipped out of bed, careful not to wake Bobby, grabbed my robe from the chair, and padded to the kitchen without bothering to put on my slippers. Even though our little Brooklyn apartment was crampedBobby and I slept in the living room, pretending it was a fourth bedroomat least it was toasty warm. Even in January, my bare feet werent cold on the linoleum floor.

Jordan was drinking the milk from his cereal bowl, standing at the sink. I made a face but didnt say anything. I knew he was rushing. Instead, I went to fill the kettle for my tea and Jordan dashed back to his room to collect his things. Before he could make it out the door, I stopped him. Wait a minute, Jordan, I called, making my way over to my son. He knew what I wanted.

We bowed our heads together, and I reached for his hands. Normally I would have woken up Bobby to pray with us, but I decided to let him sleep.

Father God, in the name of Jesus, I ask you to keep us safe and covered as we go about our day, I began. Jordan grew still as I prayed over him, as I did every day for all of my children before I allowed them out of the house. It was our regular ritual, no exceptions.

Amen, I whispered and smiled up at my son, who was now several inches taller than my five-foot-seven frame.

Jordan bent over and kissed my cheek. I love you, Ma, he said before he slipped out the door.

I tiptoed back to the kitchen as I heard the teakettle begin to whistle. I grabbed a peppermint tea bag out of the box in the cabinet and set my tea to steep. The sun hadnt yet come up, but I knew it was going to be a nice day. The weatherman had said it was going to be sunny and in the low forties, which was a blessing for a New York winter. I thought about how many layers Id have to put on for my walk to work. After fourteen years walking to the same office, the same thirty-minute route, I knew exactly how to dress for my daily commute but still look appropriate for the office. As a nutrition coordinator, I didnt have to dress fancy, but I always wanted to look nice for the clients I was helping get back on their feet.

I glanced at the clock and saw that it was almost 6:30 a.m. I knew Id have to check on Justin shortly. He had a different schedule than his brother and didnt have to be at school until 8:00, but his commute included two different subways, so he needed to be out the door in less than forty-five minutes. I picked up my teacup, took a sip of the warm liquid, and closed my eyes to savor the taste for just a minute.

A loud banging on the front door interrupted the moment.

My eyes flew open. Without thinking, I called out with my best Brooklyn attitude, Who is it?

I couldnt imagine who would be knocking at this early hour in the morning. I hoped the tone of my voice conveyed my annoyance and anger at whoever was on the other side of my door.

Apparently it didnt, because they knocked again. Louder this time. More insistent. Whoever it was had now woken up my husband. Bobby called out from our bed, Go next door! This is apartment two A! He too sounded annoyed at this unwanted early-morning intrusion.

If whoever was on the other side of our door was indeed looking for our neighbor in 2B, I was ready to go off. That woman was bad news. We were always seeing strange men coming in and out of her apartment. She cursed and hollered at her kids so much, we werent surprised when Child Protective Services showed up the year before, threatening to take her children away. I started to make my way to the door to see if whoever it was needed to be set straight. As I walked past the living room, I noticed Bobby hardly seemed concerned and was still lying in bed, the blankets pulled up around his shoulders. Even though hed have to get up in a few minutes anyway, I let him enjoy his last few moments of rest. I could handle whoever it was pounding on the door.

Open up, this is the police, we want two A!

I scrunched up my face in confusion. Did the police get another complaint about that woman? Did they need to talk to witnesses? I peeked through the peephole and saw the unmistakable blue of a police uniform. I nervously smoothed my hair down, pulled the edges of my robe tight, and slowly cracked open the door.

Thats all it took.

A wave of police officers poured into our apartment. All men. At least ten of them. Maybe twelve. There were Black ones, white ones, and a few who looked Latino. They just pushed their way in, forcing me backward toward the kitchen so they could all get through the door.