The Owner of My Soul Vol 2: Chapter 5 and Chapter 6
CHAPTER 5
CONFESSION AND
CLUB BRAWL
I
was halfway sleep when Will called me that night.
“Kenny,
tell me why I’m an asshole.” He said to me.
“What?”
I had no idea what he was talkin bout.
“Beyonce
left five minutes ago.”
“Not
you, too.”
“What?”
He knew what was comin.
“After
I dropped Sid off at the airport, I met up wit Monique at my office.”
“Think
it was a setup?” He asked.
“Most
likely. Did Beyonce tell you that they had nuttin to do wit the new divorce
terms?” I asked.
“Yea,
I had a feeling bout that though.”
“If
their fatha keeps provoking Dad and Uncle T, he gon get hurt.”
“Ya
know. He messin wit two niggaz dat burned their own fathas.” Figuratively
speaking.
“Fa
sho. Are you goin to tell Candace?” I asked him.
“Most
likely.”
“What
are you expectin?” I asked him.
“A
slap. Possibly the ST and maybe a lil sep.”
“Me
too.”
“Look,
Friday night, Chris and Dre wanna go to da club. You rollin?”
“Fa
sho. Saturday night Dad, Uncle T, KJ, Terrell, Chris and Dre was goin to Da
Cut.” I told him.
“Hell
yea, I’m definitely goin out dare.” He agreed.
“You
do know why day goin, ri?”
“We
bout to get bout it. KJ and Terrell got into it wit Candi’s and Honey’s ex.
It’s bout to get crunk, fa real.”
“Supposedly
Kyle and Ray bout to be dare.”
“Tru,
tru, but Mo and B are bound to be dare.”
“Fa
sho, but I’ve already been told what’s goin down. Toya and Yvonne are goin to
pull Mo and B away, leaving us with our new friends.” I had a smile on my face.
“Bet,”
he said, “but do you think dem niggaz crazy enough to come. I’m positive
er’body know we comin thru.”
“Dem
some bold niggaz, I’m positive they’ll show.”
“You
think day’ll be deep?”
“That
I don’t know or care. You know we’ll be deep.” I assured him.
“No
heat.” He suggested.
“Nah,
straight hands.”
“Bet.
Iight nigga, I’ll hit you up tomorrow.”
“It’s
on.”
“It’s
on.” We hung up. I lied back down and was sleep in under 5.
I
woke up at noon and sat up.
I noticed the light blinkin on my phone, so I checked my messages:
“What
up, B, dis yo boy Killa T, checkin to see……if you spittin dis Friday. Holla
back at me.”
“Hey,
K, dis yo mother. Just letting ya know your father will drop Tierra off at 4. I
also need you to come to the hospital lata on today. I have a serious issue to
talk to you about. So, I’ll see you lata.”
“Hey,
baby, I figured you were still sleep. I’m just reminding you my flight will be
in at 2 on da dot. Don’t be late.”
“Kenny,
I think I owe you a thank you fo last night. It felt so good making love to you
again. You’re still the only one capable of giving me an orgasm even though you
always give me multiples. No one can do it like you. You will always be numba 1
in my heart in every way possible. I wanted to come by tonight to see Tierra.
So, if I may, hit me up and let me know what’s convenient for you. Don’t worry,
I’ll be alone. Let me know, baby.”
“K,
dis yo lil brotha, KJ, you neva responded back to my invite. Is you gon be my
backup at da club Friday? I only need you dare if and when anotha nigga jump
in. Holla back at me.”
That
was my last message. I called KJ back first.
“What
up, kid?” I said as he answered his phone.
“What’s
poppin, B?” He replied.
“To
answer yo message, yea, me and Will is rollin. You know I got yo back.”
“Bet.”
“What
is this about anyway?”
“Dis
nigga been talkin shit fa months. I’ve constantly let it slide but now I’m
tired of it. Vanni didn’t want me to fight him fo so long, but now I have her
approval.”
“Ri,
ri.” I agreed.
“Da
only reason I need you is because he plans on bringin his entire family just to
take me out.”
“If
it was dat serious, why didn’t day just take you out?”
“Same
thang I said. Comes to find out, day ain’t got no heats. So I figured we didn’t
need em eitha.”
“Still
packin, doh.”
“Fa
sho. I don’t trust anybody.”
“Smart
man. Look, I have to pick Sydney
“It’s
on.”
“It’s
on.” I hung up wit him and went into the bathroom.
It
was 1355 when I made it to the airport. I waited in the lobby. While there, I
called Monique back.
“Mo,
I’m goin to let you see Tierra tonight. Come at 8.”
“Are
you sure Sydney
“Nah,
she won’t.” I assured her.
“Thanks,
Kenny.”
“Welcome.”
“See
you tonight.”
“It’s
on.” The second I hung up wit her, Sydney
“I’m
glad you’re on time. 10 years ago you would be just leavin the house.” She
joked.
“Good
times. Let me take those.”
She
handed me her bags. We walked to the car as she explained to me what happened
in Chi-Town. The second I started the car, I started having flashes. I had to
tell her the truth. I’ll do it when I get home.
When
we got back up to my room, I dropped her bags and lied down on the bed. She got
on top of me.
“Ya
know, I really missed you.” She said.
“I
missed you too.”
“I
love you so much. You were all I thought about when I went to Chicago
“Baby,
I have to get somethin off my chest.”
“What’s
wrong, baby?” She asked.
“Last
night, as you know, I met up wit Monique. Our terms were discussed. Then she
came on to me. The more I tried to escape, the more I was pulled in.”
“Kenny,
what are you tellin me?” The look in her face told me she knew what was comin.
“You fucked her didn’t you?” My lips moved like I was goin to say somethin.
There was nothin I could say. I looked away from her. “I can’t believe you
broke my trust like that, Kenny. I thought you were ova her?”
“I
am, things just got out of hand. I tried to resist, but my body was doin one
thing and my heart anotha.”
“Kenny,
you just don’t accidentally have sex with your ex-wife. I can’t believe you did
this to me. You didn’t forget I was goin to Chicago
“Whoa,
Sydney
“Bullshit.”
“Baby,
I…” She then slapped the taste out my mouth.
“Sorry.”
She said.
“I
guess I deserved that.” She then slapped me again, this time harder then the
first one.
“That
one you deserved.” She got off me and started heading towards the door. I got
up and grabbed her arm.
“Please,
Sydney
“You
say you love me, yet you go and cheat on me with the one woman I despise more
then my first boyfriend. I put my trust in you. I swore up and down you would
do nothin with her and you turned me into the fool. All you did was open a
wound. I trusted my ex- fiancé the same way. Next thing you know he’s in the
bed with my Maid of Honor and best friend. You knew that and pretty much did
the exact same thing to me.” Tears continued to fall down her face. “I don’t
know if I’ll ever be able to trust you again Kenneth Johnson.”
She
pulled her arm straight out my hand and walked out the room. I knew there was
nothin I could say to bring her back. I went afta her anyway, but when I got
downstairs, she already left. It was probably best if I give her time. The best
thing for me to do was go to the hospital.
When
I got there, I saw Ma at the front desk looking over appointments.
“Good,
Kenny, you’re here.” She said as she saw me. “Please come with me.” We went
into her office. “You may want to sit.” I sat down and was definitely
concerned. “When’s the last time you bathed your daughter?”
“Me
personally, last week……..I take that back, Sunday.” I replied.
“When’s
the last time you thoroughly checked her?”
“Same
night. Why?” I grew really concerned.
“Sweetie,
Tierra has bruises all ova her back.”
“What?
How?”
“The
way they are, it’s definitely by beatings.”
“Beatings?
Monique doesn’t hit her as far as I know.”
“It’s
not by a female. The size of them are definitely by man.”
“Whoa!
Ma, I don’t hit my daughter. I neva had to and you know that.”
“I
know, Kenny. I didn’t think it was you. You’re not goin to like this, but Kyle
is the one.”
“Kyle?”
I didn’t even get mad at first. I shook my head.
“Yea.
You’re takin this pretty well.”
“Ma,
Sydney
“So,
in other words, this’ll hit you lata.”
“Yea,
I’ll see him Friday, so I’ll deal with it then.”
“Look,
I’ll talk to Sydney
“I
won’t. Thanks, Ma.” I stood up and gave her a hug and kiss.”
“Love
you, sweetie.”
“Love
you too, Ma.”
I
rolled out and went straight home. I couldn’t help but wonder where Sydney
“How
you holdin up?” He asked me. I pointed to my face. “Damn, that’s worse then
mine.” He showed me his mark.
“Why
do we keep doin this to ourselves?”
“Don’t
know. Right now, I’m waitin on Friday. I must say it is comin kinda slow.”
“Will,
Kyle has been hittin my daughter.”
“What?”
“Ma
told me she found bruises all ova her back.”
“And
you’re not mad?”
“It
hasn’t hit me yet.”
“Yea
and Kyle is going to get quite a beating. Built in aggression never ends nicely.”
“If
we see them Friday, he’s a dead man. Do me a favor.”
“Wassup?”
“Keep
me from killin him.”
“I
should ask the same for you. I might kill Ray.”
“Then
we’ll have Chris and Dre stop us.”
“Yea.”
Will agreed.
I
lied on the bed. Once again, afta laying down for only a minute, the doorbell
rings. I opened the door. It was Dad, Uncle T, and the kids.
“Y’all
early.” Will said.
“They
wanted to take a nap.” Dad told me.
“Yea,
do you mind if we take a nap?” Tierra asked me.
“Nah,
go ahead. Get undressed first.”
“Kay.”
They went into their rooms. I looked at Dad.
“Tell
me you have good news.” I told him.
“Yea,
your case is on Monday. Judge Cash wants to talk to both parties, so I think
you’ll be ok.” He assured me.
“Why
are y’all goin to da club on Friday?” Will asked.
“We
feel like goin back. So we bout to get thuggish on some niggaz.” Uncle Tevin
answered.
“Listen,
we’d love to chat, but tonight is lasagna night.” Dad sucked his teeth and left.
Uncle Tevin followed him.
“You
stayin?” I asked Will.
“Yea,
feels so lonely at home.”
“I
feel ya. Karla can go in Tierra’s room and Wesley can go in Kendal’s room.”
They went into the room. “I need to check on Tierra.” I went into the room.
She
had her night clothes on. I searched her entire body. When I came across her
back, I saw the bruises. She covered this area the best she could. I looked at
her legs and noticed more bruises. That should have been a warning sign right
there. She never likes wearing pants during the summer, but she has been
lately.
“Damn,
princess.” I said softly to her as she slept. “What did he do to you? Why did
he hurt you?” I moved her hair behind her ear and kissed her forehead. I
started having flashes of Tierra and Kyle:
“Baby,
I’mma run to the store real quick.” Monique told Kyle. “Could you watch Tierra
for me?”
“Fa
sho.” He replied.
“Thanks,
babe.” She kissed him. “I won’t take long.” She left the crib. Kyle took a sip
of his drink and went into Tierra’s room.
“What
you doin?” He asked her. He sat on the bed next to her.
“Coloring.”
She replied. “Did Mommy leave?”
“Yep.
That leaves you and me for the next 2 hours.”
“Oh
ok.” She continued coloring.
“Come
here, munchskin.” He picked her up and put her on his lap.
“Stop,
I’m tryin to color.” She got off his lap and back on the bed. She moved a bit
down from him.
“Come
here!” He demanded.
“No.”
She said.
“What?”
“No.”
She repeated.
“Didn’t
your mother ever teach you to respect your elders?”
“No,
my father did, but you’ll neva earn my respect.” He looked at his watch.
“Just
for that, the next 2 hours are bout to be hell for you.” He stood up and picked
Tierra up.
“LET
ME GO!!” She screamed.
“You
have one of two choices and I know you’re a smart girl, so you’ll understand
each choice. You can eitha shut up and take it, or I’ll rape you.” Tierra’s
eyes widened.
“I’d
tell my daddy and he’d kill you.”
“If
you tell your daddy, not only will I definitely rape you, but I’ll also kill
you. So, what’s it goin to be?” Tears started comin down her face. She looked
away. “Good choice.” He threw her on the bed. With open palm and a belt in his
otha hand, he started hitting her. Tierra screamed in pain with tears streaming
down her face.
He looked at his watch. “Damn, I still have an
hour left. Oh well.” He continued. He finally stopped 20 minutes later. Blood
streamed from Tierra’s back and legs. The pain put her unconscious. Kyle
cleaned her up to cover his tracks and put some clothes on her to cover her
wounds.
I
popped back to reality. Tears streamed down my face from seeing that. I kissed
Tierra. It was like Kyle was beating her to pass by time. If I see him Friday,
he’s goin to regret ever being born.
“Friday
night finally arrived. Will, Chris, Dre and I were in my car smoking and drinking
right outside da club.
“KJ?”
Chris called out as they arrived. “Bout time yo bitch ass made it.”
“Hell
yea. Thought you pussied out fo a minute.” Dre added.
“Fat
chance.” KJ replied.
“Day
in dare?” Terrell asked.
“Yea.”
Will replied.
“Kenny?”
KJ called out, but I was traumatized and in a zone. I didn’t hear him one bit.
“Beautiful,”
Will said, “Kyle and Ray are here.” I saw them and immediately started walkin
towards em. Will pulled me back with the quickness. “Nah, K, dat’s a no-no. It
ain’t at dat point yet.”
“Don’t
worry, K, we got it.” Toya said.
Her
and Yvonne called ova Beyonce and Monique. We weren’t even in da club befo we
was bout to start a fight.
“Iight,
K,” Will started, “remember to stay wit da plan.”
I
didn’t hear him. It just hit me. Anotha nigga touched my daughter. Not only
that, the sum bitch threatened to rape her. We started walkin towards em, 10
niggaz deep. It was: Will, KJ, Terrell, Chris, Dre, Dad, Uncle Tevin, Killa T, New York
“Yea,
wassup Will?’ Ray said.
“Aye,
what’s crackin….” Will started, but I ran outta patience. I hit the fuck outta
Kyle. He hit da ground. Ray followed him a half second lata.
“Get
up, mothafucka!!!” I yelled.
Attention
was definitely drawn. Peeps were comin out da club to see what was goin on.
Kyle was the first to get up. He rushed towards me and started swinging. I
dodged every single one of them, toying with him. I noticed KJ and Terrell
fighting two niggaz in da corner of my eye.
“It’s
kinda hard to hit a grown man. You had no problem hittin Tierra, doh.” I yelled
to him.
He
looked real mad afta that. He swung, missed, and ended up getting caught by a
left hook, right hook, and uppercut. I didn’t let him get up this time. I got
on top of him and started wailin on him. I then noticed KJ getting jumped. I
had a job to do, and I was goin to do it. I ran to his aid and hit the first guy
I approached. I pulled one guy and threw him into the car. I then picked him up
and slammed him on the hood of a car. I grabbed his legs and pulled him off the
car, watching his head bounce off the concrete.
As I
helped KJ, I was hit in the back of the head with a bottle. The bottle
shattered all ova my body. I turned around to see who it was. Once I turned,
anotha guy hit me. Dis time it was with a gun. I hit the ground. 4 guys
surrounded me and started kicking me. I covered my head and took the pain. Chris,
Dre, Killa T, and Will came to my aid. New
York
Bouncers
started breaking things up, but I wasn’t gon stop. I saw a clear opening on one
of the guy’s that was kicking me. I stuck da hell out of him. Ray noticed I was
stomping Kyle and hit me in da side. It didn’t really faze me. I looked into
Ray’s eyes. I saw the fear and had sympathy for him since he was tryin to help
his brotha. I can’t hold him at fault, but it didn’t stop me from bankin his
ass right in da temple. Now instead of bouncers, cops were breakin up fights. I
found myself handcuffed, but still putting up a fight. They had five cops on
me, five on Will, six on Dre, four on Chris and three on Terrell and KJ. We all
were in the patty wagon. Groups that were fighting together pretty much were
ridin together.
“How’s
my head?” I asked Will, referring to da back of my head.
“Looks
like you got yo head dyed red. I think it stopped bleeding. It’s goin to hurt
getting that dry blood from your hair.” Will responded.
“Who
was that dat hit me wit da heat? I whooped his ass, but I didn’t recognize
him.” I said.
“Don’t
know his name, but I can identify him.” Chris replied. “He stays in my old
neighborhood.”
“Y’all
think day’ll keep us ova night?” Dre asked.
“I
think Dad will post bail.” I stated.
“You
think Monique and Beyonce saw?” Will asked.
“I
don’t see how not. Then again, if she didn’t she’ll definitely see the result.”
I replied. I started thinking bout Sydney
“Hey,
Sydney
“No
problem.” Sydney
“Yea,
come sit down.” They went into the kitchen and sat at the table. “How bout a
drink?”
“Sure,
thanks.”
“Listen,
I try my hardest to stay out my family’s personal lives, but I think I need to
explain somethin to you.”
“So
he told you?”
“Sweetie,
Kenny tells me everything that goes on in his life. When you came back, you
have no idea how much he changed. He was neva so happy.” Ma took a sip and
continued, “he also told me about when you first kissed him.”
“What?”
Sydney
“His
words were, ‘I’m shocked, yet it was the most luscious kiss I’ve ever
experienced’.”
“He
actually said that?”
“Yea,
when y’all were young, he didn’t know what he felt, but I did. Just by the way
y’all acted, I knew what was to be between y’all.”
“If
he felt so strongly about me, then why did he do this to me?”
“Sydney,
Kenny is a very smart man. He could have graduated at 10 if he wanted, but he
didn’t want to leave Chris and Dre. Will had the same path. As smart as they
are, the one thing they don’t know a lot about are relationships. Kevin and I
take full blame for that. Kenny was raised in a broken home. That’s why he
didn’t know what love was, how it felt, or how to tell if you’re in love. When
he finally felt it, he didn’t know how to act. Of course, Monique’s father was
the one that set them up. He blackmailed, used and toyed his way into tearing
them apart. But Kenny’s love for Monique stayed.
“When
she did what she did with the whole pregnancy thang, it killed him. You
remember, he killed Robert and stayed in his room for 4 whole days. He didn’t
eat, sleep, drink, or nothin. For a long time, he held a grudge against
Monique. But at the same time, Kenny still loved Monique with all his heart.
That was until you made an even bigger impact on him then Monique could ever
dream of. But you know Kenny. Nothing is resolved unless he was the one to
finish it. When Monique told him things that he hasn’t heard in a while from a
woman that was able to do what no woman has ever done, it caused him to be
blinded by past emotions. At the same time, he tried his hardest to fight it,
but Kenny’s love for her took over. Afta it was all over, he told her it was
over. He told her it would neva happen again, ending it in his own way.”
“Do
you think I’m wrong for treatin him like this?” Sydney
“No,
but if you don’t talk to him, you will be. Kenny is the best thing that’s
happened to you. He’s the reason you came back to Cleveland
“I
don’t even know what to say to him.”
“Don’t
worry about it. He’ll do most of the talkin. One thing bout Kenny is when he
knows he done wrong he’ll do all the talkin. It made discipline so much easier
on our part. Sydney
“You’re
probably right.”
“I
know from experience. That’s why I got back wit Kevin. This time it’ll be
forever.”
“Thank
you, Natasha. Once again you’ve helped me with a situation.”
“That’s
what I’m here for. Now, go make up wit Kenny.” Sydney
“I’ll
call you lata.”
“K.”
Meanwhile,
we were chillin in jail. Dis big swole guy was eyein me. Will was thinking bout
pullin his eyes out his sockets.
“Aye,
nigga, you got a problem.” I said to him.
“No.”
He replied.
“Then
give me my face back.”
“You
forgot to say please.” He teased.
“Bitch
please.” He walked towards me. Dre stepped in front of him and stared the big
man down.
“Please
don’t make me split yo wig.” Dre told him. He backed off and went back to his
area. Moments later, Dad and Uncle Tevin bailed us out.
“Y’all
have fun?” Uncle Tevin asked.
“Time
of our lives.” Will replied. I was quiet.
When
we got out the police station, Dad punched me in the jaw. I neva been hit so
hard in my life. I hit da ground with the quickness.
I
looked at him, holdin my jaw, “what the hell was that for?”
“For
getting caught off guard.” He replied, referring to getting hit in da back of
da head. “What did I always teach you?”
“Watch
yo back mo den yo front. Don’t let no one creep up on ya or surround you
without you realizing it.” I replied.
“Exactly,
you get caught from da back, the fight is over, making you the loser.”
“You’re
right, I’m sorry.”
“Don’t
be sorry. Be aware.” He helped me up. “One day, no one will be around when you
get jumped. Only you control the situation. Keep everyone in front of you or in
your sight. If you don’t, you have a higher chance at a serious injury. The
greatest fighters can be reduced to the weakest when caught off guard.” I
nodded, still holding my jaw. “Look, go home, get some sleep, and think about
getting dem niggaz back.” I nodded and gave him dap.
When
I got home that night, I had one of the biggest headaches of my life. I went
into the kitchen and grabbed an ice pack. I lied down and turned the TV to the
porno channel. Nuttin like watchin sex to ease a headache. Well, so I thought.
All it really did was make me miss Sydney even more. We used to watch the porno
channel all the time, making fun of the storylines. I ended up turning to Tom
and Jerry on Cartoon Network. Then my doorbell rang. I answered it and was
surprised who it was. I didn’t expect to see her, but she was here.
“Sydney
“Hi.”
She smiled.
“I’m
so glad to see you. Baby, I owe you an apology. I…” She put her finger to my
lips.
“Please
don’t talk.”
She
came up to me and kissed me. I embraced her, closing the door as I pulled her
on to the bed. We started making passionate love full of emotion and…..passion.
For 5 hours, we showed each otha how we felt.
Afterwards,
we held each other and talked. We talked for 30 mins before getting on the
subject about tonight.
“By
the way,” Sydney
“You
know Kyle and Ray, ri?” I asked.
“Yea.”
“Day
was at da club, so we scrapped. His boys hit me in da back of da head wit a
bottle of Jack and a gun.”
“Ouch,
may I see it.” I sat up and took off the bandage. “Oh my god. Come on, lets
wash it so I can stitch it up.”
I
followed her to the bathroom. She started washing my hair. It started burning
like whoa. She then put some antiseptic cream and stitched it up. Afta that, we
cuddled again.
“Daddy!”
Tierra called. I got up and went into her room.
“What’s
up, sweetie?” I sat next to her.
“I
had a bad dream.” She told me.
I
noticed her eyes watery, her breathing deep and she had a cold sweat. I think I
knew what it was about.
“You
wanna sleep wit us?” I asked her.
“Yes.”
I
picked her up and went back into the room. Sydney Sydney
When
I finished getting dressed, I went to Will’s room. He answered the door.
“Aye,
Kenny, wassup?” He asked.
“I
was bout to go to da mall, you rollin?” He was fully dressed.
“Yea,
sports mall, ri?”
“Fa
sho. We startin tomorrow, ri?”
“No doubt.”
He grabbed his keys and closed the door. “The weirdest thing happened last
night.”
“Candace
came back?” I guessed.
“Yea,
how’d you kno?”
“Sydney
“Dad.
Remember when Uncle Kevin hit you?”
“How
can I forget? My jaw still hurts.”
“Well,
Dad hit me just for not watchin yo back.”
“That
tough love is painful.” I said.
“Yea,
he apologized though.”
“Dad
should of apologized for hittin me.”
“Nah,
he didn’t apologize for dat. He apologized for hittin me wit his ring hand.
That’s why I got da cut.” He started rubbin his hands. “It was fun though.”
“Yea,
I almost forgot how it felt.”
We
arrived at the mall. We looked for weights, training equipment, basketballs, shoes,
headbands, wristbands, bandages, tape, and anything else that we could think
of. When we got back home, we started to set up when Tierra called me.
“Yea,
baby girl?” I asked her.
“Where
are you?” She sounded sad, like she was lookin for me all day.
“I’m
in the weight room. What’s wrong?”
“I
need you.” She told me.
“Is
it somethin Sydney can help you wit?” I asked her.
“But
I want you.” She complained.
“Ok,
do you want to come up to the weight room?”
“Yes.”
“Ok,
come on up.” I hung up wit her. I looked at Will and saw him hang up his phone.
“I
guess we’ll have visitors.” He said.
“Yea,
Daddy’s lil gurl.” I told him.
“They’ll
find good men.”
“No
doubt.” Moments later, Tierra and Karla came into the room. By that time, we
finished setting up.
“Iight,
Netta, what’s wrong?” I said. I crouched down to look at her at eye level.
“I
felt lonely.” She said, embracing me. I picked her up.
“Why
do you feel lonely? Sydney
“But
you’re da only one that was there for me. I don’t like waking and you’re not
around.” She said. Like I said, Daddy’s lil girl.
“Did
you have anotha bad dream?” She nodded. “About what?”
“Mommy’s
boyfriend.”
“Still
hauntin you?” She nodded. “What happened?” I sat down and sat her on my lap.
“We
were playin in the park; you, me, Uncle Will, Kendal, Wesley, and Karla. Sydney
and Aunt Candace went to get us some ice cream. Mommy and Aunt Beyonce show up
and starts talkin to Sydney and Aunt Candace. They start fighting. I yell your
name to see if you would help, but you didn’t respond. I look around and can’t
find you. I look for Uncle Will and he’s gone too.” She starts crying, “I yell
at the top of my lungs and then finally realize why you didn’t answer. Mommy’s
boyfriend did somethin to you. He hurt you badly. You were on the ground, not
moving. I kept shaking you to get up. I lied my head on your chest and for the
first time I couldn’t hear anything.” I felt her body shaking and saw her tears
falling. “There was blood all over your body and I saw Mommy’s boyfriend
holding something. He had it pointed at me. For the first time, I felt alone. I
don’t want to be alone, Daddy. I don’t want to be alone. More importantly, I
don’t want you to be taken from me.” I embraced her. She started to break down.
She was definitely scared, hoping I’d neva let go.
“It’s
ok, sweetie, I’m here. No one’s goin to take you away from me or vice versa.” I
assured her.
“It
felt so real, Daddy.”
“It
was a nightmare, baby girl, I’m here. You’ve been through so much.” I looked
into her eyes. “I’m sorry I put you through all of this. I promise things will
get better.”
“But
I’ve had this dream every night for 2 weeks. At first I thought it was only a
nightmare, but it feels too real.” I held her in my arms. I had no response for
her. Then I thought about it.
“You’re
dream, where was Will?” I asked her.
“He
was under you. His back was turned, so he didn’t see it comin. You protected
him, but it went through you.” I didn’t know what she meant at first, but the
more I thought about it, the more clearer it became.
“Ok,
what do you want to do? I have to get to work, so do you want to play up here
or go downstairs?”
“Play
up here. I need to practice for basketball season.” She said. I handed her a
basketball.
“Go
to the court and practice everything I taught ya.” I told her.
She
nodded. I kissed her and put her down. I watched her dribble the ball like I
did at her age. I then saw Karla join her. Will walked up to me.
“You
ready?” He asked.
I
looked at him and noticed how scared he was. I guess that’s how I look and he’s
probably thinking da same thing.
“Yea,
lets do dis.”
We
got to work, tryin hard to get back into shape. We were definitely distracted.
My seven year old daughter is traumatized and I don’t know what to do.
“K?”
Will called me. I looked at him, “do you believe that eliminating Ray and Kyle
will make things better?”
“I
don’t know, but I wouldn’t mind tryin.” I told him. We had 150 lbs of weights
on us as we did squats with a 300lb bar. “I’m goin to guess that Karla and
Netta had the same dream.”
“Pretty
much. What does it mean?” He asked me.
“Honestly,
I think it’s more den a dream. Remember, we used to have these when we were
younger.”
“Like
the dream about Candace and Sydney leavin.”
“And
they actually left.”
“Dogg,
we might have to ice them befo day ice us.”
“I
agree, but if Mo and Beyonce find out, they’ll press charges on us. Let em live
for now, but when the opportunity comes, we’ll ganck dem niggaz.” I looked over
at Tierra and Karla. “It’s amazing how fast they grow.”
“Yea.
Kenny, I’ve longed for certain thangs in life. One thing was being able to be
buried by Karla because of cancer like Great Grandpa Alfonzo. Ever since I went
to his funeral, I’ve been wanting to die just like him. Karla should be in her
late 40s or older by dat time. That’s what I want and no one will take that
away from me.” My phone rang as he finished his statement.
“Hol
up.” I told him as I answered my phone, “what up?”
“Kenny,
where are you?” Sydney
“Upstairs.”
“Is
Tierra with you?”
“Yea,
she’s here.”
“Ok,
good. Baby, I have somethin very important to tell you. When will you be back
down?” She asked.
“Don’t
know.” I looked at Will, “how much mo stuff we got?”
“About
anotha 45.” He told me.
“We’ll
be done in 45 and most likely be down in an hour. Do you want to come up here?”
“Nah,
I’ll wait. It gives me a chance to braid Kendal’s hair.”
“Sure?”
“Yea,
but it’s important so come straight here when you’re done.”
“Iight.”
We hung up. I walked to da Gatorade vending machine and got a drink. Will did
too.
“Well,
let’s get goin. Da faster we’re done, the sooner we can find out what’s goin
on.”
“Ri,
ri.”
“You
know, I have a feelin dat things are goin to get really crazy.” He said.
“I
couldn’t agree with you more.” I told him. We got back to work. We finished 45
minutes later. “Tierra, come on sweetie.”
She
ran up to me and grabbed my hand. She seemed ok now. It was time to see what Sydney
CHAPTER 6
FROM BAD TO WORSE
When
we got downstairs, Sydney
“Ahhh,
you’re sweaty.” She said. “I didn’t even hear you come in.”
“I
can tell. Let me take a shower and we’ll talk.” I kissed her. She nodded. “If
my cell phone rings, answer it for me.”
“Iight.”
She smiled and finished greasing Kendal’s scalp. “You’re done, Ken. Just
remember to put this on before you go to sleep.” She put a dew rag on his head.
“Ok,
thanks Ma.” He stood up and kissed her.
“You’re
welcome, pumpkin.” She replied. Tierra and Kendal ran into the back room. While
I was in the shower, my cell rang. “Hello?” Sydney
“Hey,
is Kenny there?” It was a woman on the other end.
“He’s
in the bathroom, whom may I ask is calling?” She didn’t even seem worried.
Looks like I earned her trust back.
“This
is Monique, who’s this?”
“Sydney
“That’s
none of your business.”
“Look,
I’ve done nothin to you, yet you treat me like I destroyed your life.”
“Cuz
you did. If you didn’t act like the hoe you are and sleep with my husband, then
he’d still be mine.”
“Oh
shut the fuck up,” even with water in my ears I heard Sydney
“You
left him, remember? You know nuttin about him. You’re setting yourself up for
heartbreak. Did you actually think that he cheated on you with me by accident?
He still loves me and we will be back together. He’s makin me jealous ri now.
That’s why he’s with you. I must say, it’s workin like a charm. Face it,
girlfriend, he’s using you. Kenny doesn’t really want to start a family with
you or have anything to do wit your son.”
“I
really hope you like living in your lil fantasy world because reality is goin
to be quite painful for you. Don’t worry, we’ll see if Kenny is the one using
me or if you’re just a dumb ass, spoiled, STD attracting cunt.” Sydney
“Who
was on the phone?” I asked her. I had a towel around me and that’s it. She
looked at me and was speechless. “Sid?”
“Huh?”
She was staring at my body. I snapped and she came back. “Oh, that was your
ex.”
“You
ok?” I asked her.
“Yea,
just neva really got used to how sexy you are.”
“I
see.” I started getting dressed, “so what did you need to talk wit me about?”
“Well,
you may want to sit down.” I sat down. She sat next to me and took my hand. “I
saw Mrs. Johnson yesterday. I told her about how I been feelin and what’s been
goin on. She assured me I wasn’t sick.”
“That’s
a relief.” I smiled.
“She
ended up tellin me I’m 7 weeks pregnant, due May 19th.”
“Pregnant?”
I definitely wasn’t expectin that one, but I immediately embraced her. “I can’t
believe it.” I had a huge smile.
“I
was hoping you’d be happy.” She had tears come from her eyes. “I was afraid
that you may not want anotha child at this time.”
“Only
if you were Monique,” I joked, “but I’ve been waiting for the day you’d have my baby.” I called Tierra and Kendal.
They ran into the room. “Kids, how would y’all like anotha brotha or sista?” I
asked them. They looked at each otha and then back at me.
“You
mean?” They both had a big smile on their face.
“Yep.”
Sydney
They
looked at each otha and then jumped on me in joy. I kissed them and hugged
them. Tierra smothered me in kisses. Kendal got off me and hugged Sydney Sydney
“It’s
KJ. He sounds unusually happy.” She told me. I grabbed the phone.
“KJ,
what up?” I said.
“Kenny,
Kenny, Kenny…..I have somethin to tell ya. Have you been watchin da draft?” He
asked me.
“Nah,
fergot. Why?”
“Well,
your 6th season is beginning, and you still have an undefeated
record at hand.”
“That
I do.”
“Well,
it’s about to end this season.” He claimed.
“That’s
a bold prediction. What has happened to make you believe somethin like that?” I
asked.
“Ya
know, we traded our starting forwards for first round draft picks. Fate was on
our side so much that the top two draft picks were from the teams we traded our
forwards to.”
“Iight,
so you got the top two draft picks. From what I hear, no one really spectacular
entered this year.”
“When
did you hear that?”
“Bout
two months ago.”
“That’s
why you’re behind the times, big brotha. Two particular individuals entered the
draft this year not more then 3 weeks ago. They decided not to enter afta high
school because they wanted to get an education.”
“Iight,
but that’s still not explainin why you’d make a bold prediction like that.”
“Cuz
you’re not thinking. These two individuals you know very well.”
“Nope,
still not helping.” I stated.
“If
I give you one more hint, there’s no way you’ll be able to get it wrong.”
“You’ll
have to give me one more hint, cuz I don’t remember.”
“Ok,
he’s our brother-in-law and the otha is married to Brittany
“No
way!” My mouth dropped.
“Yep.
Lorenzo and Alonzo has been drafted to my team.”
“They
told me they weren’t entering this year.”
“They
weren’t, but they changed their mind when we got the top two picks.”
“Why
would they go to your team?”
“They
wanted the opportunity to be on the team that would end y’all winning streak. 5
straight undefeated seasons and 5 NBA titles is unacceptable. Those wins in the
postseason don’t count because you both weren’t on the court.”
“This
is bullshit.”
“I
got some mo fo ya. Did you know our team was for sale?”
“Nah,
I didn’t know that.”
“Yea,
Albert Jones sold the team yesterday for $300 million. Guess who bought us.”
“Who?”
“Grandpa
and Uncle Guile of JS Enterprise.”
“Say
word.”
“There’s
more,” he continued, “comes to find out that Grandpa and Uncle G are goin to
move not only the team, but JS Enterprise headquarters.”
“Where?”
I asked.
“Here.
That new twin towers being built is the new JS Enterprise headquarters. That
new stadium by Cleveland Browns stadium is ours. We’re now the Cleveland
Tigerclaws.” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
“Does
Dad know about this?”
“Nope.
I just found out like 5 minutes befo I called you. This is pretty much
confidential, but I had to tell you. He prolly knows about the draft though.”
“This
is crazy.”
“Yea,
no doubt. Anyway, I had to let ya know. I’ll hit ya up lata. Oh yea, Monique
and Beyonce…. They’re startin to piss me off. You know they work right across
the street from my restaurant, so they come in askin me questions about you.
Dogg, honestly, I think they planning somethin for you and Will. Watch yo back
fa real. You might want to stay heated 24/7.”
“Iight,
good look. While I’m thinking bout it, Will and I started training today. Want
to join our program?”
“Fa
sho. Terrell, Lorenzo, Alonzo, and myself will be dare tomorrow.”
“It’s
on.” I then had a beep. It was Dad on da otha line. “Iight den, KJ, I’ll hit
you up lata.”
“It’s
on.” I clicked ova.
“Dad,
what up?”
“Kenny,
I need you and Will in my office asap.” He said.
“Why,
wassup?”
“I’ll
tell you when you get here.”
“It’s
on.” I hung up wit him and quickly finished gettin dressed.
“Where
you goin, Daddy?” Tierra asked me.
“I’m
goin to Grandpa’s office.” I told her.
“Tell
Grandpa I said hi.” She said.
“Iight,
baby girl.”
“Is
everything ok?” Sydney
“Don’t
know, but I’ll find out in a minute. What did you plan on doin today?”
“Your
mother invited me to lunch, so Candace and me are goin to meet her at 1400.”
“Need
any money?”
“Nah,
but the Caddy would be real nice.” I smiled and grabbed the key from my key
rack.
“Be
careful, that’s my baby.”
“I
will.” She kissed me. “The kids are comin wit me, so don’t freak out if you get
back before us.”
“I
won’t.” I kissed her again and walked out. While on the elevator, it stopped on
Will’s floor. He got on. “Good, I was just about to get you.”
“Same
here.” He said.
“So,
any ideas what this is about?”
“Couldn’t
tell you, but it sounds important.” Will pulled out a picture of Karla. “See
dat?” He asked me. I looked at the picture and noticed her eye.
“What
happened?”
“Her
nightmares became so scary that she fell off the bed. She cut her eye on the
bed frame. Don’t know how, but she did.”
“I
can put money on her nightmares being a lot like Tierra’s. A couple nights ago,
Tierra woke me up when she screamed at the top of her lungs.”
“I
wouldn’t bet against that.”
“They’ve
both been through hell.”
“And
we put em there.” Will added.
The
elevator stopped at the ground floor. Will was driving, so I followed him to
his Escalade.
When
we got to the office, Dad was sitting in his chair and Uncle Tevin was sitting
on his desk. Yep, that’s exactly how we look every time someone sees us in my
office.
“Fellas,”
Uncle Tevin began, “have a seat.” We sat down.
“What’s
goin on?” I asked.
“There’s
a time when every man knows his limits,” Dad began, “a time when the most
powerful man in the world has to step down.”
“What
are you sayin, Uncle Kevin?” Will requested.
“Your
father and I had a dream.” Dad stood up and walked towards us. “Our dreams were
to build the most powerful business empire and have our sons run it. In this
dream, our first born were goin to run it. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen that
way.”
“I’ve
had 12 children,” Uncle Tevin began, “half do nuttin but spend money. Then I
have the potential, Terrell, who follows in his big brotha’s footsteps. Will,
you’re my pride and joy. You’re like me.” He looked at Dad.
“Out
of 11 children, Kenny, you’re the only one I can trust to do right. KJ is not
ready yet, but when he is, he’ll be by your side.”
“Dad,
what are you asking of us?” Will asked in confusion.
“Will,
your Uncle and I are retiring. We want to train both of you to run this
enterprise. Keep our goal in mind and on track.” We were shocked. We weren’t
expectin this so early.
“But
Dad, you and Uncle Tevin have a good 30 to 50 years left in you. Why quit now?”
They were silent and had their heads down.
“Kenny,
what we’re about to tell you can’t leave this room. Understand?” I nodded.
“Will?” He also nodded.
“Kevin
and I have cancer,” We gasped, “prostate cancer just like your great
grandfather. My guess is it skipped Dad and jumped right to us.”
“But
we have a cure for that. Mom can get you cured.” I suggested.
“We
thought about that,” Dad continued, “but we consider this a gift. Your great
grandfather was a great man. To die like he did is an honor. Tevin nor myself
can even be compared to him. He was a World War III ,
IV, and V hero. He saved more lives then were killed. He made the nation the
way it is today. Grandpa didn’t want a cure, so neither do we.” Will and I had
tears in our eyes.
“Don’t
worry, we have plenty of time.” Uncle Tevin said. “The two of you are fast
learners. It would have takin a month and a half to train you, but you’ve had 3
months in our position. We have at least two years. We want to spend our time
the best way we can; love making, sports, TV, da whole nine.”
“That
also means we can watch y’all marry Candace and Sydney.” Tevin added. We looked
up at him. “We were wonderin how long it would take before y’all decided to get
together. It didn’t take long. She already pregnant, so y’all mine as well go
to the last step.”
“Have
y’all told Ma and Aunt Tasha yet?” Will wondered.
“Nah,
it’ll just worry em. We may tell em eventually, but anytime soon, they’ll try
to cure us.” I leaned on my knees and buried my face in my hands. Will had tears
comin down his face. “Y’all actin like we’re already dead.” He added.
“Now
are y’all willin to go through this? We can set up somethin that’ll work wit
your basketball schedule and we’ll be completely done by June of next year.”
Dad stated.
“We’ve
been waitin all our lives for this opportunity. We didn’t expect it this soon.”
Will stated.
“But
we’ll be honored to carry the legacy.” I added.
“Glad
to hear it.” Uncle Tevin smiled. He stood up and grabbed a remote. “Now, the
first thing we want to show you is the division of SJ Enterprise. As you know,
both of your mothers are heads of a division. Keasha has our law division and
Natasha has our medical division. Not including y’all divisions, our last ones
are Computer and Electronics. Kevin and I are heads of that, but y’all can
appoint new heads besides yourself. When we retire, so will y’all mothers.”
“That
means y’all need to decide on the four division leaders.” Dad said. “Keep in
mind, they need to be extremely qualified.”
“Simple.”
I stated.
“We
already know who to choose.” Will added.
“Chris,
Dre, Toya, and both Sydney and Candace.” I told them. “Chris will handle
electronics, Dre computers, Toya law, and medical for the girls.”
“They
both,” Will began, “have been training under Aunt Tasha for a year now. No
reason to choose between them.”
“Already
makin good decisions.” Uncle Tevin complimented. “I can tell the two of you
will be just fine…..possibly better then us.”
“But
what exactly do we do if the divisions are led by others?” I asked.
“Good
question.” Dad took a deep breath and began telling us. “The main things you do
is finalize all decisions. You also set up business transactions like with the
President, military, other businesses, countries, and so on. You also take
complete charge of SJ Productions. That’s TV, movies, and music that’s all in
your control. Throughout this training, both of you will know why it’s hard to
get away from work and why we can’t do everything electronically. Those 3
months that y’all ran thangs weren’t really a big enough test. Don’t get me
wrong, y’all did outstanding and a lot betta then we thought. The thing is,
y’all weren’t tested like y’all could have been.”
“When
do we start?” Will asked.
“Next
week.” Uncle Tevin answered. “We need time to get all materials and equipment
ready. At the end, well, I should say you’ll know it’s over when we test you.
You have to get every single question right.”
“We’ll
give a pretest next week to determine what we have to teach you.” Dad told us.
They paused as we took it in. “We realize this is a lot, but you have a week to
calm down and be at ease. Work your body all you want, but startin next week,
we’re workin your minds.” Dad paused and looked at us. “Any questions?” We
shook our heads. “Iight, we’re done.” I stood up and hugged him. He didn’t
expect it, but hugged me back.
“I
love you, Dad.” I whispered in his ear as tears came down my cheek.
“I
love you, too, Kenny.” He whispered back to me. “Now go on befo you get me
goin.” I smiled as I saw his eyes water. Will and I hugged our uncles, or
should I say second fathers, before we left.
When
we got home, I noticed my car was gone. “Sydney and the kids must of already
left.” I said to myself.
Right
when I said that, Sydney
“Hey
Daddy.”
“Hey,
Lil bit. You have a good lunch?” I asked her.
“Yep.”
Sydney and Kendal caught up to me.
“You
just getting here?” She asked me.
“Yea.”
“Are
you ok?”
I
then felt my eye twitch. I looked at Will. He looked at me and thought the same
thing. I made a funny face. Someone is coming to get us. We turned around and
saw three cars pull up. They were all four deep, so that’s 12 heads. They got
out the cars and walked towards us. The leaders were Ray and Kyle.
“Don’t
look so tough now without your boys.” Kyle said to us.
“Actually,
you look more like you’ve been cryin.” Ray added. They all started to laugh.
“Awww, does the baby miss his mommy?”
“Tierra,”
I said softly, “go with Sydney
“I’m
not leaving you, Daddy.” She stated.
“Tierra,
go in the house!” I told her, sternly. She noticed the tone and never heard me
talk to her like that before.
“Ok.”
She took Sydney
“Baby,
take them in the house. Don’t let em see what’s goin on.”
“Iight.
Be careful baby.” Sydney
“Y’all
have two options,” Will said, “eitha leave our property or be carried off by
the ambulance.” They laughed. We looked at each otha and knew exactly what the
other one was thinking. “Y’all had y’all chance.”
We
then decided to take first blood. I stuck Kyle in the jaw as hard as I could
without making it noticeable and Will stuck Ray in the same manner. They both
hit the ground, bleeding from the mouth. Their boys got involved. We hit as
many as we could, back pedaling to gain distance, dodging as much as possible.
Neither of us missed. We hit half of them before finally getting caught. We
were still standing, tryin to battle back, knocking down a couple more. It was
then over when we were knocked down. They kicked and punched us, tryin to catch
our face, but not succeeding. We were already sore from working out this
morning, but this made it worse. Ray and Kyle were helped up. They came to us
and started talkin shit.
“Realize
this, if you ever disrespect me or Monique, we’ll end your life.” Kyle said to
me.
As
he said the last three words, Tierra’s nightmare popped in my heard. It started
to become clearer. We must of did somethin to Monique and Beyonce. After he
said his piece, him and the rest of his crew turned around and started heading
back to their rides. I wasn’t goin out like that. We flipped up and ran towards
them. I tackled Kyle straight to the ground. I pummeled him with punches to the
face. My eye did a quick severe twitch. I rolled to the side to avoid a kick to
the back of the head. 4 guys came at me. I started thinking bout what Dad
taught me. I kept them in front of me to the best of my ability, but found 3
behind me. 6 people were surrounding me. I thought about my training. I did many
movies with this type of situation. I got into a martial arts stance and was
ready to unleash the dragon. They all made their way towards me. I closed my
eyes and let my heart guide me. I started swinging with my fists, legs, and
head. When I opened my eyes, they were all on the ground. I walked towards
Kyle, but stopped when I heard a gun being cocked. I turned around and saw 2 of
his boys getting off the ground while pointing a gun at me. I then heard anotha
gun. It was Chris and Dre.
“Drop
it or find yo ass lit up like Las
Vegas
“Let’s
go boys.” He said. We watched them leave. Once they left, I called Monique.
“You
bitch, I’m definitely goin to make you pay fa this.” I told her when she picked
up the phone. “You told your boyfriend where I lived so he could get payback.
You just gave me permission to kill him. Have his tombstone ready.” I hung up
the phone.
Chris
and Dre helped us into the house. I had ice on my face, sides, and hands. I was
chillin fa sho. My doorbell rang and in came da rest of da click; Frost, CJ, New York , Blaze, Troy
“The
way I see it,” Chris began, “we take dem by surprise. We go to day crib and
straight minimize dem boys.”
“Or
we take em out at da club again.” Dre suggested.
“To
be honest, if we bank dem cats again, day gon come heated.” Blaze pointed out.
“I say lets take dare life while we still got da chance.”
“Nah,”
I finally spoke, “let em breathe and enjoy life.”
“Kenny
and I don’t want to retaliate yet.” Will stated. “They’re expecting it.
Instead, we want to wait it out to a point where day don’t think we’ll hit em
up.”
“Den
it’s game time.” Trey said. “How long you think it’ll take?”
“Prolly
a month or two.” Chris responded.
“Da
whole point is to have him feel like they got us shook.” I pointed out. “When
we get at em, it won’t be nuttin nice.”
“It’s
goin to be kinda hard to hold down your anger.” Dre said.
“We
have otha thangs to worry about.” Will responded. “Look, Lorenzo and Alonzo
were drafted to the Cincinnati
“We
did have close street ball games, but only against KJ and Terrell or Zo and
Zo.” I pointed out. “Our series will determine the next champions once again.
We’ve neva faced all four at one time, so I’m not feelin to good about this.” I
struggled to sit up. “Maybe we’re overlookin Ray and Kyle, but believe me when
I say it’s for the best.” They all nodded. “Now, excuse me, I have to see
Tierra.”
I
stood up and walked up to my room. When I got in my bedroom, I saw Sydney
“What
do you think?” She asked.
“Absolutely
gorgeous.” I told her.
“I
just bought it today.”
“It’s
perfect.”
“So
what’s the big special occasion?”
“You’ll
see.”
“Ok.”
I smiled and went to see Tierra.
“How
you holdin up, lil bit?” I asked her.
“I’m
fine. Did those men hurt you?”
“They
did a lil damage, but I’ll be ok. I did a lot more to them.”
“Are
you goin to get them back?”
“Yea,
eventually I am, but right now we have otha thangs. Starting next week, Will
and I are goin to be very busy. Sydney
“Ok.
Kendal and I are starting a conditioning program. Like the one you taught me.
We’re tryin to get ready for basketball season.”
“That’s
good baby girl.” I noticed her facial expressions change.
“Daddy,
is somethin bad bout to happen?”
“No,
why you say that?” I asked her.
“Well,
every time I get this feeling in the pit of my stomach somethin bad happens.”
She gets that from me.
“I
can’t answer that, sweetie. Not yet at least.”
“You’re
not goin to leave me, are you?”
“No,
I’ll neva leave you. But I was goin to take you and Kendal to Grandpa’s. Do you
want to go there?”
“Yes.”
She had a big smile.
“Good,
go pack a bag. You can stay as long as you want.” I kissed her and put her
down. She ran into her room. I went into Kendal’s room. “I was goin to take
Tierra to Grandpa’s, you wanna go too?”
“Yea.”
He said smiling.
“Good
deal. Pack a bag. You can stay as long as you want.” He nodded.
I
left his room and looked around my apartment, admiring my family photos. I
picked up the picture of Will and I when we were little. We took it with our
dads while they were divorced from Ma and Aunt Keasha. How would I be able to
cope with the fact my father will die in 2 years or so? The thing is, I can’t
tell a soul. While I was reminiscin, Ma called me.
“Kenny,
are you alone?” She sounded sad.
“Yea,
what’s wrong?” I asked.
“It’s
your father. He’s been lookin pale lately, so I did a check on him.”
“What
do you mean a check on him?”
“You
know if he’s in pain, he wouldn’t tell me. I figured he saw anotha doctor. If
he did, it’d be in the computer. He knows that I wouldn’t just do a random
check on him, so he didn’t care if I look up his records.”
“What
did you find out?”
“Not
good news.”
“So
you know.” I said, sadly.
“Huh?”
“Dad
called me in his office today. Well, both Will and me. Him and Uncle Tevin are
goin to train us to take ova SJ Enterprise. They said they’re retiring because
they want to enjoy the rest of their lives.”
“Why?”
“Cuz
they’ve been diagnosed wit prostate cancer. They knew if they told you, you
would try to cure them. They want to die just like Great Grandpa. They say they
have at least two years.”
“Sweetie,
they don’t have two years.”
“What?”
I can hear her cryin.
“The
prostate cancer your uncle and father have is a mutated version. It’s
completely different from what your great grandfather had.”
“Ma,
what are you sayin?” I had anger in my heard and tears in my eyes. I braced
myself for the worse.
“Tops,
they have about 6 months.” She struggled to say. I was speechless. I didn’t know
what to say, do, or how to react.
“Ma,
you have to cure him.” I demanded.
“I
can’t if he doesn’t want to be. I can only help if Kevin lets me. Listen, your
father doesn’t know that I know, but I will talk to him and let him know
everything. Did you tell Sydney
“No,
I was goin to bring Tierra and Kendal ova there so I can have Sydney
“I
understand. Don’t tell your brothas or sistas. I think Kevin and Tevin told you
and Will for a reason. If you want, I can tell Sydney
“Thanks.
It’s goin to be hard for me to even talk about it.”
“I
know sweetie. You and your father are extremely close. I know you’re really
hurt by this.”
“Understatment
of the year.”
“Well,
your father just walked in, so I’m goin to talk to him. I’ll tell you how it
goes when you get here.”
“It’s
on.”
“Kenny,
I love you, and try not to think about it too much.”
“I’ll
try. I love you too.”
“Bye
sweetie.”
“Bye,
Ma.” I hung up wit her and sat down. I, Kenny, am the toughest, sexiest,
thuggish man next to Dad, now I’m reduced to a lil cryin bitch. I sat down and
buried my face in my hands.
“Kenny,
you here?” Sydney
“Dad
and Uncle Tevin are dying from a mutated prostate cancer. They have six months
left at the most.” So much for difficulty to talk about it.
“What?”
“They’re
leavin Will and I the company so they can retire.”
“Awwww,
I’m sorry, baby.” She kissed me.
“I
need you. I’ll need you to get through this.”
“I’m
not goin anywhere.” She assured me.
“Baby,
can you take Tierra and Kendal to Dad’s house?” I asked her.
“Yea,
of course.”
“Thanks.
I’m canceling our reservations.”
“I
understand. That’s prolly the best thing right now.” Tierra and Kendal came out
their rooms.
“Princess?”
I called her and watched her walk to me. “Sydney
“Promise.”
“Ok,
give me a hug and kiss.” She hugged and kissed me. “Iight, get out of hea befo
I change my mind.”
“K,
love you, Daddy.” She said smiling.
“Love
you too, baby girl.” I smiled at her, not liking the fact it was a fake smile.
“Kendal, come here, Lil Pimp.” He walked ova to me. “Watch yo sista and stay
out of trouble, iight?”
“Yes,
sir.”
“That’s
my Lil Pimp. I’ll see you lata, iight?”
“Ok.”
I gave him a hug.
“Love
you.”
“Love
you too.” Sydney Kobe
I
was lying down on the couch when Sydney
“Are
you sleep?” She said, almost a whisper.
“No.
Did my motha say anything?” I said calmly and sadly.
“She’ll
call you in a few. She wants to tell you what happened.”
“Oh.”
I gazed at her for a minute. “Come here.” She walked to me and lied next to me.
I held her in my arms, thinkin bout what to do next. Moments later, Ma called.
“Kenny,
I told him everything. He definitely didn’t take it well.” She said.
“Expected.
What does he plan on doin?” I was talkin lightly.
“Well,
he wants to devote all his time to training you and Will. He’s agreed to take
cover pills. He wants you to come to the office tomorrow morning.”
“I
will.”
“I
see you told Sydney
“I
had to.”
“Let
me talk to her.” I handed Sydney
“Hey,
Mrs. Johnson.” She said.
“Hey,
Sydney
“I’m
ok, how bout you?”
“Compared
to how I’m bout to feel in time, I’m pretty good.”
“I
know what you mean.”
“Listen,
I wanted to talk to you because I think you’ll need to understand some thangs.”
“Ok,
I’m listening.” She sat up.
“When
I had Kenny, Kevin and I were extremely happy. He looked so much like Kevin. He
knew that Kenny would be greater then him. This excited Kevin and made him
treat Kenny completely different then his brothas and sistas. When Kevin and I
divorced, Kenny was two. Kevin always been there for him, so he fought to make
sure Kenny doesn’t come with me. Of course, when you came in the picture, Kenny
didn’t really miss me as much as before. As you know, we were divorced for five
years. During that time, Kevin was Kenny’s mother and father. A month afta I
divorced Kevin, Tevin and Keasha were in the same boat. That’s when the
relationship flourished between the four. Kevin, Kenny, Tevin and Will were
always together. They go somewhere every night and really bond. Kevin and Tevin
taught them every trick in the book about females, basketball, video games,
pretty much everything they know was from them. The only time they weren’t
together was when Kevin and Tevin were at work. Even afta we got back together,
their relationship stayed the same. They became closer when Kenny and Will
gained their image. Kenny would always come to Kevin when there was a
situation.
“When
Kenny was arrested for fighting, Kevin was always there for him. Coaching,
giving tips on how to do thangs, that’s what Kevin did throughout Kenny’s life.
Yea, there were plenty of tough love to go around, but that’s why it’s love.
Honestly, they’re a lot closer then me and Kenny. I don’t mind that because
Kevin has been there for him since birth. His brothas and sistas were always
jealous, but Kevin didn’t care. When Kenny loses Kevin, it’s goin to break his
heart to pieces. He’s goin to need you more then eva. You need to make sure
Will and Kenny stay around each otha and help each otha. Kevin and Tevin made a
deal if one dies, the otha speeds the process to die a lot quicker. They want
to make sure they die together.
“Sydney Sydney
“Yes,
ma’am, I understand completely. I won’t disappoint you.” She responded.
“I
don’t think you know how. Remember, I’m always here if you want to spend time
with Kenny alone. I’m always willing to watch Tierra and Kendal. Then when the
time comes, I’ll watch y’all new baby.” Sydney
“No,
I agree. Kenny and I should have had a baby a long time ago.”
“Yea,
well, I’m goin to take care of my wonderful husband. Tell Kenny I’ll call him
tomorrow evening.”
“Ok,
take care.”
“You
too.”
“Bye.”
“Bye-bye,
sweetie.”
She
hung up my phone and gave it to me. I wrapped my arm around her. We lied there
in total darkness, loving every moment of it.
The
next morning, I got up and went to the office. Will was already there waiting
on me.
“Looks
to me we’re starting today instead of next week.” He said.
“Yeah.”
I looked around the office. “Where day at?”
“Getting
our test.” At dat moment, they came back.
“Gentlemen,
take a seat and take this.” Uncle Tevin said immediately.
We
sat down and took the test. It was long, but we both finished in two hours. Dad
processed our answer sheets.
“Well,
I wasn’t expectin that.” He said.
“But
it’s definitely a good thing.” Uncle Tevin said.
“How
so?” I asked.
“Well,”
Dad began, “Y’all both scored perfect.”
“What
does that mean?” Will wondered.
“It
means it should take two weeks, 14 days or 140 hours to train y’all. Whateva is
faster. We’ll work 10 hours a day. Times will be from noon to 2200 so that way y’all can still do y’all
morning workouts.” Uncle Tevin told us. Suddenly there was a bang at the door.
“This
is the police, open up!” The chief yelled. Dad opened the door.
“What’s
this all about?” He asked.
“We
received a call not too long ago and we need to take em in for questioning.”
The chief replied.
“Let
me guess, the em is us?” I said.
“That
would be correct. Now are you and Will goin to cooperate or do we need to put
the cuffs on?” He said.
“Nah,
we’ll cooperate.” Will answered. We stood up and followed the group of cops
out.
“No
need to worry, they’re not under arrest, we’re just taking them to the station
and askin a few questions.” The chief told our fathers.
“The
last thing we do is worry.” Uncle Tevin assured him.
“But
we would like to know why you’re questioning them?” Dad requested.
“That
is classified information.” Chief told em.
“Pardonez-moi?”
Uncle Tevin said. “I believe you know nothin is classified to us.”
“Iight
if you must know,” the chief took a breath, “we’ve received a call stating both
Kenny and Will have threatened and conspired against Beyonce and Monique.”
“You
have got to be shittin me.” Dad stated.
“Well
eitha way it goes, we have to question them.” The chief explained. He turned
around and walked out the room.
When
we got to the station we sat down in the interrogation room. Two of the
station’s top interrogators came in and placed their guns on the table.
“Iight,
gentlemen,” Officer Lundy began, “let’s get down to business.”
“The
call we received was from Delina Sanders. Do you know of her?” Officer Willis
asked.
“Yea,
she’s Mo and Beyonce’s best friend.” I replied.
“When
was the last time y’all spoke with your ex-wives?” Lundy asked.
“Couple
days ago.” Will answered.
“Look,
just get to da nitty gritty and let us know what she said.” I stated.
“Fair
enough.” Willis said. “Miss Sanders told us that you two threatened Ms. Monique
and Ms. Beyonce…..more like promised to kill them.”
“Is
this true?” Lundy asked.
“Nah,
pimpin,” Will began, “we ain’t threaten nobody. If that’s why you’re holdin us,
you mine as well let us go now.”
“Ya
know what, we is goin to let y’all know somethin,” I began, “we didn’t threaten
them, nor promised to hurt them. More like we promised them that they
boyfriend’s are goin to die. That’s a certainty.” I stood up. “Ray and Kyle are
goin to die by our hands.”
“So
either let us go or arrest us.” Will said as he stood. We stared at the
officers’ eyes, like we were challenging em.
“Iight,
we’ll let you go.” Lundy told us.
We
walked out the room and were escorted back to SJ Enterprise. While we were
downstairs, the lobby secretary stopped us.
“Sorry,
Mr. Johnson and Mr. Smith, but your fathers’ have left.” She said to us.
“Where
day go?” I asked.
“I
don’t know. They left about 35 mins ago and told me to hold all calls for the
next two days. If you want, I can call him.”
“No
thank you though.” Will replied. He looked at me. “So wassup?”
“Let’s
go home. I’ll call Mom to see if she heard from them.” I replied. We left the
office and got in the car. I called Ma, but there was no answer. “I ain’t
worried. Let’s just go home.”
“What
we goin to do about Mo and B?” He asked me.
“Let’s
handle one thing at a time.” My phone rang at that moment. “Hey Ma, wassup?”
“Kenny,
I have great news.” She said.
“Before
you start, have you heard from Dad?” I asked her.
“That’s
what I have to tell you. Your father decided to be cured.” I started smiling.
“He’s sleep right now, but he just came in here, him and Tevin, and told me to
give em the cure.”
“That’s
great, Ma. I’m glad they finally decided to do that.” Will looked at me every
second he could, not taking his eyes off the road for long.
“I
know. I wonder what happened to make him change his mind.” She said.
“I
have an idea.” I told her. “So where is he now?”
“He’s
at home. He doesn’t like to sleep in hospitals. What are you guys bout to do?”
“Go
home.”
“Iight,
well, I’ll keep you posted.”
“Thanks,
Ma, y’all know how to reach us.”
“Of
course. Talk to you lata.”
“It’s
on, Ma.” We hung up. I looked at Will. “Dad and Uncle Tevin are getting cured.”
He started smiling and then looked at me.
“Finally,
one less thing to worry about.” He said. At the same time, somethin hit us.
“Kenny?”
“What
up?” I replied.
“Did
we actually get our ass whooped?” I thought about it.
“I
think we did.” I looked at him and then at the road. “Ain’t that some shit.”
“I’m
really not feelin that at all.”
“I
say we pay them a lil visit.” I suggested.
“I
second that emotion.” He pulled out his phone.
“Who
you bout to call?”
“Beyonce….
I’mma see where Ray and Kyle is.” He called Beyonce and waited to see if she
was goin to pick up.
“You
think she gon pick up?” I asked him.
“Yea.
She always answer calls from me.” He waited and she finally picked up. “Hey,
baby girl, what’s poppin?”
“Hey,
Will, what’s up?” She replied.
“Are
you alone?”
“For
the time being, why?”
“Expectin
company?”
“My
man. May I ask why you’re so interested?”
“Wanted
to…..come talk to you.” Will said, lying of course.
“How
sweet.”
“I’ll
catch you at anotha time then.”
“That’s
fine.”
“It’s
on.” He hung up. “We’ll wait. I don’t want her to know what we’re planning.”
“Good
idea.”
We
arrived at the house moments later. Tierra and Kendal came out to me the moment
they saw me. I hugged them and picked them up.
“We
missed you, Daddy.” Tierra said, kissing my cheek.
“I
missed y’all, too, squirt.” I kissed her and Kendal. I put them down and took
their hands. “Where’s Sydney
“In
the kitchen.”
“Is
everyone here?”
“Yep,
Uncle Chris and Uncle Andre want to see you and Uncle Will.”
I
looked at Will. He was thinking the same thing. We went into the house and saw
the entire click in the living room.
“Be
wit y’all in a minute.” I said, going straight to the kitchen. I saw Sydney
“Are
you ok, Kenny?” She asked.
“I
am now.” I kissed her repeatedly.
“I’m
so glad you’re home.” She said.
“So
am I.”
I
looked into her eyes. Tears slowly came down them. It was one of those moments
that we both were thinking the same thing. Relief.
“I’mma
go take care of business.” I told her.
“Okay.”
“I love
you.”
“I
love you, too.” I kissed her again.
I
smiled and took the kids’ hands. Will followed me into the living room.
Everyone was there waiting. Latoya came up to me and gave me a hug.
“I’m
glad you’re okay.” She said.
“Thanks.
I’m just glad Dad is goin to be ok.” I told her.
“Handle
your business, playboy.”
I
kissed her and watched her walk in the kitchen. Yvonne also approached me and
kissed me.
“Do
yo thang.” She said.
I
smiled and nodded. I sat in my favorite chair with both Kendal and Tierra on my
lap. Will sat in his with Karla and Wesley on his lap.
“Iight,
fellas, let’s get down to da nitty gritty.” Will said.
“The
past few weeks have been hell.” I said.
“For
the first time in our lives, we got quite a beating.” Will continued. “Let’s
just be blunt wit it. We got our ass whooped.”
“Daddy!”
Karla and Wesley both called. He gave them both $5.
“But
you know what, we weren’t in the right state of mind.” I added. “Ray and Kyle
have bitten off more then they can chew.”
“They
wrote a check that their ass can’t cash.” Will proceeded, handing both Karla
and Wesley another $5. “With everything goin right in our lives, we are now
mentally stable.”
“Which
is bad news for our new found foes.” I mentioned. “The thug in us are now fully
awaken. Kenny and Will shall endure heavy pain on these two. All it takes is a
lil strategy.”
“What
do y’all have in mind?” Chris asked.
“Very
simple.” Will explained. “Ray and Kyle have 10 niggaz on they side. Then again,
they could have gotten more. We’re goin to face them all head on.”
“Monique
and Beyonce shall not be harmed nor informed of this.” I added. “With that
being said, the last detail is when.”
“Ray
and Kyle have a routine. They always go to the club on Saturday.” Will informed
us.
“What
club you ask? Well, I’m glad you ask,” I began, “Club Deuce-Trey. All of em be
out dare, so we could get them in one shot.” At that moment, my phone rang.
“What it is?” I said as I answered.
“Kenny,
I need to talk to you.” Monique said. “It’s very important.”
“About
what?” I said.
“I
can’t say. Please?” I started to think about it.
“Iight,
meet me at the Sears on 4th
street
“I’ll
be there in 10 minutes.”
“See
you there.” I hung up wit her. “Look, I gotta go. Will rap it up.” I picked the
kids up and sat them back down in the chair. “I’ll be back, y’all.”
“I
wanna go with you.” Kendal requested.
“Iight,
you can come. Tierra, stay here and keep an eye on Sydney
“Ok.”
Tierra said.
She
smiled as I kissed her. We got in the car and headed to Sears. I saw Monique
waiting on me. I parked next to her.
“I
didn’t think you’d come.” She said.
“Wait
here, Lil Pimp.” I told Kendal. He nodded. “What’s this about?” I asked Monique
as I got out the car.
“Kenny,
no matter what happens, I still love and care about you as much as I did when
we were together. You took my heart, my love, and my virginity. You will always
be important to me.” She took a deep breath. “With that being said, I think you
should know that Ray and Kyle are planning on making you suffer. Look, I don’t
like Sydney
“How
can I trust you when you’re still dating this man?”
“Same
reason why I stayed with you even though you were cheating on me. I love him,
but if he finds out I told you, he will kill me.”
“Why
Sydney
“Cuz
killing her is the only way to take your spirit. So he says.”
“When?”
“Tonight.”
She then started smiling. “Actually, now as we speak.”
“What?”
“Do
you really thing I give a rat’s ass what happens to her?”
“Bitch.”
“I
may be, but you’ll be the one wit a dead fiancée.”
“You
may not care about Sydney, but what about Tierra?”
“She’s
supposed to be at your mother’s house.”
“Sydney
“Damn
it.” She grabbed her phone and called. She got nothing. “His phone must be
off.” I really got pissed. I grabbed her and pushed her into her car.
“If
he harms a hair on my fiancée he’s a dead man. On Tierra, you’re a dead woman.
You and your family.” I let her go and went into the car. I rushed to the
house. On the way, I called Will. “Aye, y’all still in the house?” I asked as
Will picked up.
“Yea,
we in the back blazin some of dat good god. What it is?”
“Look,
we have a code red headin yo way. Ray and Kyle are goin to kill Sydney and
Candace. They’re on their way now!”
“Ah,
shit. Iight, I’m….” There was a pause. “Shit, I think they just made their
move.”
“SHIT!!!”
I yelled. “Will?”
“I’mma
check it out. See ya when you get here.” He hung up.
I
sped up. I pulled into the courtyard seconds later, even before Will got out
there. The first thing I saw was Sydney
“Sydney
“One
will be there in 90 seconds.” The lady told me. I hung up and applied pressure
on her wound with my shirt. She opened her eyes.
“Kenny?”
She struggled to say.
“I’m
here.”
“Don’t
tend to me.” She said.
“Why
not?”
“Tierra.”
“WHAT?!
Where is she?” My heart was pounding. She pointed behind me. I turned around
and saw Tierra lying on the stairs. “I’ll be back.” I ran to her. “Tierra?” I
turned her over and noticed the blood. She was also shot in the chest. Her
pulse was faint. I heard the ambulance goin in the distance. 3 seconds later,
they were in the courtyard. “WILL!!!” I yelled. He came around the side
carrying both Candace and Karla.
“I’m
here.” He said.
Another
ambulance arrived. EMS
“Ma,
I need you, are you at the hospital?” I asked her.
“I’m
on my way, 911 just called me. What happened?” She asked.
“Them
mothafuckas shot my babies.” I said. Tears started comin down my face.
“Whoa
hold on they shot Tierra and Kendal?”
“Nah,
Tierra and Sydney. Luckily Kendal was wit me at the time.”
“How?”
“Monique
called me to lure me out the house. While I was out, Ray and Kyle made the hit.
Monique didn’t realize Tierra was here. Both are shot in the chest.”
“Ok,
Kenny, I’ll meet you at the hospital.” We hung up wit each other.
“Is
Tierra ok?” Sydney
“I
don’t know. Save your strength.” I kissed her and looked at Tierra. “How is
she, Doc?”
“It’s
too early to say. Her breathing is getting difficult at the current moment.”
I
took Tierra’s hand and held it tight. In 2 minutes, we arrived at CMH . They rushed them into ER. Will and I waited in
the Waiting Room. Ma tended to our fallen loved ones.
“Kenny,
how you holdin up?” Will asked.
“Not
too good, you?”
“I
feel like shit.” He replied.
We
continued to wait for 3 hours. Ma finally came out.
“Please
say you have good news.” I said.
“Depends
on how you look at it.” She replied.
“How
are they, Auntie?” Will asked.
“For
starters, the bullets have been removed. Luckily, Karla’s arm was in front of
her chest or she’d really be in bad shape. She’s in stable condition along with
Sydney and Candace. All three are unconscious. As for Tierra, not too good.”
“Please
don’t tell me.” I started.
“No,
she’s not dead. She’s in a coma though. It wasn’t the shot that did the most
damage. Where did you find her at?”
“Lying
on the steps.” I replied.
“I
thought so. The landing really hurt her. She could suffer unfixable brain
damage, memory loss, even death. She’s in critical condition.” I sat down and
buried my face in my hands. Ma sat right next to me. “I know how you must feel.
Actually, I know exactly how you feel.”
“How
do you know how I feel?” I said with tears in my eyes.
“I
didn’t think you’d remember.”
“Remember
what?” She took a deep breath.
“When
you were four, you and your father was out joy riding when y’all were attacked.
The tires were shot and y’all spun off the road. The car flipped multiple
times, throwing your father out of it. His leg was broke, but he paid no
attention to it since you were still trapped inside a car that was moments away
from exploding. He ripped the door off the hinges, pulled you out, and ran away
from the car. An ambulance soon picked you up. I rushed to the hospital as fast
as I could. The diagnostics were very simple. Your father had a broken leg,
dislocated shoulder, and a concussion.” I looked at her in complete awe. “You
were also in bad shape. You had a concussion, two broken ribs, a broken ankle,
and a deep cut in your neck.” I felt the scar on my neck. “Yep, that’s the
one.”
“I
asked you where this came from and you said you didn’t remember.” I said.
“You
asked me 15 years ago. I figured you would hopefully remember now. Your father
was mobile again in 2 weeks, but you were still in a coma. Your brother kept
you company the whole time. I cried every night for 2 months. You finally woke
up 3 days before your birthday.”
“Did
Dad ever payback the ones that did this?”
“Yes,
he did, but not before they had children.”
“What
are you sayin?”
“I
pulled up some of your Dad’s enemies’ medical records. The ones that attempted
to take his life and yours had two sons.”
“Ray
and Kyle.” I began to get really pissed.
“My
guess is Ray and Kyle were told the story by their fathers. Now they want to
finish the job that their father failed.”
“I’ll
make sure it’s the same ending. Ray and Kyle will die in the worse way
possible.” I declared.
“Look,
I’m goin to run some more tests. When I come back, y’all may see them.” She
headed back to ER. Will sat down next to me.
“Revenge
is a dish best served cold. It will be sweet and very enjoyable.” He commented.
“No
doubt, but if Tierra dies, they’ll wish we did just kill em.”
“This
has been one shitty year. Don’t worry, we is gon handle this.” I nodded in
agreement.
“All
I know is the thought of just killing them is long gone. I want to torture them
so bad they’ll beg us to kill em.”
“Then
we do em like Jodie.” Will suggested.
“Oh
yea, more like how y’all killed him in my dream. I like that.”
“Yea,
that was off the chain.” This conversation was the only thing taking our minds
off the emotional pain and putting a smile on our face. As we waited, Chris and
Dre came to check up on us.
“Y’all
iight?” Chris asked.
“Not
one bit.” I replied.
“We’re
sorry, guys.” Dre apologized. “We shoulda been dare.”
“Nah,
it wasn’t y’all fault.” Will explained. “I was close by, but didn’t really have
a chance at making it.”
“Please,”
I began, “if anyone should be blamed, then it should be me. I allowed Monique
to lure me out the house and fall right into their trap. Monique will die a
terrible death. Waiting for God to do it for me will be a long, tedious process
that I am too impatient for.”
“You
actually intend on killin yo ex-wife? The mother of your daughter?” Dre asked.
“Not
only am I goin to kill her, but also her father.” I stated.
“That
puts our hit list at 5.” Will said. “Who else are we adding?”
“The
rest of dem niggaz dat had the balls to jump us.” I said.
“Man,
this gon get ugly.” Chris said.
“But
it’s gon feel good.” Will declared.
“No
mercy shall be shown.” I stated.
“Can’t
wait to do this.” Dre added. Shortly later, Ma came back out of ER.
“Will,
Kenny, y’all may now see them.” She told us.
“We’ll
be back.” I told Chris and Dre. Kendal and I went into the room that Sydney and
Tierra were in. I looked at Tierra first. I took her hand into mine and kissed
it. Tears filled my eye as I gazed upon my daughter. “I failed to keep you
safe, princess. This is the last thing that shoulda happened to you. I’m so
sorry, sweetheart. I hope you make it out of this 100% healthy.” I bent down
and kissed her. “I love you, Netta.” I let go of her hand and tended to Sydney
I
kissed her and took Tierra’s hand. I sat between them, holding their hands,
leaned against the wall and Kendal on my lap. I think he’s still in shock that
his mother is injured like this. No matta what, we weren’t goin to leave their
side. Ma soon came in to tell me about the baby.
“Good
news, the baby is fine. She’s still goin to have it on schedule and the baby
will not be affected one bit.” She informed me.
“Finally,
somethin good happens.” I said.
“I
also have some shocking news.”
“Like
what?” I sat up and made a concerned look.
“Sydney
“What?
What do you mean she’s not carrying a baby?”
“Exactly
that?”
“What’s
she carrying then, a parasite?”
“No,
silly billy, Guthrie….she’s carrying two.”
“Say
word?”
“You’re
goin to have twins.”
“You’re
kidding. Since when did we have a twin gene?”
“Always.
Remember, your father has twin brothers and I have a mother with a twin sister
that I tend to mistake for my actual mother.”
“Holy
crap.” I actually smiled.
“Yep.”
“What
about my first baby? Any good news about her?”
“Well,
her brain activity is still normal. The next 24 hours are very critical. If she
doesn’t break out her coma soon, let’s just say her condition will worsen.”
“Thanks,
Ma.” I got sad again.
“Don’t
worry, sweetie, she’ll pull through. She is a Johnson after all.”
“Yea,
you’re right.”
“I’mma
bring you somethin to eat. Don’t worry yourself to death.”
“I
won’t.” She left and Chris walked in.
“How
are they?” He asked.
“Sydney
“What
about the baby?” I started to smile.
“Comes
to find out, we’re havin twins.”
“Well
I be damned. Congratulations.”
“Thanks.
Ma just told me. That’s the only news that makes me feel good, but I still hope
my baby pulls through.”
“She
will, K. After all, you’re her father. How many comas have you pulled through?”
“Too
many. How’s Candace?”
“I’on
even know.”
“How’s
Karla?”
“I’on
even know.”
“And
you?”
“I’on
even know.” I shook my head as he said that.
“Is
there anything you do know.” I asked him.
“Not
at the moment.” He looked lost and confused. I shook my head and put my hand on
his shoulder.
“What
exactly is yo problem?”
“I
just feel I coulda did somethin to prevent this. I’d rather be lying hea then
these two.”
“Look,
this is me you’re talkin to. You don’t have to go on the guilt trip to get in
good. It was all my fault and you know it.”
“Dawg
that was Monique. There was no way you coulda known.” Chris tried to make me
feel better.
“I
still coulda had Tierra wit me. Hell, I brought Kendal, that’s why he’s not
lying in a bed with them. Sydney
“I
feel ya.”
“Speaking
of which, where’s yo boy at?”
“With
Toya. They should be on the way.” He looked at his watch. “Aye, I’m goin to go
check on Will. I’ll be back in a minute.”
“It’s
on.” He gave me dap and headed towards the door. “C?” He turned around and
looked at me. “Thanks, man.”
“It’s
all to da G.” He replied. He smiled and left the room. I knelt down by Tierra.
Kendal got on Sydney
“Come
on, sweetie, you have to pull through. You can’t leave us.” I held her hand in
mine. “I think I know what’ll help” I got up and sat on the bed. I lifted her
up and held her in my arms. I began to sing her song. “Night has fallen upon
us……and it’s time to rest your head. For it’s you, my angel, that must……close
your eyes and go to bed. The moment for all little ones……to go to dreamland has
come. Don’t worry baby, I shall……join you in dreamland as well. We will have
fun together……always and forever. You are my baby girl……that I love more than
you’ll know. And it’s you that’ll take care of me……when I get old and
you grow. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves……you still have to get through the
night. Just know that you, Tierra……are the love of my life.”
I
kissed her and lied there with her, running my fingers through her hair. I
didn’t realize it, but I had tears dropping from my eyes. I decided to sing her
the song that I always sang when she cried. This one always calmed her down no
matta what.
“Don’t
cry, sweetie pie, let me wipe your eyes. Daddy’s here, lil bit, no need to cry.
I will make everything feel alright. So keep the tears from falling from your
eyes. And we will go on a very fun ride. No matter where we go I’ll be by your
side. All you have to do is try not to cry.”
I
kissed her forehead. I looked at her from head to toe. I sniffed and caressed
her cheek. Just when I was about to turn away, I saw her move. I blinked
several times, thinking I saw what I wanted to see and not reality. I stared at
her, hoping she’d move again. Instead, she took a deep breath and swallowed. I
began to smile as it looked more like she was sleep. I pressed the button to
bring Ma in. She rushed in.
“What’s
wrong?” She asked.
“I
don’t think anything is wrong. I saw her move.” I explained.
“You
sometimes move in a coma.”
“It
looks more like she’s sleep though.”
“Really?”
She walked over to her and looked at her. “Amazing.”
“What
is it?”
“The
monitor is showing indications of sleep.” She smiled and looked at me. “What
have you been doin the entire time?”
“Just
laying with her and singing her favorite songs.” I replied.
“Well,
I think it worked.” She looked over at Sydney
“I
will, Ma, thanks.” I replied. She smiled and left the room. I picked up Kendal
and hugged him. “They’ll both be ok, Lil Pimp.”
He
has also been crying quite a bit on his mother’s chest. There was a big wet
spot where his tears fell. I laid him back down wit Sydney
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