Chapter 13

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Talisha

"I'm sorry... forget I even said anything." I was so quick to catch myself, that it sounded like I was joking from the start.

Kamille let out a cute and airy laugh on the other line. "What's going on with you, girl?"

"I just miss you, that's all." Shit! What the hell was I doing? "I just wanted to hang out. That's all... and you know, it's been a while for me since D been living so far..."

"Oh."

"Yeah,"

"Wow."

"Yup."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"Yes."

"Oh."

The awkward silence hung until I realized that I was doin' too much. But then she offered to come take a visit. I smiled, and told her I couldn't wait to meet my new niece or nephew.

Deonté

"Daddy! Daddy!"

When I was awaken by the sudden calls from a little voice, I rolled over in my bed and tried to go back to sleep.

"Daddy! I can't find my shoes!"

"I got them, Faith. Grab your book bag. Get Kofi's diaper bag." I heard the voice of Vixen say in the next room. I sat up and yawned.

"Come here, Kofi. Let me put yo coat on lil man."

I got up from my bed and walked out into the living room. As soon as I got out there, I saw Faith sitting on the couch layered up with a big ass North Face coat and a fitted Hello Kitty hat on her head. She starred back at me for a good minute, with a blank face. Then she flashed me with a smile. "Good morning Uncle Tae."

I grinned and leaned up against the wall. "Top of the mornin' to you, Lil' Nemo."

Kofi toddled out Vixen's room, with his Dad right behind him. He moved swiftly around the dorm's living room. That boy knew he wanted to be a track star.

"Come on Faith, to the door girl. We late!"

"Yes, Daddy." She scooted to the edge of the couch and hopped off. I scratched my head and went on into the kitchen while they left out. I smiled a lil' bit as I lay my eyes on the fridge, where a picture stuck to it of me, V, and Talisha posed for a picture back at Wilson. I looked over the other pictures of Hope, holding baby Faith in her arms in a hospital bed some years ago.

I picked up the dorm phone and dialed in a number. It rung a few times. I bit my lip and tapped on the wall. I played a little drum line beat that echoed through the apartment. When I finally got my lil' hopes up, the voice mail went off. I left a message for her to call me back and I hung up the phone. "She prolly busy anyway" I thought to myself. I

I stepped away from my phone and went into the bathroom to brush my teeth. I scrubbed at my teeth, making sure to got every . I started thinking bout the shit that lead us up to this point. Buddah's schemes to break us all down, me being in a coma, Hope's death. I stared at the reflection that stared back at me. He didn't mean mug me this time. He ain't look as tough as he did three years ago in his senior year. His jaw bone was more defined. He looked like a grown ass man. Shit, I was a grown ass man.

The shit I done been through made me this way. It morphed a boy into a man. And I couldn't ask for more.

Ring, ring...

I spat the Crest out my mouth and went back to the phone. I picked it up. "Yeah, hello?"

"Deonté?"

"Talisha. Bout time you called a niggah back." She let out a little laugh. "I was in class... What's up?"

"Just checkin' up on you. We ain't talk in a brick."

"Deonté... We just got off the phone the other night, fool."

"That was too long ago." I smiled. "How Micky doin'?" I asked next.

"Oh... I forgot to tell you, they moved her out that dorm."

"Fo real? Why?"

"I heard people was gettin' annoyed with her loud ass music...and she always had the entire floor smelling like weed. So they finally moved her lil' ass out here."

"Ha, ha... That's funny as shit.. Where she at now?"

"Beats me. She stopped texting me after she packed her bags and left."

"Damn."

"But anyways, Kamille might be moving back to DC with her son."

"Really? She wanna move back there? She taking her fiancé with her?"

"Duh. They all wanna move back there and continue life once she get her degree."

"Damn. Good luck to her. Cause I ain't going back."

"Shit, me either. That's what I told her. She said she hopes we still can find the time to visit, though."

"Oh yeah, of course we gone visit. I'll check her out when we visit our hometown, we just ain't stayin'." Me and Talisha laughed, and started talking about school and shit. We was all in our Junior year. She asked about how the dorm situation going with me and Vixen. I told her we making it work.

Vixen applied for Florida State and got in no question, all we had to do was figure out how we gone bring two kids up in here with us. Shit, we talked to the head of the residential affairs and he was cool as shit. He met Faith and Kofi the day Vixen got here. He talked to us about how he don't really do this, but since we was taking on a roll that a lot of Black men are scared of taking on, guess what he did?

He moved me and placed us in one of the larger dorms fit for three people. So Kofi and Faith got their own room, right next to Vixen, and I got the one in the back. It was equipped with a full blown ass kitchen, bruh. This man blessed us. We was four months into this dorm, still goin' to our classes, making decent grades (the could be better though) and shit. I was even the quarterback of our varsity team. Niggahs was moving up.

"That's good to hear, boo." The way she let boo roll off her tongue made me miss her like shit. "I gotta walk back to my dorm, can I call you later?"

"Yeah, bet."

"Ard Deonté. Stay safe."

"You too."

"Tell V and the kids I said hey."

"Will do." And I hung up.

Vixen

"Happy birthday, Mommy."

"Happy birthday, babe."

Knelt down, I placed a rose on top of her. Faith dug into her pocket and pulled out a small blue pendant, and sat it on top of her as well. Kofi kept crying in my arms and shit, like he usually did when we came to visit her. I ain't blame him, graveyards wasn't for little kids like that. I once heard that they can see and feel spirits stronger than older people can.

"I hope, you, have, a, a, good, birthday." Faith sniffed and stuttered, obviously on the verge of tears. I rubbed on her back . "Go head and cry if you need to, Faith. Go head."

She buried her face in my chest. Trying to juggle a restless Kofi in my other hand, I held her close to me too. Kofi was cryin', she was cryin', so guess what I did?

Fuck man.

KD

"Man, I ain't kill 'em, man!"

"Then where were you on the night of March seventeenth?"

"I don't gotta tell you shit."

"Watch your mouth, man!"

I sighed and sat back at the interrogation table. I just starred at the two white faces that looked down on me with red flames in their cheeks. These men wanted so hard to get off this case. It's been months. "I told ya'll, I ain't kill that man. I was with my daughter, playing chess, at my house."

"And who can attain to that?"

"My fuckin' daughter." I snapped.

"Did Burdening have any connection to your daughter?"

I smirked. "Barely. That niggah wasn't mentally stable enough to be around her."

The man rubbed at his fat ass nose and read down his clip board, flipping through papers and shit. "See, it says here that the mother of your daughter had dating him for some time."

The silent detective sat up in his seat. "Did him being around Faith bother you at all?"

"You refer to my daughter as my daughter." I corrected him. I ain't want my daughter's name being tossed around in a case like this. Especially coming out a fed's mouth.

I was heeling from a gunshot wound and these detectives still on my ass. Asking me questions while I'm on my hospital bed, calling me while I'm at my appointments. And get this - these niggahs was following me one time when I took Faith out to get some new shoes. Deep down, they knew it was me. They knew. They knew my image in the rap game because they did they research, and they know all I rap about is that gun play.

But I wasn't bouta face fifteen to life. Wasn't bouta happen. "Okay, well, did you have a problem with Burdening, or as they called him on the streets, 'Buddah', being around your daughter?"

"He was a lunatic. Of course I had a problem with that." I admitted. What baby father wouldn't? "He got away with a lot of shit, let me tell you that."

"Yeah? So was that more of a motive to make sure he didn't get away with anything else?"

These crackers were good.

"What exactly did he get away with?" The other one was asking.

"He killed my mother's father."

"Was it was reported right?"

"Lethal injection."

"Injection, huh?"

"How do you know it wasn't a suic-"

"Hope would never be that selfish. Ever." I told him. "She loved our daughter. She loved life, man. She wasn't about to throw that shit away. Buddah, he threatened to kill us all. Me, Deonte, he took out Pit,"

"Pitbull?"

"You mean the Pitbull Gully? Big Kingpin that was shot down in his condo a year ago?"

"Yeah. He did some wild shit. So I guess he pissed the wrong person off and that person came back around with karma." I sat back and folded my arms.

"What if we said that we have a murder weapon on the scene. With your handprints. Registered to you."

Fuck.

"Nah, couldn't be me. Prove that shit." I got a little pissed when he said that, too. "Go head! Prove it, man! Show me the paper work!" I rose up from my seat and shoved the table their way.

"Calm down, KD, sit down!"

"Nah, fuck that, prove it! 'Cause if ya'll did, ya'll woulda been arrested me!"

"Sit down, relax,"

"Ya'll wild for following me around, too. Find ya'll suspect. Cause it damn sure ain't me." I headed for the door. The detectives looked uneasy the way I pulled the door shut. Slamming it behind me, I stormed out the office and back to my car. I hit Vixen up and told him to tell Faith what to tell the detectives, and what not to say to 'em. Because she was the next person they was heading to for answers.

Vixen

"So... Buddah was good to me?"

"Yeah. He ain't never touch you, none of that."

"So... I don't tell the police that he did bad things to me?"

"No, Faith. Buddah got what he deserved. He's already in a bad place."

"Why am I lying to the police though, Daddy?"

"So your father won't go to jail."

"You're going to jail?!"

"No, your real dad. KD."

"Oh. Why?"

"Look, Faith, stop asking all them questions and just leave out the stuff I told you, and tell them you were with your dad that night."

"What night?"

"March fifth. Just remember that date."

I didn't like feeding her this shit, but I had to follow through for KD. He needed her to keep him out the dog pound. She was smart enough for that. I hope...

Talisha

The hugged up on Johnathan like a stuffed animal. He was the cutest thing. He was a chocolate little thang. Filled with a bunch of energy, too. He was a five year old who liked to take long bubble baths and play Princess's castle. Kamille saw no flaw in her new son, but her girlfriend did.

"My son not about to be teased for acting like a bitch. But we'll toughen you up, little man, in no time." I heard Kamille's girlfriend say once. I wanted to say something so bad. But I didn't. I just wish I understood her logic. Homophobic homo?

"Oh, stop. My baby looks handsome. He's smart and ready for school." Kamille was blinded by motherhood. She even licked her fingers and wiped the smudges off the corner of his eyes. Jonathan was a quiet fellow half the time.
I stood there and watch her. I crossed my arms. I wonder if this was really what this girl wanted. I mean, a son?

When Kamille's girlfriend took John to school, Kamille treated me out to Jimmy John's, the best seafood joint in her area. There, we caught up on several things. She asked about my end and I asked about her's. She asked particularly about D.
"How's that guy doing?"

"He's been good. Living with your homeboy and two kids in a dorm can't be too easy, but it's safe."

"That's good. You say they're in Florida?"

"Yep. Studying and varsity." I said uninterested about talking about it. I circled my straw in my cup.

"That's good. I never really liked that niggah in the past. But I'm glad he's doing better for himself."
When she said niggah I nearly choked.

"Shut up. Stop laughing. Fuck. Bitch. Niggah."

I blurted out in tears of laughter. She rolled her eyes as I lost control of my stomach.

Vixen

"Would you like sugar with that?"

"No."

"How about -"

"No. My coffee?"

A pretty young thang, held out her hand for her coffee impatiently. I held out my hand and she snatched it. I watched the ungrateful white bitch pay for her coffee and roll out.

Working at the campus Starbucks sucked ass. I hated it. All you had was some stuck up sneers waddling through here with their mint scented fragrance and Starbucks gift cards that they got from the next sneer who gave it to them. Bad attitudes and rush hour. I swear to God this wasn't a niggah's setting.

A hunched over at the counter, took a sip of my custom Cappuccino, and watched the hopeless souls that walked into this little place. Bored as shit. Tired as shit. Ready to clock out as shit.
My boss kept looking at me like I was doing something wrong. She prolly like me, that's what's it is. I heard them White girls love them a niggah with dreadlocks. I chuckled and swirled the half empty plastic bottle.
I ignored her stares and opened my phone. I smirked at a few IG posts and put it back in my pocket.

"You must be on duty."

I looked up.

The first thing I saw were the curls. The thick, dangling, brown curls. A pair of chinky eyes hid behind them. She had cheekbones that could hold up a man. And a smile that could hold a man down. Her eyes were chinky, like an Asian goddess, yet her skin sulked up the sun's rays generously.

"I am now."

"Great, so you can take my order?"

"Is that all I can take?" I grinned. She caught my drift when she tossed her hair back and bit her lower lip. "Let's start with my order."

"Ready when you are."

She ordered a caramel cappuccino with extra whipped cream. Add some cinnamon flakes. I made her order myself, made sure that shit was on point. When I was done, I asked her her name for her cup. I swear Starbucks was sweet for picking up chicks.
"Jadira."

I added a heart and my number on the side. She smiled when she saw it, but stopped herself from saying something. She brushed a curl behind her ear.
"I'm Vixen. Give me a call when you get home?"

"Jadira."

Shawty jumped like she saw a ghost.

"Yes, Jamal?"

A man walked up on her and took her arm. She hurried and rubbed my number off her cup. "Let's get outta here." He turned to me and nodded at me casually. I didn't smile. I nodded back. "You got your drink right? Let's go." He lead the way and she followed behind. She looked back at me before she left. Her eyes read, sorry.
Wasn't nothing I ain't stand more than that shit. She was too pretty for a controlling asshole like ol' boy. I sat back down and enjoyed the last ten minutes of my break.

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