James’s mother died a little over a year after her son went missing. Outside of the first few months after her son went missing, she didn’t bother Mekole. The fake phone call from her son sufficed for her. It gave her a reason to go into his stash and use it. His mother had always cared more about the money than her son. The few times that TorTela called her about their missing children, there was no interest in the conversation. The last conversation ended with TorTela being cussed to filth.
Mekole gushed at the sight of her husband’s interaction with their son. It was perfect; they were perfect. In her eyes, life was now perfect. Not in the way that nothing ever went wrong or that she and her man didn’t have downs to accompany the ups. It was in the way that she knew it was covered by God. It had to be with the hell that her Virgoism allowed her to give her husband.
T.J.’s love for his family was beautiful, deep, rich, and dangerous as fuck. Unbeknownst to his wife, there were a few niggas that had met the dangerous part of that love. Those were secrets that he kept to himself, but it was alright, because his lovely wife had a few of her own dangerous love sacrifices.
“Look, Son.” T.J. spoke to his son who gazed up into his eyes from his position in the palms of his hand. Junior wasn’t a big boy at five pounds seven ounces, but that didn’t matter to him. He knew his son would grow to be a strong man, just like the rest of the Burke men. “I gonna teach you everything you need ta know about how to be a good man. You got a slew of uncles and two grandaddies to help me. You ain’t ga never have no one ta turn to when you need someone.
“I ga teach you how ta treat des females right.” He leaned down closer to his son. “I ga teach you how ta treat des triflin’ ass hoes too.”
Mekole clapped her hands twice to garner her husband’s attention. “Tum, I heard that. Don’t say that to our son.”
The corners of T.J.’s eyes tightened for a beat. This was an argument that he wasn’t willing to get into, especially with Fiona on the line. He noted to himself to have certain conversations with his son out of the earshot of his wife, just like his father did with him. “Alright, Meek. I’ll chill.”
He turned his attention back to his boy. “I’ma teach you everything I can. You gonna be a mighty man like ya daddy. Now der is somethin’ dat I can’t teach you, and I ain’t ga even try. There are some things dat only ya mama ca teach you.” He peeked up at his wife whose eyes were on him now. When she asked what were the things that only she could teach, he smiled to display his pearly, white teeth. It didn’t take him any thought or time to give Mekole an answer.
“Virgo type shit.” With a September fourth birthday, T.J. welcomed his second Virgo love. He would have it no other way.
