He frowned at Aunt Violet’s statement. “What old man you got paying for your shit, woman?”
“Don’t matter, it’s not you. You got a woman to take care of. I’m not bothering you with that,” she commented, making him roll his eyes.
“Yeah, you enjoy whoever that nigga is for right now. You always come back to daddy,” he joked.
“Boy, I’ll knock that head off your damn shoulders,” she huffed, swatting at him with a spatula. “Daddy my ass.”
“Aight, cool out. Cool out.”
“You play too damn much,” she huffed again, as he retreated out the kitchen into the living room. She smiled at his back, happy that finally, joy was returning for him.
31 /EMANI
“You wantthe good news or the bad news?” Donnée questioned, roaming into the kitchen finding Sanaa coloring at the counter, and Aunt Violet and Emani peacefully working on Sunday dinner. Jahlil and Andrew were watching game film, and while Jahlil watched, he made Andrew call out the plays and the areas of improvement. That wasn’t anything new, this was the offseason for the two and nothing had changed in the years apart.
“When you walk into a room, Aunt D, you’re supposed to say hi muhfuckas, how are you,” Sanaa muttered, sticking her tongue out as she finished the drawing and moved to the other papers scattered over the counter.
“Sanaa,” Emani calmly spoke. “Let’s try that the nice way, homegirl.”
Sanaa huffed, stopped what she was doing and looked up and Donnée, who was as shocked as Aunt Violet that Sanaa was listening after only hours with Emani. “Aunt D, say hi everybody, how are you suckas?”
Donnée laughed. “Hi everybody, how are you suckas?”
“Mhmm, that’s some classy lady sh- stuff. Classy lady stuff,” Sanaa corrected, finding Emani’s eyes and giving her a wide smile. “I wasn’t going to say it.”
“Mm, I hear you,” Emani quipped. “Bad news because I can’t imagine that there is any actual good news happening surrounding me.”
Donnée placed her bag in an empty seat and climbed onto a barstool. “Bad news, in light of the pending charges of assault and the arrest, the record label wants you to be put on ice.”
“Oh, that can’t be any worse than being charged with a felony,” Emani huffed, stopping her dinner preparation to push her hands in her hair.
“How about,” Aunt Violet paused the mixing of the pot to motion toward a bottle of wine and then the sunroom. “Don’t want you angry cooking.”
Donnée snapped her fingers. “I like the way you think, Aunt Vi. Get her good and liquored up before I tell her any more bad news.”
Emani hummed lowly to herself, feeling all the peace and tranquility leaving her body. Music was something she loved – something that kept her level and now, the idea of being shelved ushered in the feelings of being back in a deal she had to claw her way out of. Pretty soon, age would be the highlight of the conversation. Who was going to buy albums and play the music of a forty-year-old female rapper. In rapper years, she was about to start aging out. For men in this industry, they could rap forever and be timeless. For women, the product was only as good as what the world viewed her as and she was sure once she logged back on to social media, she’d see exactly what they thought about her.
In the sunroom, Emani and all of her anxiety sat on the loveseat with her legs tucked underneath her. Donnée took up the space on the empty cushion and poured them each a glass.
“You’re overthinking this,” Donnée shared.
Emani took the heavy wine glass in thanks and drained the contents before holding it out for a refill. “I’m not overthinking it. Three record labels in how many years?”
“I didn’t say they were dropping you,” Donnée corrected, pouring her another glass.
“Putting me on ice is the same thing. Tyriq put me on ice remember?”
“But you got your shit back,” Donnée stated.
Emani swayed her head. “I got my shit back because Carson showed him a picture of my face after he beat my ass and threatened to put it out. That’s why. If not for that, I’d still be in that 360 deal because I was too stupid to see past the shiny shit. I keep fucking this up.”
Donnée’s mouth fell open. For everything she knew about her cousin, that detail about how things finally ended with her and Tyriq was kept from her. “E.”
Emani swayed her head. “Don’t do that. Shit happens. We both know this. I just got to figure out how to rebuild this. What’s the rest of the bad news? They’re putting me on ice and what? They’re keeping all of my masters.”
Donnée chewed her lip.
Emani looked at her and then clenched her eyes, feeling her heart shatter. She dropped her face in her hands, hoping to stop the tears before they dropped. No use. “That’s it. It’s fucking over. It’s over.”
