“Son, what a pleasant surprise. Come on in.” Nouri stepped aside to let Kas in.
Kas strode to the desk that sat in the far corner and took a seat in the chair. “You don’t be getting bored in this muh’fucka all day?”
“Not really. I go over and see Maya every few days to have dinner with her and her husband. Have you met Logan yet?”
“Yea, I met him in Barbados then again the night I re-met you.”
“Ah, Barbados. How was it?”
“It was cool. Nyx a sentimental ass nigga so it was romantic too, I guess.”
“Romantic, huh?” Nouri laughed. “What you know about romance, son?”
“Not a damn thing. I know how to fuck bitches, and that’s about it.”
“Oh? Onyx’s teachings didn’t rub off on you in that category?”
“Don’t let him fool you. All Onyx did was fuck bitches until he met Troi. She changed all that shit.”
“Yea, that’s what a good woman will do for you.”
“Muh’fuckas always saying shit like that but… what if that rule don’t apply for everybody?”
“Hmm, you want something? I got some Dussè chilling in the mini fridge.”
“Nah, I’m not drinking.”
“Well, do you mind if I do?”
“Nah, go ‘head.”
Nouri headed to the kitchenette and grabbed a glass, pouring himself a double shot of cognac. When he returned, he took a seat at the foot of the bed directly across from Kas.
“Alright, gone head and speak what’s on your mind.”
“Who says I got something on my mind?”
“You coming in here with your ass on your shoulders, says you do.”
“The hell does that even mean?” Kas scrunched his face. “Well… I want to know the story. What happened with you and my mumma that made you leave?”
“What did Layla tell y’all happened?”
“She didn’t tell us shit. All I ever knew was you weren’t around, that’s it.”
“That figures. Listen, I’m never gone put my absence on your mom because the shit was my fault, but… alright, so this is what it was. Crystal, that’s Maya’s mom, I met her back in Baltimore sometime in the mid-80s. High school sweethearts and shit. The day we both got our college acceptance letters was the same day she showed me her positive pregnancy test. We decided I would be the one to go to school. I took a gap year and left for Virginia State University when Maya was just a few months old.”
Nouri paused to take a sip of his drink before continuing.
“I’m not even about to tell you no lies. I got to Virginia and lost my damn mind. Did all kinds of crazy shit with as many women as I could. But then... one day my boy told me he had a date to the movies, but his date needed a date for her sister. I was more than willing. We pulled up to that house in Hopewell, and Layla fucking Garrett walked out of the door. Crystal is pretty, most of the women I messed with at VSU were nice looking, but your mom… fucking inexplicable beauty.”
Kas paid close attention to the faraway look in Nouri’s eyes as he talked about his mother. A look that said whatever love he had for Layla was definitely still there.
“After that night at the movies, you didn’t see Layla without seeing me. I’m talking about I started to miss classes and everything. Everything about your mom was just so damnintoxicating, so addicting. Layla had this ability to make you feel like you were the most important person in her life, like you could do anything. Like you were---”
“The most loved person in the world?” Kas finished, knowing exactly where Nouri was coming from. There was no love greater than his mother’s love.
“Exactly. I fell for her hard and fast, and before we knew it, she was pregnant with Onyx.”
