“Because you love me.”
“Keep telling yourself that.” Yanna nudged him. With some of the anger-filled haze leaving her brain, she finally remembered something major happened in Kas’ life. “Oh my God, Kas! I nearly forgot… you saw your dad… with your mom. You have a sister.”
“Yea…” Kas released an exasperated breath, swiping his hand over his face. “That shit is crazy, right? I haven’t seen my dad since I was little, barely even remembered what the nigga looked like. Aye, you wanna know some crazy shit?”
“What’s that?”
“When we first saw Logan and Maya in Barbados, I immediately noticed something familiar about her… like she reminded me of somebody. I’m realizing it’s because she favors Onyx a lot.”
Yanna chuckled because she’d had the same thought at the market but pushed it to the back of her mind. “She does though, which means she look like you too. You’re just the light version of him.”
“I guess… but I would’ve never imagined she was my damn sister.”
“How you feel about all this?”
“Pissed off… confused.”
“That’s understandable.”
“Like… I’m pissed because the nigga left us. He left my mumma, left me, left Nyx, and if I’m estimating correctly, I would say Maya is older than Onyx, so that means my mumma had to be a side chick or some shit like that. I figure since he left her, he had to leave us too, so he could raise his daughter. Fuck us, I guess.”
“And what are you confused about?”
“Because, as pissed as I was to see mumma walking in with that nigga, I kind of got excited too. I mean, that’s my father. I always wanted to know him, always wondered what it would be like if he was around. Then, on top of that, I have a sister too. That’s family, and you already know family is cherished around here. But… Nyx. He was so mad, I could feel the heat coming from his body. If he says he doesn’t want anything to do with them, doesn’t want to know them, I have to stick with my brother.”
“Do you though? I mean, I get it, he’s your brother. But she’s your sister, and that man is your father.”
“Onyx is more than my brother, though.Hewas like my father. When my mumma worked two jobs, Nyx was the one making sure I ate, did my homework, all that shit. That shit would be like betrayal if I went behind his back to get acquainted with people he wants nothing to do with. You could see as clearly as I could how fucked up he was behind the situation.”
“He took care of you, shit, his ass still takes care of you. I know as well as you know that he would do anything for you, which I’d like to believe would include giving you the freedom to get to know your family if that’s what you want. He wouldn’t want to be the reason you don’t get something you want. Talk to him, but not tonight, though. I’ve never seen him that mad. Yelling at Ms. Layla and shit.”
“As he should’ve. I can’t believe her sneaky ass. She popped up with the nigga, meaning she been in communication with his ass long before tonight.”
“True, I was like who is this fine ass old man Layla strutting in here with? I know they used to be?—”
“Don’t finish that fucking sentence.”
“My bad.” Yanna laughed. “But she probably thought she was doing a good thing. Don’t be so hard on her because I’ll fight both of y’all over Layla.”
“We’d beat yo’ ass.”
“I’mma let you keep thinking you can fuck with me, Kas. Anyway, are you okay, though? You ain’t gone sit in here and cry yourself to sleep, are you?”
“Fuck nah. You gone be here with me anyway because I know you not gone leave me in here all sad and lonely.”
“Ugh.” Yanna feigned annoyance. She really didn’t want to leave Kas alone. “Fine, I’ll stay with your needy ass. Just let me grab my bag out the car so I can shower.”
“Ight, hurry up!” Kas called to Yanna’s back as she exited the house.
Outside, she had just made it to her car when Troi came jogging out of the house with her shoes in her hand instead of on her feet. She kept glancing behind her as if she were being chased.
“Troi, what the hell? Why are your shoes in your hands and not on your feet?”
“Because I had to walk light,” Troi replied, dropping her slides to the ground and slipping her feet into them. “Where are you about to go?”
“I was just coming to get something out the car.”
“Drive me to the Food Lion real quick.”
