“Hell no.”
“Nah, mumma you answered that too fast.”
“Because there was nothing to think about. There’s nothing going on between me and your father.”
“So where did he come from all of a sudden?”
Releasing a deep sigh, Layla turned on the stove to allow her oil to heat before taking a seat at the table with Kas. “When you and Nyx found out about my cancer, I called him. I wanted you boys to have at least one parent if something happened to me. We stayed in contact after that because I would give him updates on your lives. When we saw Maya in Barbados, me and him decided it was time for a reunion.”
“Why didn’t you tell us when we ran into Maya and her husband? Clearly, you knew who she was.”
“I mean, telling my boys they have a sister wasn’t exactly an easy feat. Reconnecting y’all with your estranged father seemed like it’d be even more difficult. The simple answer… I was scared. You see how Onyx reacted.”
“Yea, he was pissed. Still is. He don’t want nothing to do with Nouri or Maya.”
“Me either, huh?”
“I mean, he’ll get over being mad at you eventually.”
“Yea… what about you?”
“I’mma mumma’s boy. I was done being mad at you as soon as you told me you were frying chicken.” Kas shrugged. It wastrue. There probably wasn’t much Layla could do to make him mad at her for an extended period.
Layla laughed, patting Kas’ hand to let him know she appreciated his words. “I’m glad to hear that, but I wasn’t asking about me. What about you when it comes to wanting to see Nouri?”
“Honestly?”
“You better not lie.”
“Yes, I do want to see him. Is that crazy? I don’t even know the nigga.”
“Well, it’s only one way to remedy that.” Layla stood from her chair and grabbed a pad and pen from a drawer. She scribbled down an address and handed it to Kas. “When are you going?”
Kas grabbed the slip of paper and read the address, knowing exactly where it was. “No time like the present, right?”
“True. I’ll keep your chicken in the microwave until you get back.”
“Okay.” Kas nodded and slowly stood from the table.
“Hey, how long do you think it’ll be before I can expect a visit from my big baby?”
“You know how Nyx is, mumma. Give him some time, he’ll come around.”
“I know… I just really hate this.”
“Me too. I love you though, I’ll be back once I’m finished with yo deadbeat ass baby daddy.”
“Watch your damn mouth, boy!”
Three. That was the number of times Kas had walked away from Nouri’s hotel room door. Each time he raised his hand to knock on the door, he stalled. What would he say? Would he even sayanything? Or should Nouri be the one doing the talking? What if he acted on his urge to punch the man who’d abandoned him in the face? Nah, he’d save that honor for Onyx, because if he knew his brother, he’d definitely have smoke for Nouri whenever they did reconnect. Emitting a preparative lungful, Kas stalked back down the hall towards his father’s hotel room.
Fuck it. Stop being a bitch and just knock on the fucking door.
Not giving himself time to back down again, he pounded on the door as soon as he approached it. He heard a bit of shuffling inside the room, and seconds later the door swung open. Kas had never seen so much as a picture of his father since he was around ten. He hadn’t wanted to. Still, if he’d passed Nouri in the street, their uncanniness would’ve been impossible to miss. It was as if someone had done an age progression photo on Onyx. He looked exactly like their father, which Kas guessed meant he did as well. The two men stood at the door staring at each other, silence louder than a sonic boom. Tiring of the awkward reticence, Kas said the first thing that popped into his mind.
“Long time no see, nigga.”
Nouri’s head tilted to the side, giving Kas a befuddled look. “Nah, start over.” With that, Nouri closed the door.
