“So then what the fuck else are you gone do? Huh? What the fuck areYOUgone do? You wanna be a daddy now, nigga, it’s too late for that! You show up after twenty-something years and tell me how to talk tomymumma. The woman thatItook care of. Take a look around….” Onyx held out his hands, turning in a circle. “I did this, built all this shit from the fucking ground forMYfamily. Talking ‘bout what you goneletme do. My mumma was fighting cancer… cancer, nigga! Where the fuck were you? For damn sure not here because me, my fiancée and Kas…WEtook care of her, but you worried about how I’m talking? You’re a fucking joke.
“How to fight, how to be a man— I taught myself that shit then I taught my brother. Father and son activities I showed up to with uncles or just skipped them all together because I didn’t have a fucking father. I learned how to love and treat a woman right from my mumma. Did a lot of shit I had no business doing before I even graduated high school. But I made something of myself.” Onyx stated as his voice began to break. “I built a career, nigga. I took us out of Davisville. So you can’t tell me shit, because where the hell were you?!”
Onyx’s chest palpitated while pools of emotion gathered in his eyes. Nouri lowered his head, feeling the brunt of his eldest son’s words. He couldn’t find the words to express how horrible he felt for abandoning his responsibilities. That his son had to be a man long before biology deemed him ready to do so. Hewanted to plead and ask for the opportunity to make it all up. To atone for his absenteeism. However, he could see nothing he said would change the way his son felt about him.
Raising his head, all he could offer was a simple. “I’m sorry.”
“Fuck yo apologies, nigga. Get this muh’fucka off my property.” Onyx demanded before giving them his back, angrily stomping to his home, leaving Kas, Layla and Nouri standing there dumbfounded.
The platinum plaque of Onyx’s songOnly for youthat Kas produced rattled against the wall as he slammed the front door of his home. What the hell was he thinking? For the past 27 years, he’d been right by his brother’s side, so he should’ve known better. Should’ve known forcing him to meet with Nouri was a bad idea. Now he was sure his best friend in the whole world hated him. He’d never seen Onyx so mad. At least not at him, and certainly not at Layla. He wanted nothing more than to call Onyx but was truthfully afraid to do so. The fear of being cursed out or even worse, excommunicated from his brother’s life kept him from picking up the phone. Onyx needed time to calm down, but unfortunately for Kas, he couldn’t do the same. Heading into his kitchen, he made a beeline for the built-in bar and grabbed a bottle of Dussè. Not even bothering to get a glass, he removed the top from the bottle and took a hefty swig. Once the initial burn subsided, he followed with another. The liquor was slowly doing its job, but it wasn’t enough. To hell with giving time… heneededto speak with his brother. Pulling his phone from his pocket, he dialed Onyx’s number. He wasn’t surprised that Onyx didn’t answer, but that didn’t stop him from callingright back. Finally, on the fourth call, he perked up at the sound of someone picking up the phone.
“Nyx?”
“No, it’s me,” Troi whispered into the phone. “I know you want to talk to Onyx, but you have to give him a minute. I’ve never seen him so mad. I don’t think now is a good time.”
“Put him on the phone anyway, Troi. I need to talk to him, so put him on the phone or I’m coming over there.”
“Ugh, hold on.”
Kas could hear shuffling in the background, then he heard Troi softly telling Onyx that he wanted to talk to him.
“I look like I give a fuck what that nigga want, Baby? Get the fuck off my phone and call yo daddy if you want somebody to talk to, nigga!” Onyx yelled in the background.
Kas felt a hollow ache in his chest at his brother’s words, as if a vital part of him was being ripped away. A sharp, sudden pang gripped his chest, making it hard to breathe. He tucked his lips into his mouth, nodding his head derisively.
“Ight, that’s a bet.”
“Kas, wait, I can---”
“Nah, it’s cool, sis. I understand.”
With that, Kas disconnected the call. Going into his pocket, he retrieved a pre-rolled blunt and lighter, sparking it immediately. With the bottle of liquor in his right and the blunt in his left, he padded his way to the living room, plopping onto the couch. During a time like the present when his brother was mad at him, there was only one person he wanted in his presence. He picked up his phone and sent Yanna a text.
I need you
It was all he needed to say because Yanna knew when he sent those three words, he really meant it. His brows furrowed together after ten minutes, and half the liquor bottle passedwithout an answer from Yanna. Releasing a frustrated breath, he sent another text.
Yanna Boo, you hear me? I need you… now
Kas let another five minutes with no response go by before he said to hell with the texts and started calling Yanna. To his disdain, each of the three times he called, the phone rang to voicemail. His desolation morphed into anger, feeling like Yanna was ignoring him. His mind filled with thoughts of her being somewhere, doing God knows what, when his whole world was seemingly ending. He guzzled most of what was left of the Dussè just as his phone started to ring. Kas thought it may be Yanna, but when he looked at the caller id, it was an unsaved number he didn’t recognize. Still, he answered it, welcoming any distraction he could get.
“Yo,” he answered.
“Um… Kas?”
“Duh. Who the hell is this?”
“It’s me, Zahra.”
“Zahra? What you want? We don’t have no studio time today.” Kas replied rudely, taking a hit of his blunt.
“Oh yea, I know. I was just calling to see how you were doing. Hadn’t seen you since that night at Club Link.”
“Calling to see how I’m doing, huh? Aye, why the fuck you always flirting when we at the studio and shit? Batting them big pretty ass eyes and switching all that ass past me extra hard. Don’t think I don’t be noticing that shit.”
“Well, getting you to notice is kind of the point. And I do it because I like you, so flirting and stuff like that is my way of showing you.”
Kas was unusually stunned by the revelation. “You like me?”
