I knew this had to be the beginning of the end.
PAIGE
“What the fuck is this!” Pierre's shout woke me up.
I looked up to see Braylen waking up as well. I turned to my brother, standing over the bed, snarling at me. “What type of shit are you on? Got this nigga laid up with you in Ma’s house.”
I rolled over on my back, “Shut up! Like you said,Ma’shouse. Now, get out!”
“No. Nigga, get out of my sister’s bed. Y’all on some freaky shit in here. Nigga, chop muhfuckin chop!” Pierre continued. “Mayne, Paige, you about to—”
Braylen stood from the bed. “Don’t fucking yell at her. She’s not your child,” Braylen told Pierre.
Pierre burst out in laughter. “Mayne I’m already going through enough shit. I’m not Leek, now get the fuck—”
“Pierre!” my mom shouted. “First, you’d better stop all that cussing in my house,” she said as she came into my room. She looked at Braylen and me, then smiled. “I made breakfast, come on.”
Braylen slid his coat on, “I’m going to leave,” he muttered.
My mom walked up to him. “You sneak your ass in my house, and now you can’t show respect by having breakfast?”
Braylen glanced at me as I snickered and shrugged. He looked back at her as his jaw clenched. “Yes, ma’am, I can have breakfast with you.”
She smiled. “Good, come on.”
Pierre looked at Braylen and me. He shook his head as he walked out. I got out of bed and walked toward him, “I think it would be good for you. Let me show you what having a family is like. Happy birthday, baby,” I told him.
For a split second, I almost thought I saw a glimmer of happiness in his eyes. I knew there were things I didn’t understand, but if I could do nothing else, I wanted to make the one day that was meant for him special.
BEANS
I sat at the table as everyone finished breakfast. Pierre grilled me every other minute, while Piggy swooned whenever I looked at her. The feeling of sitting at a table with a family that loved each other was a hard pill to swallow. It fucked me up that my experience with this type of love had to come from outside my home. The longer I sat at the table, the more I knew I needed to tell Piggy, not only of the game but of other things as well. I tapped her shoulder as I stood from the table. I took a quick look at her mom, “Thank you for having me,” I said.
She sipped on her coffee. “You’re welcome, but next time, don’t sneak into my house. You're welcome here anytime. Make sure you tell that mother of yours I said hi,” she finished.
Piggy walked me to the door, “Wait, what about your car?” she asked.
“Keep it, meet me at my house in about two hours, I got some shit to handle,” I told her.
She looked sad, like she didn’t want me to leave, and I didn’t want to, but in order to handle things with her, I needed to closesome other doors first. Christmas was around the corner, and I wanted to just move on. I leaned down and kissed her lips.
“But it’s your birthday, Braylen,” she whined.
“I know. I will be a’ight. Remember, my house, and then you can hook a nigga up for his birthday.” I winked.
She giggled as she nodded and closed the door. I jogged up the street to my bike, hopped on, and took off. Although she kept a nigga’s mind occupied for a few hours, Chevy and my conversation continued to play in my head. I had now looked at him in a different light and wondered if the other guys experienced that part of him.
When I got to my destination, I got off my bike and jogged up the steps.
I rang the doorbell and waited. When she opened the door, she cheesed. “Happy birthday!” she squealed.
I gave her a weak smile, “Can I talk to you for a minute?” I asked.
Sasha backed up and allowed me inside. All of the Christmas decorations, the lit fireplace, and the subtle music were a new vibe. I glanced back at her, “This is what happiness looks like? He got you baking cookies and shit.”
She waved me off. “Whatever. Honestly, I didn’t think I would have this, but I’m here, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
I sat on the couch as I ran my hand through my beard. “I remember the night you showed up crying about Zu’s bitch ass,” I joked.
