“Lil nigga, she came out of my ball sack. I’ll speak to her however I see fit,” Vernon shouted.
Boogie flicked his nose and chuckled, but there wasn’t shit funny. Zander must have known his son was about to cut up because he jumped in.
“Vernon, that’s my son. You’ll do good to remember that.”
“I don’t give a fu?—”
“For fuck’s sake, Vernon, can you just shut up for one minute? You’re always so angry and uptight all the damn time, and I’m sick of it! I need you to listen to me and listen to me real fuckin’ good. If you can’t lighten up, specifically on our daughter, I will leave you. I have the papers all drawn up, and guess what? I never signed a prenup, so I’ll suck you dry. You aren’t the man I fell in love with anymore. You haven’t been for a very long time, and if I can’t get a glimpse of that man,soon, then I’m gone. Do you hear me?” Valarie looked at him with tears streaming down her flawless face. Boogie knew what a fed-up woman looked like, and she was the epitome.
Vernon looked at her with a mixture of anger and disbelief. Boogie got the sense that this was the first time Valarie really stood up for herself like that.
“You really thought this was the best time to say all that? In front of these people?” Vernon finally asked, anger seeping into his tone.
“My mother is dying, Vernon. She’s dying. Do you remember how that feels? And instead of spending every second with her, I’m stuck here because of some bullshit you won’t let go of. Did you really think this was the best time for you to act a fuckin’ ass? Huh? I didn’t think so. I guess we both have bad timing.” Valarie wiped her tears angrily and crossed her arms over her chest as her foot bounced in anger.
Vernon’s features softened ever so slightly as he reached over to grab his wife’s hand. She snatched away from him, and through clenched teeth, she said, “Fix this shit.”
Vernon’s head dropped, and Audra took that moment to swoop in. She looked at her father and said, “Look, I have a suggestion. Something that can take the stress off you and give you time to focus on your marriage. You should retire and officially let me step up.”
Vernon’s mouth hung open. For the first time, he was speechless. Boogie glanced at his father, who looked smug. Denzel’s next words wiped that smirk right off his face.
“Pops, I was thinkin’ the same thing. It’s time for you to step down and let me and Boogie officially take over.”
It was Zander’s turn to look bewildered.
“The hell you mean, retire?” Vernon finally asked.
“Yeah, I ain’t ready to do all that,” Zander said.
The two men stared at each other, and for a split second, they bonded over agreeing on something for the first time in decades. It passed quickly though.
“I’m really not going to take no for an answer, Daddy. If you don’t agree, then I’m gone, and I have no doubt Mama will be right behind me. Running this empire has made you mean, and you don’t have any time for Mama no more. If you keep it up, it won’t take long for her to divorce you. Then what? You won’t have either of your daughters or your wife, and I believe Mama when she says she’ll take all your money. Is not retiring really worth all that?”
Damn. Audra was good at convincing a mothafucka of something because Boogie watched Vernon fold right in front of his eyes. With his back against the wall, he looked at each member in his family before he gazed at his wife. With a sigh, he mumbled, “Fine, but we’ll talk more about what retiring reallyentails. This is still my shit, and I ain’t just gonna turn a blind eye to my empire.”
Audra nodded. “Fine.”
Boogie saw a ghost of a smile play on her lips.
“Pops?” Boogie asked as he looked at his father.
Zander shook his head. “Y’all really ’bout to bully me into retiring?”
“Basically.” Boogie shrugged. It was nothing but love between him and his father, but if he stepped down, it would officially eliminate the street beef. Boogie had a feeling Audra would be a great ally and not an opp.
“Baby, think of all the travelling we could do,” Tandy gushed with stars in her eyes. That was all it took. Zander was always puddy in Tandy’s eyes.
“Fine. We’ll talk more about this later,” Zander mumbled. He sat back in his seat looking like he just lost his best friend, but he would be okay.
“I still don’t condone this relationship,” Vernon spat with disgust as he looked at Boogie and Sweetie.
“You ain’t gotta like it, but you do need to respect it,” Boogie warned.
“I ain’t gotta do shit but stay Black and die,” Vernon responded childishly.
Sweetie shook her head in frustration. “If you don’t want anything to do with me, that’s fine, but let me go say goodbye to Granny. Please.”
Her voice was so soft and sweet, it broke Boogie’s heart. He never wanted to hear her beg another man for anything ever again. His fists clenched as he tried his best not to spazz.
