“Then you saw me get out of there.”
“Yeah. I ain’t see you go into work either though.”
“I’m taking you off my cameras, old man.” I grabbed my coffee pot and started to prep the coffee machine.
“That’s cool. Rob will keep me updated anyway.”
“If you think Rob tells you everything you’re delusional."
“He might not tell me everything about him, but he makes sure he tells me everything about you.”
I scoffed, crossed my arms and leaned back against my counter.
“Yeah, alright.”
“So, be real with me. What did they want? Were they looking for Rob or what?”
“Nah. They were trying to get me to sell.”
“The shop?” My dad’s eyebrows knitted together.
“Yep.”
“And I’m going to assume that you said no considering the response they had.”
“That’s right.”
“And why is that?”
“Why the fuck would I sell the shop after everything you and unc did to open it and keep it afloat all those years?”
“It was a different time.” He sighed. “You’ve made good money in the place and I’m sure the guys would follow you wherever you went. Why don’t you sell it for more than it’s worth and set up shop somewhere else?”
“Hell nah.” I didn’t hesitate. “That shop is our family’s legacy. Your brother died thinking he’d locked that shop down for generations.”
“That shop is a building, Kaleo. You and Rob are my legacy. That’s it. I don’t give a fuck about that building as much as I care about what it stood for. The best thing that shop ever did was give me a way to provide for you and Rob. I’m thankful it’s still standing and that it let you get a start up but you’re good on cash right now and any smart man would tell you to cut ties while you’re set to make some profit.”
“I learned how to walk in that fucking shop.” I locked eyes with my father. “I cut my first head in that shop. I lost my first tooth in there, broke my first bone in there and had my first kiss right out front. It ain’t just a building. You and unc-”
He cut me off. “Needed cash and used the shop to get it. At the end of the day, your life is worth more than four walls and some memories.”
“Alright.”
“You’re saying alright but why do I feel like what I’m saying is going in one ear and out the other?”
I turned around at the sound of my coffee stopping, grabbed a coffee mug and filled it two thirds of the way.
“Look, I appreciate you caring and trying to drop some wisdom on me, but are you lecturing your other son? That nigga stay in some bullshit but yet you’re in my spot acting like I need to be talked off the fucking ledge.”
I almost regretted the statement after it left my lips but I couldn’t take it back and honestly, I’d meant it. There was a pressure our father put on me that he didn’t put on Rob even though I knew they were close and he loved him just as much.
I averted my eyes. My father exhaled.
“I talk to Rob frequently about what he should and shouldn’t be doing and pray for him just as much but there’s only so much I can do for him as a grown man.”
I exhaled. “I’m not going to lie to you. I respect you too much for that. Don’t ask me to.”
“Alright. Then, look me in my eyes and tell me that you have a plan.”
