“Damn y’all both ‘bout beautiful as fuck,” he complimented also just like a nigga.
“That type, huh?” I quizzed.
He chuckled. “Ain’t even like that. Are you about to help me find my candles or what, shorty?”
I ended up helping him seek out a few candles to fill his space as he said it, and I made sure they were three wicks. Then after I helped him, I left to go see why my brother wasn’t answering his phone. I didn’t like that at all because if that was me then he’d blow a gasket and be at my door on war paths.
When I made it to my brother’s place, I don’t know why I was shocked to see him talking to a female who was leaning against her car. Nigga must’ve had a late-night guest, because he was damn sure not taking calls last night nor this morning.
I didn’t even interrupt his conversation; I just carried a sleeping Messiah into his place. I laid my baby down on his sofa and went into his kitchen to see what he had to eat. I don’t know why I even looked because his refrigerator was borderline empty and had been that way since he and his longtime girlfriend Rae split. I actually liked her, but she wanted something out of my brother that he wasn’t ready to give. I didn’t blame her for keeping it moving, but the only thing I hated was that she did all of that to become one of the bitches he was sleeping with instead of the only one. That shit with Rae broke something in him and ever since he’d been out here in the streets heavy with the bitches, and I hated it.
“I meant to call you back, but I got hung up. You good?” he asked the moment he walked into the kitchen where I was standing.
“Yeah. Who was that one?”
“None of your damn business.” He waved me off. “Why do you still have Ssiah? I thought it was Argus’s weekend.”
“It was, but he claimed his flight got canceled.” I shrugged.
“I don’t really have anything on my plate today. Leave him with me and go handle yo’ business.”
I looked over at him to see if he was sure.
He nodded his head. “I got you, baby girl. Go do yo’ shit and bring me something back to eat.”
I swear I loved my brother, because this nigga always took my baby whenever I had something to deal with. He’d literally change his entire schedule so he could be there for me. Knoxx was there for me regardless of the situation.
I talked to my brother for a while longer, before I left Ssiah with him. I planned on going back to the shop, but by the time I got back to the city it was too late and my cousin was closing up. She wanted me to meet her at a bar by her house. I agreed because why not? It wasn’t like I didn’t have the free time.
I ended up meeting her outside so that we could walk in together. We were immediately seated when we walked in.
“Knoxx got little man?” she asked.
I nodded my head and went for the glass of lemon water that was sitting down in front of me. I couldn’t help but feel like I was being watched, so I looked around, before I focused in on my cousin. As always, she was babbling.
“Hey. Where is your head?”
“I’m right here. What do you mean?”
“I mean you’re literally everywhere else but here. What’s on your mind, cousin?”
“I don’t know. I guess I’ve just been doing a lot of thinking and dwelling on the same things.” I couldn’t really put into words how I’d been feeling lately because I didn’t even know how I was feeling. The only thing I was sure about is that life wassomehow passing me by. I always felt like something in my life was horribly misplaced.
North
Two Days Later
Three years ago today I stepped out of the streets and gave everything to my brother. I believed I’d regret that decision and or miss the streets, but I didn’t. The only reason I didn’t was because I stepped directly into another illegal direction. I left drugs and went for the next best thing. Throughout the city of Chicago, I owned and ran six illegal gambling joints that not only supplemented my income but doubled that shit. It required me to take a lot less risk. Three of the fronts were bars while the others were mattress stores. The only problem I had was the fact that niggas came into my joints knowing they didn’t have the capital and always ended up on payment plans. It was the stupidest cycle that niggas could step into, but that was on them as long as I got my money.
“Yo, that’s shorty from the candle shop from the other day.” Namari broke my thoughts.
I blinked a few times looking around before my eyes immediately went to the screen that he was pointing at. “What?” I was confused as to what he was talking about.
“Goes to show how much you listen to Ema. Shorty owns the candle spot on Lake. She went in there and asked if they were hiring. Remember you told her you’d drop her off on Friday?” By now my brother and my cousin Gunz were staring at me to see if I recollected the moment.
“Nah I don’t, but good looking. Why the fuck is she even trying to get a job again after that sh?—”
“She wants her own independence, and I told her that I’d go half on her car with her.”
