We started moving to close the distance between us at the same time. Everything felt right in the world when my brother and I got to do something we hadn’t been able to do in a long time, not since the day we were ripped apart because of circumstances beyond our adolescent control.
I stopped fighting my tears because this reunion had been a long time coming. I always prayed that, one day, I would be reunited with Rhapsody, and my prayer was finally answered. I didn’t know how long we stood there, holding on to each other, before we finally separated. My brother cupped the back of my head and studied me.
“Look at you. You a grown damn man and finally taller than me,” he joked lightheartedly.
I chuckled with a sniffle. Using the back of my hand, I wiped away the evidence of my tears. “Shit, you are too, and yeah, I definitely had a growth spurt.”
He released me and stepped back. “Come in, bro. We gotta catch up.”
I nodded and followed him inside. I paused at the door when I saw the trash all over the place, and there was a stench I couldn’t label. I just knew it made my stomach boil. I wondered if it was what the school smelled like when they put that cheese in the vent on that oneThat’s So Ravenepisode. Observing the condition of the living room caused me to have flashbacks from our childhood, flashbacks that were long buried in the deepest parts of my consciousness. They disappeared when he turned to look at me.
Rhap plopped down on one end of the couch and grinned. He was perfectly comfortable in his filth—like, he didn’t even bat an eye at the piles of trash, nor did he attempt to straighten up the place for my sake. “Sit down,” he said, nodding toward the loveseat.
I spotted a mystery wet spot along with Cheeto dust crumbs that I really didn’t want to get on my Umari jeans, but I knew it would be rude not to sit down. I would just have to burn these muthafuckas before buying another pair. I gulped down my resistance and moved slowly to the couch.
Just as I sat down, a phone began to vibrate from somewhere. It stopped after a few seconds, and I forgot about it as I focused on Rhapsody. He was only five years older than me, but you wouldn’t be able to tell by looking at his disheveled appearance. His clothes all fit too big, and his locs were more matted afro than anything else. His facial hair was long and unkempt as well. Happy to be reunited with my brother, I guess I didn’t really see him when he first opened the door for me, but at that moment, I was seeing perfectly clear, and it was setting off alarms in my mind.
“So, what’s up with you? I saw the bike out there. You a father and shit?”
He nodded once. “Yeah . . .” He scratched his eyebrow with an uncertain tone. “Iylah! Come out here and meet your uncle, Sym!” he yelled out into the void that was the hallway.
I honestly was a little afraid to see what was buried back there. It made my mouth dry to think a little girl was living in the home with him. I paused, waiting for little footsteps to follow his request; instead, all I could feel was the vibrations from the phone buried in the couch. It was insistent, so I dug in between the cushions until I found it. I gagged every time I touched something that wasn’t the phone. I pulled it out and tried to hand the vibrating phone to Rhap. “This keeps ringing.”
He shook his head like he didn’t want anything to do with the device—hisdevice, might I add.“Tell me about you. You got any kids?”
I placed the phone down on the stack of newspapers on the coffee table, then sat back. Cupping my hands together, I answered him. “Nah, I live the life of a bachelor.”
He chuckled. “I never would’ve expected that.”
I twisted my head to the side. He was really amused by the idea of my being a bachelor. “Why not?”
He began to laugh harder. “Just thinking about that girl you used to be in love with. What was her name?” He scratched at the nape of his neck, thinking hard. “You said that she was going to be your wife. That girl couldn’t move an inch without you being right up her ass, but she was attached to your hip too. You was mannish, and she was fast.”
A slow smile crept on my face when her face appeared in my mind.Damn . . .I hadn’t thought of her since I was forced to move away. “Valleigh,” I answered him with a chuckle.
He clapped his hands excitedly and whooped loudly. “Valleigh . . . Yeah, that was her name. That’s a pretty name.”
The phone on the table began to vibrate once again. I couldn’t help but notice that it was the same number, except this time, when it stopped vibrating, it started right back without pause. “Um, you sure you don’t want to get that call? Somebody is really trying to get in touch with your ass,” I joked through the uneasiness that was beginning to creep in.
“No, I want to talk to you. I saw you on the ABT awards,” he shared, catching me off guard.Hm, so he did know about my success.I got ready to reply when the vibrating phone demanded my attention once again.
I stared at the phone as if I had the ability to make it stop ringing. “Oh, yeah, all that singing I used to do finally paid off,” I finally replied to him.
He nodded once with a distant look. “I’m happy for you, bro. If anybody deserves it, it’s you.”
I couldn’t help but study him when I remembered he’d called out for his daughter, but only silence followed. “I thought your daughter was here?”
He sighed with a scratch to his scruffy beard. “I did too.” After a second, he shrugged as if her absence was forgotten, then glanced at me with a grin. “You want a brewski?”
“Uh, yeah, sure.”
He hopped up and disappeared around the corner, which I guess led to the kitchen. The vibrating phone on the table was eating at me. I couldn’t help it anymore, so I reached for it. I read the name on the screen.Summer County Schools. . .
I debated on what to do because he didn’t seem interested in whoever was trying to get in touch with him. This seemed like an invasion of privacy when we’d only just reconnected, but a force beyond my control made me pick up.
“Hello?” I answered after clearing the cotton from my throat. My eyes lazily landed on the kitchen doorway as I waited for any sign he was coming back to the living room.
“Hi, Mr. Sinclaire. Where are you? Iylah is still here at the school, and it is well past pick-up time.”
