“Okay. See you later.”
The call ended, and a commercial on the radio filled the car. The volume was low, leaving Najee’s loud thoughts room to invade.
“Shake that shit off,” Ron said, interrupting them.
Najee stayed quiet because he knew his uncle had more to say.
“It is what it is, and it ain’t what it ain’t. Either way, you gon’ be straight.”
His knuckle brushed across the bottom of his nose. “I hear you.”
And he was listening. There was a difference. Those were the only words Najee had to offer. He’d already gotten too deep into it with Nyesha. When the time came and he needed more advice,Uncle Ron would be there to give it. Right now, he didn’t want his nephew stressing. He’d done enough of that.
What he did know was that Najee had more patience than he did. Uncle Ron surmised that having patience was an age thing. The older he got, the less he had for certain people, things, and situations. He would’ve been on Renae’s head the second he felt her acting funny.
That was the difference between them. Najee was more level-headed when it came to certain things. Especially a five-year relationship that had been solid before now. He couldn’t just jump the gun.
Ron shook his head, lips pursed. “You got more patience than me. I would’ve called her from the gate.”
Najee cracked a smile. “You wouldn’t have done shit.”
“Shiiit,” Ron said, chuckling lowly.
They both laughed, and the tension lightened for a second.
“Anyway,” Ron said. “What’s your plans for the day?”
“Go to the crib first. Gotta get out of these clothes and handle the home front before I do anything.”
Ron nodded. The situation was sticky, but one thing he knew for sure was that he hadn’t raised Najee to run from his problems. He faced them head-on like the man he was.
“Good. Make sure you and your lady are on good terms. Get ya’ mind right. Shower that shit off and get yourself a real meal on your stomach.”
“Hell yeah. I’ma slide by Aunt Joyce’s crib tomorrow. Gotta look presentable since I’m popping up on her.”
Najee smiled, thinking about his auntie. She wouldn’t have minded his impromptu visit, so he was going to make sure he came correct. Now that he thought about it, he was going to give her a call beforehand so she could cook him one of his favorite meals.
“She gon’ hold you hostage all day.” Ron chuckled, knowing how it was when he stopped by his sister’s place.
“I don’t mind that. I need to chill with her as much as possible before I jump back into work.”
Ron nodded. “Yeah, ‘cause it’s about to be a lot of no days off.”
“I know I’ve told you over the phone but thank you for keeping Echelon afloat while I was locked down. That shit means a lot, Unc.”
“You know it ain’t nothin’. I didn’t do it alone. You’ve got a solid team around you, and they’re ready to expand just like you are. You’ve got some people who’ve been waiting for you to touch down, so don’t let your absence make it seem like business was stagnant. It wasn’t at all.”
From their phone conversations, Najee knew it hadn’t been. In a little over a year, though one side of the business had slowed down, another had made up for it. Old, dirty money became new, washed money, and Najee was ready to flip it all. The hustler in him wouldn’t have it any other way. Going legit had taken time, but it was worth it. This minor setback had only put a battery in his back to go harder.
“Yeah, we gon’ make some shit shake, fasho. You’ve been the face of it in my absence, so I owe you,” Najee said.
“Nah. You don’t owe me anything but to stay your Black ass out of jail and run this money up. You do that, and we’re good.”
Najee smirked. “I can do that.”
“A’ight. And Saleem let me in on what you had up your sleeve. Your mama would be real proud of you.”
The lump in his throat appeared out of nowhere. He struggled to make it go down so that he could speak.
