“I should have left your no-good ass a long time ago, but I’ll die with peace in my heart because I took out two additional policies on you years ago, and my children will be set for life. I can’t say the same for your little bastards, though. Burn in hell, Nathan.”
I flinched as her body jerked, and her brain exploded. When I turned toward the man, he was holding a second gun with a silencer on it.
“Silly bitch,” he spat, tucking the gun into the waistband of his pants.
“Your turn.” The darkness in his eyes couldn’t be missed, and it scared me.
“A-are you gonna kill me?” I asked a question I already knew the answer to. I guess I couldn’t accept that my fate would end in such a cruel way.
“No. I’m gonna leave that for you.”
“W-why are you doing this? I mean, I understand I did some things I shouldn’t have. You could have easily sent me to prison. Why go to these extremes and risk your own freedom?” I inquired.
He stood there for a moment with his gun still perched in his hands. “Lyric and Symphonee are my reason for waking up every day. When they hurt, I take that shit personal. My girl said she was tired of hurting, and as long as you’re walking around this Earth, she’ll never truly have peace. I can’t accept that. My woman is my world, and it’s my job to make sure she has everything she needs. Your life is the last piece of the puzzle.
“Now, I’ve wasted enough time, and I’m ready to go. You have sixty seconds to pull the trigger, or I’ma have my young niggastie a rope around your neck and hang you from the tree in your backyard. I personally would rather you get it over with, but again, the outcome won’t change.”
I stood there as he pulled a blunt from behind his ear, put it to his lips, and then fished a lighter from his pocket to light it. I found his calm demeanor to be strange. There I was, holding a gun as well, but there wasn’t an ounce of fear in him. Smoke came from his nose and mouth as I stood there, waiting. I tried to think of what I could say to change his mind. There had to be some way to turn things around.
“What will you tell my daughter?” I asked. He took another pull of the blunt before he lifted his eyes toward mine.
“What daughter? Ari?” His face was twisted with confusion.
“No, Symphonee. What are you gonna tell her when she asks what happened to me?” I thought I could appeal to his apparent love for my child, but when he roared with laughter, I realized my plan failed.
“Why would I tell my daughter about a stranger? Symphonee Rahlei Norris only has one daddy, and it’s the nigga whose name is on her birth certificate. You’re funny as fuck, though. You’re about to be worm food, but you tried to be funny by bringing up my seed. My baby ain’t none of your concern, pussy-ass hoe. Your sixty seconds is up.” He lifted his rifle toward me and started counting. I didn’t want him to have the satisfaction of killing me, so I lifted the pistol, placed it under my chin, and squeezed the trigger.
Several Months Later
“Brudder! I can’t believe you won a fucking Grammy! Two Grammies actually!” I screamed as we hugged one another. We had gotten back to our rooms after being at the Grammy Awards. Never in a million years did I think we would be celebrating such a momentous occasion, but I had never been prouder.
“Man, it still doesn’t even feel real, but here we are.”
Ari, Nova, and I all cried when Keynauri’s name was called. When he got nominated, he tried to downplay it as if it wasn’t a big deal, but I believed it was because he didn’t want to get his hopes up. A nomination for an award like this was a huge honor, but I had no doubts he would take home at least one.
Keynauri had taken the world by storm, and his career had blown up in ways he never imagined. He was now performing shows internationally, and we were all so proud of him. My heart was full watching my brother accept an award for his talent and hard work. It may have been biased, but I didn’t believe anyone deserved it more than him.
“The internet is going crazy right now. Not only did you win this award for yourself, but you also won it on behalf of all the black men out there with a dream and a story to tell. You have beaten the odds and become a role model for many young black men and women too. I’m truly honored to call you my brother. I love you so much, brudder. I don’t even know what else to say except you did that shit.” More tears sprang from my eyes as I thought about everything he had overcome to get to this moment in life. Keynauri would always be a hero in my eyes, no matter what he accomplished.
“I appreciate you, Boogie. Having you here with me made this moment even more special. We went through hell together, but we came out on top. I’m thankful to have you in my corner cheering me on, and I want you to know that I’m right here, doing the same for you. We have beaten the odds and made something of ourselves. I’m proud of you and the woman you have become. You are an incredible mother, wife, and entrepreneur. You have made a living encouraging women through your life and testimony. Women all over the world look up to you, and that is something to be proud of.
“I’m thankful for you, and as long as I’m walking this Earth, I’ll always be here for you. Even though I don’t like having to share you with that crazy-ass nigga you call a husband, there are no other hands I trust for you to be in. Thank you for believing in me and speaking life into me when I was at my lowest. I love you for an eternity, Lyric.” Keynauri wrapped his arms around me,and I cried into his chest. He truly was the best brother in the world, and I was thankful for him.
“Damn, I was gonna join, but I don’t want to intrude.”
I smirked when I heard the familiar voice.
“We have room for one more,” I told him, making space for Jacq to join in.
“Yeah, get your high-yellow ass over here,” Keynauri teased. The two of them had grown close and I was beyond grateful.
Life had taken us on so many twists and turns, and while there were some things I wanted to forget, there were others I was grateful for.
After the sudden deaths of my donor and aunt, Keynauri and East sat me down and told me the truth about what happened to my father and everything else. When I found out the man who rescued my daughter was my biological brother, I wanted to reach out to him right away. Essex was nervous, but he agreed to set it up for me. Jacq and I hit it off right away, and he stepped into his brotherly role with ease. Noodle and my nieces, Keyami and Kiaya, took to him right away and had him wrapped around their fingers just like everyone else. Keyaire took a little longer to warm up to him, but once he did, they were as thick as thieves.
My brothers and I decided not to dwell on the past, and instead, we were determined to create our own family and start fresh with the people who mattered most. Jacq was dating, but he wasn’t quite ready to settle down and have kids. Essex had recently brought him onto his team to take the lead in his absence. He was still involved, but he had taken Gunna and Luciano’s offer to expand and move up in the organization. East kept me out of his illegal business, and I had no complaints. He was home a lot more now, and that was all that mattered to me.
He still had his restaurant, along with many other business ventures, but he made sure to hire enough staff so he didn’t have to be there physically unless it was absolutely necessary.
