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“Talk to her ‘bout it and come up with a way to get those doors back open.”

“Aight, but I’m not gonna rush her. This shit fresh and I don’t need her ass breakin’ down in front them folks in the Flush.”

“Kyenna’s stronger than you makin’ her out to be.”

I threw my hands up and left him there. Kyenna and Rah’s estate was up the road. We all stayed on the same compound just football fields away from each other. The gate was guarded by security. He put the code in and let me in. One thing Kyenna did was have all the curtains open in the house. All of them were closed.

“Has she come out at all?” I asked the one security guard who was inside the gate.

“Not during my shift. She has a few packages that I’ve sat on the porch.”

“’Preciate it, bruh.”

He said a few packages, but she had flowers and all kinds of shit on the porch that I could barely get to the door. I hit the doorbell and waited for her to answer. After waiting a few minutes, I hit the bell repeatedly. The house was big, but I knew her ass heard the shit. Finally, she snatched the door open with dark circles around her eyes.

“Sis, what the fuck?”

She rolled her eyes and walked away, leaving the door wide open for me to walk in. She was wearing a robe, bonnet, and bedroom slippers. The house was dark besides the light coming through the top window in the foyer. I started grabbing all the packages and flowers and brought them in the house. I walked around until I found her in the kitchen eating a bowl of cereal.

“How you holdin’ up, Sis?”

She stared at me as she stuffed her mouth. “How do you think, Meek?”

“I know it’s hard. You know I’m here if you need me.”

“You know this is my first meal since the funeral. All I could do is drink water to stay alive. I’ve had my phone off since. I don’t know who’s more aggravating, my daddy or y’all.”

“We care ‘boutcha. That’s what the fuck family do.”

“I ain’t trying to be pissy, Meek. I’m really not. I’ve been in this big ass house by myself. Every fucking corner has some type of presence of your brother. His fucking hairbrush and durag still in the same spot he left it that morning.”

I pulled the bar stool out and sat across from her. Seemed to me she needed someone to listen to her.

“Then I hadn't seen the fucking kids and it’s killing me. I want to know how Ryleigh is doing with her numbers. Is Khari needing her nails done? Does Kaiden need a man to take him to get his hair cut? Like, all this shit is going through my head. I don’t know the last time I’ve had a full night’s rest.”

I knew this wasn’t the time to bring up Royal Flush with her. Kyenna would probably cuss my ass out. With what Rah put her through with Raya, Kyenna never punished the kids.

“I’ve already gotten Kaiden’s hair cut yesterday. Khari does need her nails done, and I’ll get with Averie to see if she would let you go on a girls’ date with her. If that will make you take that fuckin’ bonnet off. Rah would have a fuckin’ fit seein’ you like this.”

“Well, the nigga ain’t here. He’s resting peacefully while I suffer.”

I swallowed hard. She went from sad to angry real quick.

“But if you could get Averie to let me see Khari, that would make me feel better. I want to take her and Ryleigh out and do the things we used to do. Maybe I could feel better being next to the little people that came from the nigga’s nut sack,” she said, making us share a laugh.

“Do you think goin’ to Royal Flush?”

“Hell no! I blame that place for killing my man. He spent so much time there, and that night. I had told him to get his ass home because it was late. He was coming home to me. From that damn place. It can burn the fuck down all I care.”

“Kyenna, you kno’ that was my brother’s happy place besides you and the kids. We gotta get that bitch back runnin’.”

“Meek, I can’t right now. Why can’t you do it?”

“’Cause I don’t kno’ how that nigga had that shit goin’. You do tho’.”

“Can I ask you something?” she asked.

“Shoot.”