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“She made me promise not to tell anyone, but my momma always told me that if someone was in danger, you have to say something. I was young as hell, and I didn’t like the idea of my new friend being in pain, so I told my momma what happened, and she came up to the school and reported what I told her.

“I’ll never forget that day because when I walked past the office, I saw Nyasha in there with two police officers, and her face was covered in tears. I felt horrible, and I couldn’t wait to see her again so I could apologize to her. The teacher escorted her back to class to grab her things, but I didn’t get the chance to speak to her. I waited the next day, but she never showed up. When I asked the teacher, she said Nyasha’s mother called her out sick.”

“The same day, another set of officers came into the classroom and came and got our teacher out of the room. She shut the door behind her, but I’ll never forget the devastation on her face when she walked back into the room. She broke down crying at her desk, and I remember the sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. The principal eventually got on the intercom and announced that Nyasha had sadly passed away. Of course, they didn’t provide us with any details, but when I got home, I overheard my momma and my aunts talking about it. After the police visited her house, they arrested her father, but he was bonded out the next morning. Their mother kept them home so they could pack and go stay with her sister, but when the husband came home, he shot them all and then turned the gun on himself.

“I carried the guilt of their deaths for years, and I still feel responsible for what happened to them. She begged me not to say anything, but I didn’t listen, and she lost her life because of me.”

Solomon pulled me into his lap and held me tight. I had never shared that story with anyone, but I never wanted anyone to judge me more than I already judged myself.

“Baby, that wasn’t your fault. You did what you were supposed to do. If anything, it was on the police to make sure she and her family were protected from her. You were young, and there was no way you could have predicted he would do something so messed up to his own family. That’s not your burden to carry.

“You’re my heart, Honey Bee. The thought of someone hurting you sends me into a frenzy, and all I see is red. I have a better understanding of why you did what you did, but don’t you ever keep shit like this away from me. I don’t care what you think the consequences may be. You need to tell me what’s going on. All I want to do is love you and keep you safe. Don’t keep secrets from me. Do you understand?”

“Yes, I do. I’m really sorry, baby. I thought I had things under control.”

“Yeah, well, don’t do that shit again. I wanted to hug and strangle your pretty ass at the same time. I’m your man, Honesty. You don’t have to carry anything by yourself.”

I needed to hear those words more than he realized. Though I believed I'd made the right decision, the consequences had me second-guessing everything. My eyes grew heavy as I lay in his arms. It had been a long night, and my body was physically and emotionally drained. I let myself fall asleep in his arms, hoping for a better tomorrow.

TWENTY-THREE

solomon jackson

“Uncle Solo, can we get ice cream?” Deuce asked the moment we got out of the car.

“Yeah, but you need to eat some real food first, and I don’t have time for you to be bouncing off the walls.”

“Man, you’re a hater.” He sucked his teeth as he glared at me.

My sister and Messiah could act oblivious all they wanted, but he was bad as hell and spoiled rotten.

“Aye, chunky girl, you’re going in this stroller because I am not going to be holding you this whole time.” Yaya talked to my niece, Cherish, as she placed her in the stroller.

We were attending a community festival because I hadn’t gotten to spend as much time with them as I wanted. The last week was more hectic than I anticipated, so I had to make some time for the people I loved.

Since the incident at Honesty’s boutique, we had all been on pins and needles. Jett had been working overtime to find the person who attacked her, but it wasn’t happening as quickly as we wanted.

Messiah had been on a rampage and didn’t feel comfortable with anyone being out in public without proper security. Honesty was still receiving private messages from multiple fake accounts. The threats continued, and they seemed to be spiraling further.

The only reason we were able to take the kids out today was because my bodyguards were with us.

“They have the fried ice cream truck out there. Remember when we were kids, and we used to sneak into Momma’s room and steal money from the secret stash whenever the festival rolled around?” Yaya asked.

I chuckled as the memories flooded my mind because we used to terrorize Meesha as kids, and we never cared.

“Hell yeah. It was my favorite time of the year. It was probably the only time I felt like a normal kid. We used to spend hours up here, eating whatever we wanted and riding all of the rides, and then we would come home, and Meesha would be on the porch ready to cuss us out.”

We lived in the kind of neighborhood where everyone knew everyone, so by the time we snuck to the fair, someone had already called Meesha and told her where we were. It might have been a rich neighborhood, but the people looked out for one another.

“I agree. We didn’t have the best childhood, but we had some good memories together. I’ve been thinking a lot about our childhood since Meesha showed up on my doorstep.”

I glanced over at Yaya because I could tell the conversation was about to shift into something heavy.

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah. She’s been calling every day, but I haven’t answered. At first, I was adamant about never speaking to her again, but after I talked to Dr. Reese, I realized that avoiding her is holding back my progress. Meesha is the root of a lot of my trauma, and I can’t fully heal until I close that chapter in my life, you know?”

Truthfully, I couldn’t relate because I had no interest in healing or finding closure. As far as I was concerned, Meesha no longer existed in my world, and I wanted to keep it that way.