Page 97 of Standing In The Sun
“It is,” Lunar agreed, “but it’s human too. When you love somebody that deep, you scared if you let the world have ‘em, even the memory gets smaller. You start losin’ the pieces you was tryna protect.”
Monday leaned back, processing that. It started to make sense why he saw his big brother fighting so hard to hold onto Ahvi—why he thought about holding onto Butta.
“I just wish I knew more,” Monday admitted. “What he was like…what you got from him.”
“From what everybody says?” Lunar shrugged, “I got his heart - wear it all loud and messy on my sleeve. Big ass love for people who probably don’t deserve it. Always wantin’ to save shit.”
Monday huffed a laugh under his breath. “Yeah, you a soft ass nigga lowkey.”
“Fuck you,” Lunar shot back, grinning, “but facts.”
They both laughed, the sound shaking loose some of the heaviness.
“And you,” Lunar added, pointing at Monday without looking, “you got that fire from Mav -that grind…that hunger…that ‘fuck the odds type spirit. That’s all Mav, and that’s why you about to be league-bound while half these niggas still runnin’ in circles.”
Monday smirked a little, pride flashing across his face even though he tried to play it cool. Anything that came from his big brother was the gospel. At least that’s what his dad told him. Mav made sure to teach them to be close and to love on each other despite everything else going on around them.
“Still ugly though,” Lunar added, deadpan.
Monday busted out laughing, smacking the dashboard. “Man, fuck you!”
Lunar chuckled, but his voice turned serious again as he eased up on the gas, coasting down the empty stretch toward Emerald City.
“But listen to me,” he said, voice dipping into that older brother weight. “Love ain’t about trapping nobody. It ain’t about promises or plans. It’s about respect. It’s about letting people choose, even when the choice hurts you.”
Monday nodded slowly.
“If Butta don’t keep the baby…if she needs to pick herself first…you gotta love her through that too,” Lunar said. “You ain’t gotta agree. You ain’t gotta clap for it. But you gotta stand up and be the man she needs you to be in that moment. Even if that man just holds the door open and let her walk through it.”
The truck hummed under them, the silence growing heavier but not toxic — just real.
“I don’t wanna lose her,” Monday said after a while, voice cracking just a little.
“I know,” Lunar said, “but love that’s real don’t leave you even when people do.”
They let that sit between them.
No fixing it. No sugarcoating. Just truth.
“Plus,” Lunar added with a grin, “you young, bro. You gon’ have girls throwing they bras at you courtside. Might even get you a cougar or two if you hit your free throws right.”
Monday barked out another laugh, wiping at his eyes quick like Lunar wouldn’t notice. “Shut up, man,” he said, shaking his head.
“Nah, for real,” Lunar said, still grinning. “One of these old ladies gon’ be in your DMs talkin’ ‘bout -‘Hey nephew’ real seductive.”
“Man, you stupid,” Monday muttered, but he was smiling now.
The skyline of Emerald City started to glow faint in the distance.
“What about Ahvi?” Monday finally found the courage to ask.
Lunar leaned back in his seat as he rolled up to the first red light they’d seen for an hour. He gave his brother his full attention. “Love can’t be one sided. I laid it all out for her. Now, it’s up to Ahvi to figure out if she wants all this dope ass love I got to give her.”
“What if she don’t?”
Now that was a question that he couldn’t answer without second guessing it. “I gotta let her walk through that door,” he smirked. “But best believe I’m coming in behind her ‘cause ain’t no living without me.”
Monday smiled while allowing his head to lean against the seat. “You gon’ tell ma?”
