Page 17 of Disrespectfully, Relic
“Someone who wouldn’t have to knock like the police if they still had their key!”
Kennedy’s mouth twitched as she tried not to smile at hearing her nephew’s deep voice. He’d been home for a week, and she hadn’t seen him since surprising him at the studio. Tekken had been beyond hyped to see her that night, but she could tell their relationship was still rifted.
“I was starting to think your ass forgot where I lived,” she quipped the moment she opened the door. Tekken frowned.
“I know you ain’t a morning person, big dog, but damn. You can at least pretend you’re in a good mood for the nephew you kicked out and ain’t had no kick it for in months.”
“So, I should play happy for the nephew that was selling dope out of my house? That’s what you’re telling me?”
“I mean, it sounded better the way I put it.”
“Boy, shut up, and get your ass in here! It’s freezing.” She gripped the front of his coat and yanked him inside before slamming the door with a shudder.
Tekken chuckled as she rushed to the couch and took a seat, grabbing her neatly folded throw blanket to layer over her body. A cheesy grin broke out on her face against her will when he shook his head while taking a seat beside her, snuggling into her space like he did when he was a kid, waiting up with her for Koda to walk through the door. Tekken laid back his head before letting it loll in her direction.
“I talked to grandma yesterday, and she said you’re ducking her calls. Why you doing my G-Ma like that?”
“Your grandma is worrisome! She doesn’t want shit but to play therapist, read me scriptures, and to ask when I’m coming home because, according to her and dad, I’m lonely since you’re working all the time. She doesn’t know, your ass was never here well before you started rapping, but I ain’t tell her that, Mr. Hot Shot.”
“And I didn’t tell her you put me out, so we’re even.”
“You didn’t tell her because you didn’t care. Not once did you attempt to come back. You moved right in with Che and his girlfriend, with your third wheeling ass.”
Tekken smirked. “You miss me, don’t you?” he pressed, making her burst into laughter.
“Nobody misses your big head ass! Where’ve you been all night, though? I know you didn’t wake up this early to see me. You must be heading home from creeping.”
“I was actually heading to the studio, but after talking to G-Ma, you were on my mind. I figured, I’d check in since you haven’t hit my line to see if I’m dead or alive. I guess I should be used to that by now, huh?”
“Now, who misses who, punk? Them raps you spit are too tough for you to be whining on my couch.”
Immediate hurt clouded her nephew’s eyes at her teasing, evoking a sigh from her before she reached for his wild hair that needed a braid down. His spitting-image resemblance to her brother hollowed her damn stomach. Her nails scraped at his scalp while she mustered the courage to do something she loathed but knew would salvage their once tight bond. Pride had prevented Kennedy from apologizing to him sooner.
She could picture Koda rolling in his grave from her going in on Tekken about being in the streets, just to toss him into that very environment after the fact. Kennedy would take it back in a heartbeat if she could. If it weren’t for Relic’s label; she was uncertain where her nephew would’ve ended up. Her chest ached at knowing, she’d turned her back on Tekken when he needed guidance the most.
“I’m sorry, okay?” Her voice cracked as she forced out those words her nephew needed to hear. “For how I acted and putting you out. It shouldn’t have gotten that far, but I was pissed at you for going down that road, and all I could see was you ending up like Koda. You know I miss you, Tekken. If I was truly tired of you, I could’ve sent you back home, but I didn’t. I wanted you with me.”
“You really hurt a nigga’s feelings. Then, blaming me for you getting burned in that fire was fucked up.”
“It was messed up as hell and had nothing to do with you, especially since the move wasn’t only for you. I needed it, too, Tek. I’d been thinking about it for a while, but I didn’t want to leave you there. When you got in trouble, it was the perfect excuse to bring you with me, so we could start fresh.”
“You would tell me this after I’ve been feeling like a damn burden since we got here,” he muttered, leaning his head on her shoulder. The weight of her apology settled between them before he confessed “I did that shit for you, Kenn. I was tired of seeing you work so hard while I couldn’t help out. If my dad was here, man, you know you wouldn’t be lifting a finger unless you wanted to. You’d probably have your own salon, a fly ass crib you could go crazy decorating, and all that.”
“You’re right, but it’s all good, and I’ll get my salon. Just watch me work.”
“I hope you don’t get it by fucking with Relic,” he responded, causing her fingers to stall in his hair while her eyes damn near ballooned from their sockets.
“Where did that come from? Last time I checked, you were the one telling me that I should’ve taken it when he offered.”
“Yea, before that nigga snitched on me.”
She cackled. “Tek, you cannot be mad at that man about that! He did both of us a favor by pulling yo ass out of the streets before you got deep. If he hadn’t, what would you be doing right now?”
“Not that. To keep it a buck with you, I wasn’t feeling it. Yea, I liked the money, and it made me feel good to know I could walk in my old man’s footsteps if I wanted to, but—”
“It wasn’t you,” she finished, cracking a smile. “You like rapping, though?”
“Love that shit, big dog. It gets tiring at times, ‘cause Relic doesn’t let up on us, but I fuck with it. Now, back to y’all.” Tekken rerouted to the part of the conversation his aunt tried steering away from. “What’s up with you two?”
