“See, you be doing too much. Your fucking mouth gon’ get you into a lot of shit. Watch it, nigga, and handle your business.”
“Fuck you,” Dough countered, not having a reasonable comeback.
Luco exited the office, leaving Dough stewing like a pot of soup. They didn’t understand his reasoning. They didn’t care about the scars that he now had to bear. His mental health had been on a decline ever since Lo caught him slippin’. Dough had never been so paranoid in his life. His rest had been affected greatly with him barely falling into a REM sleep. Dough’s gun stayed in his hand when it came time to fall into a slumber. His existence wouldn’t be at ease until he laid Lo down for good.
Two weeks later…
The room was swallowed by a pitch-black darkness, mirroring how hollow Lo felt on the inside. The blackness represented how corrupted he had been. He stared at the window, picking up the shadows that crept in from the amber streetlight. His mind was on murder. Blood was his desired smell at this particular time. The need to play God for the night was evident but he couldn’t get Bria out of his psyche.
It had been fourteen days since he’d seen his Bri-Bri, and Lo was on the verge of losing it. Again, pride held him up, feeding him all the bullshit that he could feed to his stubborn nature. However, that tender side of Lo, the part that no one had access to except Bria, yearned to see her. Lo had fucked up. The first night she didn’t come home, he didn’t feel it as much. His anger had numbed him until it wore off by the second night.
By then, it was too late. Bria had placed him on the block list. Going to her socials had been a bust since she’d blocked himon there. Lo was vexed by her actions, but it was well deserved. However, after two weeks of not smelling her natural scent and hearing her soft voice, Lo was in need.
The ringing of his phone brought him out of the part of his brain where Bria lived. Looking at the screen, he noticed Maddy calling and answered.
“What’s up, Auntie?”
“Hey, I hadn’t heard from you. You call yourself being mad at me?”
“No.” He smirked. “I’ve been busy.”
“Oh, okay. I wanna make sure you ain't put me with your ignorant mama. I can’t take it if you don't want to talk to me.”
“It’s not like that.” Lo had been bothered by the incident between Ada and Maddy and did distance himself a bit. He had grown tired of being in the middle of their feud. “I just needed a minute to myself.”
“I get it. You’ve always been introverted so no need to explain anything to me. How have you been?”
“Straight. You?”
“I’m okay. Durand is trying to open a business and needed a down payment on a building. I took out a small loan to help him out.”
Lo thought that was the most ridiculous shit ever. Durand was a serial business owner. He went through so many ideas, but nothing stuck. Lo wasn’t a parent so he couldn’t comprehend Maddy’s devotion to keep funding Durand’s failed business plans.
“Why you do that?”
“Because I wanted to support him. It wasn’t like you were going to help him out again.”
“You right, I wasn’t. You gotta let that man drown on his own, Auntie, ‘cause in the end, when you get in a bind, who you come to?”
“You don't understand because you don't have kids.”
“I’m a man though, and I don't think my mama would keep giving me money for shit that won’t work.”
“Well, Ada couldn’t even protect you as a child. I know she wouldn’t go out of her way to help you out.”
Swiftly, Lo sat up, trying to fight his rage from making a sudden appearance.
“Stop saying stuff like that. If I was trying to heal, your words would put me back in my misery. Don't keep bringing that up.”
The other line went silent until Maddy said, “You're right, baby. I’m sorry for not considering how it would make you feel. I know you have your feelings toward Ada but that’s still your mother. Please forgive me.”
This was what he loved most about his auntie. She was so compassionate and wasn’t above apologizing. Lo should’ve taken a page out of her book and applied it to his own life.
“It’s cool, I just don't want you taking digs at her no more.”
He couldn’t believe he had made that request. Something was changing deep within him. Maybe the depths of him were finally being moved. Lo wasn’t certain.
“You have my word. I won’t do any of that again. How’s Bria? You guys should come over for dinner.”
