I rolled the window up keeping my eyes straight ahead but I could see my mother’s look of approval on her face. She was proud I kept it together and that was proof enough for me that I needed to be done. We left the car in the driveway and walked up to the ranch-style house that had been my parents’ greatest achievement besides us. Having my brother at seventeen everyone doubted them, but they hustled for everything they had and were smart to buy this house and pay it off shortly before my dad died. My mama swore no matter what, she would never leave this place.
We’d barely gotten into the house good before everything started to come to a head.
“Aye, why that nigga Link on the block with his baby mama and you in the house lookin’ like this?” My brother stepped in the screened porch that we rarely bothered to lock because everybody knew who we were. That type of notoriety was good and bad, but because of the respect of my mother, father and brother, we never had issues. Even at night.
Man stepped in the house looking like he was ready to fuck Link up. My brother had a fresh haircut, a sky blue polo that fit his large frame and slightly baggy jeans. He wasn’t clinging to the styles of drug dealers past like Link with his extra oversizedclothing. If you didn’t know him you could never guess what he did for a living. His deep vanilla bean skin was about the only trait we all shared. Mama and I were slender but Man was stocky like our daddy had been.
My brother’s name was Armani because even when she didn’t have much my mama was bougie as hell. They’d always shortened his name to Man as a nickname and it stuck.
I knew shit was about to go left because my brother walking into this wasn’t good for anyone. He was looking at us waiting to be filled in on what had happened.
“Let it go, Man, I’m not in the mood to explain.” I was honestly surprised my mama hadn’t told him everything but she clearly wanted me to do the honors.
Man folded his arms across his chest looking at me like he was waiting on me to say something else. When I didn’t he dropped his hands and I could tell he was about to make this situation worse. “Nah, he gone need to see me ‘cause this some bullshit.”
“Man, don’t get popped in the mouth.” My mama’s head appeared from around the corner to chastise my brother, which let us both know she’d been ear hustlin’.
“Nah, you too calm fa’ me right now, ma. Usually you da one that be acting up and I gotta calm you down. But buddy sittin’ his happy ass out there paradin’ that pillow shaped skank in front of the block makin’ my lil’ sister look bad. Nah, that’s blood right here. We protect ours.” He slapped himself on the chest looking frustrated with the both of us.
“Man, if I thought that boy was worth her fighting over, I would absolutely be out there greasing her up with vaseline myself. But he ain’t. I’d much rather he feels this loss than go out fightin’ and his dumb ass feels like he’s that much more important. Porsha ignoring his ass the way she should’ve when he first approached her is all that’s needed to put him in hisplace.” Ma was sticking up for me and I felt better about what had happened.
“Aye, ain’t nobody gone check that nigga?”
He was looking between the two of us because I knew this wasn’t the reaction he was expecting from either of us. My eyes went to the new hardwood floors ma had installed. She didn’t want to leave the house she’d raised us in despite man being more than willing to do so. We’d clung to each other after daddy died so change was hard. That was another reason I’d been so okay with letting Link derail my plans. It made it easier to stay here where I was comfortable.
Ma rounded the corner from the kitchen and leaned on the wall and I could tell they were getting ready to fuss. Man really felt like we were his responsibility and that went double for me. When she crossed her arms I knew she was going to explain it to him in a way that he couldn’t refute.
“And what you want her to do? Go out there and fight? Let that nigga know he affecting her? That’s boosting his head up and making it look like she lost. Ain’t no daughter of mine fighting over a nigga, especially a whack one. And he broke to boot? Hell no. C’mon now I thought I taught you better than that, boy.” Her hands were on her hips, face and body not looking like she’d carried two kids who were both grown. Guess that was the blessing of having your kids before you were twenty-one. Our faces were similar but mama’s nose was more narrow and so were her lips.
Man thought about what she’d said and it was clear he understood but he was still angry about Link. “I’m just saying—”
I was tired of him treating me like I didn’t know shit. The situation looked bad but it was my issue to handle. “You just saying what? You only in here making it worse.”
He pointed toward the door before looking at me like I was now on his bad side. “Me making it worse? That nigga out there embarrassing you.”
“Nah, that nigga is out there embarrassing himself. Make no mistake. He was never the prize in that situation. Your sister was.” My mama had a blunt hanging out the side of her mouth like a cigarette and she was more than adept at talking around it.
My brother sucked his teeth completely irritated by the both of us. “Well, I know that—”
“Well, if you know that then why in the hell would you be encouraging her to go and fuck up her life behind a boy who don’t matter? I just had to bail her ass out of jail.”
Why she had to tell him that when he was already on ten and heading to twelve? The way he slowly turned toward me didn’t give me any comfort. I knew from watching him lose his shit on other people that it was just his way of trying not to completely lose his mind. “Out of jail? For fucking what?!”
His voice was low but had that deadly tone laced through it.
“‘Cause she got caught up in his bullshit. That nigga was moving stupid and she got wrapped up in it.”
“And he left you in there?”
I nodded because the truth wasn’t anything I could deny. Mama would just tell my business no matter how I was feeling so just coming out with it was the best course of action.
“He did.”
“Tell me you ain’t take the charge for that nigga. You shouldn’t have had shit because I took the money off you and as always you ain’t have much product left.”
“You ain’t got shit on you now do you? With the way that nigga’s moving, he’s liable to call the laws while we sitting here cause he mad Prissy don’t give a fuck about him.” Ma walked to the blinds and looked out like she thought someone was legitimately there.
Man’s mouth dropped like he was utterly insulted by her words. “Ma, you taught me better than that. But we talking about Prissy’s ass right now.”
