“Them tears don’t make you pussy, nigga. They make you real.”
“She’s scared, nigga. Scared.” I shook my head continuously.
“If that was my shorty and my situation, I’d be no good right now, nigga. I commend you for holding it together this long. Get your big ass up,” he commanded.
I stood to my feet, dusting off the debris from the blunt I’d finished. Laike wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into a hug that I discovered was needed. He pounded my back with his fist before releasing me.
“I’m going to handle that shit. You don’t have to worry. I’m on it.”
“I already know.”
I grabbed the blunt he was handing me.
“Now, what’s on your dome?”
“Shit, getting Ever down the aisle a better woman than she was before all this shit popped off.”
“You will.”
“She’s my life, Laike. It’s like, my life was never shitty, but her presence makes it feel like I wasn’t really living before she walked into my world. Like… it’s so hard to explain. It’s like she woke up something within me that I never want to go without again.”
“I feel ya, nigga. I’m not a stranger to that feeling. I’ve felt that shit. Since me and B called it quits, I’ve felt unalive. Shit is weird because I’m having the time of my life, but a nigga ain’t living.”
“You need to get back right with Baisleigh, Laike. Ain’t shit out here better than having a home. Not a location, but a person.”
“Who you telling, my nigga?” He huffed. “But, I’m no good for B, man. She’s on top of her shit. I’m poison, Luca. I don’t want to fuck up her world. I know I will. I’m cool with watching from the sidelines.”
“No you’re not.”
“I’m not afraid to pretend.”
“Bullshit.”
“But, we’re not talking about me. We’re talking about you.”
“I know.”
“You ’bout to be a fucking daddy, nigga. What you feeling?” He laughed. “How that shit feeling?”
“I’m already a father, Laike. I’ve been Daddy since I walked out of them gates, man. The only thing that changes this time is I’m here from day one. That part, I’m looking forward to. I can’t lie. Seeing her belly grow. Watching her body change. I’m ready for whatever.”
“Per usual.”
For two hours straight, we found comfort in one another’s company. The sun peaked through The Hills, bringing our gathering to a close. Intoxicated and feeling as if the weight of the world was resting on my shoulders, I stumbled to bed. Underneath the covers, I pulled Ever close, wishing I could take her pain away at once. Sleep never found me. I listened to the beat of her heart as I stared into the open space around us.
God, grant me the power to help Ever heal, I prayed.
His slumped postureand somber appearance confirmed his identity. Sitting on the edge of the porch, he turned up the cup in his hand a final time before standing to his feet. He walked closer to the street, leaning against the fence that led to thesidewalk. The darkness that covered the sky made it slightly difficult to see his face, but I didn’t need to. I was certain I’d found my mark. The last four hours I’d been sitting on him, he checked every box as described and matched the images I’d obtained over the last week.
My cellphone vibrated in my pocket. Pressing my back against the seat, I stretched my legs slightly in order to retrieve it. I glanced at the clock on the radio, noting that Ever was more than likely resting for the night already. For a fact, I knew it wasn’t her calling unless there was an emergency. I prayed like hell there wasn’t an emergency. Laike’s name appeared on the screen, prompting me to answer.
“Yeah?”
“We’re not the only ones gunning for this nigga’s head.” He huffed into the phone.
“Yeah?”
“It’s a nigga been sitting on his ass the last two hours I’ve been here.”
