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“How you holdin’ up, Sis?”

She stared at me as she stuffed her mouth. “How do you think, Meek?”

“I know it’s hard. You know I’m here if you need me.”

“You know this is my first meal since the funeral. All I could do is drink water to stay alive. I’ve had my phone off since. I don’t know who’s more aggravating, my daddy or y’all.”

“We care ‘boutcha. That’s what the fuck family do.”

“I ain’t trying to be pissy, Meek. I’m really not. I’ve been in this big ass house by myself. Every fucking corner has some type of presence of your brother. His fucking hairbrush and durag still in the same spot he left it that morning.”

I pulled the bar stool out and sat across from her. Seemed to me she needed someone to listen to her.

“Then I hadn't seen the fucking kids and it’s killing me. I want to know how Ryleigh is doing with her numbers. Is Khari needing her nails done? Does Kaiden need a man to take him to get his hair cut? Like, all this shit is going through my head. I don’t know the last time I’ve had a full night’s rest.”

I knew this wasn’t the time to bring up Royal Flush with her. Kyenna would probably cuss my ass out. With what Rah put her through with Raya, Kyenna never punished the kids.

“I’ve already gotten Kaiden’s hair cut yesterday. Khari does need her nails done, and I’ll get with Averie to see if she would let you go on a girls’ date with her. If that will make you take that fuckin’ bonnet off. Rah would have a fuckin’ fit seein’ you like this.”

“Well, the nigga ain’t here. He’s resting peacefully while I suffer.”

I swallowed hard. She went from sad to angry real quick.

“But if you could get Averie to let me see Khari, that would make me feel better. I want to take her and Ryleigh out and do the things we used to do. Maybe I could feel better being next to the little people that came from the nigga’s nut sack,” she said, making us share a laugh.

“Do you think goin’ to Royal Flush?”

“Hell no! I blame that place for killing my man. He spent so much time there, and that night. I had told him to get his ass home because it was late. He was coming home to me. From that damn place. It can burn the fuck down all I care.”

“Kyenna, you kno’ that was my brother’s happy place besides you and the kids. We gotta get that bitch back runnin’.”

“Meek, I can’t right now. Why can’t you do it?”

“’Cause I don’t kno’ how that nigga had that shit goin’. You do tho’.”

“Can I ask you something?” she asked.

“Shoot.”

“Do you think he suffered long or do you think the shots took him out quick?”

“Nah, that nigga fought. I could tell how he was outside that truck. He was still tryin’ to make it home to yo’ ass.”

“I can’t believe I found him like that.”

“Yeah, I hate you found him. That’s why you can’t shake this shit.”

“Grief doesn’t have a timeframe,” she told me.

“True. I’ll give you a few days to think about the Flush. We gotta have some answers for all those employees.” I got up and headed towards the door. “And the next time one of us stops by, can you please reveal the old Kyenna that kept her hair and shit done? This one is scaring me a lil’.”

“Get the fuck out,” Kyenna said.

“Aight, Sis. Call me if you need me.”

I pulled into Averie’s subdivision. It wasn’t anything like the King Estates, but it was modest, being that she didn’t want any handouts from my brother. He offered to buy her whatever house she wanted. All she wanted was for him to take care of his kids. Averie had her own money. She worked as a registered nurse at a plastic surgeon’s office.

Averie wasn’t impressed with my brother’s money. She was with him when he only had what he made from our Pops. I pulled into the driveway and before I could knock, the front door swung open.