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I sat up in the chair I was in, ready for whatever he was about to say. For some reason, I felt defensive even though we had never been on the outs before.

“Growing up, I always knew there was tension between you and my momma. Whenever I asked either of you about it, y’all would brush me off. I thought you would eventually tell me, but when you didn’t, I just assumed maybe it was nothing more than a sibling rivalry. Nothing could have prepared me for what came out at my dad’s party, and I can admit, I didn’t react the way I should have. I was in shock, and I didn’t know what to think.

“My dad drilled into my head that I had to protect my momma at all times, but I never had to protect her from someone I loved as much as her. Hell, if I’m being honest, I love you a little more.” He chuckled.

My shoulders relaxed as I listened.

“I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’m sorry about what happened at the party, but I’m also sorry for what you went through. My momma has always had a mean streak, and she was never the affectionate type, but I thought it was normal. I would have never expected her to hurt a child that way, and it honestly makes me sick just thinking about it.

“After you left, my dad put her out of his house and told her she was no longer welcome back. Everybody was fucked up about what happened, but as I said, we were all confused and conflicted. You didn’t deserve what she did to you at all, but there was a part of me that wrestled with whether cutting her off was the right thing to do.

“I went over to her house the other day, and we had a talk about everything. I thought she would be remorseful or feel some kind of regret for what she did, but she didn’t. In her mind, she thinks it was normal because she went through shit as a kid. She made it seem like it was some normal shit, and I could barely stand to sit there and listen to her. My dad explained that my momma went through trauma and that her way of thinking had always been off, but that’s some shit I just can’t overlook.”

“I know you’re probably still hurt about the way everything went down, and I sincerely apologize. I never wanted you to feel like I wasn’t in your corner. I just needed a moment to process everything. We might have been born as uncle and nephew, but you’re my brother for life, and I don’t want to lose you. I understand if you need time to forgive me, but I'm willing to wait. I’m man enough to acknowledge my mistakes, and I definitely fucked up.”

I sat there trying to process my emotions. The truth was, I missed him in my life as well. If anyone understood the way I grew up, it was him, and we had always shared that in common. We were brothers in every sense, and I could admit that my feelings had been hurt.

“I kept my comments about Bre to myself because I wasn’t sure how you would react if I ever told you the real reason I hated her. Hell, I never expected those words to come out of my mouth, and there was a part of me that questioned whether or not I should have said anything at all. It pissed me off to see her stand in my face and pretend as if I owed her something.

“She and Meesha have that shit in common. Neither of them knows how to take accountability. They never like to acknowledge the fucked up shit they’ve done, but then they get upset when we react to the way they treat us. I put up with the shit from Meesha on the strength of her being the person who gave me life, but I refused to allow anyone to get away with the shit.”

“I’m not upset at you for the way you reacted. Well, not anymore. I’ll admit that it hurt a nigga’s feelings because I looked at you like a brother, but then I also had to take into account that she’s your mother. Meesha gets on my fucking nerves, but I would never stand by and allow another man to disrespect her or talk to her crazy. I’m not asking anyone to cut her, but I want it to be clear that I don’t fuck with her and I don’t want her in my space. As long as you can respect my wishes, we won’t have any issues.”

“You won’t have to worry about that. I’m not sure when or if I’ll ever deal with her again, but I would never disrespect your feelings or put you in a position to be uncomfortable. I wish you would have told me a long time ago, but not that I know, I can move accordingly.”

I nodded in appreciation. It would have been selfish as hell for me to ask him to cut Bre off, and I didn’t care enough to push the issue. As long as he kept her bitch ass far away from me. I still had half a mind to reach out to some bitches in the projects to beat her ass. I chuckled at the memory of Honesty trying to fight her. My baby loved me, and the fact that she was willing to fuck up her pretty face proved it.

“I appreciate it, bro. I apologize for avoiding you, but I needed some time to get my head right. I’ve been dealing with a lot of shit, and this situation wasn’t on the top of my list. To be honest, I’m ready to move past it and never talk about the shit again.”

“I’m cool with whatever you want. The most important thing to me is keeping our brotherhood intact. If you don’t want to talk about it, then we won’t. My dad does want to talk to you, though. He feels guilty because he was around all of those years and he never knew. We talked briefly, and he was fucked up about it. Regardless of everything they went through, he loved my momma, and he considered you all family. I think we’re all trying to wrap our head around it.

“He proposed to his girlfriend a couple of weeks ago, and my momma has been spiraling ever since. She’s been popping up to his businesses and even my grandparents' house. I heard she was supposed to be moving in with Granny Meesha, but I’m not sure how true it is.”

I wanted to tell him that his raggedy-ass momma could choke on a bumpy dick and die for all I cared, but I decided to keep my thoughts to myself. I glanced at the clock on the wall and realized I had been gone longer than I intended. Jah’s advice was still in my head, and I needed to make a few calls to set some things in motion. I wanted to do something special to cheer my baby up, and I had just the idea.

“Alright, bro. I need to head up out of here. I’m glad we were about to talk, and I want you to know that there’s no bad blood between us. I love you for life, and if you ever need me, I’ll be here no matter what.” I stood and pulled him into a hug.

“Thank you, bro. Thank you for hearing me out. I wasn’t sure how long I was going to last with you giving a nigga the silent treatment. You had me ready to pull up on you like the bitches be doing their baby daddies. I don’t even get down like that.”

We shared a laugh, and I understood where he was coming from.

“Yeah, my bad. Shit has been crazy lately, and I haven’t been on my phone. Shit, it’s turned off right now.” I pulled out my phone and showed him the black screen.

“Damn, well, I hope things get better for you. I’m here if you need to talk. Hell, we’re overdue for a gaming session, so whenever you’re free, hit me up.”

“I got you. You’ll be hearing from me soon. I love you, D.”

“I love you too, Solo.”

We said our goodbyes, and I headed out of the door. My driver was already parked out front, so I hopped in my ride and peeled out. I felt a sense of relief after my talk with Draike. It felt good to clear the air because I would have been fucked up if I had to let my nephew go. I would have done it on principle, but I was learning that there were some relationships worth preserving. Now, I just needed to fix the relationship that matters most to me.

I couldn’t wait to get home to my baby. She had been on my mind nonstop, and I needed to lay my eyes on her. I heard through the grapevine that she was ready to leave me in order to protect my image, and it was time for me to set some shit straight.

TWENTY-SEVEN

honesty graham

“Where are you taking me? It feels like we’ve been driving forever.” I asked impatiently as we continued to drive down the highway.