Chapter Ten #2
“Of course. You got us forever. So, whatever you and that son of mine go through, figure that shit out. Because this is it. Welcome to death row. I love you too, girl.” She added with a grin, trying to sound hip.
“Aht aht, Ms. Kerri. Not you threatening my girl.” Caresha chimed in, and all three cracked up.
“And you too, miss girl. Don’t think I don’t know about you and Hassan.”
“Wait, what?” Caresha played clueless.
“Yep, I know and I’m happy about it. My boys tell me everything.”
They smiled as they all glanced over at the men.
A little while later, dinner was served, and the energy shifted naturally throughout the venue as Smoky clicked his glass and stood to make a toast.
“Aight, listen. I’m happy to be here and to witness my bro transition in life. With that being said, I just wanna get a few things off my chest. First of all,” he started, pointing toward Crown,
“Thank God this nigga found Nivéa because before her, he was grumpy as fuck. And he still is. But I’m talkin’ 365 days and nights.”
The room burst into laughter immediately.
“Nigga, shut the fuck up.” Crown spat, not feeling being put on the spot.
“See what I’m saying? This muthafucka wakes up irritated.” Smoky continued, and everyone laughed harder.
“Uh uh, y’all gon’ leave my husband the hell alone.” Nivéa spoke up for him, kissing his beard, and the guests' laughs turned into smiles and awes.
Smoky grinned before glancing around the room.
“Nah, but on some real shit… me and Crown go way back. Like… skipping class in middle school and getting suspended together for knocking niggas out type back. This nigga been my brother ever since then. We’ve survived things most people in this room couldn’t imagine.
And through all them years, all the disputes, all the chaos…
our love for one another never changed. We never switched up.
I love this nigga with everything in me.
Give a kidney for him if I had to. And when you love someone like that, all you want is to see them happy and the best for them. And that best is you, Nivéa.”
The room softened instantly, especially Nivéa.
Smoky looked over at her seriously then.
“I ain’t never seen bro love nothin’ like the way he loves you.
You brought somethin’ into my dawg’s life that a lot of us thought would never be.
Peace, happiness, hope even. And for that, I love you like family already.
I don’t give a fuck how fast y’all moved. ”
Nivéa smiled, feeling the emotions wash over her, while Crown stayed quiet beside her, his jaw tight as he fought back his own emotions.
Smoky lifted his glass. “To my brother finally finding his person…and to forever with her.”
Tears filled most of the room, the men trying to keep it together, but their eyes were stinging from holding back. Danger stood next, giving Smoky a pat on the back.
“Aight, aight. Let me say somethin’ real quick before this emotional ass nigga starts crying up here.”
“Nigga, fuck you,” Smoky shot back.
That got another round of laughter, including from Crown. Danger glanced at his brother for a moment before shifting to a more serious tone.
“I ain’t great with speeches or all this emotional shit, so I’ll keep it real simple.” He cleared his throat.
“That’s my big brother right there. My role model.
My protector. The one who stepped up and carried a lot on his back after pops passed, and even before then.
When pops was in them streets, it was him who took care of me.
Taught me how to be a man. How to cut a yard, change a tire, and get under the hood of a car and bring that muthafucka back to life.
He taught me the kind of shit that goes far beyond this life we live. A lot of who I am comes from watching him. And the parts of me that ain’t like him? Shit, I’m watching closely to improve like him. Nigga might think I’m not listening when he’s preaching, but trust, I’m soaking up everything.”
The room quieted, everyone sensing the weight of the moment.
“Like him and Smoky, we’ve been through a lot together. Seen a lot. Lost a lot. So, seeing him genuinely happy means everything to me.”
Danger turned toward Nivéa.
“With that being said… Nivéa thank you for being the one to bring that happiness into his life. I don’t think you realize how much that matters, but we do.” He gestured around at the Knights. “We appreciate you more than words can say, ma. Real talk.”
Nivéa’s eyes watered even more, and she thanked God for waterproof makeup as the tears cascaded down her cheeks. Danger lifted his glass slightly.
“To family. To love. And to y’all making this official. We ‘bout to turn the fuck up.”
At that point, there wasn’t a dry face in the room.
Danger had talked shit about Smoky’s speech, but truth be told, his hit home a tad more for Crown.
He was deep in his feelings, realizing just how important he was to his people, and how much they loved and looked up to him.
He had been a hell of a man in all of their lives, standing ten toes down.
Danger’s speech was so powerful that Kerri grew too emotional to even stand and give the one she had planned. He didn’t just move Crown; he moved the entire room. His words sat heavy on everyone’s chest, making people reflect on loyalty, family, grief, and love all at once.
Caresha stood next, and the moment she grabbed the mic, she looked over at Nivéa and laughed nervously.
“Ooo, I hate stuff like this.”
The room laughed softly with her. She had a way of being soft, goofy, and ghetto all wrapped in one.
“Seriously. I’m not built for speeches, so don’t judge me.” She pointed toward Smoky and Danger. “Especially you two, because y’all done turned this into a BET Awards tribute tonight.
Laughter erupted once again. Caresha looked back at Nivéa, her smile softening.
“But on a serious note… that’s my best friend.
My sister. We been through everything together.
Like… everything. Heartache. Losing our parents.
The grief. Raising Nyla together them first couple weeks.
Sitting up with a screaming baby all night then still dragging ourselves to work the next morning.
Just life. Real life. Broke days. Lights off.
Sharing meals. Repos. Evictions. Crying and laughing in the middle of the bullshit because what else were we gon’ do? ”
“Now, ma…hold up. Why would you go sayin’ all that shit?” Danger couldn’t help but ask what everyone else was thinking.
He shook his head at the last few things she mentioned, reaching over to wrap his hand around her waist. He figured she was just nervous and needed comfort while speaking in front of everyone. Her anxiety had her ass babbling.
The entire room broke out into laughter at him. They laughed so hard that their stomachs hurt.
“Y’all hush and let my girl cook.” Nivéa said in between giggles, fully understanding her best friend’s heart.
“Yes, let me cook. Dang.” Caresha stomped her heel dramatically and popped Danger in the chest before continuing.
“To be clear, the eviction and repo was me at different stages of my life. But Nivéa gave me her last to handle both during the processes when she barely had it herself. And that’s my point. Her character is flawless. I can honestly say, nobody in this room deserves happiness more than her.”
That made the room quiet some.
“She got one of the purest hearts I know. She loves hard. She knows how to forgive, too. And while she thinks that’s a weakness, I see it as a strength.
It’s so easy to give up and walk away, but to stay and see the best in people when they can’t even see it themselves takes a lot of courage.
She shows up for people even when she got her own shit going on.
So, when she called me from Vegas crying saying she got married, I was so happy for my sister. ”
Nivéa’s eyes watered again, and she shook her head, realizing they would have her crying all night.
“Because the way that man there shows up for her and love her?” Caresha pointed toward Crown. “Baby, everybody can see it…can feel it. I adore it.”
Crown gave a half-smile while rubbing his beard.
“Crown, thank you for loving my friend correctly. Thank you for stepping up for her and my godchild the way you have. You brought security and peace into their lives, and that means everything to me because I love them both very much.”
Caresha looked between both of them before lifting her glass slightly, her voice full of emotion.
“To love that heals. To love that makes us feel safe and whole. To you two on your new journey. I wish you both nothing but love and happiness. May God continue to guide and bless your union.”
Smiling, everyone clapped in joy. What started as rocky turned into something beautiful. The message wasn’t perfect, but they all understood: Nivéa deserved the world and then some.
After the speeches, old school R&B mixed with trap records filled the air as members of the club crowded around tables, talking loudly and sipping on liquor.
Crown sat with his club members, cigar smoke drifting in from the balcony doors.
Smokey had brought some of the finest cigars from his personal collection.
With drinks being served back-to-back, they all were feeling amazing. So much so that Crown had forgotten one person was missing. That’s until…he entered.
Late due to a mandatory meeting with the other Council members, Prophet stepped in with his cane, dressed in all black, his salt-and-pepper hair cut beautifully.
The older man carried himself with quiet authority, a gold watch sitting heavy on his wrist. The second Crown spotted him, he stood immediately to go greet him.
“P,” he said respectfully, gripping his hand firmly.
“There he goes.” Prophet smiled warmly. “Married man now.”
“Hell yeah.”
They exchanged looks, pride evident in Prophet's eyes.