Chapter 20 Ghana #2
I just knew her ass was going to deny us, and I was going to kick this fucking door in. She couldn’t fucking run from us anymore.
Moments later, the door opened again, and the woman waved us inside. Kenzi took my hand, and together, we stepped inside. The smell of pine and vanilla filled the air, bringing back memories of a past that broke me more than I already was.
“Tru’ dat door, inna garden.” She pointed to the door straight ahead of us, leading to the backyard.
My feet felt heavy as we moved through the open space and out the back door.
As soon as we stepped out, Ashanti turned to us in her wheelchair and stared at us.
I stood as still as a statue, seeing her.
She looked the same: light skin, light-brown eyes, and long, sandy-brown locs down her back.
She aged more, but it didn’t take too much away from the youth she always possessed.
“Me wonda when ya tu show up. Ya ’ere tu deliva me fate, eh?” she asked.
“Why is that the first thing out of your mouth, seeing us after almost twenty years?” Kenzi asked.
“Wha’ ya wan’ me tu say? Me sorry?”
“That’s a fucking start,” I finally spoke up.
“If ya come ’ere ta fight wit’ me, ya be fightin’ alone. I no have excuse fa leavin’ ya. Me was tired of ya outbursts and tired of ya cryin’. Ya wanted ta tek ova me job as da mudda, so I let ya. Ya was betta off wit’out meh.”
Kenzi shook her head. “You know what I hear, Ashanti? I hear a selfish woman. You laid on your back and gave birth to us, then turned your back on us when things got hard. You don’t know half the shit we had to go through in order to survive, and what’s worse, you don’t care.
Never cared. I’m perfectly fine with forgiving and forgetting you, but you owe it to my brother to give him an apology for treating him the way that you did. ”
Ashanti looked off, then lowered her head.
“Me did da best me could wit’ ya! Merrick promised to be dere fa me—us, den he split.
When I met ya fadda, every’ting was . . .
tolerable. Den he die, and ’ere I was, raisin’ tu chir’ren wit’ no help.
When Merrick come back, he promised ta help, but ya brudda refuse it.
I tried ta do wha’ was right, but Ghana made it so hard.
Ya wouldn’t tek ya medicin’, ya go kuchizi every udda day, and I just couldn’t tek it anymore.
So, Merrick say go away wit’ ’im, so me did.
Now, he die in a car accident, an’ me paralyze from de waist down. ”
Autumn’s voice from this morning rang in my head as I closed my eyes, imagining she was here by my side.
You don’t have to dwell in the past, baby. That’s why it’s called the past. Say what you’ve been wanting to say to her, forgive her for yourself, then let it go. Come back to me so we can live our happily ever after.
I opened my eyes and walked over to Ashanti, dropping down to my haunches to be eye level with her.
“I ain’t ask to be this way. I ain’t ask for a fucked-up mental or for my behavior to get so much for you that you left your eighteen-year-old son to take care of your sixteen-year-old daughter with four thousand dollars and a fucking prayer.
If you leaving taught me one thing, it was to learn how to survive.
That when the odds are against you, the Creator sends people in your life to help guide you through.
“I thank God I never gave up like I wanted to. I thank God I didn’t inherit your fucking selfishness and small-mindedness.
I thank Him for my sister, Mr. Trent, Ms. Betty, and the Motor City Rebels.
Those people cared enough about my sister and me to help us make it to where I can now see shit clearer, be able to reel back my anger, and not push you out of that fucking wheelchair.
“Nana Zuri said karma was going to come for you tenfold. You may live in this fancy house, but you can’t walk, and you’re not happy.
And guess what? I don’t feel the least bit sorry for you.
This ain’t my illness talking. This is that little boy who always wanted his mother.
The boy who just wanted her to love him and tell him he was going to be okay.
He doesn’t need that from you anymore, Ashanti.
The people around me and I are giving him that. ”
I stood up and looked down at her. Tears clung to her eyelashes, and I felt some gratification, knowing that she felt sorry for what she’d done.
Without thinking, I leaned down, kissed her cheek, and whispered, “I forgive you, and I love you. Continue to forget about us, because now I can close that door and forget about you.”
I turned to Kenzi and held out my palm. She accepted it, and without another word or looking back, I led my sister out of that house and away from the woman who gave birth to us but gave zero fucks about us.
I felt a weight lift off my shoulders after confronting my past. I never knew seeing her would close the door to that pain I held inside for so many years, but I could finally say I felt relieved and . . . free.
We got inside the car, and I let out a sigh.
“How do you feel now?”
“I feel like . . . getting on a bike and riding out.”
“Then let’s do it.”
I smiled, started the engine, and pulled away from the curb.
When we pulled back up to the resort forty-five minutes later, there were two bikes out front with Ruger and Autumn standing by, waiting. I stepped out of the car, helped Kenz out, then walked over to Autumn with a smile on my face.
“How are you?” she asked, studying me to make sure I was good.
“Never better, baby.”
“Good. I’m proud of you.”
“Thank you. How’d y’all know?” I asked, pointing to the motorcycles.
“I texted Mekai and told him to have them waiting,” Kenzi said, kissing her husband.
“You ready to ride out, my nigga?” Ruger asked.
“You already knowing, my G. Ready to ride into my happily ever after with my baby.”
Autumn winked at me. “The end.”
I smiled and helped her onto the back of the Harley Davidson. I hopped on, started the engine, making sure Autumn’s and my helmets were secured, then pulled off into the beautiful sunrise.
With my ray of sunshine behind me.
The End.