Chapter 8 #2
I rarely used my phone unless it was for him, East, Lyric, or business, so it was never a priority for me.
When the first batch of notifications came through last night, I turned my phone off.
I was with everyone I normally talked to, so I saw no need to keep it on.
Plus, I was still adjusting to this newfound fame.
Every day, I woke up to a dozen messages from various strangers asking for money, dates, and everything in between.
My social media manager handled all the valid opportunities and connections, so I never bothered to respond to anyone.
“It’s in my room, inside the nightstand.” I shrugged, getting up to clear my plate, rinsing it as well, even though my housekeeper would be here to clean up in the afternoon.
“You are a different breed for sure. Most people would be glued to their phones to see all of the updates and reactions, but you’re in here moping and eating breakfast as if it’s a normal day.”
“It is. I mean, don’t get me wrong; I feel blessed and fortunate to be where I am in life, but I don’t want to spend my time obsessing over what other people have to say.” My team is happy with the way the reveal played out, so I guess that’s cool. I couldn't care less about that shit.
“Would you like some more tea, Princess Symphonee?” My niece giggled as I held up the teacup. With my work schedule, I couldn’t be with her as much as I wanted, so I made sure to make the most of our time together.
“Yes, please? I need a scone too,” Her little voice could melt the hardest gangster’s heart. She was only five but smart as hell.
“Look at my two pretty princesses.” Lyric snickered as she walked into the room.
“Aye, watch out. There’s only one princess in this room. Don’t get your head knocked off,” I warned as I got up from the tiny pink chair that baby girl forced me to sit in. My back was on fire from being so low to the ground.
“Yeah, right. You’ve never even raised your voice at me.”
“Whatever, man. Come on, Noodle.” I reached for Symphonee, who wasted no time leaping into my arms. We headed to the kitchen for a snack and a juice pouch for myself and my baby girl. Lyric followed behind as she caught me up on her week.
“She is too big for you to carry. Her spoiled ass can walk.” Lyric grumbled, but I paid her no mind.
“Your mama is a hater, Noodle.”
“Yeah, momma. You’re a hater.” Symphonee stuck her tongue out, and I had to shield her from Lyric.
“I’m not a hater. It doesn’t matter who comes along; I’ll always be your favorite. She’s lucky I share you with her because I already have to share East. People think she’s his child and not mine.” Lyric rolled her eyes in annoyance.
Between East, Lyric, and me, Symphonee was spoiled rotten. Anytime she wanted something, all she had to do was call one of us. My brothers held me down and made sure my family was taken care of while I was away, and I would never be able to repay them.
“I waited so long for you to come home, and now that you’re here, I feel like I still never see you.” Lyric pouted.
“I’m sorry, L-Boogie. I had no idea my schedule would be so hectic when I came home. Plus, you have your party promotions, so we’re constantly missing each other. Once I get settled, I’m gonna carve out more time for us to spend together,” I promised.
When I first got released, I had no idea how impactful my music was in the world. As soon as the gates were opened, my people threw a small party, and after that, I was on the go.
“I don’t want to sound like a brat, because I’m incredibly proud of you, and I’m grateful for everything you’ve done for us. I would be okay with just having you around more.”
I nodded, thinking about everything we went through.
After our momma testified against me in court, I thought she couldn’t do anything worse.
She proved me wrong when she completely abandoned Lyric.
She was supposed to pick her up from our aunt’s house after she got out of the hospital, but she never showed up.
We thought something might have happened to her until she took the stand looking like a bag of money.
I sat there stunned as my mother tore my character apart while making Tone seem like a saint.
In her final statement, she claimed that Lyric and I set Tone up out of jealousy.
According to her, we were envious of the way he treated her and concocted a plan to get rid of him.
It was then she told the court she wanted to sign away her rights to both of us.
According to her, we were the spawn of an evil man, and she no longer wanted to be connected to us.
I thought she was bluffing until my lawyer confirmed it.
Since I was grown, she couldn’t legally relinquish any rights she didn’t have, but for Lyric, it was a different story.
My aunt ended up getting custody of Lyric, but it wasn’t as smooth as we wanted it to be.
Trina refused to keep her unless she received some type of financial assistance.
The government gave her food stamps and a monthly stipend, but that wasn’t enough for her.
I ended up having to pay her a monthly fee to look after Lyric.
The fact that I was locked up made no difference to her, so I had no choice but to comply. Luckily for me, my brothers were as solid as they came. They used the money I had stashed to pay my lawyer’s retainer and then paid Aunt Trina monthly.
“What’s going on with Noodles’ daddy? Have you heard anything from him?” I inquired. Lyric rarely spoke about him, and I assumed it was because she knew how I would react if he wasn’t doing right by her.
“He’s still breathing, that’s all I can tell you.
According to social media, he’s out living his best life.
As far as Symphonee, he acts as if she doesn’t exist. Honestly, I prefer if he stayed far away from us.
” Lyric shrugged her shoulders as if she was unbothered, but I could tell it affected her.
“Do you want me to pay him a visit?” I asked, while opening a granola bar for baby girl.
“No. The last thing I want is drama in my life. She’s happy, healthy, and as smart as she can be.
He never wanted her, so I knew what I was getting myself into when I decided to keep her.
Trust me, we’re better off. I’m finally in a good place, physically, mentally and financially.
I won’t let anyone mess that up for me.” I nodded, opening my mouth for Noodle so she could feed me a soggy piece of her granola bar.
She was lucky I loved her more than anything because I wanted to spit that shit on the ground.
“Alright. As much as I don’t want to, I have to allow you to handle things on your own. If you don’t want me to address him, then I’ll leave it alone, but if he ever bothers you, all bets are off,” I expressed.
“And I appreciate it. We’re grown now, Key. I don’t want you to feel as if you have to rescue me. You’ve spent your whole life taking care of me. I’m a big girl now.”
“I don’t care if you’re eighty years old. If you need rescuing, then I’m coming. Even if I have to roll in my wheelchair, I’ve got you.”
“You are ridiculous. I love you, though.” Lyric was my first baby, and I’d admit I found it difficult to accept that she had grown. Protecting her came naturally to me, and it wouldn’t turn off just because we were older.
“Now, tell me about your night. I heard it was quite eventful.” She grinned, letting me know Logic had run his mouth. The two of them had their own brother and sister relationship, so there were never any secrets between the three of us.
“I don’t even know where to start. I’m still trying to wrap my head around it.
When I saw Naiari walking up to the section, all I could think about was our last conversation.
I made so many mistakes before my trial, and seeing how hurt she was made me realize how much I sacrificed.
She hates me.” I could see the disappointment on her face. The image kept me up last night.
“Well, you need to fix it. It’s been seven years, Key. You need to tell her what happened and why you made that decision. Once you lay it all out on the table, she’ll understand.” Logic told me the same thing, but I worried that they were wrong.
“I thought about reaching out to her today, but I don’t know. Maybe I should give her a couple of days to process everything.”
“No, I don’t agree. You’ve given her enough space, and now it’s time for you to make things right. Do you know who she’s dating?” Lyric’s question caught me off guard, but I recalled her mentioning something about a man.
“Naw, I don’t. We didn’t get to talk enough to catch up. You know who he is?”
“Of course, I do, and so do you. She’s dating Hitmaker Q.” I frowned as the realization settled in.
“Are you talking about the same Q that produced a few songs on my album?”
“Yes. She’s all over his page. I’m surprised this is your first time hearing about this. You never saw her at the studio?” I wanted to tell her that I had seen him with plenty of bitches, but she wasn’t one of them. Instead, I decided to keep that to myself. At least for now.
“Naw. I usually record late at night, so that could be why. Damn, it’s a small world.
” Que was talented as a producer, but he behaved like a bachelor whenever I was around him.
For a moment, I felt bad for Cocoa because she deserved better.
Then I remembered that I was single, and she wouldn’t be with him much longer.
“Well, from what I’ve heard in the streets, he’s a piece of shit. A couple of my homegirls have fucked him since they’ve been together.”
“Wait a minute. Why didn’t you tell me that she lived here? Have you seen her since back in the day?”