Chapter 3
SYMPHONY
The truck eased to a stop outside of Rhap’s crib. He hadn’t said a word the entire drive over. He hadn’t acknowledged the cutie patootie sitting beside me quietly. Iylah had drifted off to sleep not long after our ride started, so I kind of spent the entire drive watching her tiny frame.
I had a lot of questions about my brother.
Valleigh had said he was forgetting to pick her up a few times a week, and his nonstop mumbling was so unsettling.
Thinking back to the condition the house was in made me not want to let her back inside.
I mean, I wasn’t the most responsible adult, but I knew a baby shouldn’t live in a pigsty.
The issue was that I had no relationship with my brother or my niece.
That was my first time seeing him in a very long time, and my first time seeing her.
We still hadn’t officially met. How could I interject myself into their lives like I had the right?
I released a hard breath before dragging my hands down my face.
I was at a complete loss about how to navigate the severity and sensitivity of the situation because there was clearly something going on with Rhapsody.
My stomach hardened as my mind tried to remind me of why his behavior was so familiar. I pushed the thoughts away to focus on the present moment. When it was time to face that demon, I would. For now, Iylah’s well-being was all that mattered to me.
I opened my mouth, about to ask my brother what his plans were, when he opened the door and climbed out. I rushed out the back and raced around to the sidewalk just as he began to walk away from the house. “Rhap!” I yelled to get his attention.
He glanced over his shoulder with a blank stare. “Hm?”
My long legs had me closing the distance between us quickly. “Where are you going? Did you forget that Iylah is in the backseat?”
He sucked his teeth and waved me off. “So? They said I have to head to the hotel lobby.”
“So?” I repeated for clarity while tilting my head to the side. “Hotel lobby? They?” I was utterly confused then.
He huffed heavily. His body jerked with impatience.
I guess they were rushing him to get to the hotel lobby again .
. . “Man, I’m not in the mood to deal with that dumb, stupid baby.
You know she don’t even know what the fucking color blue is?
” He shook his head slowly and tossed his hands in the air.
“I can’t do it. I need a drink or sumn at the hotel lobby.
Fuck that.” His voice rose an octave as he spoke.
Hearing him talk about his baby like that had me flexing my fists.
“Yo, what’s up with you? Are you good? Why would you talk about your daughter like that?
” I couldn’t fathom ever labeling my seed as stupid or dumb.
No matter what colors she did or didn’t know.
Like, the fuck was wrong with this nigga?
“Because it’s true,” he replied in a monotone voice. He began to back away slowly. “I’m going to get a drink at the hotel lobby. You want me to get you something, bro? I can’t believe you’re back. We got to hit the club or something to celebrate.”
The nigga abruptly stopped rambling, turned around, and started sprinting down the block like Usain Bolt without another word or glance.
You couldn’t have convinced me he wasn’t in the middle of an Olympic race.
I stood there with my hands on my head and my mouth wide the fuck open because what just happened?
I looked from the truck, the house, and the direction my brother disappeared in, thinking about what I should do.
Considering I already had concerns about her being in that dirty ass house, I shrugged my shoulders and huffed a breath.
“Fuck it,” I mumbled. It looked like baby girl was coming with me.
I slid back into the backseat to find her still knocked out, sleeping.
“Can you take me to the nearest convenience store?” I asked the driver.
He nodded once before putting the truck in drive. I glanced over at the car seat to find Iylah’s eyes trained on me. “Hey, Doodle Bop. You had a good nap?”
She giggled with a nod. “I hungry.”
Her little voice gave me a reason to smile amidst all the confusion. Something about hearing her speak made me all warm inside. I knew, without a doubt, that I was brought there at that time for a reason. She was going to be good with me. “Don’t worry. Uncle Sym is going to make sure you straight.”
I wasn’t sure if she could understand a word out of my mouth. “Unca Sym?” her little voice questioned me.
I nodded once. “Yes, Uncle Sym,” I repeated slowly.
The brightest smile appeared on her face as she settled back into her seat. Babies were so fucking trusting that it was scary. Her little hands rested in her lap while she looked out of the window. It was not in my plans when I came to find my brother, but it was the card I was dealt.
We arrived at the store a few minutes later. I hopped out before grabbing a buggy to put Iylah inside. I placed a call to my mother to ask for her help on what to get, but of course, she didn’t answer. It made me slightly irritated, but I didn’t let it show.
Once in the store, I decided to start with food and snacks first. I was renting out a condo in the Amber District for the time being, so groceries were necessary. I tried to put a grocery list together in my head, but I was pulling up blanks. What the fuck was I supposed to feed a four-year-old?
I turned on the cereal aisle and smiled when I realized who was standing at the other end, looking at some granola bars.
Valleigh knew she was some fine shit. Not even that modest teacher’s outfit she wore could hide her curvaceous frame from being admired.
I wished I were four years old again because I’d be the first student in class every day, just watching her walk from one end of the classroom to the other, then the last one to leave so that I could admire the plumpness of her ass.
From the angle, I could only see her long, curly ginger hair that matched her cinnamon complexion perfectly, but I remembered her pretty face, her little button nose that I wanted to kiss, and her full lips with that brown liner, making them so hard to ignore or not imagine elsewhere.
Her eyes were sultry enough to label her a siren because I could’ve sworn she drew me into the dark, watery depths of her soul multiple times at the school.
It took all my strength not to walk right up to her, grip her little chin, and force her to feed me them lips like a full-course meal.
“Twice in one day feels like a sign,” I teased when I was close enough.
She was so focused on the shelf in front of her that she hadn’t noticed me until I spoke. Her eyebrows dropped before the cutest smile lifted her cheeks. “What kind of a sign?” she questioned.
“The kind you can’t fight. The kind that whispers prophecies like me and you falling in love is inevitable.”
Her head tilted to the side when she giggled. After captivating me with her eyes for a second, she sighed, then turned her attention to Iylah in the buggy. She was in her own little world, not paying us any attention. “Hi, Butterfly,” she spoke sweetly.
“Hi,” Iylah replied with a wave.
Leigh turned her attention to me when I spoke.
“I’m actually glad you’re here. Do you think you could help me out?
If you have the time. I have no idea what to buy for her to eat, wear, or wash with,” I admitted without shame.
There was no point in pretending, because Iylah would be the one to suffer from my ignorance.
Leigh glanced up and down the aisle. “Where’s Rhapsody?”
I scratched my eyebrow with a sigh. “Nigga took off running,” I mumbled. Leigh raised an eyebrow, and I chuckled because, what else was there to say? “I mean, literally took off running. It’s just us for the night.”
It was almost like I could see the wheels in her head spinning. I wouldn’t force her into anything, but damn, her help would make my life easier. She was used to dealing with children. I, on the other hand, had zero experience on the matter.
“Okay, I guess I have time.”
I felt immediate relief, knowing I had some help. I nodded once. “Thank you, beautiful. Put your stuff in the buggy too. That’s on me.”
She smiled with a shake of her head. “Whatever. What were you thinking about getting?” I shrugged. “Wow. Why are men so helpless?”
I frowned. “Aye, not too much. I’m not always this helpless. This just happens to be outside of my level of expertise.”
“Mhm, I bet it is. I’m just going to pick up some things, then we can head to the clothes section.”
“Cool. Lead the way, pretty girl.”
She turned to do exactly that. I expected Iylah to be reaching for anything and everything, but she sat perfectly still, almost like she was afraid to move or something like that. It got me thinking about what my brother said.
“Can I ask you something?” I blurted.
Leigh glanced at me and nodded. “Sure.”
“Okay, so earlier, Rhap was going on about Iylah, calling her stupid and dumb, saying she doesn’t know her colors.”
Leigh frowned, and I swore tears made her eyes shine. “He called her that?” she questioned in the softest voice. I could feel her sympathy. It was damn near palpable.
I nodded. “He definitely said that shit. I ain’t like it.”
Her eyes traveled to Iylah. “She is struggling a bit with certain things, but he shouldn’t speak about her like that. Doesn’t make her any less special, smart, or perfect.”
She looked like she wanted to reach out for her just to assure her that what her father had to say was the furthest thing from the truth. Somehow, she restrained herself as she focused on the meats in front of us. Turning to me, she asked, “Do you know how to cook?”
I shook my head. “Not really. I was thinking some frozen dinners or something.”
She frowned. “You want to feed a baby a frozen dinner?”
“What else I’m supposed to do? I mean, I can find a chef to cook for us.”