Chapter 9 #2
“I’m under yo’ roof, August, an’ it’s only fair that I be honest wit’ you.
Something I’ve always wanted to be, but Otto thought it was best. Son, you versus Kingdon, King, an’ Kingsley was meant to be the best cousins.
Y’all double kin. Emmaline is yo’ auntie.
Yo’ father, the late Thackery Thompson, is yo’ father an’ their uncle.
I met him when he came back from overseas fo’ a lil break.
Everything was great wit’ Thackery an’ me.
Things wasn’t great wit’ Emmaline an’ Otto.
I advised her well that my brother wasn’t shit, an’ he was to marry Blanche.
She ain’t listened to me. His ways took her through there.
She did whatever to get his attention, never understandin’ that my brother was pussy hungry.
Hangin’ wit’ the wrong crowd murdered the sweet, ambitious girl.
She was turned into a junkie an’ a prostitute within a blink of an eye, makin’ me keep my distance.
Blanche became pregnant. Som’ months later, she lost the baby.
Her womb wasn’t healthy. STDs. On top of that, Otto stressed her out by not being the man she needed him to be.
I became pregnant wit’ you. Still, everything was great wit’ Thackery an’ me.
We became engaged. I was six months pregnant when my world shifted.
A woman popped up at Thackery’s an’ my home while we decorated yo’ nursery.
She was his wife. A gal from Florida that he married befo’ he left to serve this country.
A fight broke out. His wife got the best of me.
I couldn’t fight, Son. I didn’t have to.
I wasn’t involved in no shit. Thackery jumped in to save us; that’s you an’ me.
He lost his life protectin’ us. She shot him in the head.
She was hurt, Son, but not as hurt as me.
The love of my life was dead, blood seepin’ on my legs.
Our lives was in danger ‘cause of a man playin’ a dirty game.
She beat me in the head. Said she couldn’t kill me ‘cause it didn’t sit right to kill a pregnant woman, so she would beat my sight from me so I couldn’t see the creation I made wit’ her husband.
Yo’ auntie, high on dope, stormed through the door …
I couldn’t see. I was losin’ consciousness, but I heard Emmaline’s little but mighty voice.
She killed that woman. Rambling like a high person, she sat beside me as I was fighting not to lose consciousness.
She was a fidgety mess when I came ‘round in the hospital. She told me that I would never see again. I told her to call my brother. He came. He was angry. That day, I told him there would come a time when I couldn’t care fo’ you, an’ he had to step up an’ be the man in yo’ life.
August, the first five years of yo’ life was hell fo’ me.
I missed yo’ father. I hated I couldn’t see you fo’ myself.
Emmaline an’ Otto told me you look just like yo’ dad.
That hurt. So, when you turned five, I told Otto I couldn’t care fo’ you.
I wasn’t strong enough. I made him put me in an assisted livin’ place ‘cause I was too needy to be a mom. Even though my brother was whorish from sunup to sundown, I felt the best place fo’ you was in a house he could see to walk through.
At least, you would have Blanche to look after you.
She was always a kind soul. I liked her fo’ Otto, but he wasn’t good enough.
I told her not to deal wit’ him too. Yet, it’s som’ ‘bout that Abbott pussy or dick that make motherfuckas not listen. So, all that shit Otto an’ me told you was lies.
I ain’t want Thackery’s family to take you from me ‘cause of my blindness. So, Emmaline took to her grave that her nephew, August Abbott, who was supposed to have been named August Thompson, was indeed one of the fo’ churren part of the Thompsons who was born an’ raised in Clark County, Alabama.
That’s where y’all’s family live. Otto got the information.
He keep up wit’ their whereabouts ‘cause I told him one day one of you, most likely Kingdon would want to know mo’ ‘bout y’all’s family.
But I think it may be you an’ Kingdon. King an’ Kingsley don’t give a fuck ‘bout family they ain’t met.
I hope you forgive me fo’ lyin’ to you ‘bout who yo’ father is an’ everything in between.
I couldn’t see to protect you, so I thought lyin’ was best.”
Heart aching for a woman who had perfect vision and a bright life ahead of her, I dried my eyes as best as I could.
Shaking my head, I said, “Momma, you got no reason to ask me fo’ my forgiveness.
You did nothin’ wrong. You did what you saw fit.
Thank you fo’ clearin’ the air. Mostly fo’ Kingdon, he feel mo’ than we do.
I feel that too but not like him. It’s out of sight, out of mind fo’ me.
So, it’s nice to know we thick as thieves ‘cause our blood wouldn’t allow anything less. ”
“Thank you, baby. Am I on speakerphone?” she asked sweetly.
“Yes, ma’am.” I nodded, mashing more on the pedal. Thiago’s pin had been stagnant for a while.
“King an’ Kingdon?” Momma called while King fired three blunts.
“Ma’am,” they replied as I was eager to know what she would say to them.
“Emmaline tried to kick the drugs. She did, but Otto was her weakness. I tried to make him get both of you from infancy an’ not do all that treacherous shit to make it seem like y’all wasn’t twins.
The stuff my brother did never made sense to me.
When he tried to explain, I stopped him from talkin’.
I’m gon’ say this … he love y’all but not from a father standpoint.
An uncle. That was his first job. Being an uncle.
Don’t ever expect too much from my siblin’.
He ain’t changed. The bitch almost old as fuel an’ still jumpin’ from this pussy to that pussy.
I don’t see how them bitches fuckin’ wit’ that tired dick.
It ain’t like they’on know who the hell he is.
So, treat his ass like an uncle,” she said as we put the blunts to our lips.
“Bet,” the siblings replied.
“I love the fo’ of you, equally. I hate I can’t see y’all.
Givin’ descriptions ain’t good enough fo’ me, but I make do.
I’m sorry I didn’t know how to fight to protect my eyesight, August. I owe you the most apologies, ‘cause everyone see you except me. The woman who was in labor wit’ you fo’ six hours an’ thirty minutes.
I’m not gung-ho on livin’ from under yo’ roof, so I’mma put my all into not feelin’ needy.
I’ve always needed us under one roof. That’s how it started, an’ I need it to end that way.
” She choked up as King and Kingdon pointed toward the emergency lane.
I shook my head. I could handle her confessing that she needed the same thing as me. It made me slap the hazard button with my thumb to get to my woman. So, we could go home and spend the day uninterrupted with our kids and Momma.
“Did you hear me, August?” Momma wept softly as my cousins aggressively pointed for me to pull over.
“Yes, ma’am. I heard you. Thank you fo’ givin’ us what we deserve,” I admitted, pushing out the thick weed smoke.
“You welcome,” she sniffled as I needed to end the call to check on my woman’s location. “You better brang all asses back to me. I mean it.”
“One thang we gon’ do is come back. Don’t worry ‘bout that. See you later. I love you,” I confessed, needing to make sure my feelings were in check so I could focus on Mona.
“Love you, TT,” the big back twins announced as my finger hovered over the end choice.
“I love you.” She sang, making us smile.
“Hang it up. Momma,” I admitted, antsy to check on the love of my life.
“It’s hung up,” she yawned before ending the call.
“That Snicker knows she was thicker than a motherfucka.” King expressed deeply as I called Thiago.
“Yes, the fuck it was,” Kingdon agreed as Thiago’s line was noisy as fuck. Laughter spilled out of the known mouths and those I couldn’t recognize.
“Man, where y’all at?” Thiago smacked, laughing, causing me to slap my teeth together. I was a confused motherfucka disobeying the speed limit.
“We an hour an’ a few minutes out. Thiago, is yo’ ass at somebody house eatin’?” I asked, causing the twins to laugh.
“Sho’ is. Yo’ fiancée don’ slapped her truck on these folks poach, sauntered in, politely got them out of bed, told them an’ us to sit at the table an’ kick off a catch-up conversation.
She don’ cracked all these folks brown eggs on her brothers heads, dropped them peep peeps in a bowl, grabbed these folks meats, bread, butter, jelly, pancake mix, an’ every other gotdamn thang fo’ breakfast. Bitch, I’m havin’ the time of my life wit’ these bare mouth folks fuckin’ up toast without a bone fragment in they mouth.
She don’ put y’all plates up while draggin’ a nigga name Dropo through this house as if he a rat.
We ain’t had to step ‘cause this guh a fuckin’ steppah.
While she steppin’, fussin’, an’ beatin’ his ass wit’ a fly swatter fulla flies, the grandma eggin’ her to wear his ass out.
It took me a minute to understand what she was sayin’.
I finally understood when she kept wavin’ her hand an’ shit,” he smacked, making me regret not calling the more civilized siblings, Tiberius or Thames.
Proud of my woman for standing her ground, I nodded. “Good to know. Lemme holla at Tiberius fo’ a minute.”
“A’ight. Hol’ on,” Thiago chewed nastily.
I got my eyes on you nigga. Don’t think you finna play ‘round my guh, an’ I ain’t gon’ retaliate.
“Bitch, close yo’ mouth! I shouldn’t see the fat on that bacon wallowin’ ‘round that trout ass mouth!” Thames hollered, annoyed.
“Man, being siblings is hard work.” The twins laughed. I didn’t respond. I wouldn’t know.
Tiberius chewed pleasantly and chuckled, “Talk to me, Aug.”