CHAPTER THREE #2
Our father, Marcus Bowers, had rolled into Chicago from Detroit, looking for a come up.
he was a slick ass nigga, with a pimp mentality.
After meeting my father, my mother was pregnant with me within six months, then three years later came Tasha.
My moms and Shaunie continued to do their thing, but when my pops own hustle dried up, he convinced my mother to allow him in on what she had going on with Shaunie.
After that, shit went downhill from there.
Within a year, he brainwashed my moms, pushed Shaunie out, and expanded everything tenfold.
"You think that's why Shaunie took us in?" Tasha asked suddenly.
"Because she felt guilty? 'Cause she and Mama fell out over business?"
I shook my head. "Nah. It wasn’t about guilt. Despite everything they went through, they stayed close. Remember how she was the only one Ma would call when shit got rough with Pops? How Ma would pack us up in the middle of the night sometimes and we'd stay at Shaunie's crib for a few days?"
Tasha nodded, her expression clearing. "Yeah... yeah, you right. Shaunie always had Mama's back, even after everything."
"That's 'cause they was real family. Not by blood, but by choice." I reached over to wipe a bit of drool from Nova's chin.
"She saved us, though," Tasha continued, her voice dropping lower
"When Mama got deported and Daddy got life…. any other muthafuckas would've let us go to foster care."
I nodded, remembering those days. I was fourteen, Tasha just eleven when our world collapsed.
Our father had been running one of the largest heroin operations on the South Side.
When the feds finally caught up to him, they came with a RICO case built over five years.
The same day they raided our house, ICE picked up our mother.
She had never gotten her citizenship despite spending twenty years in the country.
Within forty-eight hours, we had lost everything, our parents, our home, and our sense of security.
"Shaunie didn't even hesitate," I said quietly. "She just showed up at the police station where they was holding us, told them she was our Auntie, and took us home that night."
"And she raised us like we was her own," Tasha added, still focused on Nova who was now playing with the collar of her prison uniform.
The memory of those early days living with Shaunie, Sosa, and Zurie flooded back.
Sosa had been my homie from the beginning so living with them only added closeness to our relationship.
Zurie, since she was older than us immediately took my sister under her wing.
And Shaunie, even though she was firm she was also loving, she established her rules and expectations from day one.
Nova began to fuss a little, making little cooing sounds that I knew from experience could quickly turn into full-blown crying.
"She probably hungry," I said, reaching into the diaper bag for a bottle. "You wanna feed her?"
Tasha nodded eagerly, taking the bottle with shaking hands. She positioned Nova more comfortably in her arms and gave her the bottle. Nova latched on immediately, her tiny hands coming up to hold the sides.
"Look at her," Tasha whispered, awestruck.
As Tasha fed her daughter, a calm settled over us. A buzzer sounded, signaling we had five minutes left. Tasha's face fell.
"It's going so fast," she whispered. "I hate I gotta go back in there, Trigg. I can't do this shit."
The desperation in her voice cut through me. My baby sister, who I promised I would always protect, was locked in a cage while her baby grew up without her.
"I need to come home," she continued, tears flowing freely now.
“You gon be home sis, I promise you, just hol’ on for me.” I tried to assure her.
The CO approached our table. "Time's up, Bowers."
Tasha looked up, with panic flashing across her face. "Please, just one more minute."
"You know rules are rules, Bowers." the CO said flatly. "Say your goodbyes."
I stood up, knowing better than to argue. "It's cool, sis. We'll be back next week."
Tasha pressed her lips to Nova's forehead, inhaling deeply like she was trying to memorize her scent.
"Mommy loves you, baby girl. So, so much. Be good for Uncle Trigg, okay?" She reluctantly handed Nova back to me.
"I gotchu’ sis," I said as I carefully placed Nova back in her carrier. "Whatever you need in here, whatever Nova needs out there. I got y’all."
We were allowed one final hug. I held her tight with one arm, the other supporting Nova's carrier. As they led her back towards the cell blocks, she looked over her shoulder one last time, she blew me a kiss, and I gave her a slight head nod.
Walking out of the building into the bright afternoon sun felt like crossing between worlds. I stood on the sidewalk for a minute, letting the sounds wash over me, honking horns, people talking, music blaring from passing cars.
I had promised Tasha I would take care of Nova; I had also promised her I was gon get her out that jam. And I wasn’t a man big on breaking his promises. Family was everything to me. And for my family, there was nothing I wouldn't do for them.
* * *
The next day felt long as hell. Between checking in with Sosa, handling some business with a few of our workers on 47th, and making sure Nova had everything she needed for the weekend, I was tired as fuck by the time nightfall rolled around.
I pulled up to Kynessa's building off Stony Island around seven, I parked my Charger in a handicap spot since finding a spot in this neighborhood was damn near impossible.
The Red Lobster bags steamed up my passenger window, filling the car with that buttery seafood smell.
Nova was fussing in her car seat, probably hungry and tired of being strapped in all day.
"Almost there, lil mama," I said, grabbing the food and her diaper bag. "Auntie Nessa waiting for you."
Kynessa's two-bedroom apartment was on the fourth floor.
Her building was nothing luxurious, but it was nice enough that they had security in the lobby and an elevator that actually worked.
I had helped her get this spot about three months ago when her old landlord tried jacking up her rent.
I put down the security deposit and cosigned since my credit was better than hers.
It made sense for her to have the extra bedroom anyway, with how often Nova stayed over.
I shifted my niece to one arm, balancing the food in the other hand as I knocked on her door.
When she opened up, my body reacted before my mind could catch up. Kynessa had that effect, standing there in some gray leggings that hugged every curve and a cropped hoodie that showed just enough skin to make a nigga forget what he came there for.
"Bout time," she said, reaching for Nova immediately. "My pookie butt, l been waiting for you." She pressed her lips to Nova's chubby cheek, making her giggle. "Yes, I have! Teetee Nessa been waiting all day!"
I stepped inside, kicking the door closed behind me. "Traffic was a bitch. And shorty needed her diaper changed right when we was about to leave Shaunie's crib."
Kynessa's place smelled like coconut oil and vanilla, it was her signature scents. The lights were dimmed, and some R&B was playing on low from her speaker.
"That better be what I think it is," she said, nodding at the bags in my hand while bouncing Nova on her hip.
"At yo’ request ma," I confirmed, setting the food down. "I got you the ultimate feast since you been blowing up my phone about seafood all week."
She rolled her eyes but couldn't hide her smile. "Don't act like I was begging. You offered."
"Whatever helps you sleep at night, ma."
I watched as she moved around the kitchen with Nova, grabbing a bottle from the fridge and warming it up.
Tasha's best friend since high school, Kynessa had been right by my sister's side through everything.
the pregnancy, the arrest, all of it. When Tasha got locked up, Kynessa stepped up for Nova without hesitation.
Our situation, though... that shit was complicated.
"How was the visit yesterday?" she asked, testing the formula temperature on her wrist while Nova grabbed at her long braids.
"Rough," I admitted, unpacking the food. "Tash not doing too good in there. I think seeing Nova fucked her up even more. It made her realize everything she missing."
Kynessa's face softened. "Poor T. She don't deserve none of this shit."
"We got a lawyer meeting with us tomorrow though. Sosa found this dude from New York who specializes in these kinds of cases."
"That's good." She handed Nova to me so she could pour the wine. "Here, feed her while I fix our plates."
Nova settled into the crook of my arm, her little eyes looking up at me as she sucked on her bottle. Sometimes when she stared at me like that, I swear it felt like she was seeing straight through me.
"You look tired," Kynessa observed, sliding a plate loaded with lobster, shrimp, and scallops in front of me. "You ain’t been getting no rest?"
I shrugged. "As much as lil’ mama lets me."
She shot me a look, one that said she knew I was bullshitting.
"Trigg, for real. You can't keep burning yourself out like this. Running the streets, tryna handle business, taking care of Nova, and tryna squeeze in visiting Tasha.... something gotta give."
"I'm good." Was my standard answer to everything.
"No, the fuck you not." She sat across from me, pouring more wine into her glass. "But I know better than to argue with your stubborn ass."
We ate in comfortable silence for a minute, just the sound of Nova sucking on her bottle and a Bryson Tiller song playing low in the background.
"Trigg, I think we need to talk about us." Nessa blurted out, I looked up at her and smirked.
"What about us?"
"This thing we doing... I just..." She paused, searching for her words. "I need to be clear about where we stand."
I waited for her to continue trying to see where this was headed.