Epilogue
Bentley
The bickering between Mercedees and Royce had me dying laughing.
Apparently, The Oath had a seat waiting on me.
I didn’t want to be a part of it because this was all my cousin shit.
However, Rhema’s seat was permanent along with Senior’s and Uncle Ryan’s.
They’d retired so it trickled down to the next generation but only to the first born. That left me, Royce, and Cedees.
“I don’t want to be here Royce. I don’t know why you keep dragging me down here,” Cedees fussed.
“Why? The hell they do to you cuz?” I questioned still chuckling at her antics.
Kissing the back of her teeth, she said, “Get on my damn nerves. Be glad you ain’t got no stipulations cause they gon’ worry you to death ‘bout a seat nobody gives a fuck about. This shit is whack as hell.”
I looked over to Royce and asked him, “What’s the stipulations for the seat?”
He shook his head tossing the files on the table. Sitting back, he replied, “Married by the age of thirty-five. Her time is running down. She ain’t got but two years left.”
“Nigga, just because you tricked Klarity into her marriage don’t mean shit. That girl ain’t want to be here for real. I hate coming to this shit,” she snapped.
I was completely tickled at this point. I had no idea he forced his wife into this life. “You did what now?”
“I ain’t force my wife to do shit. She had a human error and by the following day, we were married. Ain’t my fault she don’t read what’s in front of her. The fact of the matter is, you got to get married Cedees,” he reiterated.
“Don’t skate pass that nigga. You going to hell for the sit you do cuz,” I taunted.
“Exactly,” Cedees chimed rolling her eyes.
Royce was stressed the hell out and I was just enjoying the time. I had my wife and kids on the compound waiting for me, money was still flowing like a river, and the bonds with them was growing stronger. Life was good for me.
“Get married Cedees,” Royce fussed.
“I already am. Now can I go?” she sassed.
Me and Royce both looked at her like she was crazy.
I was curious to know who the buster was.
Over the past year, she was the one I’d gotten the closest to.
I liked her spontaneous vibe, and she was always traveling to Florida for fun.
We kicked it like we’d been in the slums together for a while. She was cool as hell.
“Who?” we asked simultaneously.
“The hell if I know. Look, I woke up in Vegas as a married woman this morning now can I go?”
“Hell nah. Who the fuck is this random ass nigga Cedees?” Royce inquired standing to his feet.
“I just told you that I didn’t know. He was fine as hell though. When I know, you’ll know so get off my back.” She snatched up her keys and looked at me. “Be glad cuz. This shit for the birds.” And just like that, she was out the door.
“That girl gon’ run me ragged,” Royce stated running his hands don his face.
“That’s yo cousin nigga,” I teased.
“Muthafucka, yours too. I can’t believe she let a random ass nigga in the family. Help me find out what the hell she been doing in Vegas. This shit starting to get on my nerves,” he stressed.
I was back cackling and enjoying the show. These weren’t my problems. The head of The Oath had Royce Atkins Jr. under it, not me. If he wanted to find out who the new edition was, he was gon’ have to do that on his own. I had a family to take care of and a state to run.
“No can do cuz. I got new shipments and shit touching down tomorrow. Where Striker?”
“On vacation with some hoe. Look, I can’t do this by myself. I need you and Genesis to lock in for me.”
“All I can spare is a month. After that, you on yo’ own. Come on so we can go grub. Auntie threw Unc on the grill,” I said walking out the door.
“Y’all Atkins ain’t good for shit,” Royce fussed going his separate way to his whip.
All my life I lived as a loner. I wasn’t expecting to have family that was just as wild, just as unhinged, and short fused the way I was. They talked a lot of shit, but at the end of the day, they was family.
Hopping in the front seat, I got a phone call from an unknown number. I was skeptical at first, but I answered anyway.
“Who the hell is this?”
“Just wanted to call and say thank you Youngblood. I ‘preciate you.”
I knew that voice from anywhere. Smiling I said, “Welcome home, Old Skool.”
THE END