Chapter 16
“Tread Carefully” by Sza
What you doing, nephew? You ain’t even washed your hands, folks,” Isa chastised as he picked Messari up by the belt loop on the back of his pants and held him up in the air.
“My hands is clean, Uncle Isa!” Messari shouted as he flew, arms outstretched without an ounce of fear in his body. “Wook!”
“Nah, li’l nigga, I’ve seen them fingers digging for fool’s gold one too many times,” Isa replied, snickering as he set Messari on the countertop. “Don’t nobody want no boogers all in the pizza dough. Hands out.”
Messari held out his tiny hands, and Isa grabbed the dish soap, squeezing two drops in Messari’s palms. He turned on the faucet, and Messari leaned over.
“Rub ‘em together good too,” Isa instructed.
Messari rubbed and clapped, splashing water all over the place, but he got the job done.
“Good job,” Isa approved. Isa picked Messari up and carried him back to the table. He sat and pulled a chair near him to sit Messari in. He was so short he could barely see over the table, so the baby came to his knees.
“Now you said you wanted pizza, right?” Isa asked.
Messari nodded.
“I’ma show you how to make it,” Isa stated. Isa went to the cabinet and pulled out the ingredients.
“How come we don’t just buy it?” Messari asked.
“Because it tastes better when you fix your own,” Isa replied.
“Is it hard to make?” Messari asked.
“Nah, it’s easy,” Isa answered. “This is all you need right here. Flour, water, salt, yeast, oil.”
“Only this many things,” Messari responded, holding up five fingers.
“Exactly, nephew. You mix that shit up, form a ball of dough, and then roll it flat. That don’t sound too hard, do it?”
Messari shook his head. “That is so easy!” Messari shouted. Everything about Messari was loud and rambunctious.
“You trying to wake Auntie Ari up with all that yelling. Use your quiet voice, my nigga.”
“Okay,” Messari whispered.
“Now, let’s get started,” Isa said.
Isa could have easily ordered in, but he figured it was better to keep Messari preoccupied. If he were honest, he was keeping himself distracted as well. He hadn’t slept at all last night. He had taken a blunt to the face as the bleakness of their world shadowed his mind.
He hadn’t even realized the entire night had passed him by until he heard Messari creep out of the room.
He knew Aria hadn’t slept, not until sunrise at least. When Messari got active, he quickly engaged him, so that she could rest. He didn’t want to care, but he did.
As much as Isa played hard, Aria had endeared herself to him in such a way that made her problems his problems. Together or not, near or far, she was important to him.
“Uncle Isa, my daddy is your friend, too?” Messari asked. The question was completely out of the blue, and Isa peered at Messari curiously while mixing the ingredients to make their dough. He gave Messari his own little bowl and mixing spoon.
“Make sure you get all the flour out the bottom, nephew. Don’t just mix from the top,” he instructed.
Messari had flour flying everywhere as he stirred.
Isa shook his head. “You doing more spilling than mixing.” He took the bowl and gave it a good stir, then emptied the glob onto the cutting board.
“Now use your hands and do what I’m doing.
Get all that extra flour up with the blob of dough. ”
Isa worked on his own dough. “Yeah, I know your daddy. That’s my potnah,” Isa said.
“Can him come over here sometimes?” Messari asked. “We can have so much fun. Me and you, and my daddy, and Pop Pop, and Eazy, and Meekie.”
“That’s a lot of people,” Isa stated, chuckling. “Unc don’t like a lot of mu’fuckas, nephew.”
“You got to like people, Uncle Isa! It’s not nice to be mean to people! The more the merrier!” Messari shouted.
“The more the merrier, huh?” Isa repeated, a smirk crossing his face. “One day, nephew. Hopefully, we all will get there one day.”
“It would be the best day ever!” Messari exclaimed.
Isa knew that Messari was only naming the people, specifically the men in his life, that he loved.
He was too young to realize that all of them couldn’t co-exist; all Messari knew was that they were important to his young life.
He enjoyed them all for unique reasons, and in his young mind, getting them all together would be an overdose on love.
“You let me know when you plan it, neph. Uncle Isa will be there,” he said. “Sounds like a gangster party.”
“For my birthday! I want to have a gangster party for my birthday!”
“Don’t let your mommy hear you say that, boyfriend.”
Isa turned to see Aria, standing in the threshold of the kitchen entry, arms folded as she leaned against the wall.
“What are you making?” Aria asked.
“Pizza!” Messari shouted back.
“Well, make sure you make enough for me, too,” Aria said.
“Nah, nigga, we ain’t got enough,” Isa replied.
“Then I guess I’ll just take yours,” Aria answered.
“Us got enough! You have to share!” Messari chastised. Aria walked up behind Messari and kissed his cheek.
“You tell him, boyfriend,” Aria encouraged. She picked him up and placed him on her lap as she watched him finish the steps. “Your mommy called. I’m going to take you to your pop pop’s house when you’re done eating, okay?”
Messari nodded.
“What’s the word?” Isa asked. “They good up there?”
Aria looked at Messari and chose her words carefully. “Haven’t heard much. I don’t think much has changed,” Aria replied, choosing her words carefully, to not inform Messari. “They took Mo in for questioning about that old situation, but they let her go. That’s a good sign, right?”
Isa deadpanned on her. “Depends,” he said. “Mo’s solid. I ain’t really worried about what she gon’ say. I’m more worried about the type of muscle that comes with being royal. Will Ethic’s power be able to match that?”
“I hope so,” Aria said softly. “When you’re done, let me know. I’ll get him cleaned up and take him home.”
Aria turned and headed back toward the bedroom, and Isa followed her with his eyes. She had an invisible string tied right to his chest, and the further she walked away, the more it hurt.
“Keep rolling that ‘til it’s flat, nephew. I’ll be right back,” Isa said. He followed Aria and caught her elbow, pulling her around the corner so they were out of sight from Messari.
“Let me talk to you for a minute,” he whispered, backing her against the wall and hoisting her up by her ass.
Instinctively, she wrapped her legs around him.
She moaned at just the pressure from his dick pushing into her.
“How you gon’ leave me, Ali? You know you can’t.
” Aria’s mouth fell open as lust took over her body.
“You mad at a nigga for something you ain’t saying.
Whatever it is, I’m sorry, Ali. Daddy so sorry.
Let me show you how sorry I am.” He put his hand down the front of her pajama shorts, and his fingers slid straight into a puddle. “Look at you. Fronting ass.”
“Isa, stop,” she whispered weakly.
“You want me to stop?” his fingers froze.
“She so fucking wet, Ali. Don’t make me stop.
” He kissed her neck. “You don’t like it rough?
That’s why you leaving me? I can change that.
I’ll fuck you so fucking slow, Ali. Nice and slow, baby.
I’ll eat this pussy and talk nice to li’l mama until you cum all over my face, baby. Stay and let me show you.”
“Boyyyy, why are you doing this to me?” Aria moaned, breathless. “Isa, he’s right in the next room.”
“I don’t give a fuck,” Isa replied. He slid her shorts aside. “You ain’t even wearing no panties, Ali. You know what you doing. These little-ass shorts. Tell me it’s mine.”
“No, Isa. You’re trying to cloud my mind. I can’t think straight,” Aria whimpered.
“Let me just play with it,” he said. Isa pulled out his pretty dick and pressed the head against her button. She convulsed, it was so sensitive. “Why you so fucking wet? Look at how hard your clit is?”
“I know,” she moaned. “But we can’t.”
“We already are, Ali. Look at you. Shit’s like water.
Just let me get a little bit,” he whispered as he pushed into her slowly.
“Let me show you I can fuck you good and slow, baby. Good and fucking slow,” Isa moaned, biting her ear as he pressed into her, pressing her against the wall.
“That’s how you want it? Huh? You want a nigga to fuck you slow? ”
“Yes, baby,” Aria moaned.
Isa’s dick was so hard that he pulsated inside her. “This pussy feels different. It’s wetter, Ali. Damn, it’s so warm and good. You can’t leave with this,” he said. “Fuckkkk, I’ll give you whatever you want. Just bring this shit back home.”
“I hate you,” Aria whispered.
Isa panted as he stroked her, his dick so long and thick that he had to pick her up and then ease her back down until she took every inch. Aria felt so fucking good that Isa could barely stand not to nut. “I hate your ass too,” he groaned. “Pussy so good.”
“Slow just like that. Give me that dick real slow, baby. Just like that, Isa, just like that! You’re on my clitttt.” Aria sucked in air as Isa made pleasure out of her body.
“I miss this pussy, baby,” Isa whispered in her ear. Aria bit her bottom lip as she felt her orgasm building. There was a longing rising in her body, like a thermometer, the heat rose and rose. She could feel her heartbeat everywhere.
“Go ahead, Ali. Hmm, hmm,” Isa moaned. “Hmm, hmm. I feel it, baby. You close. Nut on this dick, Ali.” Aria exploded, and Isa was grateful because he had been holding off since he entered her.
“Uncle Isa! What are you guys doing in there?! What’s taking you so long?”
Heavy breathing and laughter fell from their lips as they rushed to adjust themselves. “I had to put out a fire, nephew. My bad. Give me five minutes. I’m coming. Just keep adding toppings.”
“A fire!!! That’s dangerous!” Messari shouted.