11. Uri #2
Uncle Bradon tried to walk past her, but Nadine put her hand on his shoulder to stop him. “There’s something else,” she said.
“Can it wait?” Uncle Bradon asked, and she shook her head. “Alright, what’s up?”
“He has a lot of bruises,” Nadine said, and Uncle Bradon’s face twisted in confusion. “I know with your disorder you know that bruises aren’t avoidable, but Bradon this is a lot. I mean, I counted over a hundred, and then I had to stop. The X-ray showed healed broken bones as well.”
Uncle Bradon looked at me and noticed that my eyes were open. He nodded, then let out a deep breath. “Alright, give us a second, Nadine.”
“Will do,” she said. She turned and smiled at me. “Hi, Uri.” I watched her pat my foot. “I will be back later to check on you.” She gave me another smile, then turned to leave the room.
“Hey Nadine?” Uncle Bradon called out to her before she could leave the room. Nadine turned around and lifted her brow. “You think you could bring Mecca around later?”
“Bradon,” she sighed and shook her head. “You know I won't let Logan near Mecca.”
“I will make sure he isn’t here or knows about it,” he told her. Nadine didn’t look like she was going to agree. “They are kids; they need to know each other. Even if it’s just for a little while, let them meet and hang out. I promise you that nothing will happen to him while he’s here.”
“I’ll think about it,” Nadine said, then left.
Uncle Bradon pulled a chair next to my bed, sat, and relaxed back into it. He was nothing like Robert, not in looks or personality. The only things that even hinted they were related were their last name and their eyes. Everyone in the Strong family had light-colored eyes.
“You feeling alright?” Uncle Bradon asked, and I shrugged.
“You know you gotta be careful, Uri, especially with our disorder. We gotta pay attention to all the little shit.” He sat forward, wiped his hands over his hair, and chuckled.
“I don’t know why I’m lecturing you; you’re a damn kid.
It's your fucking daddy I should be choking right now. He’s supposed to be looking out for you.
When we found out you had CIPA, I told him you had to be watched.
You were going to live a different life from everybody else.
He saw the shit I went through, saw how much my mama changed her life to make sure I was safe.
He was supposed to do the same for you. Him and yo’ mama.
” He stood and started pacing the floor next to my bed.
“That’s alright, though, because I’m here now.
” He nodded. “I’m back.” He stopped pacing and looked at me.
“You hear me? I’m back; I got you from here on out. ”
I wanted to believe him; I wanted to trust him, but I didn’t. I wanted him to be different, but he was a Strong. So far, everyone with that last name had let me down.
***
A few hours later, Nadine walked back into my room with Mecca.
I knew who he was because he looked like Logan; his eyes were just grey instead of blue.
He stood next to his mama, face straight, but his eyes were questioning.
Dressed in all black, with a cast on his right arm and a bookbag on his back.
“Uri, this is Mecca. He’s your older cousin,” Nadine said. She put her hand on Mecca’s shoulder. “Mecca, this is Uri. He’s Robert’s youngest son.”
“What’s up?” Mecca said, nodding his head.
The door opened again, and Uncle Bradon came in, this time with Breighton. She looked at us, then smiled.
“Mecca!” She ran to him and hugged him. “You came.”
“I told you I would,” he laughed, hugging her back. “I even brought you a puzzle.” He let her go, took off his backpack, set it down in front of her, opened it, and took out a small puzzle box. “It has two hundred pieces.”
“How long did it take you to put it together?” Breighton cautiously asked him as she took the box.
“I won’t tell you, but my mama knows. When you’re done, tell her how long it took you, and then we will see who wins,” Mecca said, standing.
“Deal!” Breighton said excitedly, then ran to the side table next to my bed and started moving things out of her way. Once she was done, she opened the box and then dumped the pieces on the table. She looked up at the clock on the wall, said the time out loud, then started working.
“She’s going to be working for a while,” Mecca laughed. He sat in the chair next to my bed and kicked his feet up. Breighton stuck her tongue out at him, then went back to the puzzle.
“Mecca, I’m going to step out and talk to your Uncle Bradon. You know the rules,” Nadine said to him.
“Yes, ma’am,” he said, nodding. When they left, he turned to me and tilted his head to the side. “My mama said you can't feel pain, like Uncle B; is that true?” I nodded. “That’s dope! I wish I couldn’t feel pain.” He lifted his cast arm and shrugged. “I was skateboarding and fell. It hurt so bad.”
“You probably weren’t supposed to be outside,” Breighton said, still putting together her puzzle. “You probably snuck out.”
“My mama knew I was out there,” he said, waving her off. “She lets me hang out with the neighborhood kids now.”
Breighton looked up, surprised. “Who?”
“A kid named December,” Mecca answered. “He just moved to the neighborhood. Uncle B said he was good, so Mama said yeah.”
“December?” Breighton asked, her face twisted, and she shook her head. “I don’t know what kind of name that is, but I don’t like it.”
“You don’t have to like it, Breighton.” Mecca laughed. “He’s my friend, not yours.”
“Wrong,” Breighton replied. She stopped working on her puzzle to look at him. “If he’s your friend, then that means he’s mine, and I don’t like his name. Tell him I said change it.”
“Alright, Breighton,” Mecca laughed. “Now get back to that puzzle, or you’re going to lose.” Breighton nodded, then turned back to the puzzle. I was confused by their relationship. Breighton hadn’t lived here for over a year, and Mecca wasn’t allowed to come around, yet they had a connection.
“The next puzzle is going to be fun,” Breighton announced as she worked. “I already have it in my closet. My daddy bought it for me before we moved back. I’ve been holding on to it.” She looked up at him, smiled, then looked at me. “Mecca’s going to lose and have to do my puzzle next.”
“What does the puzzle look like?” Mecca asked her, laughing. “Because you always have a picture inside of a puzzle, not just a shape.”
“It’s a picture of you,” she answered with a shrug. “I have a puzzle with pieces of you.”
“Pieces of me,” Mecca repeated, and Breighton nodded. “That’s dope.”
“I know,” Breighton replied with a smile, then laughed.
For the next few hours, they sat around talking, laughing, and just relaxing. As much as I wanted to join in, I didn’t. I wasn’t used to this; I didn’t know how just to be. Plus, I was worried about Corinthians; she was alone with Robert.