19. Uri #2
“Ay, what’s going on?” December said, holding her arms at her side. I could tell from the way he was holding her arms that he wasn’t hurting her, and if she wanted to get away, she could. “Why you look like you want to snatch his soul?”
“He called Nadine a bitch and said she fuckin’ my daddy,” Breighton answered.
Mecca looked at Kenbral, his eyes narrowed as he reached across the table to grab Kenbral by the collar of his shirt, and dragged him across it. “What did you say about my mama and Uncle Bradon?” he asked through clenched jaws.
“Chill,” I chuckled, shaking my head. “Because I promise you what you ain’t gonna like it.” I wiped my mouth with my napkin, dropped it on the table, and stood. “Let my brother go.”
“Or what?” December said, letting Breighton go and putting her behind him.
“You know I can’t feel pain, right?” I asked, looking between the two of them. “That means what you think you gonna do to me ain’t gonna hurt.”
“All niggas bleed,” Mecca told me with a smirk. “Pain or not, I know where to cut to make sure you don’t get back up.”
“Killing me ain’t a threat.” I lifted my shirt to show him my scars. “I been dead a long ass time.”
Mecca looked at my stomach and his face twisted. “Who the fuck did that to you?” he asked.
“Don’t matter,” I told him. “Now let my brother go so I can go back to eating my food and not have to kill you.”
“He gotta apologize for saying that shit about my mama and Uncle B,” Mecca said, shaking his head. “That shit ain’t cool. Uncle B steps hard behind my mama but not because they are sleeping together.”
“Why then?” I believed him, but I still wanted to know why.
“Because she took care of everybody when we were younger,” Breighton answered for him. “Mahogany, Larry, me, and Mecca. She let us all live with her for a while.”
“Why?” This was the first time I heard that Breighton didn’t live with her daddy. She was always with him.
“Mahogany got sick, Larry's daddy disappeared, and his mama doesn’t want to be a parent. It was Nadine or boarding school.”
“And you?”
“I don’t like to be left out,” she answered with a shrug. “Plus, your daddy gave me the creeps.”
“Robert,” I corrected her.
“I know his name,” Breighton replied.
“Then use it; he didn’t let us call him daddy.”
“Fine,” Breighton agreed. “Now make your brother apologize.”
I looked at Kenbral and nodded. “Apologize,” I told him.
“Sorry,” he mumbled, and Mecca let him go. Mecca pushed him away then went to stand next to Breighton and December. They sat down on their side of the table, and I sat down on mine. Kenbral came to sit next to me, and we went back to eating.
The doorbell rang, and I looked towards the door. Nadine walked in with two more kids. Breighton jumped from the table and hugged them, followed by Mecca and December.
“Okay, now we’re all here,” Breighton said.
“Uri, Kenbral, this is Mahogany and Larry, your other cousins. The ones that Nadine helped raise.” It had been so long since I saw Mahogany that I didn’t recognize her, and I’d never met Larry before.
We sat staring at each other, not knowing what to say. “Umm, say hi or something.”
“Hey,” we all said.
“Man, this is awkward,” December said, laughing. “Y'all family and don’t know each other.” He shook his head.
“It’s not our fault, December,” Breighton said, rolling her eyes.
“I didn’t say it was,” he said, rubbing his eyes.
I noticed he did that a lot. He also blinked a lot, and his eyes watered like he was going to cry even though he didn’t.
When I asked about it, December said he was fine, but I saw the look of worry on Breighton's face when he said it. “I’m just pointing it out. Y'all don’t know each other. So it’s a table full of strangers related by blood.
There is basic stuff y'all should know that y'all don’t.”
“Like what?” Mecca asked him.
“Birthdays,” December answered. He looked at Kenbral and me. “I know their birthdays; what’s y’all’s?”
“April fourth,” I answered.
“March third,” Kenbral said.
“That’s crazy,” Breighton said, laughing.
“What?” I asked.
“Our birthdays are double numbers; Mahogany is January first, I’m June sixth, Mecca is September ninth, and Larry is October tenth.”
“Eleven, thirty-three, forty-four, sixty-six, ninety-nine, and one thousand ten,” Kenbral said, nodding.
“No,” Breighton said, shaking her head. “One, Trey, Four, Six, Nine, Ten. And that’s what I’m calling everyone from here on out.”
“Nah, call me Zero, I don’t like Ten,” Larry said.
Breighton laughed then shrugged. “Fine, you’re Zero, not Ten.”
“So y’all names are numbers now?” December asked.
**
I stood in the corner of the room, watching Corinthians.
She started taking barber classes a few weeks ago.
Her instructor was showing her how to cut a line properly.
Her dark eyes watched his every movement, and even from the distance between us, I could see the excitement in her pretty eyes.
When he was done, he stepped aside so she could try it herself.
It wasn’t perfect, but there was no doubt she would get better and master the art of cutting hair.
Keeping an eye on her from a safe distance only felt right. There was no doubt that Robert kept tabs on her. No matter how much time had passed, I knew he would never be able to let her go. I only hoped that I was around when he tried to approach her.
“You can't be here,” a voice said from behind me. I turned around to see Psalms standing in the doorway. Her dark eyes took me in with both caution and determination.
“I-“
“You can't be here,” she said again, taking a step into the room. She looked over my shoulder to see Corinthians and sighed. “I’ve seen you here too many times; that means she’s eventually going to see you if she hasn’t already.”
I looked back at Corinthians and stepped away from the window.
The glass was tinted, but I didn’t want to take the chance.
I doubted she wanted to see me. I was too much of a reminder of Robert, but I couldn’t help myself.
I wanted to be around her. To see her smile, hear her laugh.
Her being happy was all that mattered to me.
“I won’t hurt her,” I finally told Psalms. “I won't let him hurt her.”
“Seeing you will hurt her,” Psalms replied. “Knowing that you’re around means that he’s around too.”