36. Corinthians
Corinthians
“Okay, family!” Krude yelled, coming out of the house. His hands were full of boxes, but he somehow managed to push the sliding door closed, then turned around with a sneaky smile on his face. “I’ve been elected as the official ref and announcer for the games tonight!”
“When did we vote?” Judge asked him as he walked past to go to his seat. “Because I don’t think I voted.”
“I voted for you,” Krude told him. “This is a dictatorship around these parts anyway, so even if you didn’t vote, I would’ve still been the ref and announcer.” He dropped the boxes in his hands to the ground and put his hands on his hips. “Now, with that being said, pick a number.”
“My daddy!” Deuce yelled from the swings near the door.
Krude rolled his head and looked at Deuce. His face twisted; then he narrowed his eyes. “I know you know what I meant, Silver Tooth Gang Member. Stop playing with me.”
Deuce laughed and continued to swing.
“Ay done be mad because my boy knows the right number to pick,” Nine laughed from his seat. He was working on his laptop. “Deuce?”
“Yes sir?” he answered.
“Tell him again what number you pickin’, son.”
“Nine!” Deuce replied.
“Only Nine?” Mahogany asked her little cousin.
Her red hair blew in the wind as she shook her head.
Her husband, Focus, stood and tapped her on the arm.
She took off her ponytail holder from her wrist and handed it to him.
Focus quickly and very much intentionally took his time pulling her hair into a messy bun on top of her head.
When he was done, he kissed the back of her head, then sat behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.
Deuce's face twisted as he thought about what she asked, then he nodded. “Sorry, Mahogany, but I gotta go with my daddy.” The trust and love that Deuce and Nine shared always made me smile. Nine may not have been around when he was first born because of Cross’ secret, but he wasted no time making up for lost time.
“What about yourself?” she asked him, laughing. “You aren’t going to pick yourself?”
“Not yet,” he replied. “I’m still a kid. My daddy will handle it for me.”
“What about your mama?”
Deuce looked over at Cross, smiled, and quickly signed something to her. Cross nodded, signed back her answer, then looked over at her husband who was watching them closely. His brow went up, and he slowly smiled. I was still learning to sign and only caught a few of the words they exchanged.
“Don’t put the spotlight on my boy,” Nine answered for Deuce. “He said his daddy got him and that’s it. We all know his mama ain’t wrapped too tight.” The group started to laugh, and Cross playfully rolled her eyes.
“I keep trying to tell y’all I’m the nice one,” Cross replied and shrugged.
“Nah, I think Judge and Psalms are the nice ones,” Zero said. He was another one of the Strong cousins. He was quiet, but I’d heard a few stories from Nine about him. Zero wasn’t wrapped too tight.
“Two whole psychos,” Krude laughed as he went through the boxes he’d brought. “Zero, I say this because we are boys, but you have no sense of survival skills if you think those two are nice.”
“They don’t even be doing shit,” Zero said, looking between Psalms and Judge.
“Psalms, please understand when I say this, it ain’t on no disrespectful shit.
But you are a whole hobo chic, flower child.
You play in dirt and put together some fire ass flower arrangements and grow weed.
Every time I see you, you’re always on chill.
” He looked over at Judge. “And Judge? He’s a damn optometrist. He looks at eyeballs and vision boards all day. ”
“I hate when I have to agree with Krude,” Exodus chuckled.
“Correct me if I’m wrong then because I been around off folks.” He pointed to Krude, then Cross and Nine. “I ain’t saying they aren’t dangerous; I’m just saying if I had to pick someone to be calm and nice, it’s them.”
“Again, no survival skills,” Krude laughed. He pulled two plastic balls from the boxes and set them aside. “That’s like saying Corinthians isn’t a threat.”
“No offense, but is she?” he asked, then lifted his hands to tell everyone to hold on when they groaned.
“I ain’t being disrespectful at all, and I respect the shit out of all y'all. But Corinthians don’t bother anybody.
She takes care of Judah, cuts hair, and lowkey flirts with Four when they don’t think we notice. ”
“We notice though!” Krude yelled without looking up. “Anybody with eyes can see they flirt.”
I glanced at Four to see him watching Zero with a mug on his face.
We hadn’t talked since I went over to his house a few nights ago.
When I left my house, I didn’t have any intention of doing anything that we’d done.
I just wanted to talk, to tell him that I wanted to explore more.
Then he’d kissed me, and damn if that kiss wasn’t the best one I had ever had in my life.
His lips were soft, his mouth cool yet sweet.
The way his hands touched me calmed my heart and mind.
I’d never gotten head, and the way his tongue brought me to orgasm still had me randomly shivering.
I wanted to do more, to have sex and willingly be a participant to a man that I knew would never hurt me, and then he looked at me.
His eyes reminded me of Robert, not the color but the shape.
His living room wasn’t completely dark, and the shadows danced across his features in a way I wasn’t prepared for.
I tried to talk myself through the fear, but I couldn’t.
I broke. I expected Four to be angry, to shut down, but he hadn’t.
He walked me home; kissed me and made sure I got inside safely.
Then, the next morning, he was at my door, waiting; we had breakfast in silence.
As much as I wanted to talk, I didn’t know what to say.
I knew I needed to apologize and explain myself, but I couldn’t form the words.
“Corinthians?” Exodus called my name. I looked over at him and lifted my brow. He wore a sneaky smile that I knew would lead to questions later. My brows went up. “Did you hear what Zero asked?”
“No,” I answered, shaking my head.
“He wanted us to list us by our crazy,” Exodus laughed.
“And did you?”
“I didn’t,” Exodus said, then drank some of his water. “I think I like him underestimating y’all. It makes for better conversation later.”
“Right,” Krude agreed. “It gives me something to talk to my reading group about.” He stood with an air pump in his hands.
“Them heffas swear they got everything figured out. I love when they are wrong.” He laughed, then went and plugged the pump in.
“Now give me a few minutes to get these together so we can start.”
“I still don’t know how or why you got into a reading group,” Exodus said, shaking his head. “You probably get on them people’s nerves.”
Krude flipped Exodus off, then started blowing up what looked like clear balloons. At first, I thought they would be small, but they weren’t. They were big enough for someone to get inside. They had shoulder straps and were hollow in the middle so the person could stand up.
“Umm Krude?” Exodus said, looking at him with a confused expression. “What the fuck are those? And why do you have them?”
“Oh, we're about to get some anger out,” Krude said. He pushed one of the balls over to Exodus, who stopped it with his foot when it was close enough. “Put it on.”
“Why?” he asked.
“So we can run and hit into each other,” Krude said. He showed us how to put it on properly, then pointed to the bag next to his feet. “Helmets are in there. You know for safety and shit.” He looked around. “Ay Deuce and Judah come here right fast.” The boys ran over to him. “Pick a team.”
“My daddy!” Deuce said, running over to Nine.
“Four!” Judah said and ran to him.
“You have no loyalty,” Krude said, shaking his head. “But that’s cool because them niggas gonna lose.”
“Man, I ain’t losing,” Nine said, standing up. Exodus pushed the ball towards him. “Deuce, go get a helmet, big man. Safety first and shit around here.” Deuce did what his daddy said and went to get him and Krude a helmet. “Krude, I know these ain’t Bambi helmets, man.”
“One is Bambi, and one is Land Before Time,” Krude answered. He put his helmet on. “Now get that shit on so you can get this work.”
For the next three hours, I watched as the men ran full speed and smacked into each other. There was no doubt that they would all be bruised and sore in a few days. At one point, all the women went into the house so we wouldn’t be witnesses to one of them possibly seriously injuring themselves.
“How much longer do we have to listen to them try and break a bone?” Cross asked.
We’d come back outside and were watching them again.
It was Judah and Deuce’s turn. Deuce was being coached by Nine on hitting, and Judah by Four.
They looked so serious, yet I could see the sparkle in their eyes from their enjoyment.
“No clue,” I answered with a shrug. “I’m hoping they tire themselves out though.”
“They will sleep good as hell,” she agreed.
I looked at Cross and lifted a brow. “Are you talking about the grown ass men out there playing or the two little boys?”
“Truth?” she asked, and I nodded. “The grown ass men.” We laughed then turned back to continue watching them play.
Deuce and Judah finally had enough and decided to take off the balloons, go into the house, get some food, and play the game.
That left the grown-ass men that, I had to agree with Cross, were going to tire themselves out.
“I’m going to go supervise our kids make their plates.
” She got up and went into the house, leaving me alone on the porch.