47. Four
Four
Isat on the floor, watching Cori sleep, breathing even, eyes fluttering every so often, but she never woke up.
When she called me to come home, I hopped the fence separating our houses.
I couldn’t stay far away from her, so staying at her house was the only option.
I sat in her living room, watching her through my security cameras.
Her safety was all that mattered, and that meant protecting her from me if I had to.
My alarm went off on my phone, and I quickly swiped the screen.
“How long have you been awake?” she whispered. I lifted my head to see her pretty eyes locked on me. She rolled to her side, pulled the blanket under her chin, and adjusted the pillow under her head.
“I-I-I-I-I-I haven’t be-be-be-be-been asleep,” I told her.
“Why?” Her brow lifted.
“Cori, I-I-I-I-I-I h-h-h-h-hurt yo-u-u-u-u-you,” I reminded her. “I choked you.”
“You were having a nightmare,” she said, and I shook my head. “Uri, why do you blame yourself for everything that happens to me?”
“Be-be-be-be-be-because I’m supposed t-t-t-t-t-to pro-t-t-t-protect you,” I answered. “That’s m-m-m-m-my job, to love, ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-honor, and pro-o-o-o-protect you. I can't be th-h-h-h-h-h-e one hurting you.”
“It was an accident,” she said, and I shrugged. “You didn’t mean to.”
“That’s not t-t-t-t-t-the point.”
“No, that is exactly the point. You didn’t mean to hurt me.”
“It’s still a-a-a-a-abuse.”
Cori sat up, pushed the covers off her and approached me.
When she was close enough, she put her hand out for me to take.
I looked at it, then up at her and lifted my brow.
“Come on,” she said, wiggling her fingers at me.
Reluctantly, I took her hand, and she walked me to the workout room I had in the back of the house.
She picked up two pairs of boxing gloves, tossed one to me, and started putting the other pair on.
“Cori-“
“Put them on,” she said, shaking her head. I didn’t move, and she stopped putting on one of the gloves to look at me. Her eyes were dark, alert, and guarded. “Put them on.”
“No-o-o-o-o-no,” I said, shaking my head. “I’m good.” I turned to leave.
“Uri!” she yelled, making me stop. “Put on the fucking gloves!”
“Don’t yell at me,” I said without turning around.
“Then put on the fuckin’ gloves!” I felt the pressure from something hitting my back, then heard it hitting the floor. I looked down to see the gloves she had given me earlier next to my feet. “Put them the fuck on!” She rounded me, pushed my chest, and looked up at me. “Put them on.”
“Cori-“
“Put them on and fight me,” she cut me off. I stepped back, shaking my head. “Put them on!”
“No.” I hated being yelled at, and she knew that.
She stopped, nodded, then stepped back. “And that right there is how I know what you did wasn’t intentional; it wasn’t abuse. It was an accident.” She pulled her hands from the gloves and tossed them aside.
“Wait what?” I stared at her in disbelief. Had she done all that as a test? The yelling, throwing the gloves at me. It was all a fucking test? “Cori-“
“You been talking to your therapist?”
“Yeah.”
“Taking your meds?” she asked, and I looked away. “Uri, have you been taking your meds?”
“Yeah.”
“Then let’s go upstairs, watch TV, and finish talking,” she suggested.
I stared at her, trying to figure out how all of this was so easy for her, and I realized it wasn’t. She just trusted me. She saw things in me that I didn’t. Even though she hadn’t said it, the love she had for me was right there in my face.
“Alright,” I said, and this time I put my hand out for her to take. Without worry, she put her hand in mine, and we walked back to the living room. “Question.”
“Yeah?” she answered as she picked up her blanket and put it around her shoulders.
“What would you have done if I wanted to fight you?”
Cori smiled, a sweet but deadly smile, as she sat. “I would’ve killed you,” she answered.
And I believed her.
***
“Have a seat, nephew,” Uncle Bradon said, pointing to the empty chair across from him.
I dropped into the chair, wiped my hand over my face, then looked between him and Nadine.
She was watching me hard. Over the years she’d become the mama I never experienced as a child.
She was tough but fair. She didn’t hold back when she thought we were fucking up, but she loved us hard.
I would be forever grateful to her and would always respect her for it. “Nadine told me she saw Corinthians.”
“Yes, sir.” I sat up.
“She had bruises.” He pushed back from his chair and stood.
Uncle Bradon typically wore a suit; he always said that business didn’t stop when he walked out of his office.
Seeing him dressed down in a pair of sweats and a t-shirt had my head spinning.
He rounded his desk, sat on the front of it, and crossed his arms. “What the fuck is up with that?”
“I-“
“You putting your hands on women now, Four?” he pulled his gun from behind his back. “I didn’t raise you to respect women? Huh? Speak up, son. Tell me where the fuck we went wrong with you? We know the shit with Robert was fucked up and you went through some shit, but this ain’t acceptable.”
“Unc.”
“Don’t fuckin’ Unc me,” he said, shaking his head. “Tell me what the fuck is up!”
“I had a nightmare,” I told them. Uncle Bradon knew all about my nightmares. There were times when I was younger that I would wake up screaming. “I didn’t even know it was her until she said my name.” I wiped my hands over my face again. “I had a dream I was back in the ring, with Robert. He was…”
“What did I tell you to do before going home?” Uncle Bradon asked. He put his gun on the desk and shook his head. “Huh? What did I say to do before going home to that woman?”
“To talk to Berkeley,” I answered, and he nodded. “I planned on it but then…”
“Ain’t no buts,” Uncle Bradon said. “You know just like I do that you gotta talk to Berkeley. No questions asked. I told you that shit on the plane. You were supposed to call when you landed.”
“I planned on it, but then I saw Cori. All I wanted to do was be with her.” I leaned forward. “Unc, she calms me. Gives me peace when shit gets hectic in here.” I tapped the side of my head. “She…man….she.”
“Four,” Nadine called my name, and I looked over at her. “You love her; that’s obvious, but you can't let something like that happen again.”
“I know,” I said, nodding. “I swear it won't happen again. I’m taking my meds, talking to Berkeley. I’m doing what I’m supposed to do.”
“You need to step back,” Uncle Bradon said.
My face twisted, and my brows met. “From Cori?” I asked him, shaking my head. “Nah, Unc, that ain’t happening. I’m never stepping back from her. Especially not after what we saw at Robert’s house.”
“No, not from her,” he chuckled and shook his head.
“I wouldn’t ask you to do that because I know you can't. I mean, from the Robert stuff. Let me handle this shit for a while. Get your mind together. Spend time with your woman, build that trust back up. I have people looking for Robert. You focus on your relationship.”
“I-“
“Let him do it, Four,” Nadine said. I looked over at her. “Those bruises, baby, they were bad. If I didn’t know you and you were some random nigga off the street, I would’ve sent you and Nine after you.”
“I know,” I said, nodding because I did. Nadine didn’t play when it came to abuse. Over the years she’d sent us after a few of her patients’ partners. I wiped my hands over the top of my legs. “You ain’t gotta worry about me. I’m doing what I’m supposed to do.”
“And don’t fuck up again,” he said, and Nadine nodded in agreement.
***
“You nervous?” I asked Cori as I walked her to the door.
Before leaving Uncle Bradon and Nadine earlier, Uncle Bradon insisted on me bringing her back for dinner.
At first, I wanted to say no, but then I saw the look of concern on both their faces.
I ended up agreeing because I needed them to see she was good, that we were good.
“About meeting your uncle?” she asked, and I nodded. “Truthfully? Yes.” She looked away. “I got to know your cousins before I knew who they were. Meeting your uncle is different.”
“Hey, look at me.” I gently took her chin and turned her face. “Uncle Bradon ain’t Robert or Logan. He’s a good man, but I understand your apprehension. This is a lot; if you don’t want to meet him right now, then you don’t have to.”
“No, it’s okay,” she said, then gave me a small smile. “I’m okay.”
“Are you sure?” I asked. My eyes searched hers for any signs of distress. Cori nodded. “Nah for real, are you okay? We ain’t gotta do this.”
“I’m okay,” she said. She cupped my face then kissed me.
“Four, if you don’t get your damn tongue out that woman’s mouth so she can come in here and meet me,” Uncle Bradon’s loud voice boomed.
I pulled away, chuckled, and shook my head. “This nigga, I swear.” I turned to see him standing at the top of his porch, hands in his pockets, a big ass smile on his face. “You just had to do that, huh?”
“I never got to embarrass you when you were younger because you never brought anyone home,” he answered with a shrug.
I took Cori’s hand and guided her to the porch. “Of damn course,” I said as we walked up the steps. “Unc, this is my woman, Corinthians. Cori, this is my uncle Bradon.”
“It’s nice meeting you,” Cori said, extending her free hand.
Uncle Bradon looked down at her hand, then up at Cori and lifted his brow.
“Young lady, we don’t shake hands with family,” he said, shaking his head.
“But I’m going to let it go this time because of your history with them niggas I share blood and a last name with.
” He stepped back and pushed open the door.
“Come on in here so we can break the ice, and you know that this is a safe space, just like Four.”
We walked into the house, and all I could do was shake my head. Uncle Bradon didn’t have an ounce of tact when it came to hard conversations.