73. Four
Four
Kenbral and I walked through our mama's childhood home.
The smell of antiseptic filled my lungs.
I wasn't entirely sure where I was going, but I had an idea.
The nurse on staff pointed me in the direction before I handed her a duffle bag full of money.
She never saw me and would never be back.
There would be no reason for her to once I left.
I pushed open the door and stepped into the room. To my left was a TV mounted on the wall. An old black-and-white movie played, but with no sound. Under the TV were books, a coffee table, and a chair. To my right was a bed, and on it was who I was looking for and his two guests.
Benjamin Gregory, father of Sharon Gregory—my grandfather.
We'd met him once. Years ago, when we were young. We’d been found by Cori's grandpa and uncle in a basement.
They got Kenbral and me out. Took us to their house, and Madea had decided that we needed to go to the hospital and get checked out.
The day I met Mary DeCorte, I knew I was looking at someone related to Cori.
She looked exactly like Madea. Everyone always said Cross was her twin, but to me it was Cori.
She thought taking us to get checked out was the right decision, and it should've been.
Except, Robert had connections everywhere.
The nurse assured the DeCortes we would be okay.
That our grandfather had been found and we were safe.
Benjamin walked into the hospital and was everything that we never had. I thought we were finally safe.
We weren't. He took us back to Robert, who beat us for three days straight as if it was our fault someone found us.
"Took you long enough to get here," Madea said. Her dark eyes locked on Benjamin. In her hand, was a machete. Granddaddy stood next to her, a gun in one hand, dressed in his preaching robe.
I told them I was coming here tonight. They needed the same closure Cori had gotten with killing Robert. They blamed themselves for the shit we went through. This man was no better than Robert and Logan. He didn't deserve to have lived this long, yet he had.
"Cori was still going off about Oreo," I chuckled. "I had to hear her out."
"I can't believe you really bought that boy a mini goat," he chuckled. Kenbral grunted from the door, and I turned back to look at him. He’d said the same thing. Reason hadn’t stopped talking about Oreo since she’d seen him.
Now, she wanted one too. He didn’t know it yet, but I’d already bought hers.
I set the bag I was carrying on the coffee table, then opened it and took the heads out. Benjamin watched me. His dark eyes followed my every move. He didn't react to Robert's head, but when he saw Sharon's, he looked away.
"As a parent, I would do anything for my son," I told Benjamin.
"Protecting him and his mama are the most important thing to me.
It's my job as a man. I'm their protection.
Always." I shook my head. "You sold your daughter to a nigga eighteen years older than her.
She was a kid. I will never understand that.
But then again, I ain't supposed to because I'm a man and you aren't." I approached him.
"Ain't shit about to be dramatic about this. You don’t deserve the effort.
" I hit him in the face. Knocking him out cold, then I used the restraints on the bed to tie him down.
"Corinthians is going to want his head?" Madea asked.
"Cut it off, Mary," Granddaddy said. Madea didn't wait; she cut it off, then handed it to me. "She's wanted to do that since you told us what really happened."
"I don’t think I ever said thank you to y'all," I said. "Y'all thought y'all did the right thing, and in a perfect world y'all did. I just wasn't lucky enough to be born into a family like yours. Y’all thought y’all were doing the right thing."
"We still failed you, baby."
"No, you didn't," I told her. "Y'all saved Cori when I couldn't, so in my mind y'all could never fail me."
“We never blamed y’all,” Kenbral said, and I nodded. “Like Four said. Y’all thought y’all were doing the right thing.”
“We should’ve found a way to check on y’all.”
“I’m glad y’all didn’t,” Kenbral said. “If you would’ve, Robert would’ve had y’all killed, and then who knows what would’ve happened to us.”
We continued talking for a while, then finally left. Kenbral stood at his car, and I stood at mine watching as the elder DeCortes drove away.
“You know I half expected you to come kill me next,” Kenbral said. “I had everything figured out for Purpose and Reason.”
“I thought about it,” I told him, and he nodded. “But Cori and I talked about it.”
“She said kill me, huh?” he smirked.
“Nah,” I laughed. “She said let you live. That what you did was protection in its own way. She said she got it. Said some shit about an older sibling's love being different and how she understood it, even if she doesn’t like you for real.”
Kenbral wiped his hand over his mouth. “None of them do,” he replied. “And I’m cool with that as long as you and me can build.”
“We can,” I nodded. I rounded the car and pulled him into a hug.
“I want you to know the shit I did, it was to protect you. I knew what Robert was capable of. I knew what he would do if I didn’t, and I didn’t want you to experience that.
” He looked away but not before I could see the tears in his eyes.
“I know I fucked up with a lot of stuff, but I swear I only ever did what I did to save you. I fought for you when I didn’t fight for myself.
I fought for you. From the beginning, I was looking out for you even when you didn’t know it. ”
“I love you, big bro; never doubt that.”
“Love you too, li’l bro,” he said. I could hear the raw emotions in his voice. Shit was heartbreaking.
My phone started ringing, making me pull away. I took my phone from my pocket to see Cori’s name on the screen. “I gotta go,” I said, holding it up. Kenbral nodded, then got in his car. I swiped my screen as I got into mine. “Hello?”
“What’s wrong?” she quickly asked.
“Nothing, just had a talk with my brother is all.”
“Let me see your face,” she said, then the call switched to FaceTime. Her pretty ass face filled the screen, and I smiled. I loved the fuck out of this woman.
“Better?” I asked, resting my head against the headrest. Cori’s eyes searched mine before she shook her head. “Why not?”
“Come home, Uri Strong.” It wasn’t a question; it was a demand. It was one I never had to wonder if I would ever get tired of hearing because I knew I wouldn’t.
“I’m on my way.”