Chapter No ma’am.
DIO
I finished my last class for the day and decided to pay someone a visit.
When I glanced at the address Percy gave me, I entered it into my GPS and headed that way.
It wasn’t too far from campus, but it was in a neighborhood that held history in it.
The homes were made of brick, old but sturdy.
The lawns were neatly cut, while some of the driveways held dusty awnings.
When I pulled up to the address, I parked and got out. I proudly pulled at my letterman jacket, which had Chi Kappa Chi letters with my name and the number seven. I didn’t have to knock on the door because Ms. Cecily peeked from the curtains and met me at the door.
“You did it. I knew you could.”
“May I come in?” I asked.
She unlocked the screen door, letting me inside. The smell of soul food lingered while jazz music played in the background.
“Are you about to have people over? I won’t be long,” I told her.
She tapped my hand. “No, sit. Are you thirsty?”
“No ma’am.”
I sat on her old-ass couch while taking in her brown and tan colored furniture. The space felt lonely, but the music gave peace.
“How can I help you?”
I ran my hand down my leg as I stared at her.
The goal was to come and give her a heads-up that she needed to make funeral arrangements for her nephew, but the longer I sat, the more I felt it was something she needed to find out on her own.
“You know what? Never mind,” I said as I shot up from the couch.
“Dionysus, sit down. Is it Jesaiah?” she asked. “Or Clark?”
I ran my hand nervously over my waves. “It’s the fraternity in general.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m happy I’m here, but to be honest, Ms. Cecily, things are different when you’re on the line.
It gets dark, lonely, and tiring. Jesaiah is only a small portion of the problem,” I started.
“I could have chosen any school to go to, but Toussaint State was my first pick, not only because it was close to my brother, but because it’s a college for people who look like me.
The problem comes in when people who look like me use small pieces of power as tools.
I’ve seen you around campus, encouraging and trying to do right by the mission, but you should have used that time to teach your nephew some things. ”
She nodded. “You know, you’re right, but the answer is simple. You cannot save someone who doesn’t want to be saved.”
That was what she said now until that nigga’s body was floating in the Dead Zone Lake.
She turned up her jazz music. “Back then, jazz music saved lives. It was born to create a voiceless expression used by instruments. It was a Black thing,” she started as she swung her head.
“You know, Jesaiah’s father was a composer.
My brother loved the music. He just knew Jesaiah would pick up where he left off, and his mother, Toni, my goodness.
She swore he would be a star. I knew, given how he was left behind, he would be searching for his parents' attention, craving the love one begs for. I knew it would destroy him.”
I placed my elbow on my knees. “We all have problems somewhere along the way. I have had many, but that nigga, he’s—”
She held her hand up. “I know. I thought when he came to live with me, I would be able to give him the experience I thought he needed at TSU, that it would save him, like the music. However, what that HBCU did for him was turn him into something I no longer know. So, what’s good for the goose is good for the gander. ”
She glanced at a picture of her family. Ms. Cecily was a smart woman who knew Jesaiah’s time was up. I stood from the couch and headed for the door. I didn’t need to explain or try to give subliminals because she knew.
“The future I see for you is the same I saw for him. I love him dearly, I do, but I cannot be his savior. I’m old, tired, and have my own things I put on the back burner for him. Give him time. He will see the light. He’s sick.”
I gave her a tight-lipped smile as I walked out the door. I hopped in my ride and took one last look at her. I pulled my phone out of my pocket.
“Aye, Foe, we’re on go!” I said and took off.