~~~Chapter 26~~~
Once again, my daddy was doing the most. He’d booked an entire commercial flight to accommodate our family, as we flew out to the Bahamas. Then from there, we’d take a few boats to the private island he’d purchased a few years back.
My parents’ entire legacy was on that plane, from all their kids to their grandbabies.
We also had my biological grandma, Tisha, along with my step grandma Roz.
My grandpa Ray-Ray. My auntie Raquel and her tribe.
My auntie Rye with my cousin Jaylen, and their kids.
A bunch of my cousins. Some in-laws. And extended family, like Taz and Taraj.
It was honestly too many to name, and I would’ve been excited, if I wasn’t going out of my way to give Malice the silent treatment.
I wasn’t over our argument, or how he’d tried to back out of coming on the trip. I didn’t like the feeling of having to force him to do something, he didn’t naturally want to do on his own. Granted, there was a lot going on in the streets, but taking a few days to regroup couldn’t hurt much.
Everybody was chattering around us, because taking a flight with everybody you know was a different type of vibe.
Still, Malice remained reserved, and had his earbuds in, while mostly just observing.
Meanwhile, Khari had long ago abandoned us, as she was seated with my granny Tisha and her boyfriend.
“Aye.” Malice randomly tapped my thigh.
Rolling my eyes, I turned to look at him. “Hmm?”
“You sure that everybody is gonna fit in the house you was telling me about?”
I sighed. “Do you really think that all these people would be going, if there weren’t accommodations?”
Saying nothing, he gave me a look.
I cleared my throat. “The house has like twenty rooms. It looks like a fucking museum. Then there’s also like ten full bungalows on the island too.”
“And ya daddy owns it all?”
“Yup.” I nodded. “It took him like four years to bring everything together, but he did it. Of course, he also rents it out for a pretty penny.”
He nodded with his bottom lip poked out. “That’s some playa ass shit, right there.”
“It is,” I couldn’t deny it.
“Man, no bullshit, being around your family…shows me that I aint dreaming big enough. Then for this to be your life…you so fucking humble about it. And here I am, with this ghetto, soap opera drama, bringing your stock down.”
Immediately, I shook my head. “Don’t say that.
Please don’t. Cause there’s nobody on this plane better than the other.
I’ve also told you several times that nobody had more drama going on than my daddy.
He’s far from a perfect man. So, you’re using the wrong grading scale.
My daddy being able to fly us all out to this island is a beautiful thing, no doubt.
But he has my heart because of the man he grew to be for us.
And at the core, he’s just a ghetto boy who made it. Just like you can too.”
He nodded, before his eyes saddened. “I’m sorry about earlier today. I hate that I had you crying. I know how something like that can fuck up the mood.”
I sighed. “It’s cool.”
He reached in and gently stroked my cheek with his thumb. “You sure?”
I nodded, although I hated how I melted from his touch.
“Why you lying, Jaylah? I know that you still mad.”
“Because I don’t wanna be.”
“I’m sorry,” he reiterated, as he leaned in, kissing my lips. “Okay.”
I nodded again.
“Now, I wanna enjoy this time with you, and leave all the bullshit back in Houston.” He grabbed my hand, before interlocking our fingers. “You down?”
I smirked. “Yes, Khamere. I’m down.”
Malice
I don’t think that anything that Big Baby had described could’ve prepared me for what I would see once we pulled up to the island on a fucking yacht.
Customer service had been on one thousand.
And then the mansion was on top of a hill, with stairs that led up to it.
It was extremely modern with mostly floor to ceiling windows, and was four stories high.
When we exited the yacht, there was already a whole staff of Bahamian people, waiting to greet us, along with several golf carts to transport us to the house.
The more I took in, the more I realized that Big Jahrein had created his own version of a resort.
I was honestly amazed, because there weren’t many people who could say that they’d been on a private island.
Especially not one owned by a Black man.
There was even a fucking tour guide to give us a tour of the grounds, after we’d dropped our bags off in our room.
The bungalows were just luxurious smaller versions of the mansion.
There was a outdoor pool as well as a indoor one.
A basketball court. A gym. Multiple bar areas.
Miniature golf. A helicopter landing strip.
A natural waterfall. A whole fleet of jet skis. On site chefs. Deejays. You name it.
One of the hosts explained to us that there was a detailed itinerary, and the only thing that Big Jahrein requested was that everybody participated in all family activities. Then we were all directed to the part of the beach where they had set up tables, decorations, lights, and music for dinner.
I was sitting next to Jaylah with Khari in my lap, stuffing my face, thinking that this was the fucking life.
***
No cap, the longer I was around Jaylah’s family, the more I realized that most of them muthafuckas was ghetto as fuck, in the most entertaining ways.
Then as much as a lot of them were doing well for themselves, there was also a nice bunch of folks who were still actively in the trenches.
And I think that helped to keep Jaylah and her siblings grounded.
Because as proper as they could sometimes talk, you could always detect a little hood in them.
“What’s up, nigga?” Wale stepped over and sat in the chair next to me.
I had been sitting alone, mostly because I had been on the phone, handling whatever business I could while away from home.
But from the outside looking in it probably looked like I was being antisocial or excluded.
Then being that we had a relationship outside of this, I was sure that he was trying ensure that I wasn’t feeling left out.
It was after midnight, and it was just our generation out on the beach, while the younger ones were in the house, along with the old schools. Big Jahrein had left nothing uncovered and even had a twenty-four-hour daycare ran by five women, who were watching all the smaller kids, including Khari.
“Aint shit,” I responded, as my eyes were trained on Jaylah, while she was up dancing and laughing with her sisters. The pure joy that was etched across her face sent chills up my spine, for some reason.
Wale cleared his throat. “So, you been getting along with everybody?”
I nodded. “So far, everybody’s been cool.”
“Yeah, that sounds about right.”
I cut my eyes at him. “What about you? You been around for a minute. You get along with everybody?”
“Oh, yeah. We all kin now,” he chuckled.
“Was it like that from the beginning?”
“Yeah. Once Key got pregnant. Before then we had a few hiccups, so we didn’t really focus on meeting the fam. It was only happening by chance. But after we got our shit together, her people became such a huge part of my life. Shit, her mama is like my mama. Cooler than a muthafucka.”
I nodded. “I can dig it.”
“Yeah, and you got Raven for a mother-in-law, so you definitely winning.”
I furrowed a brow. “Why you say that?”
“Because. That lady is the truth. She shows up for all her kids and their spouses. She’s extremely supportive and is just real kind-hearted. That’s why her kids can never be too far away from her.”
I smirked. “Yeah, Jaylah talks to her every day, like clockwork.”
“Yeah, they all do. Key’s like that with Ms. Raquel too. The only thing I’d say to be careful with…is running with that nigga JJ.”
I squinted. “You talking about their brother?”
“Yeah, that nigga.”
I smirked. “The fuck do he be doing?”
“Nigga,” he stressed. “The fuck he don’t be doing?
That’s the question. He’on know how to act.
Be pulling shit he know that he can’t get away with, then gets mad when his gal gets to tripping.
They’re always clowning. My problem is that he be playing with fire too much and everybody aint in the same type of situation.
That nigga will fuck around and have everybody beefing with their gals, if you let him. ”
I lightly chuckled. “Yeah, Jaylah done told me a few stories about that nigga.”
“Yeah. And if Jaylah ever tries to pick a fight whenever she’s with all her sisters and cousins, then just walk away, my nigga. I’m telling you. Because they do be jumping. I’m talking straight throwing hands. All of ‘em. Don’t matter how rich they are or nothing. They be on the bullshit.”
I was full out laughing now. “So, you been a victim?”
He shrugged. “Once or twice. Then them muthafuckas was smiling in my face a few days later, like they wasn’t jumping on my back, knocking me over the head.”
My shoulders shook with laughter. “Mannn.”
“I’m telling you, dog. They’re basically a fucking gang.”
When he said that, I thought about the times that Jaylah randomly flipped the script on me, like the time she put a knife to my fucking throat. At the time, I thought that she was stepping outside of her character, and now I was beginning to believe that it was nothing new to her.
“Come on, nigga! What’s up!”
I lifted my head to see Big Baby squaring up with JJ. She had an incredible stance, before slap boxing with him. Then just like Wale had just talked about, all the women swarmed him, busting him across the head.
After a while, a few of the guys stepped in, and soon after they were all wrestling across the sand. Jaylah would often talk about how her and her siblings would revert to big kids whenever they were all together, and I was now witnessing that firsthand.
“Say.” I licked my lips. “I know that you officially retired,” I referred to his once illegal activities. “But when did you know that it was time?”
“Shit, I had to learn the hard way,” he admitted.
“Keyasia had been on my ass for years, even while sticking beside me. Her and her mama would help with investments. Whatever it took. But I just couldn’t leave the shit alone.
Then one day, Keyasia woke up and said that she wasn’t doing that with me no more.
It was either my family or the streets, and she was serious that time.
I was mad a fuck, feeling like she was trying to force my hand…
but I couldn’t lose her. Then we had a real talk about everything.
Our finances. The safety nets. And I admitted that I had a paralyzing fear of being broke again.
With tears in her eyes, she said that if I lost it all, then we could always just go live with her mama and daddy, until they took pity on us,” he chuckled.
“She’s always fucking cracking jokes, but there was some truth to what she was saying.
She don’t have the ordinary family. It’s a bunch of movers and shakers.
She got one of the strongest support systems I done ever seen, and once we locked in, they became a part of my support system too.
And once I stopped looking at that from a overly prideful place, that’s when everything changed for me.
Now, I don’t hesitate to call this one or that one, when I can’t figure something out on my own.
I just had to let go of the idea that I had to always look like that nigga in my woman’s eyes.
A real man recognizes his strengths and weaknesses, and accepts when his woman might have to take the wheel. ”
Nodding, I was listening intently, while having a internal battle.
It was wild when I thought about it, because I wasn’t just the average hustler.
I’d done a lot of shit that I could only talk to God about, and the strongest pleas from Paisley never shook my position.
However, in less than a year’s time, being with Jaylah had me rethinking everything.
“What are y’all over here talking about?”
I lifted my head, and found Jaylah now standing directly in front of me in her form fitting sundress, with her hands on her hips.
“You.” I smirked.
She smiled. “I bet.” She grabbed my hand, forcing me to stand. “Come dance with me.”
She guided me towards the middle of the area, before glancing over her shoulder. “Jhyrah, play that song for me.”
Her sister nodded, before that Destiny’s Child floated through the wireless speakers.
“Boy, I know you want me, I can see it in your eyes…”
Jaylah hooked her arms around my neck and sang to me. Licking my lips, I was trying to hold back a blush, as she vulgarly humped me.
“Man, what chu doing?” I chuckled.
She gazed up into my eyes. “Nothing. Why is your dick hard?”
“No, it’s not,” I lied.
Brazenly, she reached down and groped me. “Stop lying. You wanna fuck me, Khamere?”
“Mann.” I drawled, as my head fell back.
“You got me fucked up!”
Me and Jaylah both whipped our heads around, trying to figure out what was going on.
That’s when we saw that Naomi, JJ’s BM was dragging her friend, the girl she’d brought along on the trip, across the sand by her hair.
The girl wasn’t getting a lick in, as Naomi worked her face.
Then just when it looked like it was over, she dropped her friend, before hauling off and slapping JJ.
“You disrespectful muthafucka! Letting that bitch sit on your lap!”
Glimpsing at Big Baby, I was curious to see what she’d do. Her and her sisters.
“That’s right, girl!” Jaylah shouted. “Whup his ass!”
Shaking my head, I chuckled. “Damn. You aint gon try to defend your brother?”
“Nope.” She popped her lips. “We don’t uphold our brothers in the wrong. So, all my sister-in-laws can get active, if they want to. And we’ll always let them.”
I furrowed a brow. “So, y’all do be jumping the men in the family?”
She locked eyes with me. “Yep. So, you better walk light.” She swatted my ass. “And tighten up.”