13. Ghost
Ghost
Istood there for a long time staring at the closed door.
“I gotta think about it.” Those five words kept replaying in my head.
A year ago, shit, six months ago, Tahari would’ve grabbed his hoodie before I even finished explaining the situation.
Now, he had something to lose. He had school, that job, Maliah, and a future.
Somehow, all of that mattered more than me.
More than everything we’d been through. I clenched my jaw and paced the apartment once before stopping in the middle of the living room.
I couldn’t even say he was wrong. But that didn’t stop me from being pissed.
Because from where I was standing, it felt like he was choosing them over me.
The same nigga we had robbed. He was siding with the same nigga who put a bullet in his arm.
All because he’d fallen in love with his daughter.
All because he had made a mistake. In my eyes, it was fuck that girl’s daddy.
I ran a hand over my face and let out a hard breath.
The crazy part was Trigga was finally doing everything we’d talked about when we were kids.
He always wanted to live a normal life. Just how his daddy had, and I should’ve been happy for him.
Instead, all I could think about was the fact that my best friend had to think about whether he was going to stand beside me.
That shit sat wrong with me. I dropped onto the couch and let my head fall back against the cushion.
My eyes landed on Ryan’s business card sitting on the coffee table.
I picked it up, turned it over between my fingers, and then tossed it back down.
My phone buzzed, and quickly I looked at the screen.
I hoped that it was Trigga telling me that he was going to have my back on this one.
Ryan
I let it ring. Eventually, it stopped. A few seconds later, another vibration echoed through the apartment.
Ryan: We need to talk
I locked the screen without replying, and then there was another vibration.
Ryan: The longer you wait, the fewer options you have, Giovani.
“This white boy doesn’t know when to quit,” I mumbled lowly as I tossed the phone onto the couch beside me. Not even five seconds later, it buzzed again. I snatched it up, already expecting to see Ryan’s name. Instead, it was a call from an unknown number. I answered anyway.
“Yeah?”
A man’s voice came through.
“You’ve been hard to find.”
Every muscle in my body stiffened.
“Who the fuck is this?”
A soft chuckle answered me.
“You already know.”
My grip around the phone tightened because instantly I picked up on the voice.
“Reemo.”
“I just wanted to check in to see if you remembered anything yet.”
“I told you everything I know.”
“I don’t believe you.”
My patience with whatever game he was trying to play was nonexistent.
“Honestly, I don’t give a fuck what you believe,” I spat before hanging up.
For a long moment, I just stood there in the middle of my apartment. Ryan wanted answers. Reemo wanted answers. The walls were closing in from every direction. The only difference was one of them could put me in prison, and the other one might put me in the ground.
BLEEK
I stood just outside the service bays with my hands tucked inside my pockets, watching Tahari work.
The little nigga hadn’t noticed me yet. He was too busy explaining something to an older customer whose SUV sat on one of the lifts.
Tahari pointed toward the front brakes while one of my mechanics nodded beside him.
The customer asked another question, and Tahari answered it without looking around for help.
A few seconds later, the man smiled, shook his hand, and headed toward the cashier’s desk.
Two months ago, he would’ve been the one asking questions. Now people were asking him.
“You watching him again?”
Sha walked up beside me with a grin.
“I ain’t watching him,” I brushed him off.
“You know you full of shit,” Sha said with a laugh.
“I’m making sure my employee is doing his job,” I said with a smirk.
“Mhm. Keep telling yourself that,” Sha said as he folded his arms across his chest.
I shook my head as Tahari rolled another toolbox across the bay.
“I’ll admit one thing… he’s been working.”
“I told you he would.”
I looked over.
“You told me?”
Sha nodded.
“I told you that if the little nigga wanted your Mali bad enough… that he’d straighten up. I also said that if his ass didn’t wanna get shot again, he would too.”
Before I could answer, Sha nudged my arm.
“There goes your child.”
My eyes followed his. Maliah walked through the front doors carrying a lunch bag in one hand and a drink in the other. She never even looked around. She knew exactly where she was going. Sha started laughing before she even made it halfway across the shop.
“That little girl wrapped around that boy’s finger,” Sha said in amusement.
“Watch your mouth,” I warned
“What? I ain’t lie.”
I made my way over there, and Sha followed behind. By the time we reached them, Tahari had already opened the Tupperware container.
The smell hit me immediately, and I frowned.
“I know that ain’t the steak ya mama made last night.”
Maliah looked over.
“Daddy…”
I pointed toward the container.
“I know my wife’s cooking.”
“Mama made enough,” she said with a smile.
“For us. For our house.”
I made sure to put heavy emphasis on the word our. She rolled her eyes.
“I was just making sure he ate.”
Tahari looked like he wanted to disappear.
“I told her she ain’t have to bring me nothing, Mr. Browne.”
Sha finally stepped in front of him. This was his first time laying eyes on Tahari in person. He folded his arms and looked Tahari up and down.
“So, this the little nigga got my niece stealing food out her daddy’s refrigerator?”
Tahari’s ears turned red almost instantly.
“No, sir,” he said while rubbing the back of his neck. “She brought it on her own.”
Sha looked over at Maliah.
“You hear this? He is throwing ya ass under the bus already. Today it’s him telling on you about lunch. Tomorrow he’s trying to get you to take a charge for him.”
“It is not that serious, Uncle Sha. I just brought him lunch.”
“I can see that,” Sha nodded toward the Tupperware, “you damn near packed him a Thanksgiving plate.”
“Because he be skipping lunch.”
Tahari finally looked up.
“I don’t skip lunch.”
She gave him a look.
“You absolutely do.”
“I just get busy,” he tried to defend himself.
“I don’t give a fuck who is busy and who ain’t. Leave my wife’s cooking in the refrigerator,” I looked over at what was inside of the little lunch bag she brought, “you even packed a biscuit too?” I asked.
“I told you he’d notice. I told you we could’ve just grabbed something after I got off,” Tahari said with a chuckle.
“And spend money? No,” Maliah cut eyes at me before folding her arms over her breast, “this is perfectly good food right here.”
I felt the nudge in my side before the words ever came out. Sha looked at me and laughed.
“That sounds just like Eternity.”
“I was thinking the same thing,” I admitted.
Maliah smiled proudly.
“I learned from the best.”
Sha clapped Tahari on the shoulder before heading toward the front of the shop.
“I’ll see you around, little nigga.”
“Yes, sir.”
I laughed because my homeboy treated his ass the same way I did. Maliah looked over at me.
“You done giving him a hard time?”
“For today,” I said honestly.
“I’ll take it.”
She kissed me on the cheek before turning back toward Tahari.
“I’ll call you later,” she said to him.
“I’ll be waiting.”
She smiled before making her way back toward the front doors. I watched her until she disappeared outside. Tahari looked down at the Tupperware still sitting in his hands before closing the lid.
“I appreciate y’all.”
I nodded once.
“Finish eating.”
He just nodded his head as he dug a fork into the rice and gravy. I started to walk away before stopping.
“Tahari.”
He looked up.
“Sir?”
I reached into my pocket and pulled out a set of keys before tossing them his way. He caught them with one hand. A puzzled look crossed his face.
“The warehouse called, and they got that transmission in for Mrs. Delgado Escalade.”
I nodded toward one of the company trucks.
“Go pick it up.”
His eyes dropped to the keys before coming back to me.
“You sure?”
“If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t have thrown you the keys.”
A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
“Yes, sir.”
“And Tahari.”
“Huh?”
“Drive my truck like you got some sense.”
A laugh escaped him.
“I will.”
He quickly repacked the lunch he was given, and I watched him climb into the truck a few minutes later. The engine came to life before he slowly eased out of the parking lot. Sha stopped beside me. We both watched the truck disappear onto the street.
“You trust him.”
I slipped my hands into my pockets.
“I trust my daughter.”
“That ain’t what I asked,” Sha said with a smirk.
Neither one of us said anything for a minute. I kept my eyes on the road long after the truck was gone. Finally, I offered him a response.
“I think he’s trying.”
Sha nodded.
“That’s all any man can do.”
I looked away from the road and back toward the shop.
“I just hope…”
My voice trailed off, and Sha looked over once it did.
“Hope what?” he asked.
I thought about the streets and all the mistakes we’d made. I thought about the people we’d buried and the life I’d spent years trying to leave behind.
“I hope his past don’t come looking for him.”
Tahari was out here in the streets robbing muthafuckas. I just hoped that whatever dealings he had in them were truly done. Sha didn’t answer. He didn’t have to because he knew like I did that some ghost had a way of finding you no matter how far you ran.
MALIAH
I rolled the windows down as I pulled out of my dad’s shop.
I let the late afternoon breeze fill the car.
The second my phone connected to Bluetooth, the last song that was playing had picked up where it left off.
I couldn’t help but smile. I turned the volume up another notch and sang right along with it.
“She said, she said, you ain’t no good, no good…”
I laughed to myself while tapping my fingers against the steering wheel.
“But you feel so good…”
The light ahead turned red, and I eased to a stop.
“She said, she said, what if I could? But I gotta leave you alone… She said I gotta leave you alone…”
Life felt… peaceful. School was back in session.
Tahari was doing good. And Daddy wasn’t walking around with the I’ll shoot you again facial expression every time he looked at him.
For the first time in a long time, it felt like everything was finally falling into place. My phone lit up across the dashboard.
MJ
I answered through my steering wheel.
“What’s up, favorite brother?”
He laughed.
“That’s because I’m your only brother.”
“Exactly, so don’t let the compliment go to your head.”
“I make no promises.”
I smiled as the light turned green.
“So, what’s up?”
“I’m just checking on you. How was the first week back as a senior?”
I sighed dramatically.
“It was alright. My teachers are already talking about scholarships, graduation, and college applications. They’re trying to rush my life.”
“You’ll thank ‘em later,” MJ said with a laugh.
“I better.”
I changed lanes before glancing at the GPS screen.
“What about you? How’s college treating you?”
“It’s cool.”
His response was dry as hell.
“Just cool?”
There was a brief pause.
“It’s actually better than I thought it’d be.”
“I told you.”
“You did.”
There was a little moment of silence. I was glad that he was actually liking school. I didn’t know if he would really get into it, but he did.
“Lemme ask you something,” he quickly said.
I smiled.
“Uh-oh.”
“What?” he questioned.
“Every time you start a sentence like that, it’s about to be some mess.”
“It ain’t no mess.”
“MJ…” I dragged.
“I’m serious.”
“Aight, then what’s your question?”
“You think opposites really attract?”
A grin immediately spread across my face.
“Who is she?” I said excitedly.
“I ain’t even say it was about a girl.”
“You ain’t have to. So, who is she?”
He let out a defeated sigh.
“Her name is Penelope.”
“Ooo, she sounds like she’s cute with glasses.”
He laughed a little too hard, so I knew that I was right.
“So, tell me about Miss Penelope.”
He was quiet for a second. He let out a sigh before he spoke. It was like he was trying to find the right words.
“She’s just different.”
“How?”
“She’s super quiet, she’s a nerd for real. She wears glasses. Got freckles. And she got this little gap in her front teeth.”
I smiled.
“She sounds cute.”
“I mean, I think she is, sis.”
“What makes her different from the girls you usually talk to?”
“Everything.” he didn’t even hesitate. “She don’t be checking for me.”
That made me laugh.
“There it is.”
“What?” he questioned.
“That’s why you’re interested it’s because she doesn’t act impressed. She’s basically humbling you.”
“I wouldn’t say all that.”
He was annoyed, and I could tell, but I didn’t care.
“I would.”
He laughed under his breath.
“I don’t know. I just like talking to her,” he admitted.
I smiled to myself.
“Then keep talking to her but don’t force it. If she’s really different, treat her differently. So don’t be tryna be nasty with her and shit.”
He was quiet for a moment before he burst out laughing.
“I think I can do that.”
“I know you can.”
“I appreciate it,” he said.
“I know.”
I appreciated it when my brother and I would have talks like this. Although I don’t think I ever told him to his face, I was so damn proud of him.
“And MJ?”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t go bothering that girl every five minutes.”
“I wasn’t planning on it.”
I could tell that he was smiling by the tone in his voice.
“Mhm. I know you.”
He laughed.
“Love you, sis.”
“Love you too.”
The call ended, but I couldn’t stop smiling. Poor Penelope. I had a feeling she didn’t even realize she’d already caught my brother’s attention. And she better get ready because I knew that he wasn’t going to let up until he got her.