18. Ghost #2
About all the years we’d called each other brothers without knowing we actually were. The memories are different now. Every single one of them.
“You good?”
Maliah’s voice pulled me back. I looked at her before forcing a small smile.
“Yeah.”
She studied me for a second like she knew I was lying, then she gently squeezed my hand.
I squeezed it back. But my eyes drifted toward Mr. Browne and her Uncle Ty again.
Watching them laugh together only reminded me of one thing.
Some brothers spent their whole lives knowing exactly who they were to each other.
Ghost and I never had that luxury. I felt Maliah gently squeezing my hand again before I could drift any deeper into my own head.
“Tahari.”
I blinked.
“Hm?”
“They’re about to do the reveal.”
I looked up.
Her parents were standing together in front of a large black cauldron sitting on a wooden stand in the middle of the backyard.
Everybody slowly gathered around them. Phones were already in the air, ready to record.
Maylee bounced excitedly beside her parents while MJ stood off to the side with the biggest grin on his face.
“Aight, everybody,” Mr. Browne called, rubbing his hands together. “Y’all ready?”
Cheers erupted around the yard. Her mother laughed while shaking her head.
“I don’t know why you’re so confident,” she said with a smile.
“I’ve been telling you this whole pregnancy,” Mr. Browne slipped an arm around her waist, “my son is in there.”
She rolled her eyes.
“We’re about to find out.”
Someone in the crowd started counting.
“Three…”
And then we all joined in.
“Two… One!”
Mr. and Mrs. Browne each picked up a small glass bottle and poured the liquid into the cauldron at the same time.
For a second, nothing happened. Then a thick cloud of white smoke slowly rolled over the rim.
The entire backyard fell silent as we all watched and waited.
Little by little, the white smoke began to change.
A faint blue tint appeared near the bottom before spreading through the rest of the cloud.
Within seconds, the entire cauldron was overflowing with bright blue smoke.
“It’s a boy!” Maylee screeched.
The backyard erupted into cheers, clapping, and whistles.
Maylee screamed so loud I thought she might lose her voice while MJ threw both hands into the air.
Mr. Browne wrapped both arms around Mrs. Browne.
He pulled her against him before kissing her like neither one of them remembered anybody else was standing there.
When they finally pulled apart, he rested his forehead against hers and laughed.
“I told you.”
Tears slipped down her cheeks as she smiled at him.
“I know…”
He reached up with both hands and gently wiped beneath her eyes.
“Now don’t be messing up your makeup, Ma.”
She laughed through her tears and playfully smacked his chest.
“You are so aggravating.”
“And you love me anyway.”
“I do,” he said as he looked deeply into her eyes.
Watching them together and watching everybody celebrate was pulling at a nigga’s emotions.
I couldn’t help but smile. For a few minutes, the weight I’d been carrying didn’t feel quite so heavy.
The celebration carried on around me. Maylee was already telling anybody who’d listen that she’d known it was going to be a boy all along.
“I kept saying it!” she shouted. “Didn’t I, Mama?”
“You sure did,” her mother laughed while pulling her into a hug.
“I told y’all!” Mr. Browne said proudly while pointing around the backyard, “Ain’t none of y’all want to listen to me.”
Maliah’s Uncle Ty walked over and clapped Bleek on the shoulder.
“You got lucky. We all know you’re a girl dad.”
“Lucky?” Mr. Browne laughed, “Nah. I knew.”
Mrs. Browne shook his head.
“Dealing with him, this is going to be the longest pregnancy ever.”
The backyard filled with laughter all over again. I smiled as I watched Mr. Browne make his way around the yard, hugging family, shaking hands, and thanking everybody for coming.
He looked happy and not just because they were having a son but because he was surrounded by people who loved him.
When he made it back to Ty, they laughed about something before pulling each other into a quick embrace.
While watching them, I couldn’t help but think about Ghost. I wondered what he was doing.
He was probably sitting in that apartment by himself.
He was probably thinking I was too caught up in my own life to reach out.
The thought settled heavy on my chest. For two months I’d carried the truth around, convincing myself I just needed more time.
More time to process it. More time to figure out what I was supposed to say.
More time to prepare for the moment that I knew would change everything.
The truth was that there wasn’t a way to prepare somebody for something like this. I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone. Ghost’s name stared back at me from my contacts. I took one slow breath before pressing call. The phone rang twice. On the third ring… he answered.
“Yeah.”
His voice was flat. It was like he was almost irritated.
“You busy?” I asked.
“Nah. I’m at the house.”
I nodded to myself.
“I’m about to slide through.”
There was a brief pause.
“For what?” he asked with this annoyance dripping from his tone.
“I need to talk to you.”
“About Ryan?” he said eagerly.
“No.”
There was an awkward silence, and then he sighed.
“Aight. I’ll be here.”
He said before the line went dead.
I slipped my phone back into my pocket and looked around the backyard one last time.
Laughter still filled the air. Kids were still running through the grass, and music still played from the speakers.
Everything around me felt light, but the conversation I was about to have when I left here was anything but.