Chapter 3 #2
“You not hatin’, though,” Najee replied. “You lookin’ out.”
“True. That’s your woman, though, so I stay out of y’all’s business. Anyway, hopefully she kept y’all’s house intact. I have some of your mail and stuff.”
Najee nodded but didn’t respond right away.
He was stuck on the fact that Renae hadn’t only been moving weirdly with him, but his family, too.
He thought she was just going through the motions when she barely answered his calls.
She then made the excuse that she had been busy and hadn’t seen her phone ringing.
There were only so many times Najee had let that lie slide.
Acting like she couldn’t find the time to speak to the man who still provided from a cell was bullshit.
He recalled how consistent she used to be.
How consistent and firm her love for him was.
The slightest switch-up wasn’t hard to catch.
Ever the observant, Najee hadn’t missed a thing.
He wanted to believe that she was just going through it too, but now he knew it was more, and he had every intention to figure out what.
“It’s all good. I’ma figure out what’s up and move accordingly.”
“As you should. Just be ready for whatever you might find out,” Nyesha said. “She’s not the same girl you left out here, and you’re not the same man.”
Najee’s brows dipped, creasing his forehead. “What you mean by that?”
“I mean… jail changes people. We know that. Even though it was a year and some change, you grew up in there. And from what I’ve seen, she didn’t grow with you.
Or chose not to grow with you. I’m not saying it can’t work, because it can.
What I’m saying is don’t walk in expecting it to feel like it did before. ”
He nodded slowly, fully understanding what she meant now.
“I feel you,” he said. “I just gotta see for myself.”
Nyesha gave him a half-smile. “Okay. Don’t let her talk circles around you either. You know how she can be. Real good at flipping the narrative and making you feel like you’re the problem.”
He chuckled a little, but there wasn’t much humor in it. “Damn, Iyanla. You been peepin’ for real, huh?”
Nyesha chuckled. She was indeed trying to fix his life.
“Always,” she said, tossing him a look that was part smug, part concerned.
She never played when it came to him and would go to war with anyone about her brother.
“I just didn’t say anything because I know that’s not what you wanted to hear in there. ”
Najee didn’t really want to hear the shit now, but it was needed.
It was the extra dose of reality that most people didn’t receive or chose to ignore.
Both were costly. His mind was running wild with thoughts of what could’ve changed since he got locked up.
Thinking the worst had never crossed his mind until recently. That’s not how he wanted to view Renae.
“I ’preciate that, sis. I’ll see you later on.”
She smiled brightly, knowing in some hours she’d be hugging him and no longer waiting for one of his collect calls.
“Okay. See you later.”
The call ended, and a commercial on the radio filled the car. The volume was low, leaving Najee’s loud thoughts room to invade.
“Shake that shit off,” Ron said, interrupting them.
Najee stayed quiet because he knew his uncle had more to say.
“It is what it is, and it ain’t what it ain’t. Either way, you gon’ be straight.”
His knuckle brushed across the bottom of his nose. “I hear you.”
And he was listening. There was a difference. Those were the only words Najee had to offer. He’d already gotten too deep into it with Nyesha. When the time came and he needed more advice, Uncle Ron would be there to give it. Right now, he didn’t want his nephew stressing. He’d done enough of that.
What he did know was that Najee had more patience than he did. Uncle Ron surmised that having patience was an age thing. The older he got, the less he had for certain people, things, and situations. He would’ve been on Renae’s head the second he felt her acting funny.
That was the difference between them. Najee was more level-headed when it came to certain things. Especially a five-year relationship that had been solid before now. He couldn’t just jump the gun.
Ron shook his head, lips pursed. “You got more patience than me. I would’ve called her from the gate.”
Najee cracked a smile. “You wouldn’t have done shit.”
“Shiiit,” Ron said, chuckling lowly.
They both laughed, and the tension lightened for a second.
“Anyway,” Ron said. “What’s your plans for the day?”
“Go to the crib first. Gotta get out of these clothes and handle the home front before I do anything.”
Ron nodded. The situation was sticky, but one thing he knew for sure was that he hadn’t raised Najee to run from his problems. He faced them head-on like the man he was.
“Good. Make sure you and your lady are on good terms. Get ya’ mind right. Shower that shit off and get yourself a real meal on your stomach.”
“Hell yeah. I’ma slide by Aunt Joyce’s crib tomorrow. Gotta look presentable since I’m popping up on her.”
Najee smiled, thinking about his auntie. She wouldn’t have minded his impromptu visit, so he was going to make sure he came correct. Now that he thought about it, he was going to give her a call beforehand so she could cook him one of his favorite meals.
“She gon’ hold you hostage all day.” Ron chuckled, knowing how it was when he stopped by his sister’s place.
“I don’t mind that. I need to chill with her as much as possible before I jump back into work.”
Ron nodded. “Yeah, ‘cause it’s about to be a lot of no days off.”
“I know I’ve told you over the phone but thank you for keeping Echelon afloat while I was locked down. That shit means a lot, Unc.”
“You know it ain’t nothin’. I didn’t do it alone. You’ve got a solid team around you, and they’re ready to expand just like you are. You’ve got some people who’ve been waiting for you to touch down, so don’t let your absence make it seem like business was stagnant. It wasn’t at all.”
From their phone conversations, Najee knew it hadn’t been.
In a little over a year, though one side of the business had slowed down, another had made up for it.
Old, dirty money became new, washed money, and Najee was ready to flip it all.
The hustler in him wouldn’t have it any other way.
Going legit had taken time, but it was worth it.
This minor setback had only put a battery in his back to go harder.
“Yeah, we gon’ make some shit shake, fasho. You’ve been the face of it in my absence, so I owe you,” Najee said.
“Nah. You don’t owe me anything but to stay your Black ass out of jail and run this money up. You do that, and we’re good.”
Najee smirked. “I can do that.”
“A’ight. And Saleem let me in on what you had up your sleeve. Your mama would be real proud of you.”
The lump in his throat appeared out of nowhere. He struggled to make it go down so that he could speak.
“Yeah... that’s all for her.”
When he started Echelon Express three years ago, Najee’s goals had always been clear.
He didn’t just want to make more money; he wanted to elevate his purpose.
After catching a case that could’ve cost him everything, hustling in the streets could no longer be his long-term plan.
And if it could, it’d come with risks he was no longer willing to take.
He saw the need for a reliable, luxury transportation service and jumped headfirst into the field. The lane he created for himself had opened many doors. It wasn’t just for himself, but for people like him who needed proof that change was possible.
The next level, the thing he had up his sleeve, was for his mama.
Echelon Express’ mission statement expanded in honor of Candice Drayton.
Until the ball was back rolling on what he wanted to do, Najee had kept it under wraps.
Now, with a year behind him, he was ready to make his mama and himself even prouder.
Najee may have been a product of his environment, but it didn’t mean he had to stay there.
He didn’t let it keep him there. He used it as fuel, not a chain.
That was the real power in choosing which direction he wanted his life to go in, even when circumstances and the streets had already tried to write his ending for him.
R enae wasn’t home when Najee finally made it there.
That should’ve been a red flag, considering she worked from home on Fridays, but Najee chalked it up to her possibly having changed her schedule.
A schedule he thought he knew better than his own.
She didn’t know he was coming home, so he didn’t expect a grand welcome or confetti at the door, but her presence would’ve been enough.
Even a greeting on the Ring would’ve sufficed, but that didn’t happen either.
Walking into a quiet, empty space felt off and unwelcoming like a mothafucka.
He closed the front door, taking a slow glance around.
Everything looked the same, but the vibe was different.
The scent of peach plug-ins lingered in the air.
Her throw blanket was draped over the back of the couch.
Fuzzy house slippers were right in front of the corner spot she loved to snuggle up the most.
He frowned when he saw a vase of roses on the coffee table.
To his knowledge, Renae hated flowers. Whoever sent them wasn’t aware or had forgotten.
Eyeing the written note on the card attached to them, Najee exhaled.
Get well soon, friend, he read to himself.
He recalled her coming down with a cold during one of their visitation days.
She always got sick right around the time when the weather didn’t know what season to stay in.