Chapter 12 Kairo
Kairo
Later on in the week, work felt… normal again.
Things at home had been calm. I worked late a few nights, but not every night.
Khloe didn’t trip the way she used to. She’d say something slick here and there, but she didn’t harp on it long.
And oddly enough, Khloe had gone into the firm three days that week.
That wasn’t normal, but I was glad that she was in her own groove.
I could tell she was happy doing what she loved, and I was proud of that.
I walked into the office that morning with two boxes of donuts headed straight for Kemi’s desk. She was just hanging up the phone.
“Tell me you brought those for me,” she said.
I set the boxes down. “Hell yeah. As much of that sweet-ass coffee you drink every day, I know you keep a sweet tooth.”
She laughed. “You know me too well.”
Then she started speaking business. “That was Mrs. Nikki. Again.”
I exhaled slowly. “Of course it was.”
“She wants to know if you’ve scheduled any new viewings for her yet.”
I rolled my eyes and rubbed my face. “I’ve already shown her four homes that were perfect with almost all the things she asked for.”
“Mmhm,” Kemi said while eating a donut.
“But now she wants a house that’s already built with shit that realistically she needs to have built and add herself” I continued. “She wants a finished vision without the process.”
Kemi nodded in agreement. “That part.”
“I’m tempted to call my mama and tell her she needs to get her friend.”
Kemi laughed. “Well… she’s adjusting to a newly divorced life. And yeah, she walked away with money, but that doesn’t take away what that kind of change that does to you mentally.”
She gave me a serious face.
“She’s probably just trying to find a place that feels right,” Kemi added. “Somewhere that feels like a reset and everything she wants.”
I got quiet because Kemi would know.
I didn’t know her back then, but over time she’d shared pieces of her story. I knew she was divorced and how draining it was with the court dates, paperwork, and the constant explaining. It would all eventually wear you down mentally, especially when you have a child watching everything unfold.
She and her son moved in with her aunt after the divorce until my dad helped her apply for grants and eventually buy her own place. That kind of resilience stayed with you.
I stared down at the floor for a moment. “Maybe I’ll call Mrs. Nikki later,” I finally said. “See where her head’s at.”
Kemi nodded. “That’s probably best.”
I walked to my office and closed the door behind me and leaned against it for a second. My mind drifted to Khloe. It had been happening a lot lately—little moments where she slipped into my thoughts out of nowhere, so I pulled my phone out and called her.
It rang once and then went straight to voicemail. Before I could even call again, a message popped up automatically.
Can’t talk right now, can I call you later?
I frowned at the screen because that was weird. She never scheduled meetings early at work. And even when she did, she’d still answer my calls. I stared at the message for a second, then figured it was a glitch or some random shit and hit call again.
She picked up almost immediately, laughing.
“What’s up, baby?” I asked.
“Oh—hey,” she said, like she’d been pulled out of something.
“I was just calling to check in on you.”
“Well, aren’t you too sweet.”
“You’re at work?” I asked.
“No,” she said. “I’m at the post office, picking up a package.”
“What’d you order?” I asked, opening emails on my computer screen.
“A record player.”
I paused. “A… record player?”
“Yeah,” she said laughing. “I’m gonna go get some records today. I think it’ll look really cute in the kitchen. You know that empty counter I’ve been trying to figure out what to do with?”
“Oh,” I said slowly. “Okay.”
“I called you right before this call,” I added. “It sent me one of those messages asking if I could call you back.”
“Really?” she said, sounding genuinely surprised. “I didn’t even realize. I was probably on the phone. I’m sorry.”
I didn’t say anything, but I already knew she was talking to Coffee. They could be on the phone talking for hours if they wanted to.
“It’s cool,” I said. “Today shouldn’t be long for me anyway. I should be home early for dinner.”
“Okay,” she said, not fully convinced. “I’ll see what Kennedi wants and cook that.”
“I love you,” I said.
“Love you too.”
Once we hung up, I set my phone down just as there was a knock at my office door.
Before I could say anything, Kemi cracked it open and leaned in. “Your brother’s here to see you.”
“Let him in.”
The door opened wider, and Kordai walked in. We locked eyes and grinned at the same time. I stood up and met him halfway, pulling him.
“I was just finna say,” he joked as we pulled apart, “why the fuck didn’t I just walk in—then I remembered you not rude like Kross and Kendrix.”
I laughed. “Them niggas act like Olivia Givelle didn’t raise them.”
He sat into the chair across from my desk, stretching his legs out. “Yeah, I actually have home training.”
Although our parents had four boys, we were all close in different ways.
Kross and Kendrix clung to each other like glue.
Mama always said it was because they were the middle kids, stuck in between everything.
Me and Kordai were close. We were different being the oldest and the baby.
It was a weird duo of the protector and the shadow.
He followed me everywhere growing up, and it honestly never bothered me.
“So,” I asked, leaning back against my desk, “What are you doing over here? You ready to get back into real estate or investing?”
He looked at me like I’d lost my damn mind.
“Hell naw,” he said. Then corrected himself. “Matter fact—fuck naw.”
I burst out laughing, shaking my head. “I had to ask.”
He laughed too, shaking his head. Now that he was home, we could joke about it. But before and during—wasn’t a single thing funny about what he’d been through. I hated the nights Mama cried, the way my parents’ house felt weird every holiday, or the fear of wondering if he was okay mentally.
“I’m just trying to figure out what my next move is. I don’t wanna rush into some shit just because it looks good on paper.”
“That’s fair. Take your time,” I said. “You earned that.”
He nodded, then looked around my office. “You still killing this shit though.”
“Trying,” I said honestly.
Kordai leaned back in the chair and shook his head. “Man, I really came by here to holla at Pops’ ass, and he ain’t even here.”
I laughed. “Yeah, I talked to Mama earlier. Pops took her to breakfast, so he should be coming in soon.”
Kordai sucked his teeth. “Well damn. He could’ve said that. I was laid up with an old friend and rushed over here for nothing. I coulda stayed right where I was.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Old friend?”
He pointed at me immediately. “Aye, bruh.. don’t even do all that. I done said enough.”
I laughed, already knowing how he was. Kordai always talked to women, but he kept that part of his life locked tight. He never brought anybody around the family or let anyone get too comfortable in his business. If he shared anything, it was in pieces and usually only with me or Khloe.
“So let me get this straight,” I said, teasing. “You’ll give Khloe full details, but you quick to shut me down?”
He laughed, shaking his head. “It ain’t nothing like that, big bro. It’s just… some shit about women that you’ll never understand like Khloe will. So yeah, sometimes I ask her stuff.”
I stared at him. “You realize that’s my wife, right?”
“And?” he shot back. “That’s my sister. And guess what—anything I’ve ever told her was never repeated.”
We both laughed.
“Man,” I said, “that was one time.”
“One damn time too many,” he replied, pointing at me.
I already knew where he was going, so I just laughed.
“I was sixteen,” he continued, “talking to you know who. All I did was ask you for a condom. You got so damn excited you went and told Kendrix and Kross.”
I groaned. “I was proud of you!”
“Proud?” He laughed. “Them niggas made a thousand jokes about me. I ain’t even wanna fuck no more after all that.”
I laughed so hard I had to catch my breath. “That’s not fair.”
“It’s very fair,” he said. “That shit was traumatizing.”
“But nah,” he added, quieter. “Khloe cool people. Always been. She listens without judging and that’s rare.”
I nodded slowly. “Yeah. She’s special.”
“I’ve been talking to Pops about something new I’m trying to get into,” he said.
I lifted my head. “What?”
“Trading.”
I blinked. “Trading?”
“Yeah,” he said, pulling out his phone. “You know I came home to loaded bank accounts. I been thinking about doing that day-trading shit I keep seeing everybody talk about.”
I nodded slowly, listening.
Kordai wasn’t wrong. When he came home, he came home set.
During the years he was locked up, Pops made sure money went into his account like clockwork.
My brothers chipped in, and I chipped in heavy.
I wanted him to step back into life without that panic most people feel when they get out and without that pressure that pushes men right back into the same shit that landed them behind bars in the first place.
Hell, if Khloe ever found out how much I’d been putting in there monthly, she’d probably lose her damn mind. But that was something she’d never understand as an only child. Big-brother shit.
“Yeah, I been seeing folks do that trading stuff,” Kordai continued. “Flipping money from their phones. It seems interesting. I don’t wanna rush into anything, but I don’t wanna just let my money sit either.”
I leaned back in my chair. “I mean… It can be good. But that shit ain’t just pressing buttons and watching numbers go up.”
“I figured,” he said. “That’s why I’m trying to learn first. Pops said the same thing. Do the research. Find the right people. That’s why we’re meeting up today to make some calls.”
I nodded. “That’s smart. You gotta have mentors. People who actually know what they’re doing, not the social media gurus.”
Kordai laughed. “Exactly.”
“I don’t know anyone personally in that space,” I admitted, “but I’ll keep my ears open. I sell houses to damn near everybody. Somebody I work with knows somebody who trades for real.”
“Bet,” he said, nodding. “That’s all I need. Direction.”
“I’m proud of you,” I said, smiling at him like he was still a baby.
He looked up, surprised, then shrugged. “I’m just trying not to fuck up again.”
“Trying counts,” I said. “More than you know.”
My phone started vibrating against the desk. I glanced down at the screen and sighed.
“Hold on,” I told Kordai. “It’s Mrs. Nikki.”
He waved me off. “Handle your business,” he said, tapping away on his phone, clearly texting.
I answered the call. “Hey, Mrs. Nikki. How you been?”
“Oh, I’ve been doing alright, baby,” she said in that sweet, drawn-out voice of hers. “Just checking in on you. Making sure you ain’t forgot about me.”
“Never. I’m actually just sitting in my office right now, chopping it up with Kordai.”
“Oh!” she said, sounding genuinely pleased. “That precious baby boy.”
I set the phone down and put it on speaker. “He can hear you.”
Kordai looked up and smiled. “Hey, Mrs. Nikki.”
“How you been, sweetheart?” she asked.
“I’ve been good,” he said. “Can’t complain.”
She hummed approvingly. “That’s what I like to hear. How’s your mama doing?”
Kordai shifted a little in his seat. He had his own apartment, but most nights he still ended up back at our parents’ house, sleeping in his old room.
Being locked up does things to people, so quiet spaces were tough for him.
Mama never complained—if anything, she loved having him around since everyone else was gone.
“She’s doing good,” he said. “Real good.”
“Well, that makes my heart happy,” Mrs. Nikki replied. “Tell my friend I said hello. I know we haven’t talked much since my divorce. It's been a lot going on.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Kordai said.
“Absolutely,” I added.
She cleared her throat and shifted gears. “So, Kairo… You found any more homes for me yet?”
I turned back to my computer, scrolling through my inbox. “Actually, I recently got an email about a listing I think you might like. It checks off a lot of the boxes you’ve been asking for.”
“Really?” she said, excited. “Do you have time tomorrow to take a look with me?”
“I do,” I said. “I’ll send you over the information and a time.”
“Thank you, baby,” she replied. “I’ll be ready.”
“Sounds good,” I said. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“See you then, baby,” she said sweetly, and the line went dead.
Kordai smirked. “She like you.”
I shook my head. “She likes anyone who talks to her.”
“Yeah, I bet,” he shot back. “You ain’t hear the baby every three sentences?”
I laughed. “Boy, if you don’t—”
“I’m just saying,” he interrupted, leaning back in the chair.
“Relax,” I said, shaking my head. “That woman been knowing me since I was in braces and football pads.”
“And?” he said.
I pointed at him. “I ain’t trying to hear all that weird shit.”
He laughed. “Hey, I’m just observing. You over here charming divorced aunties and don’t even realize it.”
“Well,” I said, standing up, “you gonna wait on Pops or come back? I’m about to head to show a client a new listing and then head in. I’m trying to make it home way before dinner today.”
He stood too, stretching. “I’ll wait a little longer. If he doesn’t show in thirty minutes, I’m gone.”
“Fair enough.”
He pulled me into a quick side hug before heading toward the door. “Proud of you, big bro.”
I patted his back. “Proud of you too, baby boy. Always got you.”