FOE
When the door opened, I went straight into what I had to say, “That nigga got to go!” I spat.
Chevy dropped his head as he stepped back to let me inside his house. I clapped my hands together. “That nigga Monfua. Chev, I’m telling you I’m trying, but that nigga man, I’m about to take his ass to the king.”
Chevy closed the door before he turned to me. “Deal with it. Monfua and the other guys are part of the Zoo, whether you like it or not. We’re a family,” he paused. “Shit, the nigga is your brother-in-law, not mine.”
I waved him off. “I’m not in the mood for jokes, nigga I’m serious.”
“Yeah, well, so am I. What the fuck happened?”
I stared at him as I went to say something, then stopped. “Nothing.”
I knew if he found out we fought, he would be pissed.
He would still bring up Zu and my fight every now and then.
Chevy felt like once he deemed us family, that was it.
I knew he expected more from me, but shit, he also knew how I was.
I ran my hand through my locs at the amount of frustration I had brewing in me.
A part of me felt like I was helping my sister when I busted through his door, but the other half of me knew I had fucked up.
Chevy walked past me and grabbed the baby monitors. “Let’s go out back and smoke. The boys are asleep. A nigga can finally get some green time.”
I followed behind him toward the back sliding doors when one of his plant leaves moved somehow, hitting me in the face.
I swung on that shit, damn near knocking the leaf off the stem.
Chev snapped. “Don’t you ever hit my shit like that nigga.
That’s King. He ain’t done shit to you. Yo, bring yo ass outside before I kick you out. ”
“Man, fuck these plants. Dr. Green Thumb.”
He raised his brows. “It’s going to be Dr. Beat Foe’s ass if you keep on.”
He and I went onto his back deck and lit up. Chevy seemed like he was in a better place, which, at one point, none of us thought we would see. He had been through so much, not only with the crew but with his family. If he could get through it, so could I?
I leaned forward to glance at him. “How are you able to keep your chin up through it all?”
He paused mid-blunt before he turned to me.
“Is that what you think? Out of all the shit you guys watch me go through, you think my chin was up the entire time. Nigga, over the last year, I’ve been broken down to the bottom, and I mean, to the ground, scraping for air.
A nigga is far from perfect, but you have to find a way to grow up, to learn when to pick and choose your battles.
So ‘chin up’ is a statement, but is the action leading the statement?
I’m going to ask you again,” he said as he continued to pull on the blunt. “What the fuck happened?”
When he passed it to me, I took a few pulls before I spoke. “We fought,” I tried to mumble.
Chevy’s head snapped my way. All that calm shit went right out the window as something flicked in his eyes. “Fuck you mean we fought?” his head bobbed to the side.
“Shit, I mean, threw hands, squabbled up, scrapped, kung fu, WWE. Shall I keep going?”
Chev’s face balled up. “Foe, I’m not in the mood. I thought you were past that stage? Fuck are you fighting for? The shit with you and Zu wasn’t enough. Nigga, he’s a part of the crew now, whether any of you niggas like it or not; they are here to stay. Not only that—”
I waved him off, “I get it, you don’t have to keep going.”
He laughed. “Nigga you came to my house with the shits, so let me finish. You fought him for Lakia? Did she ask you to step in? Was the nigga putting the paws on her? Come on, I’m waiting because what you're saying to me is that you don’t like him, and for me, the shit isn’t good enough. So, help me understand.”
I didn’t have a response. Chevy stood. “You know what fuck all that. Meeting at the Zoo tonight, we’re about to squash this shit.
My crew is about family, not enemies. You,” he pointed to me.
“An OG, a nigga that knows what it’s like being the new guy, and here you are still on the same shit, Myles.
Does Harvey know you’re out here fighting?
I think you need to focus less on what your grown ass sister is doing and more on your relationship with my sister. Don’t be a Zu.”
The sound of the twins came in on the monitor. Chevy looked down at the monitor, then at me. “My little niggas need their dad. See yourself out,” he finished and went back inside.
Him trying to tell me how to handle my sister irritated me, but the idea of me losing Harvey hit harder. I stood from the chair to leave. When I entered the house, the plant came down again, smacking me in my face. This time, when I swung, I hit it so hard the leaf flew off.
I hurried and rushed out of the house. Chevy was already irritated about the fight the nigga was really about to be on my ass about his funky fucking plant. I didn’t know if I would be able to get over the situation like that, but I knew I had to try to keep my cool.