Legacy
LEGACY
As I drove to the hospital to see my father, my phone rang with a FaceTime call. Glancing at the screen, I saw Ekon's name. I answered, and immediately, his excited, wide grin filled the screen.
"Yo’, , check this out!" Ekon said, panning his camera to show the background.
I blinked in shock. Ekon was standing right in front of my building. "What the hell, bro? You're in Chicago?"
Ekon laughed. "Yeah, surprise, nigga! I thought I'd come by to see you and visit Darrell in the hospital. Figured you could use some support."
I was floored. Ekon knew my dad well from his visits to Houston, and they’d hung out together quite a few times. The fact that he’d come all the way to Chicago meant a lot.
"Man, I can't believe you're here," I said, my voice thick with gratitude. "I’m actually on my way to the hospital now. I'll turn around and come get you."
Ekon shook his head. "Nah, don’t worry about it. I’ll grab an Uber and meet you there. No big deal."
My grin grew. "Thanks, dawg. Seriously, it means a lot that you're here."
"No problem, bro," he said, still grinning. "See you at the hospital."
I hung up, still smiling. Being an addict had been the worst thing I'd ever gone through, but it had also led me to some of the best people and successes in my life.
Seeing Ekon standing outside the hospital, my excitement quickly shifted to concern. There was something off about him. I was reminded of how I had that same feeling during our last video chat. Now, face to face, I knew he was suffering from more than simple exhaustion.
“My nigga!” he greeted, showing all thirty-two teeth. He pulled me into a brotherly-embrace.
Though his appearance was gnawing at me, it was still good to see him, so I embraced him back. “What up, bro?”
Letting each other go, he looked at me with eyes that looked defeated. “You know I had to come and check on Pops. That’s my boy.”
I chuckled, “He’s going to be happy to see you.”
“Same,” Ekon returned as he gestured for us to make our way into the hospital.
We made small talk as we entered the hospital and made our way to my father’s room. I suggested that we eat at some of the best places in Chicago and even hit a few nightclubs, but Ekon informed me that he had only come to Chicago for that day to visit my father. He had a return flight home in a few hours.
When we first entered the room, my dad's face lit up at the sight of Ekon. “Oh my God!” he bellowed weakly. “Ekon? What are you doing here?” He even managed to sit up, and his eyes lit up with joy.
Ekon grinned with pride as he strolled towards my father’s bedside. “You know I had to come and check on you and my boy.” He and my father embraced and then Ekon sat in the chair next to the bed.
I sat on the other side. As we settled in and started catching up, my dad shot me a glance that said it all. He saw it too. Something was different about Ekon.
"Man, can you believe the Lakers pulled that upset last night?" Ekon asked as NBA highlights caught his attention on the television.
I nodded, trying to keep the conversation light. "Yeah, LeBron's still got it. I thought the Warriors had it in the bag."
Ekon laughed. "Yeah, Steph was on fire, but they just couldn't close it out."
My dad chimed in, "It's all about the defense. Lakers stepped up when it mattered most."
Ekon nodded. "True, true. AD was a beast in the paint. Blocked everything that came his way."
As the conversation continued, the tension grew. The more I watched Ekon, I knew that this visit was about something more, something deeper. Our usual easy repartee felt off. I couldn't ignore how different Ekon seemed, and I could tell my dad was biting his tongue, trying hard not to bring it up.
Eventually, hospital transportation arrived to take my dad for some tests before his release the next day.
“It was good to see you, Ekon,” my father said, reaching out to shake his hand.
“You too, Pops.”
As they shook hands, my dad held onto Ekon's hand a little longer than usual, his eyes filled with concern.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” I interjected quickly, not wanting my father to say anything.
My father pulled his eyes away from Ekon and gave me a firm, short nod. We then slapped hands before I followed Ekon out of the room.
As Ekon and I made our way down to the lobby, he told me, "Your dad looks good. I'm glad he's okay."
I forced a smile, but the worry gnawed at me. Once we were outside, I couldn't hold back any longer. "Is there something you need to tell me, bro?"
Ekon stopped walking and sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping. "Yeah, man. I did come to see Darrell, but I also needed to tell you face to face. I have to close the Houston branch of Protection Solutions."
I stared at him, my chest sinking. "Why? What's going on?"
He looked away, shame clouding his features. "I relapsed. I'm not in a good place. I thought I could handle it, but I can't. I need to go back into rehab."
My heart ached for Ekon. I knew exactly how hard it was to stay sober, so I couldn’t scold him the way I wanted to. I gnawed on my bottom lip, shaking my head. But I knew the only thing that I could say that could help him was, “I'm glad you're going back to rehab. You gotta take care of yourself first."
He nodded, tears welling up in his eyes. "I'm sorry, man. I feel like I've let you down."
I shook my head, pulling him into a hug. "You haven't let me down. We all struggle. Just focus on getting better. We'll figure out the business later."
Before Ekon left for the airport, we grabbed something to eat. As we sat there, he opened up about how working around celebrities played a big part in his relapse. He was constantly surrounded by drugs, and it was too much for him. He admitted he’d been using since before I left, but lately, it had gotten out of hand. Rather than let it affect the business, he decided to shut down the branch and get some help.
I couldn’t blame him. There had been times when I was working that it took every ounce of strength not to relapse myself. I knew exactly how hard it was and I respected him for recognizing he needed help before things got worse.
Ekon refused to let me drop him off at the airport. I believed that he was too ashamed to face me any longer. So, I didn’t push and allowed him to call an Uber to take him. I was actually relieved that he left me at the bar and grill because I was able to take my frustrations out on some whiskey.
I appreciated Ekon’s visit and honesty, but it had come at a bad time. I had already been avoiding the feelings that came with Ri’s anniversary, which was the next day. I appreciated that my father was being released that day, giving us something happy to focus on. But the grief was hovering over me, taunting me. Thoughts of her perfect innocence threatened to overpower me, to take me under with her.
After a few drinks, I was still frustrated, only with a hard dick. I paid my tab and left. On the way out, a few women gave me longing, desperate gazes and it pissed me off more that I paid them no attention because I was too consumed with Bless.
Once I got in my car, I headed her way. I knew she had made it home from picking up the kids because the kids’ location was pinging at their house. I was determined to have this conversation and get my woman and my family back. Out of guilt and shame, I had allowed Bless to take the lead for five years. I had been doing whatever she’d wanted and how she’d wanted. But I didn’t have to live in the shadow of the weak nigga I used to be. I wasn’t him anymore. And because I wasn’t that weak nigga anymore, if she rejected me, I would deal with it.
“What’s up? I didn’t know you were coming.” Bless was hesitant, but she moved out of the doorway, allowing me in. “Did the kids call you?”
“No. We need to talk.” I looked around her condo, happy to see no signs of the kids. “Are the kids down for the night?”
She seemed timid in the presence of my dominance and determination.
“Yeah,” she meekly answered.
“Let’s talk in your room.”
I led the way, walking towards her room without giving her a chance to protest. I entered, holding the door as I waited for her to follow. Swallowing hard, she finally did. She padded inside on pretty, bare feet. My eyes swallowed her curves. She must have been getting ready to settle down for the night as well. The scent of Dove body wash attacked my senses. She was barely covered with a button-up sleep shirt that hardly covered her bottom half. Drinking her in, I closed the bedroom door behind her. She looked up at me, confused as I locked it. Then my focus anchored on her, the woman I dreamed of every night. The need to have the conversation fled and was replaced with the need to have her.
I took her face into my hands.
She grabbed my wrists, resisting. “, what—”
But my lips took hers hostage, devouring her resistance.
She relaxed as we breathed each other’s air. I walked her towards the bed and gently pushed her down on it, hating that I was no longer tasting her lips. But landing on the bed caused her sleep shirt to rise, revealing that she was pantiless. The sight of her glistening, bare mound encouraged me to switch gears. Climbing into the bed between her legs, I pushed the shirt above her waist. I forced her thick thighs apart, forcing her pussy lips to spread open as my middle finger slid between her folds. I groaned, feeling how dripping wet she was for me.
I slipped my finger inside of her, and she moaned. Her head fell back until all I could see was the curve of her neck. While freeing my dick with my other hand, I curved my finger up until I could feel the rough patch of her G-spot. My mouth was jealous of my finger, but it satisfied itself by going to her clit. I sucked it into my lips as my finger drew across her spot.
“Oh God,” she whimpered as her thighs quaked against the sides of my face.
I started a rhythm of stroking her and sucking her clit simultaneously. I flicked her clit as I stroked her G spot. She moaned and quivered, but before she could reach an orgasm, I brought my dick to her center and dove in.
She gasped, eyes widened with shock. She still hadn’t gotten used to the way that I stretched her out. But as I began to ride her, she began to buck along with me. Never losing my rhythm, I leaned down, resting on top of her. Our flesh pressed against each other, her erect nipples in my chest and my dick in her belly.