Chapter 3
Three
“How shit been?”
Noble licked his lips, glancing around at all the tables that were filled with inmates and families who missed them.
“How you think?”
Tuck snickered, cracking his knuckles while nodding his head. “I knew your militant ass would get those niggas in check.”
“They should’ve been in check,” Noble countered.
“You right,” Tuck agreed, expelling a breath. “But shit, when my partner in crime leaves me hanging, what the fuck you expect to happen? Some order will be shifted, right?”
Noble snorted, taking his gaze toward the small window that restricted the natural lighting. Coming here once a month was a duty he wished not to fulfill. Tuck didn’t know it, but Noble was tempted to send one of his soldiers to update him instead.
“Don’t mention that shit to me again, especially when I’m cleaning up your fucking mess.”
Tuck tipped his head. “A’ight cuz, you got it. You doing a huge favor for me but don’t forget, we started this shit together.”
It had always been the two of them, running the streets of St. Parklynn and stacking beaucoup money.
The Legacy Mafia had formed by accident.
Young men saw the leadership and bread being made, and they wanted to be a part of the movement.
It had grown rapidly, and by the time they noticed how powerful it truly was, Noble was out the door.
“Listen, I appreciate you, Noble. They tried to throw football numbers at me, but you looked out with that lawyer. Ten years is better than twenty-five, ya feel me?”
Noble nodded, dragging his index finger and thumb down the sides of his mouth.
Tuck had been indicted by the Feds. He was looking at numbers that would guarantee he die in a cell.
Noble couldn’t let his family go out like that, so he hired the best lawyer in the city and got his sentence knocked down to ten years.
“You still grooming Wolfe to take over?”
“Yeah, but that man don’t know how to stay focused. He say he want it, but I don’t see it. I’d rather pour into Zayd. He’s disciplined and not blinded by the bullshit that the other jits be excited about.”
“Yeah, he got heart, too.”
“And he’s been present. I ain’t really fucking with Wolfe like that no more.”
Tuck sat back in his seat. “What the family been up to?”
“Shit, beggin’ and acting entitled. You know, the norm type shit.”
Smirking, Tuck asked, “And what about Daysha? She still giving you shit?”
Noble chuckled. “She ain’t gon’ never stop. We gon’ be old as shit and she’ll still be mad at me.”
“I remember when you made your exit. She was devastated.”
Noble always blocked out that part of his life. Guilt awaited him behind that door, so he never opened it.
“You need anything?” Noble changed the subject.
“Shit, I’m straight. You got a nigga living in luxury behind this bitch. Plus, the guard gives me pussy when she can. I think the hoe falling in love with me.”
Noble chuckled. “You bold as shit to be fucking these guards. What if she get pregnant?”
“Then that’s her fucking problem. I can’t do shit behind bars, nigga.”
Tuck had this reckless attitude that Noble disapproved of. When they were running the streets, his impulsivity usually put them in binds that they often had to come together to solve.
“You still wild as shit.” Noble noticed their time had come to a close. Both men stood and exchanged handshakes. It hurt to leave his cousin behind, but he had been sloppy during his reign as The Legacy Mafia’s leader.
“Watch your back, Noble. You know we all need you, nigga,” Tuck warned.
“Always.”
Noble was processed out of the prison and headed toward his AMG truck where he got inside.
Starting the engine, he opted to listen to Nas’ King’s Disease album for the two-hour drive ahead.
When he got back on St. Parklynn soil, Noble drove straight to his son’s school to pick him up.
Waiting fifteen minutes in the car rider line, he spotted Kenji coming out the door.
Noble got out the car, trekking toward his son while turning the heads of a few mothers.
“Dad!” Kenji gasped, running toward him.
His son was one of the few people who could make him grin.
“What’s up, G?” He picked him up and kissed his cheek. “You ain’t think I was coming today, huh?”
“Yeah, I did. You always come, Dad.”
“You better had.” He tickled him, inciting a fit of giggles. “You know, Daddy gon’ show up for his boy.”
“Oh, Mr. St. Anthony!”
Noble spun around at the mention of his last name. Ms. Johnson approached him, wearing a grin that showcased every single tooth in her mouth. She adjusted her shirt, making sure to showcase a peek of cleavage to entice him.
“Hey, we have a field trip coming up, and I was wondering if you’d be willing to chaperone?” She licked her lips, sealing the covert invitation.
Noble looked at Kenji who was still in his arms. “A field trip, huh?”
“Yeah, Dad, we’re going to the Malcolm X Center.”
He nodded. “Then, I’ll be there.”
“Oh, that’s great,” she chirped, clasping her hands together. “Just send the permission slip back with your signature. Thanks so much, Mr. St. Anthony. I’m looking forward to your presence.”
Yeah, I bet…
“No problem.”
Noble ambled back to his truck and secured Kenji inside. He then got in and drove out of the parking lot.
“You hungry, G?”
“Yes, can we go to Juicy’s? Please.”
Noble glanced at him in the rearview mirror. “You know your mama don’t like for you to eat Juicy’s like that. She likes for you to eat healthy.”
“Aw, but Dad, one burger won’t hurt. We don’t have to tell Mama. Please, it’ll be our secret.”
Noble was tickled that his six-year-old already had the gift of gab.
Chuckling, he answered, “You a lil’ con artist but I got you. Juicy’s it is.”
“Yesss!” he celebrated.
Noble drove to the popular burger spot in the heart of St. Parklynn. It was a staple in the community that had been around for fifty years. When he arrived, he got out along with Kenji and they entered. After ordering their food, Noble found a booth, and they took a seat.
“Dad, do you know how to play soccer?”
Shaking his head, Noble answered, “Soccer wasn’t really my thing. I was more of a basketball and football guy. Why? You wanna learn how to play?”
“Yeah, me and my friends were playing it at school, and it was fun.”
Nodding, Noble confirmed, “A’ight then we’ll find a camp so you can learn how to play.”
For a moment, he silently marveled at his son.
Kenji was a mixed of both him and his mother.
He shared her toffee brown skin and had her lips while he inherited Noble’s raven eyes and nose.
Interrupting his appreciation for his son was their food.
Kenji wasted no time, taking a big bite from his burger while Noble inspected his to ensure it was to his liking.
“Aye, don’t stuff your mouth, boy,” he warned Kenji.
The little one laughed before chewing his food. “Dad, do you think you can move back in with me and Mama?”
That question was like a shock to Noble’s body.
He paused, trying to gauge how he would reply to his six-year-old who didn’t understand adults and their situations yet.
Noble and Kenji’s mother had divorced when he was three years old.
It was one of the few battles Noble had lost. His record had gone from undefeated to a loss so monumental that he was still dealing with the repercussions from it.
“So, you remember me living with you?”
Kenji nodded. “Uh-huh.”
“Well.” Noble paused. “I wished me and your mama could’ve worked out, G.
Sometimes adults don’t get along and they move on…
” His words trailed as the thought of his failure emerged.
Living with the reality of disappointing his kid was a pill that Noble still hadn’t swallowed yet.
More than anything, he yearned to give Kenji a two-parent household.
However, their life hadn’t panned out the way he desired, and he was ultimately to blame for that.
“I know you want me to move back but I can’t.
Me and your mama not together anymore but I’ll always be here for you. ”
“Dad,” he whined. “But I like when you live with us.”
“I know.” He reached over and swiped crumbs from the side of his mouth. “I wish I could change that, but I can’t. Now eat your food so I can take you home.”
Noble had to end the conversation for the sake of his own sanity.
For an entire year, he had sat in the puddle he’d made with his divorce.
He’d gotten dirty, was bruised, and ridiculed for the hard decisions he had to make.
Divorce hadn’t been an option until it became apparent that it was the only alternative.
After they shared their meal, Noble and Kenji made the journey to his home.
“You gon’ miss me, G?” he asked him, pulling into the driveway.
“Yeah.” He grinned. “But I’m coming to your house this weekend.”
Noble placed the car in park. “Yeah, I got you this weekend. Come on.”
The two got out the truck and walked up the stairs. Noble looked at the home that was once his, noticing Daysha had placed a few more plants on the porch.
The door opened, and she appeared, wearing a smile on her face. “Is that Mama’s baby boy?”
Daysha kneeled down as Kenji ran into her arms, hugging her tightly while she showered him with sweet kisses.
She stood up just as her smile evaporated.
Witnessing the simper she wore with Kenji had been refreshing since Noble never got a smile from her.
It had been that way for the last three years.
Daysha couldn’t hide her disdain for him.
It surfaced on her features every time he was in her presence.
“Tell your dad bye, Kenji.”
The only greeting Daysha graced him with was the cut of her eyes. There was never a hey or how are you doing? Just awkward vibes that Noble had to take because he was the antagonist in their story.
“Bye, Dad.”
“A’ight, I’ll see you Friday.”