2. Nyle Brown #2
Weston was the general manager of the facility.
We played ball against one another in high school.
When I announced the opening of Batters Up, he surprised me by reaching out to see if I needed any help.
I did because I didn’t have anyone besides my family agreeing to step in.
We met and came up with a game plan I knew would work. He’d been working for me ever since.
“I have a coach coming through to check everything out for his team,” Weston informed me, rubbing his hands together. “He wants to sign up for the premium team package if he likes everything.”
“Hell yeah. That’s what I’m talking about! We need two more teams to sign up for that package before I surprise everyone with a raise.”
“That’s exactly why I’m pushing to get them. I honestly think we’re headed in the right direction because he said if he likes it, he has a few buddies he’ll reach out to as well. You know word of mouth is everything.”
I pointed my finger at him and agreed. “It is. With us starting this travel ball team, I think it’ll help bring more business here as well.”
For years, Weston and I had talked about starting a travel ball team.
Since the facility was our main focus, we wanted to wait until the time was right to start.
When God gave me the green light, I moved.
It took some time convincing the city to allow it because of the rec ball teams, but once they did, Weston and I started promoting.
We had two dates set for tryouts, and the turnout was more than I imagined.
Over fifty boys showed up, but we could only choose twelve. It was one of the hardest decisions.
Weston and I chopped it up for a little longer, making sure we had everything in order before I went out for my first training session. My day was filled with them, and by the end of it, I was tired and starving. Nannie’s good home cooking was calling my name.
The drive to her house was short. Surprisingly, Naheem had beaten me and Brielle there.
His car was parked on the curb, so I eased into the driveway and got out.
The front door opened, and Naheem started running toward me.
I waited until he got closer and side stepped, almost causing him to run into my truck.
“I’m too tired for your shit, Naheem,” I warned.
“A’ight. I’ll leave you alone.” He approached me with his hand out, so I took it and pulled him into me. “What’s good, my boy?”
“Not much. I got off early today since our machines were down, so I called Nannie up to see if she needed anything.” Naheem pulled away and ran his hands down his bare face. “You know she had me going everywhere, right?”
I chuckled. “I’m not surprised. When she gets out, she likes to be out. Has she started cooking yet?”
“Yeah, she’s almost done. We gotta set the table for her.”
“We?”
“You heard me. I’m not the only one who is about to eat, so come help me.” Naheem tapped the back of his hand against my chest and started walking inside. All I could do was shake my head and follow him.
My stomach rumbled upon entering Nannie’s house. From the enticing aroma in the air, I figured she’d cooked some fried cabbage and hot water cornbread. There was no telling what else she paired with it, and I couldn’t wait to find out.
Along the walls were pictures of me, Brielle, and Naheem when we were kids.
Being that Renee was her only child, she didn’t have any other grandchildren.
Nannie was the one who raised us. She was the one who housed, clothed, and fed us while Renee was out doing only God knows what.
It worked out for me and my siblings because we preferred to be with Nannie anyway.
I rounded the corner to her spacious kitchen to see her standing at the stove, stirring something with one hand and the other on her hip.
Her head was wrapped in her favorite printed scarf, and she wore one of her many oversized dresses.
When she looked up and saw me, the smile that made me melt graced her pretty, aged face.
“Hey, Nyle.” She set the spoon down, wiped her hands on the towel hanging from her apron, and walked over to me. Nannie kissed both my cheeks before palming them and gazing into my eyes. “How was your day, baby?”
“It was good. Busy but good. I heard you had Naheem running all over the city.”
Nannie kissed her teeth and whipped her head to glare at Naheem. “Was that a problem, Son?”
Naheem shook his head. “You know anytime with you is never a problem, Nannie. Nyle was being petty by saying something.”
“What?” I hunched my shoulders. “That’s what you said outside.”
Nannie reverted her attention to me, and Naheem gave me the finger. I chuckled and peered down at the woman who I’d lay my life down for. She’d saved me from so much in life. I wasn’t sure how I’d ever repay her.
Nannie gazed into my eyes with her honey-colored ones and quizzed, “Are you okay, Nyle? Brielle told me you had another dream.”
“Oh, shit.” Naheem gasped. “You good, Bro?”
“Like I told Brielle, I’m good. It only crossed my mind twice today, and that was in between sessions. It left just as quickly as it came.”
While I knew my family was only concerned about me, I hated when they worried. They would handle me as if I was fragile, and that was far from the case. I’d worked through the hard parts, but they didn’t fully understand it.
Tears welled in Nannie’s eyes, so I gently grabbed her wrists and wrapped my arms around her. “Don’t do that to me. It’s been years since it happened. I can assure y’all, I’m healed.”
“I know.” Nannie sniffled and tightened her grip around me. “I believe you, but I still hold some guilt that I didn’t see the signs. I truly thought Renee was trying to do better by being involved.”
“It’s not your fault, Nannie. I hid it for so long, but you handled it for me. You’re one of the main reasons I’m healed.” I kissed her wrinkled forehead. “Focus on the positives. That’s what’s gotten us this far.”
No one other than Renee and my abusers knew what was happening.
As depressed as I was, I learned to mask it whenever I was around Nannie and my siblings.
Brielle was the first one to catch on. She started watching me closer, clinging to me almost. When I asked her what it was about, she said she noticed I’d been sleeping more and staying in my room instead of playing with her and Naheem.
I tried to convince her it was simply because I was tired, but she wasn’t buying it.
The last time I was abused, Brielle caught me crying in the bathroom.
She didn’t ask any questions. All she did was hold me while I bawled my eyes out.
It was the safest I’d felt in a long time.
Nannie walked in on us and started fussing about Brielle being in the bathroom with me while I was in my underwear.
When she realized I was crying, her face softened.
She tried making Brielle leave the bathroom, but she refused.
It was then I realized I could no longer hold it in and pretend I was fine. I wasn’t.
Slowly, my innocence was being stripped from me.
The love I had for baseball was being stripped from me.
Life was being stripped from me.
At first, I was afraid Nannie didn’t believe me, because she didn’t say a word.
All she did was kiss me and Brielle and left.
Hours later, our uncle, Benard, came to stay with us.
We kept asking where Nannie was, but he wouldn’t tell us.
The next day, we saw Nannie’s mugshot on the news.
She’d found Renee at a bar and beat the hell out of her.
The police were called, and Nannie was arrested.
Days later, the first man who’d touched me was found dead. The other two followed shortly after. Twenty-three years later, and their murders were still unsolved. Deep down, I knew Nannie and Uncle Benard were behind them.
Brielle arrived just as Nannie finished cooking. Naheem and I set the table and said grace over the food. Despite the start of my day, spending time with my family always healed something in me.