Page 13 of So I Know it's Real

The excitement that once widened her eyes switched to disappointment.

“Am I supposed to think that’s funny? Everything isn’t a joke.”

“And every fuck buddy isn’t your soulmate. Stay up, Tia.”

Aside from the bar area, the building had three rooms. One we converted into a boardroom, and the other was a space we transformed into a cigar lounge. The basement had been quiet since the last time we tortured a snake, but it stayed equipped with weapons and materials that kept the squad war ready.

I stepped down the hallway at a sluggish pace, admiring the 3D wall panels and framed pieces I painted. The art ranged from animated images of black leaders to random visions in my head. Of all the pieces we kept on display, my favorite had to beO’Cyrus Dellinger’s old championship belts housed in museum-style display cases.

“Speaking of the devil!” O’Cyrus pointed in my direction when I stepped into the room, greeted by loud weed and voices.

“Speaking ofthatnigga!” I snarled. “Get it right.”

“Whatever. Tell these clowns a woman that sleeps with you on the first night can still be put on a pedestal.”

Ishmael, a weirdo I loved to hate, cleared his throat. “Durk is the wrong person to ask. You know he has trust issues.”

“Stop speaking on me. Remember, you’re the new kid on the block. Know your place.” I sat on a velvet couch next to my cousin, Shiloh, and grabbed a fresh pack of blunts from an end table. “Is that what this meeting is about? Turning hos into housewives?”

Church appeared from the bathroom wearing a sly smirk. “Don’t act like you have somewhere to be because the conversation makes you uncomfortable.”

“That hearing aid must be made of Vibranium,” I joked. “How did you hear me come in?”

“Shut up and answer the question, clown.”

“The answer is yes!” I groaned. “I don’t believe a woman loses value because she does what she wants. Now, if she does that shit all the time, that’s a different story.”

“If that ain’t the pot calling the kettle black...”

I looked up and grinned at Church’s fiancé, Blaze, as she walked in from the same direction he had come from. Of all the ladies connected to The Sons of Eshu, her wild ass was my favorite. If anyone understood the transition between ho to housewife, she did.

“Why is this even a topic of conversation?” Blaze quizzed. “Most women ask for a clean STD test, not a rundown of your past. We also don’t penalize you for having sex on the first night.”

I shrugged. “You can’t blame a man for wanting to know what he’s getting into. I mean that literally and figuratively.”

“Durk, be serious,” Shiloh’s wife, Stevie, muttered. “Even if you knew, you’d still sleep with her if she agrees to leave once y’all are done.”

“Ha! Ha! Ha! That shit ain’t funny.”

The subject made me think of the comments Barbara and Tia made about me on separate occasions. Their opinions didn’t do shit but humor me, yet the respect I had for my loved ones made me curious about how they felt.

“Since we’re asking twenty-one questions, let me ask y’all something,” I stated. “Do y’all think I’m childish?”

In unison, all eyes shifted to different corners of the room. The silence was louder than any insult they could have said.

“Never mind. Fuck y’all,” I spat.

“I mean, you can be rambunctious.” Loso was the first to reply.

Ishmael fidgeted with the side of his glasses. “Why do you care what we think? You never have before.”

My breath rushed on a grunt. “I was fucking around with Barbara last week, and she called me childish because I threatened to go fuck her daughter.”

“Durk.” Stevie sighed. “Please, tell me you didn’t.”

“What? I was just talking shit. I didn’t think it was a big deal.”

Shiloh pointed at me. “And that’s the problem. Whatdoyou think is a big deal other than tattoos, women, and street racing?”

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