Page 30 of Kairo

“Yes, Daddy?”

The pot had boiled over for me. The self-control I thought I could hold in was gone. This was a set up. I pulled out my phone and sent my uncle confirmation of the bike and who it belonged to. Immediately, my phone rang, but I ignored it. My father might have been his brother, but he was my dad.

“Daddy, slow down… but… Dad… you what?” She screeched. Junie slapped her forehead with her hand and groaned in agony. “Okay, we’ll be right there.” She let out a loud huff. She looked at me even more defeated. “Kairo, my dad wants to see us at the house. He… well… he saw us on camera earlier. He wants to talk to us.” That was music to my ears, because I had already made up in my mind the next time I saw Prez, he was dying. I wasn’t even fazed that he saw me ramming into his daughter. I was thankful that would be the last image he saw of her. “Um, I can drive back since you drove here.”

I looked at her with a twisted expression. There was no way in hell she thought she was getting on my bike ever again.

“Nah, pick one of these motherfuckers to drive. I’m riding my own shit.”

“Kairo! What is going on?” Instead of answering her, I walked out of the warehouse door and started my bike. Five minutes later, Junie came out on a white ninja. She didn’t have her helmet on so I could see her face. She looked sad, confused, and hurt. She rode over to me and stared. I kept a straight face, trying to contain my heart from feeling sorry for her. “Did I do something? Like, am I missing something?”

“Lead the way, Junebug.”

She sighed. I slid on my helmet and got in position to ride. Junie took off and I was right behind her. Tonight was going to be the last night she saw me and her father.

We arrived at her father’s house. There were additional cars, and I knew one was Belt’s. I wouldn’t be surprised if Junior was in the house, but it didn’t matter to me. My beef was with Prez, and if they got in the way, then it was what it was. I got off my bike, leaving my helmet on the seat. Junie stood beside me.

“Kairo, talk to me. You’re acting weird. If you worried about what my father is going to say, don’t be. I’m just going to let him know it is what it is. We’re enjoying each other’s company, are we not?” I didn’t answer her. Junie had now turned into the opp. “Please let me do the talking if you’re that worked up about this. My dad isn’t that bad.”

I looked at her and scoffed. “Fuck your daddy.”

She gasped as I brushed past her, heading to the front door. I could hear her shoes against the pavement as she ran behind me.Instead of ringing the doorbell, I knocked. I knocked so hard, pretending that the door was Prez, and I was beating on him.

“Kairo, why are you beating on the door like that?” Junie asked, but I ignored her.

She kept saying something, but it fell on deaf ears. There was nothing else Junie could say to me. I could hear Belt’s voice on the other side of the door.

“Goddamn, nigga, you knocking like the police!” He answered the door and looked at us. He shook his head and laughed. “Y’all in trouble.”

I didn’t waste any time. I brushed past him on a mission to find Prez. I could hear Belt ask Junie what was wrong with me.

I searched until I heard other voices and went straight there. As soon as I entered the room, Prez stood up to yell, but before he could finish, I had both guns pointing at his skull. I could hear the cocking of Junior’s gun.

“Kairo, what the fuck are you doing?” Junie yelled from behind me.

“Aye, what the fuck this nigga on?” Belt yelled. I heard a gun cocked, and I knew it was his, but I didn’t care.

“You got your gun pulled on me because I caught you fucking my daughter? Are you fucking serious?” Prez yelled.

“Daddy!”

“Shut up. I’m sick of you and your slutty ass ways.”

“Aye, man, come on. That’s your daughter you’re talking to,” Belt said to Prez.

“Everybody shut the fuck up,” Junior shouted. “I’m trying to see why this nigga pulled his gun.”

The room went quiet. I kept my eyes locked in on Prez. The only thing I could think about was how my father laid on the cold concrete ground because of him and how he was on the way home to kiss and hug my mama after a long day of being gone.The last thought was how my father wasn’t here to see me grow into the man I had planned to be.

“Tell me why I shouldn’t shoot two hot ones right now in your fucking skull,” I demanded. The room grew quiet. That pissed me off even more. “Nah don’t get quiet now. Tell me why the fuck I shouldn’t blow your fucking head off right now!”

Sniffling came from behind me. I knew it was Junie, and even though it pained me, it killed me more knowing this man killed my father.

“You come in my house and point a gun at me because you’re mad I caught you fucking my daughter on camera? Make it make sense, motherfucker!”

I chuckled. “You’re full of shit. Stop being a pussy and go ahead and admit it. You killed my father.”

Junie gasped.

---