Page 26 of Standing In The Sun

“Don’t talk to me like you know me,” Sheena shot back, eyes narrowing into daggers. “I raised my kids already. Ain’t nobody come to help me. I got my own life.”

“Life?” Tiny scoffed, looking around pointedly at the peeling paint, the dim hallway porch, the chaos barely concealed behind the half-opened door. “This is your life?”

Sheena stepped forward, finger outstretched like a weapon. “Who the hell you think you are, coming here judging me? You don’t know shit about my life. Take your bougie ass back to whatever suburb you crawled out from.”

Tiny laughed bitterly, stepping closer until they were nearly nose-to-nose, the air crackling with danger. “Don’t let these designer clothes fool you. I will drag you out your own shit and beat yo’ ass like your mama should’ve.”

The tension thickened until Lunar’s quiet, steel-edged voice sliced through. “Shut the fuck up!”

Both women turned sharply, startled by the force behind his seemingly calm demeanor. Lunar’s grip on Kamari tightened protectively. The child had fallen asleep, unaware of the chaos that surrounded him.

Lunar looked at Sheena, his voice firm, every word laced with an authority born of something deeper than status. “He doesn’t need your money or your space. He needs somebody who cares enough to put him first. Clearly, you ain’t got that in you.” He paused, letting the truth settle. “I’ll keep him.”

Tiny turned to Lunar, surprised. “Baby?—”

“I’ll keep him,” Lunar repeated, his conviction unwavering, as if saying it twice made it permanent. He stared down at Kamari, his chest tightening with an emotion he hadn’t allowed himself to feel before. He realized he bonded with the kid as soon as Ahvi was taken away - instant love—deep…protective…fierce. “He’s mine now.”

Sheena watched, her eyes softening only slightly, a tinge of shame buried beneath her pride. “Suit yourself. But I can’t help with nothing. My daughter, Butta might want to though. Leave your number so she can get in touch.”

He rattled off his number, making sure he told her to give it to Ahvi when and if she called. He knew she’d want to hear from her baby even if Kamari couldn’t talk.

Tiny exhaled turning around, ready to leave, her body still heated with anger. Lunar stepped past her, cradling Kamari closer, and felt something shift within him. He thought of his father - the man he didn’t know, whose absence had shaped every choice he’d ever made.

Lunar wondered if maybe his father was behind this—some divine arrangement, some last, quiet prayer finally answered.

“Come on, Ma,” Lunar whispered softly, moving toward the porch. “He’s ours now.”

As they left Sheena behind, Lunar silently vowed to do right by Kamari—not just for Ahvi, and not even for himself, but as the final request his father had whispered to God.

seven

Ahvi saton the cold metal bench, her elbows digging into her knees, hands laced together so tight her knuckles turned white. She wasn’t new to this, but it felt different this time.

She had been booked before - processed, tossed into holding like she was nothing. But this time, her heart wasn’t just beating for herself, it was beating for Kamari. The thought of him out there without her, made her stomach twist in a way she wasn’t prepared for.

This was the shit Ish warned her about, yet this time he wasn’t there to bail her out and promise the judge she wouldn’t do it again. This time, she was in the world all alone with no one to save her. And that was okay, she didn’t need saving—she just needed someone to be there for her son. If Dro cared and was around, maybe she wouldn’t be in this situation.

The fluorescent lights overhead hummed, and the sharp scent of bleach and sweat filled her nose. The other women in the cell were sprawled out in different states of exhaustion - some quiet, some eyeing her like they were trying to figure out if she was worth talking to.

One of them finally spoke up.

“You look like you ‘bout to pass out,” the woman across from her muttered, stretching her legs out in front of her. She was older, mid-forties maybe, with tired eyes and a voice rough from too many cigarettes. “This your first time?”

Ahvi shook her head, exhaling through her nose. “Nah.”

The rule on not making friends in jail rang in her head, so she didn’t want to give the woman too much.

The woman smirked, “Didn’t think so. You got that look like you tryna keep it together, though.”

Ahvi snorted, shaking her head. “Ain’t got no choice.”

The woman hummed, nodding like she understood. Maybe she did.

“You got kids?” the woman asked after a moment.

Ahvi swallowed, her throat tight. “Yea…one.”

Whoever made up small talk needed to be in jail because there was never enough time for it and no one really liked to do it.

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