Page 53 of Honey's Special Roux

“Bullshit. Say what you got to say. I know you were trying to avoid talking about her, but we are here now. What’s new with Honey?”

“She moved to California a little after you went down. She cut all contact with anybody associated with you, including me.”

“Damn, I’m sorry to hear that. I figured she didn’t want to speak to me, but I can’t believe she cut you off too.”

“Yeah.”

“What else?”

“Miss Janie passed away.”

My heart sank at the revelation. “What? Are you serious? When did she die?”

“She passed a few days ago. Mama and Daddy told me this morning. They saw the family pull up and sent their condolences.”

“Shit is tough. I’ll have to extend my condolences.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

I shrugged. “I have to do something. Miss Janie and Honey were kind to me when I first moved into town. They welcomed me with open arms, and I should do something for the family.”

“Don’t be surprised if they aren’t excited to see you.”

“I’m not delusional.”

She hummed and ended the conversation. I bobbed my head to the beat of an unfamiliar rap song as my mind took over again. Miss Janie was gone. Honey’s favorite person was gone to Glory with God. It was shocking, to say the least. I knew better than anyone what it felt like to lose a family member. I hadn’t known what it felt like to watch someone die of natural causes, though. All I knew was murder, homicide, and suicide. The number of inmates who took their own lives had been wild to witness in my six years in lockup.

We went through the hood and stopped at Timmy Chan’s. I couldn’t even wait to get back to our side of town. I bust the wing and fried rice combo down in record time. I scarfed that shit down like a wild animal. I damn near inhaled the shit like a vacuum cleaner. The ride back to my uncle and aunt’s house was long because we were in traffic. I’d dozed off after the meal.

“Wake up, loser,” Dayari said as she lightly tapped my arm.

I jumped up and looked around. “We are at the crib already?”

“Yeah. You slept for about forty minutes. Made the ride easier, I guess.”

“My fault. I appreciate you for picking me up.”

“Of course. Who else would do that for you?”

“Nobody.”

The six years I’d spent in prison were some of the loneliest years of my life. I kept my head down in a book or magazine while I stayed out of the way. I spoke to a few OGs, but it wasn’t nothing serious. My game plan was to blend into the background, keep attention away from me, and serve my time. I stayed in the ratty ass library when we got free time. Other than that, I slept in my cell and worked out when I got my time outside.

As I walked inside, I half expected a huge welcome home party, but I was never one to have a lot of friends. I spoke to Mouse, and TK was no longer in Houston. He’d moved to Cade’s Cove which was an hour or so out. Other than my aunt, uncle, and cousin, I had no one. After I got jumped out of Merlot’s Cartel, I was a lone wolf in the world.

“Welcome Home, Marquise.” Aunt Dee greeted me first.

She pulled me into a hug and rubbed my back. She was much shorter than me, so her head rested on my chest. When she pulled away, she looked at me with kind eyes.

I smiled at her. “Thanks for letting me come back here, Aunt Dee. Y’all didn’t have to do that, so I’m grateful.”

“You’re welcome. We love you. We also brought most of your clothes from your old home. From the looks of things, I don’t know if you’ll be able to fit those clothes anymore.” She squeezed my biceps.

I chuckled. “Anything is better than the raggedy clothes I wore in prison. I really appreciate you.”

“Your uncle is outside on the grill. You can go speak to him. Dinner will be in a few hours, so once you’re done, you can shower and nap or whatever it is you planned on doing today.”

I nodded and headed through the house to the backyard. Aunt Dee and Uncle Cee always had my back, no matter what. It was reassuring to have a home to come back to, even if I didn’t deserve their hospitality.

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