Page 8 of For the Love of City
“What’s shawty’s name?”
“Lyric.”
Trav smiled like he was proud of her name or it fit her when he hadn’t even met the girl yet. Neither of us had been out here trying to have kids but it damn sure seemed like we were both good with whatever the hell this was we were about to do. Maybe it was some shit because of how we were handled as kids and we were on some savior shit. Either way, I was glad he was down.
“Pretty name. But how we gone move?”
“Keep her close and raise her ass, the fuck else we gone do? The last thing we want is for her to be out here a target because of us. Especially with how big we about to be. She look green as fuck., Trav. Like she lived her whole life in the library studyingiambic pentameteror some shit. Real Ashley Banks hood addition.”
He was laughing but my ass was serious. I expected her to come in with some glasses to match her long ass braids cause she looked innocent as hell. “Bruh, what the fuck is that?”
I could only shake my head cause his ass was focused on the wrong shit. “You really needed to pay attention more in school, bruh.”
“Please. I graduated.”
“Yeah thanks to no child left behind. You were too busy earning a Ph.D in the streets so I can’t even fault you. Shit, I’mma have to find her some kinda extracurriculars or something.” My head fell back thinking about all the shit Ineeded to get her into so she avoided the shit I needed to keep her out of.
“You right. We can’t have no lil’ girl up underneath us while we handling business. She gotta learn how to move but I can’t see myself letting her follow in our footsteps. Shit, we turn enough niggas away from this life as it is. Kinfolk definitely not getting lost to the game.”
“True dat. But this shit comes through next week…everything gone be different.”
“We won’t have to worry about it as much. If what that nigga Yacouba is saying is facts, we’ll be straight and so will she. An invisible army watching our back ain’t something to sneeze at.”
I grinned and tried to relax at Travis’ reminder because shit had been good since we got King out the way. I wasn’t dumb enough to go back to the scene of the crime but a birdie had sent me pictures and the place looked showroom new. If anyone finally started sniffing around to find that nigga they would think he just jumped ship. I was bracing myself to be asked but so far it was quiet.
“True. Having them mafia niggas that nobody seems to be able to ID but everyone knows not to cross is crazy.”
“Just another thing to not be scared of until it’s in your face. Like the FEDS.”
“True. But I mean if we keeping her, we gotta take her out to eat or something to make her feel at home and not like we about to pimp her ass out or something. I know she’s gotta be hungry because I know I am. And I for damn sure ain’t cooking.”
Trav was laughing and pointing to the kitchen that was empty of anything besides plastic forks and paper plates. “City, you can’t cook.”
“Even more reason to go talk to this girl. I doubt she wanna feel like she gotta do that to earn her keep.” I stood up and stretched because my body felt stiff as hell.
“Yeah assuage her fears and shit about us.”
I hit him in the chest with a grin on my face. “Assuage? Maybe your ass ain’t skip as much school as I thought.”
He pushed me back, and since he was a heavy-handed muthafucka I felt it. “Shut the fuck up, City. I’m book smart and street smart. You wouldn’t be friends with a dummy.”
“True. Damn, we really gotta pass that on to a little girl. I’on’t know, shit’s fucking with me.”
“What is?”
“When you see her you’ll understand. She’s…somebody. Her soul is screaming loudly that she one of God’s chosen or something. And I know I sound crazy because everybody’s girl or boy issomebody, but her ass is special. Her destiny is written all over her and it’s crazy her mama ain’t see it.”
“Maybe it wasn’t meant for Reina’s ass to see.”
Trav would always get deep as fuck when it was necessary. Because he never wanted someone else to have the jump on him, his ass was constantly reading. He would read anything he could get his hands on no matter the subject. We stopped being roommates because he was spending as much money on books as clothes. The spare bedroom in his apartment was filled with bookshelves of books and shoe boxes. Whenever it was time to get that nigga a gift it was always some bread and a box of books.
“That’s her kid, though.” Although I knew firsthand that maternal instinct wasn’t something that everyone had I knew my mama lost hers behind a crack rock. Reina had all the stability necessary to love her kid and just didn’t. That was what I couldn’t grasp.
Trav was looking at me like I was soft but little did he know he would be too as soon as he met this kid.
“And Reina ain’t shit. Would probably exploit whatever greatness was in that girl and bastardize it for herself. Or make her feel like she owed her and drain her dry. It wasn’t for her tonurture so God put her where she needed to be. Which was with you.”
“Us, bitch. You not about to baby mama my Black ass.” I pushed him again as he laughed at me but I was dead ass.
