Page 33 of Welcome to the Table
“Hellcat gon’ be Hellcat, but what about you? I have known you your entire life, and you have always been quiet and private. When I walked in this bitch, everybody’s face looked surprised, but yours didn't. Either some shit happened before I got here, or you knew I was coming.”
I hit the blunt and passed it to him. I could tell that he was thinking about his next words or if he wanted to tell me or not, but that would be up to him. He inhaled hard as fuck then sat up on the couch.
“I didn’t know that you were coming. I thought this was just a regular monthly meeting. I saw no problem with bringing my lady with me. I thought it was time for the family to meet her. I planned to propose to her, but that shit went left when Athena noticed who the fuck she was.”
Now, I was confused. If they had never met her before, then… You know what? Never mind. I shook my head and let him continue.
“I kept her hidden because I knew shit would shake if I started bringing her around. I just wanted to love in peace, but I had this feeling in my gut before we walked into the house that the shit would be a mistake. You been around long enough to know how the family is,” he told me, and my mind perked up.
“Who is she?” I asked.
“Klarity. We grew up together. She was my best friend back then. She left, and I ran into her on some business shit five years ago in Atlanta and brought her home with me. I was in love.” Before he could finish his sentence, I had to interrupt him.
“You talking about Faith and Jacob’s daughter?” I asked him with a scowl plastered on my face.
“How the fuck did you know?” he asked.
I knew Athena would be pissed if I told him the truth without her blessing. I couldn’t tell Calliope I was the reason his best friend had left him a long time ago. That I had killed Jacobbecause his debt was too big for his life to be spared. I tortured that nigga until he begged for his life while Faith watched. Faith and their daughter, Klarity, were only spared because she was his best friend. They had to leave the city, or they would be killed like Jacob.
“I told you I have been running with your father before y’all were thought of. When you ran into her, did she tell you what she did for a living?” I asked him. I needed to know if she posed a threat.
“The shit doesn’t matter now because they treated her like shit, and she was escorted off the estate to a Lyft. They gave no explanation, and I couldn’t even ask them what the fuck was going on because the shit was happening too fast. Plus, I didn’t really feel like getting into it with Athena or Melph. I spoke a little but not too much.”
I listened to the tone of his voice, but I wasn’t about to add fuel to the fire. The hurt was evident in his eyes.
“Don’t think too hard on it. She might be at the house waiting on you,” I tried to tell him, but I knew that wasn’t the case. She was probably halfway across the fucking country somewhere.
“The shit was crazy because I never knew they had dealings that many years ago. Like, I knew we all grew up together, but damn,” he said, and I just nodded.
“I only came to help out in your father’s absence. I’m not here to step on anyone’s toes or control shit. The position that I have is to make sure shit stays according to plan. Nothing will change, but I am here if you need me,” I told him, changing the subject.
He nodded his head.
“Now, if I could just get through Hellcat’s thick ass skull and get him on board, then everything would be fine,” I said, and he shook his head.
“That shit will never happen, but good luck on trying. Don’t you have a wife? Where is she? And why are you living here while Melph is away?”
This nigga didn’t miss anything. I mentioned earlier that I didn’t have a wife, but I do. I keep her away from this side of my life. She had her own shit going on, and if Melph knew who she was, that would fuck up our friendship for sure.
“She is living her own life and staying away from mine. We have an understanding. As far as me living here, it’s your father’s orders.”
No one understood our marriage, and it wasn’t for them to. We knew what it was, and one day, I would sit down and tell Melph why she was my wife and try to salvage our friendship.
“Y’all weird as fuck, but okay,” he said, standing and putting his biker jacket on. He gulped the last of his drink and put the blunt out before walking toward the door.
“I’ll try to get to Hellcat and talk to him,” he said with his back to me.
I didn’t say anything. That nigga’s head was made of solid concrete. I watched him walk out the door with his head down and knew he was hurt about the shit, but couldn’t say shit, and I wasn’t either. Karma was coming back full circle, and I hoped that everybody was ready for it.
My next destination was Jaci’s room. I knew she was hurt to come home, and her father was leaving, so I had to check on her. I walked up the stairs quietly and made a beeline straight to her room. I knocked and then entered her room. She was sitting in the middle of her bed with her head down.
“What’s up, Pumpkin?” I called her by her childhood nickname I made for her because she was fat as hell when she was born. Her chubby cheeks never left, but she had grown to be a beautiful young lady.
She looked up at me with tears in her eyes, and I knew Melph had talked to her already. I closed the door, walked further in, and sat on her bed. I grabbed her and let her quietly weep in my arms because I knew she was hurting.
Chapter 8
Jaci Black
