Page 111 of The Last Man on Earth
I nod slowly. “I understand what you’re saying. That ain’t my intention at all.”
“Maybe not, but that’s what it looks like to me. And worse, that’s how it feels to her. I gotta watch my baby walkin’ around here hurt. You understand how that feels? Well, how could you know. You got a son, right?”
I nod. “I’m sorry, I really am. And I ain’t making excuses, but sir, I got six funerals to go to. People I loved and cared about that I lost out there. I’m trying keep my family from falling apart. Trying to keep myself from breaking down. It’s…” I trail off, closing my eyes, breathing deep.
“I’m sorry for your losses, son.”
I open my eyes to find that his expression has softened, just a little.
“That’s a lot.”
“Yeah,” I say quietly. “It is. I appreciate that.”
A long silence passes. At some point, the sky opens up, and rain patters against the windows. It’s not as peaceful as it was on the island, but it does calm me down a little bit.
Finally, I ask, “Can I see her?”
He shrugs. “She’s a grown woman. You don’t need my permission. But, since you’re in my house, I think, out of respect, you got a choice to make. Either man up, or go elsewhere. Ain’t no in between.”
I look him square in his eyes. “Understood.”
We stand, and he leads me to the front door. He pulls an umbrella out of the stand and offers it to me, but I shake my head.
“Thanks for hearing me out,” I say.
He nods once and opens the door for me.
I’m halfway down the porch steps when I stop and turn back. “By the way,” I say, “the media might get to be too much for y'all over the next few weeks. You’re all welcome to go to the Atlanta house. It’s gated and private.”
He nods. “Drive safe.”
“I will. Take care, sir.”
He closes the door, and I stand there for a few minutes, staring at the exterior of the house, letting the rain soak through my shirt before I finally walk away.
Without her.
In the car, I get a text from my manager.
Bash
No Mercy is number one again after five months off the charts. Album is number one again, up sixty-two places
Shit like that used to mean everything to me. A year ago, I’d have been at the back of the club on percs celebrating with a big booty stripper grinding on my lap and an appointment with my jeweler.
Now, it don’t hit the same. My boys ain’t here. My nephew ain’t here. And the one person I need in my life might as well a thousand miles away.
Chapter 57
Ari
Three days after mydaddy came home from work to find the entire street lined with news vans, we pull up to the Atlanta house with only our suitcases and frayed nerves.
We all stare at it with the same expression—eyes wide open, jaws dropped.
It’s massive with a long driveway, large gates, and pale stone that gleams in the sunlight.
Dorinda’s SUV is already parked out front. When she sees that we’ve arrived, she walks out with a clipboard and that no-nonsense expression that somehow makes me feel perfectly safe.
