Page 29 of Dom 3
“I ain’t gon’ ask for every detail,” he continued. “But I’m gon’ say this once. I done buried enough brothers, cousins, and friends. I ain’t buryin’ none of my kids.” He looked straight at me first. “You runnin’ things now, Dom. You got power, I respect that. But power without caution is suicide. You understand?”
“Yes, sir.” I was strategic and powerful. Pops knew this, but it was his job to keep me humble enough to remember that I wasn’t immortal.
He turned to Dique next. “And you keep your head on. I know you love your jokes, but this ain’t playtime no more. You got that little girl to think about now.”
Dique nodded, with his expression turning serious. “I know, Pops.”
Pops nodded slowly with his eyes softening just a little. “Good, ’cause y’all mama might bark the loudest, but I see the whole picture. Every move y’all make echoes through this family. You protect what’s yours, but don’t die tryin’ to prove you invincible. Kings die too.” That line hit hard between us. His honesty was appreciated.
I finally lifted my head. “We got it handled, Pops. You don’t gotta worry.”
He looked at me a long time before speaking again. “You know that’s exactly what your uncle said before he got caught slippin’. I don’t need brave men in caskets. I need my sons alive.”
The silence that followed was inevitable. Dique nodded first, with his jaw tight. I took a steady breath, feeling the truth in every word. Pops finally walked over, placing a hand on each ofour shoulders in a firm, fatherly way. “You boys got the streets. I got this house. Just don’t make your mama have to pick out black suits for you all.”
We both nodded, with no words left to add. He patted my shoulder again, then turned back toward his desk, dismissing us with a nod. When we stepped back into the hallway, the sound of laughter floated from the living room. Ma was getting to know Keondra a little more while Amour ate her pound cake.
Dique blew out a breath and rubbed the back of his neck. “Man,” he muttered, half to himself. “Pops don’t ever miss with them speeches.”
“’Cause he ain’t talking for fun,” I said, walking toward the noise. “He talking from the heart.”
My phone vibrated in my pocket while Dique was still talking Pops’ speech out loud, joking about how he sounded like a pastor with a Glock. I shook my head, stepped out of the office, and slid down the hall till I hit the back porch. The night air was humid, carrying that faint mix of pine, fried food, and money. I pulled the phone out and answered without checking the screen.
“Yeah.”
“Hey, don’t ‘yeah’ me,” Carmen said, in a soft, yet stern voice. “You remember my appointment tomorrow?”
I leaned against the porch rail, smirking. “Yeah, I remember. I don’t forget nothing when it come to you or mine.”
She laughed. “Mmhmm, we’ll see. I was just reminding you before I finish up here.”
I could hear music in the background full of heavy bass, and crowd noise, with glasses clinking. “Where you at?” I asked.
“The club,” she told me. “O’Shynn dragged me out here while she checks some paperwork for the girls. I’m at the bar going through contracts and emails. She’s over there arguing with some promoter about a deposit.”
I could picture Carmen in her tailored suit, with her curls tucked behind her ear and laptop open while everybody else was two shots deep with O’Shynn somewhere nearby, loud enough to make the DJ stop the music if somebody tried her.
“You workin’ in the club?” I asked.
“Please,” she said. “You think court drained me? Try negotiating with these bottle girls and DJs. I’d rather argue with a judge.”
O’Shynn’s voice came through the background. “Tell Dom I said his mama better have mac and cheese if we comin’!”
“Tell her she always think with her stomach.”
Carmen laughed again and I realized something. Me showing her genuine love had her happy. This was the most I ever heard her laugh. “So, you callin’ me just to flirt or you actually needed something?”
“I was gon’ call you,” I said. “But you beat me to it. I want you to come through to my parents’ house. Only thing missing is my wife and my sister. Get here.”
“Ohh, so I’m wife now?” she teased.
“You always been that.” I replied. “They miss you. Plus, Keondra and Amour here too. Might as well make it a full house.”
She paused a second, and she stopped clacking the keyboards. “You sure that’s a good idea? You know your mama don’t filter.”
“I know,” I told her, glancing through the window where Ma was wiping Amour’s face and talking to her like she had known her since birth. “But it’s time. I want you here.”
Carmen got quiet long enough for the bass from the club to fill the silence again. Then her voice came back louder. “Alright… we’ll come through. O’Shynn’s already ready for an excuse to leave anyway.”
