Page 48 of Certified Pressure 4
Kay’Lo’s jaw flexed, but his tone stayed calm. “I can’t, Pops. I gotta go get my girl.”
Uncle Kwame looked at him like he misheard. “Toni? She’s not comin’ with us.”
Kay’Lo looked him straight in the eye. “Then I’ll ride back alone.”
Renza’s eyes darted toward me, but I ain’t move, ‘cause I knew this shit was about to go left.
Unc stared at him for a long time, then said, “You’d really stay here for that girl? The same girl whose family had you sitting in a cell with murder charges? You don’t see nothing wrong with that picture?”
Kay’Lo took a breath, keepin’ his tone even. “It wasn’t on her, Pops. I handled that. It’s on me.”
Uncle Kwame shook his head, frustrated but controlled. “You got too much of me in you, boy. You let loyalty blind you. That girl ain’t good for you. She gon’ drag you down.”
Kay’Lo looked hurt, but he held his ground. “I love her. I ain’t lettin’ her go, and I ain’t leavin’ here without her. Pops, you know I love you to death, and got nothin’ but respect for you… but I’m not leavin’ the city without Toni.”
The air got real tight after that. I could feel that father-son tension sittin’ heavy between them. Kwame sighed and looked out toward the car, then back at his son. “You’ll learn. I just hope it don’t cost you more than this.”
He ain’t wait for a response. He turned, signaled to his driver, and walked off, his presence still commandin’ even as he left.
Renza exhaled. “Man, this shit wild.”
Kay’Lo stood there quiet for a second, then said, “He mad, but he came through. That’s love right there.”
“Yeah,” I said, noddin’. “But you know he ain’t done with you. You gon’ hear about this again.”
Kay’Lo smirked with that stubborn look in his eyes. “I know. I’m still goin’ to get my girl though.”
I couldn’t even be mad at him for that. He was his father’s son, all the way through. Both stubborn, loyal, and ready to ride for who he loved, right or wrong, and no matter the cost.
As we walked toward the car, I pulled my phone out again, hopin’ maybe Pluto would hit me back, but she wasn’t givin’ a nigga nothin’. My shit just went unread like I was talkin’ to myself. I had been blowin’ her up all day, call after call, text after text, and she still wasn’t answerin’. I knew she was pissed, but damn, I missed her. I missed my baby too.
I typed one more message anyway.I’m good, baby. I miss you. I’m comin’ home soon.Then I stared at the screen for a second.
We got into the car, Renza drivin’, Blaqson rollin’ another blunt, and Kay’Lo sittin’ quiet in the backseat textin’ from my phone. The city lights flashed against his face, and for a second, I thought about how fast shit changed. Not too long ago, we was chillin’ and smokin’. Now we had dead niggas, damaged property, and family tension thick as smoke.
“Where we goin’?” Renza asked.
Kay’Lo looked up. “To get Toni.”
I shook my head but ain’t say nothin’. I wasn’t gon’ tell him not to love his girl, even if it meant pissin’ his pops off.
I leaned back in the seat and exhaled slow, starin’ out the window. Between Uncle Kwame’s disappointment, the heat still on Kay’Lo, and Pluto mad back home, I knew this shit was far from over.
One way or another, we was all goin’ home.
Trill-Land, Jungle Estate
When I finally made it back to the crib, it was past midnight, and the sky over Trill-Land was quiet, and it made me feel at home. I felt that weight fall off my shoulders soon as the car turned through the gates. I hadn’t realized how much I missed the sound of the fountain out front or the smell of the palms mixed with that soft ocean breeze that blew through the hills. It felt like I could breathe again, even though I knew Pluto was still mad at me.
The jet ride back had been long as hell. Renza and Blaqson took the other plane while I came back with Kay’Lo and Toni on the other. The whole flight, Kay’Lo barely said a word, and Toni stared out the window the entire time. I ain’t say nothin’ either. My mind was somewhere else. I couldn’t stop thinkin’ about Pluto. Every time I looked down at my phone, I wanted to call her again, but I knew she wasn’t gon’ answer. I kept picturing her face, and the way she looked when she was mad at me but still tryin’ not to cry. I hated that shit. I hated knowin’ I was the reason for it.
A part of me couldn’t even blame her though. I had told her I was goin’ out to handle somethin’ with Kay’Lo, and she found out it was way deeper than that. She had every right to feel how she felt. I could admit that, but even with all that attitude and distance, I knew Pluto wasn’t leavin’ me. Yeah, she had done it before, and ran from me for a year, but that was before this. It was now about the baby, and the home we built. She loved me, and she knew I loved her. Whatever this was, I was gon’ fix it.
When I walked through the front doors, the house was dim. I hit the elevator and leaned back against the wall as it carried me up. I thought about the last few days, everything that went down with Kay’Lo, and how fast shit had spun out of control. I had been runnin’ on fumes, dealin’ with lawyers, cops, and my Uncle Kwame. Now that I was back, all I wanted was to hold my woman and kiss my son.
The elevator doors slid open, and I walked down the hall toward the bedrooms. I stopped first at Zurie’s room. The door was cracked, and the light from her night lamp spilled onto the floor. I pushed the door open and walked in. She was curled up under her blanket, sleepin’ peaceful, her hair spread across the pillow. Just seein’ her there made my chest heart lighter. I whispered, “My Z,” as I leaned down and kissed her forehead.
That alone told me Pluto was still here. If she was gone, Zurie wouldn’t be in this bed. I took a breath and walked out, headin’ to our room. The door was halfway closed, and the soft blue glow from the lamp hit the floor like moonlight.
