Page 25 of All The Smoke

S moke.

Tomorrow good for date night?

I felt like a whole ass hoe getting heart palpitations when the text from Kaori came through. A nigga was sick because every time I even heard her fucking name, I got butterflies. That shit hadn’t ever happened to me before meeting her little cute ass.

If not, we can pick another day.

You the one with the busy schedule, mama. I’m just trying to get in where I fit in lol.

Tomorrow is cool though.

It’s a date then.

Bet.

Any request for attire?

Whatever you gon’ be fine in which is everything so naw, wear what you want.

Look at you being a charmer

Being honest.

Mhm. I hear you, sir. Break is about up, so I’ll call you tonight?

Look forward to the shit.

I had to hurry and put my phone away because a nigga was fucking simping bad!

I hadn’t ever said no shit like that to a woman before.

Look forward to it. What the fuck kind of shit was that?

The shit wasn’t doing anything but solidifying to me more and more that I really wanted her ass.

Even if she wasn’t carrying my seed, I fucking wanted her.

Pocketing my phone, I scooted to the end of my chair and waved Solo over so I could finish getting him together.

We had to meet my parents at the church because Bishop had some shit going on for this mayor shit.

My initial plan was to not come at all but I decided I’d be there because I had plans for their asses.

“Mr. Tate, are you not going to wear the suit we chose for you?” Bishop’s assistant Grace asked me.

“Naw.”

“Do you not like it?” she asked, sounding confused as fuck.

“It’s straight.”

“I’m confused, Mr. Tate?—”

“It’s Smoke,” I corrected. “Stop being all formal and shit with me, Grace, like you ain’t known me since I was a little nigga.”

“I know, I just… he is going to be upset if you don’t, Solom—Smoke. He handpicked the suits and…”

“I don’t really give a f…” I caught myself before I cursed in the house of the Lord again. A nigga was a heathen but I ain’t play around on church grounds. “I don’t care for real, Grace.” I shrugged. “Bishop tells all y’all what to do. He don’t run nothing over here.”

“I just don’t want to be chastised.”

“You won’t be,” I assured her. “If he says something to you about it, tell him to come holla at me about it.”

Nodding, she picked up the tags and shit I had popped off Solo’s clothes, pushing them and other random trash into a bag then exiting the room.

I was in the guest pastor’s suite getting Solo together because I didn’t feel like hearing my mother whining and carrying on.

She felt a way about Bri doing the pickups and drop offs with Solo, but I didn’t care.

I really didn’t want him around their grimy asses at all, but Solo loved his grandparents so I didn’t completely cut them off, just stopped them from interacting directly with me.

After I was done getting him together, we left the office and made our way to the main sanctuary where they were wrapping up bible study.

A lot of the people were surprised to see me when Solo and I entered because I hadn’t stepped foot in there since my brother got hit.

I had no desire to listen to a man preach the things he rarely followed himself.

I still did bible study with Noah though and I would catch church online from time to time, other churches, just not Bishop’s.

“Where is your suit, son?” my father asked lowly when Solo walked up on the pulpit where one of the deacons had asked us to come. He smiled for the crowd while he waited for my response.

“I didn’t bring one.” I shrugged.

“I had Grace bring something.”

“Bruh, are we here to discuss what I got on or do ya shit?” I nodded toward the crowd. “I’m a grown man. I don’t need you picking out my clothes, Bishop.”

“I know, Solomon, I just—” His sentence was cut short when the lady making announcements called him to the podium. Putting on that fake ass smile, he stood and buttoned the coat to his suit and approached.

“Thank you all for agreeing to stay after for a little longer with me,” he said once he had everyone’s attention.

“I won’t keep you long, I just have some news I want to share with you.

Good news too,” he said and smiled, pulling some oohs and ahhs from the crowd as well as applause.

I was disgusted with the way he had people eating out of the palm of his hand. Shit was sickening.

“You know how I talked about how important it was to believe in God and how He knows the best way to handle every situation so we get the best possible outcome in today’s lesson?

How we should trust and believe He knows best because He does?

” People were on their feet with their hands lifted, the organist was playing as well as the drummer as he raved on and on.

“Well, I’m asking that you believe in me, your bishop, the same way you believe in God as I follow His direction and enter this year’s mayoral race. ”

An eruption of applause and cheers took over the room as he stood there smiling along with my mother who took her place at his side.

He turned toward me and waved me and Solo over, but I looked away, keeping my son at my side.

I wasn’t there for that. I was really just showing face to play the part for the time being.

I had something for him for playing with my money and my brother.

I tuned most of the shit he was saying out as he talked and talked, making false promises to the people about his plans and how he was going to bring about all this change and shit.

It was bullshit to me. He was a liar. I honestly couldn’t believe my ears when he let people know the foundation of his platform was fucking fiscal responsibility.

The nigga was more worried about saving people money than any fucking thing else.

Out of all the shit he could have done, that was what he settled on.

I wasn’t that shocked though because he was driven by money and power. That was why he kept his distance with me. He couldn’t control and manipulate me. He’d been able to do that shit with my brother, but I wasn’t going for it.

“Solomon, Solomon, wait…” my mother called out to me after her husband’s speech was done. I jetted as soon as he let it be known he was wrapping up.

“What’s up?” I asked, looking down at her.

“We aren’t keeping SJ tonight? It’s…”

“Naw, I’m taking him.”

“Oh.” She looked down briefly then back up at me. “We’re having dinner catered here tonight. You don’t want to let him eat?”

“Naw, we cool,” I declined. “I got moves to make so I’ll grab him something.”

She nodded. “Alright, but you don’t want to speak to your father before you leave? I know he wants to talk to you and the press is here…”

I cut her off. “That’s y’all thing. I came to this because he was announcing his candidacy and Noah carried on about how important it was that I be here for it. I ain’t agree to no conversations and definitely not taking pictures for the press like we one big happy family.”

“But we are, Solomon.” She stepped forward and caressed my cheek. “I don’t know why in the devil you’re working so hard to force a line in the sand with us, but your father and I love you and SJ so much.”

“That’s just it, Ma.” I chuckled and shook my head. “I didn’t cause the division of us all, you and Bishop did, I’m just making you stand on it. You don’t get to throw away the most important person in my life and think I’m cool with it.”

“We didn’t…”

“You did and every time you lie and say you didn’t, it pisses me off, Ma.” I frowned. “Y’all flaw as hell for the way you did him and making the foundation of his candidacy about some fiscal shit is insane.”

“That is an important matter,” she argued.

“Naw, what’s important is your son is sitting in jail for something he didn’t do and gaining another platform to shit on said son, making the foundation of your candidacy something other than prison reform or fixing this fucked up ass justice system is nasty work.

” I shook my head, preparing to walk away, but I had one last thing to say.

“And trying to convince me that you guys are these loving and doting parents, but saying you love me and my son is asinine.”

I left on that note because I said all I needed to say and a nigga ain’t feel like dealing with the theatrics.

She was always looking and sounding sad, trying to guilt trip me but I wasn’t going for it.

She and Bishop were never in my face this much when I was younger.

It wasn’t until I really stopped fucking with them that they started coming around more.

Solo asked for a seafood boil when we were on the way to the crib so we stopped by Phat Fish to grab food.

I told my mama we had some shit going on tonight, but truth was, I just wanted to kick shit dolo with my baby boy.

Our little duo would soon be a trio so I wanted to spend as much time with him as possible.

Do you want to just meet there? I don’t want you to have to do a lot of unnecessary driving.

I frowned down at my phone laying on my dresser as I read the message from Kaori. I didn’t know what kind of nigga she took me as, but she had me confused. There was no way I was gon’ allow her to drive to meet me anywhere.

I’m on my way.

There was no reason for me to even address what she said.

The plan was to go to eat first because she had been sending me pictures and videos of that dim sum shit and other foods, so I knew she really wanted it.

The plan was to listen to her talk, hopefully she’d say something to give me an idea of what to do next.