Page 9

Age 14

The sun is blazing as we fight traffic to get out of the city. It’s a Saturday, and Saturdays during the summertime in Kenton means everyone is out, seeing what they can get into.

If my mama didn’t call me this morning, we’d be at the Center, playing basketball, or at G-Pops, trying to get him to throw something on the grill.

Instead, Peanut, Tati, and Sean are driving me back to Hudsonville.

“Are you excited to be a big brother?”

Tati asks, turning all the way around from the front seat to smile at me.

She’s one of the prettiest girls I’ve ever seen. Her white teeth stand out against her dark skin, and she always has her hair in some type of braids. She’s Sean’s big cousin; we found out when one day he tagged along on us stalking her at the library. That’s when we stopped stalking her, and started just hanging out with her.

She’s back for the summer from law school, and I notice that Peanut’s been calmer ever since we drove up to get her.

“More nervous than anything. My mama don’t need to be having no more kids.”

“How old is she?”

Sean asks, tapping away on his phone.

“Thirty.”

Yeah, she’s not that old, but her mind… it’s gone for sure. After Granddad passed away last year, she’s been absolutely wilding. We all took it hard, no doubt. But she just disappeared, left me and Nana all alone.

It was nothing to hack into her emails and saw confirmations for hotels. She’d hooked up with some South Kenton nigga and left us behind.

Then she pops up a month ago, pregnant as fuck. Nana was just happy she’s alive.

Me?

I’m still trying to figure out how I feel.

“You want us to stick around?”

Nut asks as we pull into the visitor’s parking lot of the hospital.

“I don’t know how long I’ll be.”

He puts on his hazard lights and stops right in front.

“That’s not what I asked yo ass, Dub.”

Turk’s G-Pops started calling us warriors a couple years back. Said we were more than what we were trying to be. More than survivors, but warriors. Four Warriors; Set, Peanut, Turk, and me. Our own clique, exclusive as fuck. Then when Nut and Set took over the Birch Babies, the gang that’s over the Birch projects where they live, our clique became Foe Dub, and it expanded to include some of the other neighborhood boys.

We’re all warriors anyway. Might as well be stamped.

“Well, me and Sean are supposed to be recording–”

“So we’ll stay. See how easy that was? Call Tati when you ready.”

“So grumpy. I shouldn’t have made you stay up with me while I studied.”

Tati shakes her head, not even noticing this nigga Peanut looking at her like she’s water in the desert.

“Now you know that’s light work for me. Don’t be defending him.”

I roll my eyes. This nigga swears he’s my big brother, too, and would probably spontaneously combust if Tati and I didn’t get along. Now, though, he be mad we get alon.

“too well.”

His exact words.

In another world, they’d be my mom and dad.

“Stay dangerous,”

I say, but they’re both too busy going back and forth, or their version of it; Peanut telling her nothing’s too much for her, and Tati telling him he can tell her no sometimes, though I doubt she means it.

I open the door of Nut’s old ass Volvo, but Sean’s hand stops me from leaving.

I turn back to him, but he’s still typing with one hand. I glance at his phone, and see he’s writing in his notes app–lyrics.

I’ve been getting better and better at remixing and making beats. Some of them are trash, no lie, but the good ones, me and Sean record over them. It’s supposed to keep us out of trouble and out of their way, and so far it’s been working.

He locks his phone and lifts his eyes to me, grinning.

“Congrats, Dub. Just remember, you knew me first.”

He holds out his hand and we do the Birch handshake, even though officially I still haven’t got put on.

“You a fool,”

I tell my best friend, and exit the car.

My nana’s in the waiting room, and stands when I enter the hospital. I’m taller than her now, but I’ll always feel like a little kid when I hug her.

“It’s a little girl, Smoochie. Candy named her Raya.”

I nod as we step onto the elevator. She pushes the fourth floor button and takes me in.

“How was the drive? Tati brought you?”

“Yeah.”

Her face lights up.

“Hopefully she can be ya lawyer when you make it big.”

Tati and Sean are the only ones who’ve met my Nana. And I get it, there’s a firm line drawn in the sand. My family got Bishop sent away. I’m just glad Set and Nut’s hatred doesn’t extend to me.

I throw my arm around her shoulders and she leans into me.

“I’m still your favorite grandchild, right Nana?”

“How about you’re my favorite grandson?”

I chuckle and we go into the small room. “Deal.”

My OG is sitting up on the bed, holding my baby sister. She looks up, and when our eyes lock she breaks into a smile I haven’t seen in a long time.

“Come here and meet your sister,”

she whispers.

I walk over to the side of her bed, and as soon as I lay eyes on Raya my eyes start leaking.

She’s beautiful.

“You wanna hold her?”

My OG asks, already handing her to me.

“Mom, I-I don’t–”

“Just support her head, Smoochie,”

Nana says, walking over to us. She helps get Raya settled into my arms and I can’t stop looking at her.

“My babies… get a picture Mom.”

She can’t know struggle. She’s not gonna know about robbing Peter to pay Paul, or my OG telling her we can’t afford to do something. Nah, she deserves the world. And if me and Sean keep going, maybe I can be the one to give it to her.