Page 19

T he smoke was still floating through the backyard air although night had fallen.

The ribs were gone, all of the Hennessy bottles were almost dead, and the Uncs were halfway slumped over in lawn chairs, talking ‘bout some ‘Back in my day shit’ for the fifth damn time today. I swear, my mama knew how to throw a cookout and a lot of times she wasn’t Delores, she was Candy-D as the streets knew…

but she didn’t play. The kids ran around with snow cones, old school music blasted through the Bluetooth speaker, and the OGs was still deep in a spades game slamming cards like it was life or death.

In the spades game, it got intense. People would get they ass beat over a good spade game.

Even with all that laughter and music, I could see it all over Dique’s face, he was still processing everything.

He was standing near the grill with a drink in one hand and the blunt in the other, but he wasn’t vibing like his usual self and wasn’t cracking no jokes.

He wasn’t even flirting with the neighborhood shawty’s.

He was quiet, was just too damn quiet. I slid up next to him, watching the smoke rise from the last of the hot links on the grill.

“You gon’ say it or you need me to pull it outta you?” I asked.

His eyes scanning the yard. “I’m just waitin’ for everybody to cool down slime… but yeah… it's time.”

A few minutes later, as everybody started cleaning up or packing to leave, Dique stepped up on the back porch. The rest of the family, my ma, my pops, O'Shynn, me, and Carmen were all sitting around, winding down from the long ass day.

“I gotta say somethin’,” he started, scratching the back of his head like a little kid about to admit he broke some shit.

Ma raised an eyebrow. “Lord, what now? You ain’t knock nobody up, did you?”

Everybody chuckled but Dique didn’t. That smile didn’t crack at all and if anyone knew Dique, he usually always cracked a smile. “I ain’t knock nobody up,” he said. “But… I did take a DNA test recently tho,”

O'Shynn leaned forward, with a strawberry frozen cup in her hand. “From that girl in Liberty City… Keondra?”

“Yeah.” Dique nodded. “I took it.”

Pops sat forward. “And?”

Dique swallowed hard. “The baby’s mine… she’s three…. been mine.”

Everybody got quiet at first. I knew how bad my parents wanted a grandchild, I just didn’t know if they wanted it like this.

All you could hear was the cicadas in the trees and the ice clinking in Ma’s cup.

Carmen touched my leg beneath the table like kids did when somebody was about to get in trouble just waiting.

Ma finally spoke up as her lips parted like she wanted to curse, then she closed them again, and then opened them one more time.

“Three?” she finally whispered. “Three years old, and we didn’t know nothing? We have a grandchild?”

“She didn’t push the issue until now,” Dique told her. “She always claimed it, but I was out west most of the time. I didn’t believe her… for different reasons. But it’s real. I seen the test and all. That lil girl got our blood.”

Pops leaned back and rubbed his hands together slowly like he always did when he wanted to think before he spoke. “So, what you gon’ do now?”

“I already called her a few minutes ago I told Keondra I’d come see them tomorrow,” Dique replied. “But I told her don’t start no shit. Ain’t gon’ be no Instagram posts, no ‘Royal bloodline’ hashtags. She a fuckin’ loudmouth but she just don’t know, this shit real, and dangerous.”

Ma stared at her Dique with glossy eyes. “You sure she ain’t just tryna use the baby to keep you around?”

“I don’t think so. She still on bullshit, yeah, but I can’t front on the kid, blood don’t lie… she mine for real.”

O'Shynn shook her head slowly. “What’s her name?”

“Kaylani,” Dique said. “She just turned three last month.”

Ma rolled her eyes. “Keondra better keep that baby low ‘cause if them people get wind she ours? They won’t come for Keondra, they’ll come for Kaylani. That baby gon’ need security.”

“I know,” Dique said. “I told Keondra already, don’t tell nobody shit… at least not yet.”

I took a deep breath, still processing this shit.

Everybody around me was just slanging dick.

Tone had a baby on the way, and now Dique was a confirmed father.

Bringing these babies into our world was dangerous.

It reminded me that I should start strapping up with Carmen before we end up in the same predicament.

“So now what?” I asked. “You ready to step up as a father or what?”

“Hell yeah,” Dique nodded. “I ain't never ran from shit in my life. I should’ve run from Keondra’s lil sexy ass though, but I’ll be whatever the baby need me to be.”

Pops slapped his heavy hand on Dique’s shoulder. “Then be that… and don’t let nobody put her in harm's way.”

Ma wiped her face with a napkin. “And if Keondra tries to be messy, we’ll deal with her too. Ain’t no time for sloppiness in this family. However, I’d like to meet my grandchild.”

Carmen glanced at me. “You think we can trust Keondra?”

I shook my head. “Nah…. but we control the narrative.”

Then, before anybody could say more, Ma squinted at me and Carmen. “And what’s going on between y’all?” she asked. “You two been making eyes at each other all day like some teenagers.”

I didn’t say nothing, so Carmen did first. “He’s… working on it,” she said with a half-smile. “We got bigger things to handle first though.”

O'Shynn looked at me playfully. “About time your ass slowed down for somebody.”

I simply nodded my head. “She ain’t tryna get kidnapped again.”

In this moment, as the family gathered, we felt stronger than ever, even in the middle of war.

I looked around and knew we had a legacy to protect now even harder especially when babies are involved.

Real blood was on the line, and I’d be damned if anybody touched what belonged to the Royals.

The cookout was still going, but the music had calmed down and the folks who were still around had started settling into that post-plate, post-Henny haze shit.

Chicken bones sat in foil trays, dominoes clacked on beat-up card tables, and cigars and weed smoke filled the air while some shit talking going on.

The hood was out heavy for Ma Delores's birthday, and you could feel the love through the yard.

That Royal blood ran deep through this block and deep through our people.

I leaned back in a lawn chair, watching Carmen laugh with one of my cousins over spades.

Her crop top and shorts hugged her curves just right, and the Cartier frames on her face covered her eyes.

She made peace look good. O’Shynn was off by the grill, arguing with our uncle about who burned the last pan of ribs earlier, while Dique stood with his carryout plate piled high, holding court like he always do.

Everybody had their red cups in their hand and the speakers were softly bumping Frankie which was tradition.

I was patiently waiting on Ma’s surprise to show up and a few minutes later it did.

A white flatbed truck pulled up slowly into the driveway, and everybody turned their heads.

On the back was a brand-new pearl white Benz GLE truck wrapped in a gold bow with a big ass banner tag that read: For the Queen of the Royals – Happy Birthday Mama D. The whole yard lost it.

“Maaaaaaan, y’all showin’ out now!” Aunt Nita screamed, fanning herself with a paper plate.

Ma’s hand flew over her chest. “Oh my God! Y’all didn’t!” she yelled as the tears welled up in her eyes.

O’Shynn, Dique and I stepped up together arm-in-arm smiling like some big ass kids. Ma damn near cried when she walked up to the car and opened the door, revealing the red interior guts with the name Candy-D stitched into the seats.

Pops came around the back with his glass of dark liquor and a smirk on his face. “Y’all done good,” he said, in a proud tone. “Real good… I ain’t gon’ lie, y’all make a man proud. All my damn kids came up.”

That meant everything. I ain’t even the emotional type of dude but hearing that from him…

felt like something I didn’t even know I needed.

The night mellowed out after that. After a while, the kids were tired of running around and were sitting down drinking Capri Suns trying to fight their sleep and the grown folks started getting wild off the Crown Royal.

Just as I stepped away to light up a blunt and sip my third glass of tequila, my phone vibrated in my pocket.

I looked at the screen and saw Victoria calling while debating on if I wanted to ignore it or answer it. “Yeah,” I said, keeping my voice.

“Hi Dom… I wasn’t bothering you, was I?” Her voice was soft and cautious. “I just… I was online looking up a few courses. Psychology, maybe nursing. I just figured I’d ask when I could start doing something. I don’t want to keep sitting in the house like a hostage.”

I sighed, staring off at the sky. “You not a hostage, Victoria. But let’s not act like it ain’t people out there ready to paint the streets with yo’ blood and put it on a fuckin’ canvas just cause of who you’re related to.

You wanna move? You gon’ move under shadow, that’s it.

You wanna work? I’ll allow that… but understand, one slip-up and it's you’ life. ”

She was quiet for a minute. Then she whispered, “Thank you… I just need to feel normal again.”

I nodded, even though she couldn’t see it. “Get yo’ shit in order. I’ll make sure you got what you need, but you gon’ earn it.”

I hung up and stepped around to the side of the house, away from the crowd. My jaw tightened as I pulled up El Blanca’s number. I knew I was poking the bear. …but fuck it. He answered on the third ring.

“What the fuck do you want?”

“That was a bold ass move,” I said, in a calm voice. “Goin’ ghost on yo’ niece like that. You got her out here in limbo… no money… no direction. What’s the play?”

“You and your fucking questions. She isn’t mine anymore. She’s yours now since she thinks she has it all figured out. She’s dead to me.”

A smirk crept across my lips. “Say less.”

El Blanca started barking more threats, but I pulled the phone from my ear and stared at the stars with the devil in my eyes, letting his rage fill the void. He ended the call, and I stood there for a moment, as the humid breeze swirled around me until I calmed myself down.