Page 1 of Make Me Remember

PROLOGUE

KENDRALL

As we got into our Uber that we’d requested, I could not only see Cassie’s happiness, but I could feel it. That shit was short-lived though. My phone started ringing, and I knew it had to be an emergency. Everyone knew where we were and said they would only call if it couldn’t be avoided. When I saw Christian’s name, that only heightened my nerves.

I huffed, trying to prepare myself for whatever he had to say. Cassie grabbed my hand, trying to ease my nerves. “Hello?”

“Y’all coming back tomorrow, right?”

“Yeah. What happened?”

“I had to board up your front window. Them niggas was out here shooting.”

I frowned slightly, wondering why that shit couldn’t wait until we got back. “Okay. That’s it?”

“Naw, man. Jacob got arrested, and your brother Kane got shot.”

“What the fuck you just say, nigga?”

“Traylon and a couple of other niggas came through Henderson Village, starting trouble. Kane had just left Rylan’s house when they ran up on him. Jacob heard the commotion and went outside with his gun. Before he could get to them, Traylon shot Kane in the shoulder and still had the gun pointed at him like he was gonna shoot him again. Jacob ended up shooting Traylon before he could fire again. I don’t know if that nigga survived the gunshot or not, but Jacob got arrested, and Kane got rushed to the hospital.”

“Fuck! Let me call my mama. Fuck!”

I ended the call and immediately called my mama. I knew my dad probably wouldn’t answer right now because he was probably the one transporting Kane. When my mama didn’t answer, I felt like I was about to lose it. I didn’t know how Kane had gotten dragged into the middle of that shit, but I was going to find out ASAP.

“Everything okay, baby?”

I turned to see Cassie staring at me, concern evident in her gaze. I shook my head then opened the United app on my phone to see if I could change our flight as I tried to control my trembling fingers.

“Kendrall, you’re making me nervous. What’s going on? Your face is so red right now.”

I slid my hand down my face, doing my best to keep it together. I didn’t know whether I wanted to cry or just fuck some shit up. “Kane got shot, and Jacob got arrested. I really don’t know the details. I need to get to my lil brother. If I lose another sibling, I know my dad is gonna lose it.”

“Another sibling? What do you mean?”

“I’ll explain it in a minute. Let me check this flight situation.”

As I scrolled, I saw a flight leaving out at nine tonight. It was already three. I hurriedly booked it then turned to Cassie to see the tears falling down her cheeks. While she wasn’t close to Jacob, or Kane for that matter, I knew her tears were more because she felt how upset I was. I dropped my phone on the seat and pulled her in my arms.

“My parents divorced when I was ten or eleven years old. Dad had cheated on Mama and created another life in the process. During that time, he was still fighting for us. There were so many other issues that played a part in everything that went down. Mama and Daddy both did some fucked up shit to each other.”

I gently swiped the tear from Cassie’s cheek as my own threatened to fall. “Dad got custody of Kendrick when he was a baby, because Kendrick’s mother wasn’t shit. I don’t know what it is with men and their dicks. It’s like they allow that shit to lead the way sometimes, and it lands them in a heap of trouble. That was what happened to my dad, my grandpa when Uncle Marcus was conceived, and now I realize that’s where Christian and Jacob got that shit from.”

“It’s not just men. Women too. Look at my biological mother and father.”

I nodded then continued. “He came and got us from San Antonio. That was where we’d moved to because that’s where my mama is from. Anyway, to make a long story short, one weekend when Kendrick went to be with his mother, she tortured and killed him. That shit still bothers all of us, especially around his birthday, Christmas, and the anniversary of his death. He would have been around twenty-three or twenty-four years old by now.”

Cassie’s eyes were wide as a tear finally broke free of the chokehold I had it in and slid down my cheek. “So, if Kane doesn’t make it… I don’t know if my family will survive it this time.”

“Kane will survive this, baby. We’re claiming victory over this situation. God saved my life, so I know it’s possible.” She gently kissed my cheek. “How old was Kendrick when he died?”

“Almost two, I think. We’ve been dealing with the grief of losing him for over twenty years. Either it’s gotten easier, or we’ve just gotten used to it. I know you never really stop grieving though. Although he was only here a short time, we loved him to pieces, especially Karima. It was like he was her baby. Then when Kingsley was born, he looked exactly like Kendrick. Even my mama was grieving baby boy, and he wasn’t even her son.”

I rested my head against the seat, thinking about my family. We’d come a long way the past twenty-two plus years. The six of us were so close. Losing Kane would be hard. He was far removed from the bullshit with Jacob, Uncle Storm, Christian, and the Henderson family in general, but he was the one suffering. Jacob had possibly saved his life.

Cassie slid her hand in mine and leaned against my shoulder. This was a lot. It was supposed to be the happiest time in our lives and yet, we were having to deal with so much shit. It was like it was casting a dark cloud over us… one that neither of us deserved. I felt her take a deep breath and exhale, so I leaned over and kissed her head.

“I’m so sorry, baby. I wish we would have just eloped.”

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