Page 65 of Deuce

“What do you mean?”

“Blake Dillinger… your boss’s uncle, was a longtime friend of his. Your father used to be his right hand.”

“Wait… Daddy sold drugs!”

“Up until two years before you were born. Your father wanted to get married and have kids and I told him that changed everything. I would happily marry him and give him children if he changed his life. I refused to live in fear of him being killed and leaving me to raise our family alone.”

“And he willingly chose you?”

“He did. Blake didn’t like that. There was this whole big blow up between them that ruined their friendship. He let your father go and spared his life only because your father had saved his ass on more than one occasion. They didn’t speak again. When they saw each other in the street, it was like neither existed.”

She paused and took a long sip of her coffee. I couldn’t believe she was telling me this. My father… Iman Navarro, the loveable giant who worked in car sales my entire life, used to run with drug dealers?

“Mommy… I don’t understand. If Daddy was linked with the Dillingers, why are we struggling?”

“Your father… he wasn’t as smart with his money back then. He wanted to live the flashy lifestyle. You know they say you always know when a person who never had money gets money. That was your father. When he started making an honest living, he saw just how hard it was to go back to living modestly. He never complained, though. He kept a roof over our heads, food on our table and clothes on our back.”

I was still stuck on my father being a former drug dealer. The Iman Navarro I knew and loved was a stand-up guy. The man she was telling me about now… I didn’t know him.

“When your father got sick, and bills were killing us, he reached out to Blake for help. He knew he was going to die, and he didn’t want to leave me with a mountain of medical bills. I remember being so angry with him for reaching out to that man because I knew his help would come with a price that I wasn’twilling to pay. He came by your father’s hospital room with a duffle bag full of money, and I wouldn’t accept it.”

“Ma… that could have been a blessing.”

“I didn’t want that held over my head, Salima. What if he decided he wanted more than just a payment? He could have asked for me. Hell, he could have asked for you. You were barely eighteen at the time.” She shook her head. “I was afraid. “But… he didn’t want anything. He went behind my back and paid your father’s medical bills in full after his death. He never mentioned what your father owed him.”

She sighed heavily and looked down at the cup of coffee in her hand. I could tell she was slightly embarrassed.

“It was my medical bills that put us in a hole. I went through everything your father left and when that wasn’t enough, I had to take out a home equity loan to get by. I didn’t have a choice. I’m sorry, Salima. I know you gave up your independence to come back home and help me. You gave up a life and privacy. I’m gonna get us out of this one day. I promise.”

She kissed my cheek, then went around the kitchen island to put her coffee mug in the sink. My eyes followed her down the hall until she disappeared into her room. She had guilt over me helping her, but I wasn’t worried about it. As long as I had a job, I could make a way. She was my mother. If I had to struggle for a little bit to make sure she was straight, I’d just have to eat that.

“Wait… so Uncle Iman was running the streets at one point?” Shar asked.

We were sitting in her living room, watching reruns of Game of Thrones for the umpteenth time. Ihadto tell her about last night and this morning. I couldn’t sit on information like that and not shared it with her.

“Apparently so, girl. You think you know the people who raised you.”

“You know my mama is always talking about how they had a life before us, girl. I guess that’s what she meant. Hell, for all I know, my daddy could have been caught up in some shit too. You know how much of a thug that man is.”

Uncle Paul was a hood nigga, born and bred. He had a mouth full of gold. He was covered in tattoos and always walked around in a beater, basketball shorts, and socks with sandals. He was a total nutcase, but he spoiled Shar and my Aunt Cecily. It made sense why she was attracted Maceo.

“So…” she said, pouring us up another shot. “What are you gonna do about Deuce? I mean, you and that man already have this toxic shit going on. You gon’ see it through?”

“Our… relationship isn’t toxic. He just gets on my nerves. He thinks he can tell me what he’s going to do, and I’m just supposed to go along with it. I’m not doing that.”

“You kind of already are, sis.”

I scoffed. “I am not!”

“But you are. He’s low key your man.”

“Bullshit.”

“He makes sure you get to work. He got that raggedy ass car fixed. And he’s giving you money on top of having to pay you for your actual job, bitch. If that ain’t enough, he fired somebody who tried you. Sounds like he’s your nigga to me.”

I rolled my eyes. “All that doesn’t make him my man.”

“Then you letting him kiss and touch all on you does.”

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