Page 56 of Maceo

“What?”

“You know what would lookreallygood with my dress?”

She was about to run my pockets again.

“What, Deja?”

“Diamonds.”

Jesus be a fence.

I didn’t even argue with her because being the sucker I was, I was going to buy it. We headed for my jeweler. As we got to the corner where I needed to turn, I saw a bunch of police lights, an ambulance, and the coroner’s van. There was no mistaking that there was a body beneath the white sheet on the ground. I noticed the little numbers on the ground, which probably indicated bullet casings. From the array of broken shop windows, if I had to guess, it looked like a drive-by.

“That’s sad,” Deja said quietly.

“Yeah… it is. I don’t think we are gonna be able to get to the jeweler’s today, Dej. I’ll pick you up tomorrow, and we can come back.”

“Okay.”

She sat back in her seat and went back to texting Kilow. I shook my head. I couldn’t wait until I told Shar this shit.

I fought backmy tears as I watched my dad fix my little brother’s tie. He looked so handsome in his suit. Daddy had given him a fresh lineup, and he was sporting his signature slugs. I couldn’t believe how fast he’d grown up on me.

I had to laugh as my mother repeatedly kissed his cheek and fawned over how handsome he looked.

“Cicely, please, man,” my father said, shooing her away. “Let the boy breathe.”

“You hush! Just look at my baby!”

Kilow grinned. “Ya boy is fly, huh?”

He struck several poses like he just knew he was the shit. When he pulled out his sunglasses and hit that classic club pose, I lost it.

“Boy, you are a hot mess,” I said, snapping away with my phone.

He waved me off. “Hater. I’m gonna be the best-looking thing walking up in that school, ain’t it, Daddy?”

“My boy got that juice,” my father said, grinning. “Make sure you pop your collar on them, son.”

I rolled my eyes. “Daddy, nobody pops their collar anymore.”

Kilow slapped his chest. “You gotta get with the times, old man.”

We spent way too much time taking pictures, because my mother wanted individuals with each family member, then she needed group photos. My daddy finally had to make her chill out, or we were going to be late getting to Deja’s.

My mother swiped at her tears. “You have fun, baby.”

“Oh, I’m finna turn up.”

“Don’t come back here with no babies,” my father said.

Kilow grinned. “I value my life.”

“Come on here, brat,” I said.

He waved goodbye to our parents and Damaris before following me out the front door and into the car. The ride to Maceo’s mother’s took about twenty minutes with traffic. When we pulled into the driveway, Kilow started to panic.

“Shit!”

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