Page 49 of A Toxic Redemption

"Nigga fuck your mama." I stepped back to his ass. We were so close that we could feel each other's breath. "Your mama isa fuckin' hater! She was mad because her nigga had kids on her. My mama didn't know Kaine's punk ass daddy was her boyfriend. That nigga was beating both of their asses, and my daddy did what he had to do! That shit made her jealous and bitter! She told my fuckin' father I wasn't his!"

"Nigga, you're a fuckin' liar!" He pushed me slightly. "Your daddy was just a deadbeat ass nigga that didn't want to be fuckin' bothered with your ass! My mama didn't have shit to do with that! If your mama weren't a hoe, the paternity wouldn't have been a question in the first place."

Whap!

No other words were spoken as Bino and I went blow-for-blow like fuckin' gorillas in the middle of our trap house. The only thing that could be heard was heavy breathing and our hits connecting. We were wearing each other out, but neither of us was letting up on another. The only thing that stopped us from fighting was the sound of gunshots.

Pop! Pop!

"Calm y'all muthafuckin' asses down!" Jake yelled as he kept his gun pointed in the air. "Have y'all niggas lost your fuckin' minds?"

"Fuck that nigga," Bino breathed out as he held his side. "You heard what this nigga said about mama."

"I did." Jake nodded. "I heard what you said about his, too."

"You know what?" I chuckled as I wiped my lip. "I thought when I lost my brother, I would be okay because I gained two." I walked over to the end table and grabbed my shit so I could dip. "I didn't think I'd lose y'all niggas too. I'm out."

"Wait, man!" Jake called out behind me. "We need to talk."

"The time for talk went out the window when he called my mother, a woman that's been good to him despite all the flaw ass shit y'all mother has done, out of her name." I opened the front door and looked back at both of them niggas before making myexit. "If it's not about money, don't hit my line. Fuck both of y'all niggas."

Slamming the door behind me, I made my way back to my ride and sped out of the driveway. After calling my mother and ensuring she was okay, I did the same with Mia. She was supposed to have KJ call me earlier but didn’t. After speaking with him, she started talking reckless so I told her to call me if she needed me to send anything for my son before hanging up in her face.

Shit wasn't supposed to be like this with me and those niggas, but it is what it is. I didn't have Kaine, so I don't know why I thought I'd need them. Hearing my phone vibrate in the cupholder, I looked down and realized it was Lucky calling. Turning the volume up to my speakers, I blasted my nigga Future and rode the city with no destination in mind. Tonight, it was fuck these niggas. With the way I was feeling, it was fuck these bitches too.

It's been two weeks since the fallout with Bino about his mother, and the same amount of time has gone by since I've spoken with Lucky. For the first couple of days, I was in my feelings about my cousin, and I didn't want to be bothered. As time went by, I realized I was wrong as fuck for shutting her out. I tried calling her, texting her, and popping up at her crib, but she wasn't budging for a nigga. Today I decided to pop up on her ass at her bakery. She was going to talk to me one way or another. First things first, though, I needed to holler at my pops.

"What's up, son?" he greeted me as I stepped inside his home.

This is my first time being at his crib, and I must admit the nigga is living nice as hell. His home was spacious, and although he was a single man, you could tell he took pride in its appearance. "How are you doing today?"

"I'm cool."

I followed him through the foyer as we made it into the sitting area. Once inside, a middle-aged woman appeared and asked if we wanted anything to eat or drink. While de declined, I remained silent until she was out of the room.

"Who is that?" I pointed over my shoulder in the direction she had gone. "You got a whole woman living with you, and you've been kicking it with my mama?"

What I really wanted to do was cuss Ceaser and that lady out, but I didn't come over here for all that. I needed his help and didn't want to ruin any chances with my attitude. However, I was going to tell my mama so she could beat his ass.

"Boy, no." He chuckled before going into a series of coughs. "Sylvia has been working for me for a few years now. She's been helping me around the house since I've been sick."

"So you do admit to being ill?" I threw my arm over the back of the couch and eyed him. "You gone tell me what's up with that or do you still want to blame it on an unhealthy diet?"

I don't know who this nigga thought he was fooling when he said that the doctor told him his eating habits were what was wrong with him. It may have played a part, but it wasn't the only thing. What I do know is the nigga is starting to look bad, and he needs to tighten up.

"I have congestive heart failure," he disclosed. "I'd like to think this is my karma for doing you and your mother the way I have for all these years. I know I'm late righting my wrongs, but please allow me to try."

"How do you plan on doing that? I mean, it's been over twenty years, and although you were lingering in thebackground to capture the memories, I needed to feel and have a present father in my life. I watched my mother struggle, and she shouldn't have had to do that when you were able to help!"

"I did what she allowed me to do!" he shouted as he stood from his chair.

Ceaser walked over to the other side of his sitting room and opened the drawer of a desk that was ducked into the corner. He came back over toward me and dropped a stack of envelopes that he'd retrieved. After opening one of them, my eyes widened.

"What the fuck is this?" I asked as I sifted through the old mail and out-of-date checks. "Where did this come from?"

"It was returned to me over the years." He walked over and sat back in his recliner. "I sent your mama money damn near every week until the time you were twenty years old, but she would send it right back. That or hand it back to me if I ever saw her in person."

"So mama had us out here struggling, and you could have been helping us all along." I chuckled as I placed the items on the table before me. "That was some selfish ass shit."

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