Page 66 of Hood Legacy

“Aye, bro, let's go,” Givens said, stepping in front of Legacy to get my attention. “Legit, let's go.”

“Nah,” I said, shaking my head as I tried to step around him, but he blocked my path. “What the fuck are you talking about, Point Guard?”

“Hood, nigga, for real; we gotta go,” Givens said as he stepped toward me. My focus was so much on Legacy that I hadn’t realized Yeti had joined us, and they were moving me out of the room through the back door. Givens grabbed my shoulders when it closed behind us and made me look at him. “We gotta go, Hood.”

“Not until I talk to my woman,” I said, shaking my head. “I need to know what the fuck she’s talking about.”

“Later, homie,” Yeti said, shaking his head.

“Nah, right now,” I demanded. “Let me talk to my fucking woman.”

“I can't, bro,” Givens said. “I gotta get you to the house, man.”

“For what?”

“Yo Pop called,” he said, and my attention went from Legacy to him. I realized that he was on the brink of tears. I patted my pocket for my phone and couldn’t find it. It had to fall out of my pocket while dealing with Michael.

“Come on, dog, we gotta get you to the house,” Yeti said.

I looked back at the doors and then at my boys, trying to process what the fuck was happening. Even though they hadn’t said shit, I could tell from the way they moved that this wasn’t good.

“I need Legacy,” I said as I tried to go back inside. I needed my woman right now, and even though she was mad at me, I knew she would come with me.

“Pyrite will bring her,” Givens said, pulling me back. “Come on, bro, I told your Pop I would get you there asap.

* * *

I sat in the chair next to Mama's bed, watching as she fought to stay alive. I had to give it to Givens, my boy pushed his Porshe’ to its limits and got me here in record time. When I saw Pop in the house, I knew she didn’t have long. Mama had fought for years, but like she said, she was tired. The last few months she’d had since deciding not to continue chemo were hard, but not for the reasons I would’ve thought. In the beginning, she had energy; we kicked it, and she laughed, joked and talked shit. It was almost like she wasn’t sick. But over the last few weeks, things started taking a turn for the worse. Pop mentioned she’d stopped eating earlier in the week, and I knew our time was limited.

Last night, after Legacy left me at the club, I’d had Givens drop me off over here, and I sat here, talking to her even though she didn’t respond. I let Pop get some rest, and I sat with her. I went to Legacy's house when he woke up after a couple of hours of sleep. Mercy had given me her key a while back, and occasionally, I would check on her house, which is how I got in. After showering, I climbed into the bed with Legacy and watched her sleep until my alarm went off; I got up and headed home to shower, dressed, and returned. I would've stayed here if I had known that my night would end like this.

“Tell her what you need her to know, Hood,” Pop said, entering the room. My guy looked tired but at peace, which confused the fuck out me. “She needs to know you’ll be okay so she can rest.”

“I don’t know what to say, Pop,” I said, shaking my head as I took her hand. It was warm but fragile and light. “How am I supposed to say goodbye to my mama?”

“You ain’t.” he sat next to me and sighed. “You're just telling her, see you later so she can watch over you.” My eyes watered, and I nodded. I wasn’t ashamed to cry, mama made sure I was emotionally aware, and even though I didn’t act like it, I controlled my shit well. “She told me a few weeks back that she was at peace with her decision cuz you had Legacy.”

“I love her, man,” I said as I watched Mama’s chest rise and fall. “I might have fucked up today, though.”

“Nah,” Pop denied. “I doubt that.”

“You don’t even know what I did,” I chuckled.

“It doesn’t matter,” he said. “I seen y’all together. Y’all got that love that’s bigger than y'all. Whatever you did ain’t gonna do shit but make y’all love each other harder.”

“Harder?” I reared back and then shook my head. “Nah, man, I’m already addicted to her as it is.” I kissed my teeth. “Shit, honestly, I’m obsessed with her ass. Like, I can function if I don’t see her.”

“I understand,” he laughed. “I was the same way with your mama. Even after she divorced me, I couldn’t shake her.” He put his hand on her leg. “I know I fucked up letting her walk away, which is why I went so hard the last few months. I needed her to know that she was my greatest treasure. She gave me you, which was a blessing, too. But yo mama, man, the way I love her.”

“It’s all-consuming,” I said, understanding. “It’s the way I feel about Legacy. I know I’ll love and be obsessed with our kids when it's time to have them, but I know God made Legacy for me.” I shook my head.

“Yo mama knew that, too,” he said, nodding. “Even before you introduced her to us. Yo Mama said that something in you changed last year. You started moving differently, like a grown-ass man, preparing for his wife.”

“I met Legacy last year,” I said, nodding.

“Yo mama said she felt the shift and was holding on to see who the Lord had put in your path. She said you picked right.”

“I’m glad,” I said, then wiped my face with my hands and sat back. Mama’s breath became raggedy, and I knew we were on borrowed time. She wasn’t going to make it through the night.

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