Page 82 of Still Made For You

“I won’t. I love you, best friend, forever, and a day.”

“Forever and a day,” With that, he disconnected the phone before digging into his food. As I looked around the apartment, I held so much pride in my heart. Solomon had been independent from the day that I met him, and his work ethic was unmatched. He’d been wanting to get his own apartment for a long time, but Miyana kept talking him out of it. She didn’t understand that, as a young man, he needed his own space.

I was sure he wanted to invite the honeys over and live a normal life for a young man in his 20s. He already had a car and a good-paying career, so it was only right that I helped him get his first place. When he first told us that he wanted to do tattoos, I will admit that I was skeptical. However, his determination won me over. He started interning at this tattoo shop called Ink’d Out, and the owner quickly took a liking to him.

I’ve seen some of his work, and he’s definitely talented. Now he was one of the top artists at the shop and the youngest too. Yaya and I were both incredibly proud of him. A lot of people who have been through the things that he’s gone through don’t make it out. I’m glad to be able to witness a young black man making a name for himself and building towards the future. That’s the reason why I didn’t mind going all out for him. Solomon had always been humble, never wanting to accept a handout. It took months for him to understand that family helps family. I wasn’t doing this for accolades, nor did I expect anything in return.

Yaya and I agreed to pay his rent for the first six months, even though he put up a fight about it. We wanted to set him up for success and give him the opportunity to stack his bread up. So many families try to put their young people out on the streets early without any fundamentals or any skills. No savings or anything to help them, when things go left. We didn’t play that over here. We wanted to make sure that he had all the tools to succeed. Even if, for some reason, he did fail, we reminded him that we would always be here.

Solomon had a bright future ahead of him, and as long as he kept up his end of the deal, he would never go without anything. I’m all for getting it out of the mud, but our father worked hard so that we wouldn’t have to, and as a result, we will continue to make sure that our children never have to struggle. Our siblings included.

“Can I ask you a question?” It’s something that has been on my mind for a while, but I never spoke on it.

“What’s up?”

“When are you going to tell Honesty that you’re in love with her?” I mean, we joked about it often, but I can see the look in his eyes that he cared about her. It was deeper than friendship, whether he wanted to admit it or not.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Honesty is my best friend, and that’s it.” he brushed me off and continued to eat his food.

“I’ve seen the way that you are around each other, and I don’t believe that for one second.” Silence fell between the two of us, while he continued to eat with his head down. After a few moments, he finally looked back up at me.

“Even if I was in love with her, what good would that do? I don’t have shit to offer a girl like her, so why would I waste my time?” His statement caught me off guard, so I paused for a moment.

“What do you mean by that?” I need clarity because his words didn’t make sense to me.

“I’m going to tell you the same thing I told you when you asked me after graduation. Honesty and I are from two different sides of the tracks. We’ve lived two completely different lives. Honesty needs a clean-cut man who doesn’t have trauma and baggage attached to him. And I need someone who isn’t green to the world that we live in. Honesty believes that everything in the world is good, and you can trust everyone. She doesn’t know what it’s like to wake up with no lights and no food. She’s never had to experience being beaten or put outside in the middle of Winter. Or having to sleep on porches and park benches. She’s never had to hustle to earn money or do things she doesn’t want to do in order to survive.

"I love her for her innocence, and I would never do anything to take that away from her. I’m still trying to get my shit together, and I would never drag anyone else down with me. The bitches I fuck with understand where I came from, and they don’t require much for me. Honesty isn’t like them. Even if she didn’t require much, I would still want to give her the world. I may be young, but I’m wise enough to know that I’m not ready for that type of commitment with anybody. Especially, not someone I love.” Although I did not agree with some of what he spoke, I respected it.

He made some valid points, because Honesty was green to a lot of things. We made it that way because we didn’t want her to experience some of the things that we had gone through growing up. She’s never had to work for a single thing because we handed it to her on a silver platter, and I don’t apologize for that. At the same time, I didn’t like the fact that Solomon talked down on himself. No man is perfect, but if I had to pick anyone for my sister, he would be my top choice.

At least with him, I knew that she would be loved and protected because I see the way that he cares for her now. Whenever she had an issue, he was the first person she ran to. It let me know that she trusted him. I agreed with them both being young, though. This was the time to make mistakes and be young, wild, and carefree. I wanted them both to live their lives, create those experiences, and use those years to grow and learn from.

“I feel what you’re saying, and I respect it. However, you are a good man, Solomon. Don’t ever let anyone tell you any different. You already know I stay strapped and ready when it comes to my family, so the fact that I trust you with my sister should tell you a lot. You have beaten the odds stacked against you, and you’re in the process of creating a good life for yourself. Don’t lose focus of that, and don’t ever doubt your abilities. Every blessing coming your way is because you earned it, and you deserve it.

"We’re not handing you anything because we don’t think that you can do it on our own. I look at this as an investment. I see the greatness inside of you, and I know that one of these days, you’re going to be somebody important. People are going to be requesting you by name soon enough. Things may not have started out perfectly in the beginning, but it’s not always where you start. It’s about what you do after.

"The past is in the past, and you are no longer that person anymore. I’m not going to put pressure on you, but just know that whoever you end up with, they will be lucky. You have rose from the ashes and have come out stronger than ever. Nobody can hold your past against you, nor can they minimize your success. I’m proud of you, man. At your age, the only thing that I had on my mind was fucking bitches and playing in the NBA. This is only the beginning for you, and there’s no limit to what you can accomplish. I know your stubborn ass won’t ask for help, but if you ever need me, I’m always here for you. I don’t care what it is. Do you understand me?”

“Yeah, man, I hear you. I appreciate everything that you’ve done for me. Most niggas would never take in their girl’s siblings the way that you did for us. You could’ve easily allowed us to go into the system, but you stepped up for my sister and I. I’m not really good at expressing my feelings, but I appreciate you being a brother to me and investing in my dreams. My only goal is to be able to pay you back for everything you’ve done for me.” I nodded.

“I don’t need you to pay me back, but when you get rich and famous, don’t forget to shout a nigga out! Oh, and I need a free tattoo.” We both chuckled before slapping hands.

“I gotcha fasho,”

“Alright I’m gonna get it out of here so I can go slide on your sister. She already texted me her lunch order, so I’m about to pick up my baby’s food and see how her day is going.”

“Ol’, simp ass nigga,” he teased.

“I don’t give a fuck about it. She already knows she can get anything for me. Call me sprung, a simp, or whatever else. I will be all of that when it comes to my wife.” Yaya was the only woman in the world who could get me to act this way. The love I had for her could never be duplicated, and I would never deny her anything that she wants in this world.

“Good shit, I’ll be sliding by there later tonight for dinner. Plus, Malea wants me to take her, and her little bald-headed friends to the mall after school.” She was another piece of my heart that could get whatever she wanted. Malea was just as spoiled as all my other sisters. Solomon and Rule also took turns spoiling the fuck out of her too.

Buying Solomon that car was the best thing I’ve ever done because now I don’t have to worry about taking her to the movies or to the mall. That was a torch I would gladly pass on to him.

“Better you than me. I’ll see you later on and make sure you bring your own Tupperware cause you ain’t taking shit out of my house! I love you, man!” I yelled, making my way towards the door.

“Love you, too.” Once I made it to the car, I’ve checked my phone to see if I had any messages. I’ve been making it a point to check on Freedom almost daily, just to make sure he was doing alright. For the most part, he seemed to be in better spirits, but my aunt Faith had been hovering over him like an infant. I couldn’t say that I blamed her because I know if it was my child, I would be just overprotective.

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