Page 4 of Another Constant

Sora laughed. “And that’s all?”

I waved him off. “What else would it be?”

“Yeah okay. Now what are you about to do?” he asked.

“Pull up on Maurice and beat about two racks out his ass.”

Sora laughed. “Thought you were baking and shit, controlling your anger.”

“I have a red velvet on the cake plate right now. I ain’t angry. This right here is fun.” I smiled and my little brother shook his head. My temper was somewhat famous around these parts because as a youngin I could go from zero to a thousand before anybody could blink. Safe to say that shit got me in a lot of trouble as a kid. Then my auntie said fuck that and made me put my energy into something else. Over the years I might have dibbled and dabbled in my temper, but I always found my center again in the kitchen. Auntie had taught me everything I knew, making sure my energy was focused somewhere and any leftover energy was spent out in the garage with my uncle and cousin Nine. “Yo, you talked to Nine?” I asked out of the blue, thinking about my blood.

“Yeah, he said he and Stella might visit sometime this summer.”

I nodded.

“I’ma ride with you to make sure you don’t do anything dumb, then you bouta take me to your crib so I can get my baby mama a piece of that cake. Ever since she tried that chocolate cake last month, she has been hooked. That piece of cake might get me some pussy tonight from her mean ass.”

I chortled, even though the expression on his face was serious as hell. Blaze being pregnant kept him on his toes now more than anything, and even though I wasn’t looking to have any children of my own, I loved that shit for him. It slowed him down in a way he needed. Sora used to run the streets heavily, then he met Blaze. He didn’t run them like me, but in a more reckless adrenaline-filled way. She slowed him down a little then the baby slowed his ass down even more. He needed that.

* * *

“Ifeel like you're playing me, Maurice. You tell me yeen take no money from nobody, but shorty came to the shop and acted a plum fucking fool. Not to mention the fact that you racked up over a thousand dollars in parking tickets on her shit parked outside your baby mama’s house.” My temple was throbbing and heat rose from my skull. I wasn’t mad, but I was getting there. I hated for anybody to lie to me, because one, I never asked questions I didn’t already have the answers to, and two, he was coming off too cocky for somebody who was seven seconds from swallowing their composites.

“You know I wouldn’t lie to you, King—” He couldn’t finish that statement because I sent my fist in his direction. The laughter and talking in the bar we were in the middle of died down and the only thing heard was the music.

Everybody was frozen still, waiting for my next move. Not a soul in here would say anything to me because they knew like I did they could catch this heat as well if they even attempted to step in.

“Kinga, man, you know I was going through—” Now he wanted to explain, but I was far past that.

I stepped back and handed my piece to my brother, then I delivered the ass whooping he deserved for not only playing with shorty, but also playing with my business and my name. By the time Sora’s hand found my shoulder, he was balled up in the fetal position tryna cover his head. He didn’t try to fight back, shoot, as if he had any sort of chance.

“That's enough, bro.” Sora’s voice brought me back from a place I tried to avoid. My anger always sent me blank, numb, and deaf to everything I was doing until it was done.

“Don’t let me see you again. ’Cause I promise I’ll finish your pitiful ass life for you.” I backed up and glanced around the bar. Though some people looked mortified like they’d witnessed a mauling of some sort, out west this was a normal Thursday night. Anybody from the area knew how I gave it because it was no secret. They also knew I didn’t fuck with anybody unless I was fucked with.

“You good now? You got that off your chest?” Sora asked as soon as we were back in my truck.

“I was always good,” I lied, still breathing hard and trying to calm myself. I was for sure headed in the house to bake something because had I not stopped myself I would have taken his life in that bar. It wasn’t full of people or crowded, but there were enough neighborhood people in attendance to be witnesses.

“You weren't. Your eyes went black. Had I not stopped you, shi?—”

“Nah. I was delivering a message. I knew what I was doing.” I turned the car on and rested back against the seat for a moment. “You still want this cake or am I dropping you off to your bike?”

“Hell yeah I want the cake. You know that shit is gonna get back to auntie and she’s gonna have your ass. You know those old ass ladies from the church still call her to gossip.”

I shook my head. “The old lady doesn't scare me like she scares you. I’m a real nigga.”

He laughed and held his hand up to his ear like it was a phone. “Yeah you say that, just wait until she gets your real ass on the phone.”

It took me about thirty minutes before I was dropping my brother off to his bike. Right after I went home and straight to my shower. I had been on the ground and messing with my car all day to no avail.

When I finished, I moved through my house to the kitchen where a precut slice of red velvet cake awaited me. I usually didn’t eat what I baked, but after the adrenaline wore off from when I was pissed, I always found myself in need of something sweet. I never said my temper was under control, shit I never thought it was, but I got angry less. I instead filled my days with work and business. I couldn’t help it if they couldn’t get their shit together though. All I could say was I tried my best to keep it cool and not crash out behind everything. Tonight’s thing was big though, somebody I hired had knowingly put my business at risk.

I finally made my way to my bed around ten, but before I could doze off I found myself texting Harlem.

Me:How do you want your money, ma?

I didn’t expect to get a message back so fast, let alone tonight considering the fact that she looked like the type to get all her rest.

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