Page 78 of Another Constant

“You finally brought your ass home,” Kinga boomed.

“Was about time, wasn't it?”

Kinga finally cracked a smile and so did the man. Their smiles were nearly identical and that’s when it hit me. This was their brother, Aja’s daddy.This was Oden.

They embraced lovingly before pulling apart from one another. My man was happy and that made me happy.

Kinga introduced me proudly. “Harlem, baby, this is my brother Oden. O, this is Harlem.” After introductions I could tell Oden was taken aback at the change in his brother. It was in the way he kept looking from me to him as they spoke.

“Damn, I feel like I been gone forever. You done fell your reckless ass in love and you got a baby on the way.”

I chuckled.

“A baby? Nah, this fool got twins on the way. Girls.” Sora’s voice made him turn around. They then embraced. “What’s up, big bro?” They weren’t embracing for long because Aja’s voice could be heard from afar as she squealed the word, “Daddy.”

She was so happy, I smiled. She had missed her father, and from the way he held her, he’d missed her just as much if not more.

We were hours into Aja’s birthday get together when Kinga pulled me into his embrace, holding up a piece of cake for me to try.

“No, I’m good.”

“Nah but you're tired. I see that shit all in your face.”

“I’m not tired.” I wiped my eyes, knowing damn well I was tired.

“Yeah aight, c’mon. We are about to raise up.”

“I’m good. I promise. If I wasn’t, I’d tell you.”

He gave me one more look, to make sure I wasn’t just saying I was fine, before he nodded. “One more hour and we will take it home.”

I nodded in agreement.

I was glad I’d walked into that garage that day. Glad I didn’t leave when who I now knew as Jay said they’d call me. I was glad I’d taken the unprofessional ass mechanic food because I found my home. My home that would always be there…My constant.

Kinga

We spent the rest of the evening at that expensive ass Brazilian steakhouse then I knew it was time to get my baby home. She was tired as hell and I could see it. What I thought was me and Harlem coming home was actually everybody coming back to my crib. Niggas was damn sure not invited but I wasn’t gonna end the night like that, so I let it rock. Funny thing was, as soon as we got there, the ladies were out. Aja talked to her daddy until she fell asleep, then Harlem helped Blaze get herself and the baby situated before turning in herself. I was left in the basement with my brothers in the middle of a game of pool.

“So, Memphis. You did that?” Oden asked.

I shrugged. “He was a problem that needed to be handled.”

Sora laughed. “Always talking in riddles. Either you killed the man or not.” He had asked me these same questions when the news first broke but I shut him down, not willing to talk about it.

“I didn’t. I was standing right in front of him, Sora.”

Oden laughed. “But you got your ways. Just ’cause yeen walk up blasting doesn’t mean you didn’t do it.”

I shrugged, focusing my attention on the pool cue in my hands. After Memphis’s murder I didn’t go around broadcasting my part in it. Of course I was questioned by two of Chicago’s finest but they had nothing to put on me. Being pictured having a whole conversation with the man cleared me since he was shot at long range.

“What did he say? You know, since I know you had to have the last word,” Oden said, because he knew me.

“Nothing worth carrying or remembering,” I lied but didn’t feel the need to have them wondering who and what he really meant by telling me Ortega was our father. The only Ortega I knew besides Aroyal was his uncle. I copped through him for years and he never mentioned shit about knowing my mother. If he hadn’t brought it up, I damn sure wasn’t about to be a grown ass man walking around looking for a nigga to be my father.

“Now that that’s out the way, who the fuck is Sabastian?”

Sora and I both looked at one another before bursting into laughter.

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