Page 24 of Dom
Dique nodded, more to himself than us. “Aight… say less.”
As we turned to head back toward the party, Dique lingered behind for a second, staring up at the sky like he was waiting for a damn answer. I knew that look. It was the same one I had the night I realized Dom would change my whole life. This was the beginning of a new chapter for all of us and now we had a baby Royal to worry about.
The smoke was still floating through the backyard air although night had fallen. The ribs were gone, all of the Hennessy bottles were almost dead, and the Uncs were halfway slumped over in lawn chairs, talking ‘bout some‘Back in my day shit’for the fifth damn time today. I swear, my mama knew how to throw a cookout and a lot of times she wasn’t Delores, she was Candy-D as the streets knew… but she didn’t play. The kids ran around with snow cones, old school music blasted through the Bluetooth speaker, and the OGs was still deep in a spades game slamming cards like it was life or death. In the spades game, it got intense. People would get they ass beat over a good spade game.
Even with all that laughter and music, I could see it all over Dique’s face, he was still processing everything. He was standing near the grill with a drink in one hand and the blunt in the other, but he wasn’t vibing like his usual self and wasn’t cracking no jokes. He wasn’t even flirting with the neighborhood shawty’s.He was quiet, was just too damn quiet. I slid up next to him, watching the smoke rise from the last of the hot links on the grill.
“You gon’ say it or you need me to pull it outta you?” I asked.
His eyes scanning the yard. “I’m just waitin’ for everybody to cool down slime… but yeah… it's time.”
A few minutes later, as everybody started cleaning up or packing to leave, Dique stepped up on the back porch. The rest of the family, my ma, my pops, O'Shynn, me, and Carmen were all sitting around, winding down from the long ass day.
“I gotta say somethin’,” he started, scratching the back of his head like a little kid about to admit he broke some shit.
Ma raised an eyebrow. “Lord, what now? You ain’t knock nobody up, did you?”
Everybody chuckled but Dique didn’t. That smile didn’t crack at all and if anyone knew Dique, he usually always cracked a smile. “I ain’t knock nobody up,” he said. “But… I did take a DNA test recently tho,”
O'Shynn leaned forward, with a strawberry frozen cup in her hand. “From that girl in Liberty City… Keondra?”
“Yeah.” Dique nodded. “I took it.”
Pops sat forward. “And?”
Dique swallowed hard. “The baby’s mine… she’s three…. been mine.”
Everybody got quiet at first. I knew how bad my parents wanted a grandchild, I just didn’t know if they wanted it like this. All you could hear was the cicadas in the trees and the ice clinking in Ma’s cup. Carmen touched my leg beneath the table like kids did when somebody was about to get in trouble just waiting. Ma finally spoke up as her lips parted like she wanted to curse, then she closed them again, and then opened them one more time. “Three?” she finally whispered. “Three years old, and we didn’t know nothing? We have a grandchild?”
“She didn’t push the issue until now,” Dique told her. “She always claimed it, but I was out west most of the time. I didn’t believe her… for different reasons. But it’s real. I seen the test and all. That lil girl got our blood.”
Pops leaned back and rubbed his hands together slowly like he always did when he wanted to think before he spoke. “So, what you gon’ do now?”
“I already called her a few minutes ago I told Keondra I’d come see them tomorrow,” Dique replied. “But I told her don’t start no shit. Ain’t gon’ be no Instagram posts, no ‘Royal bloodline’ hashtags. She a fuckin’ loudmouth but she just don’t know, this shit real, and dangerous.”
Ma stared at her Dique with glossy eyes. “You sure she ain’t just tryna use the baby to keep you around?”
“I don’t think so. She still on bullshit, yeah, but I can’t front on the kid, blood don’t lie… she mine for real.”
O'Shynn shook her head slowly. “What’s her name?”
“Kaylani,” Dique said. “She just turned three last month.”
Ma rolled her eyes. “Keondra better keep that baby low ‘cause if them people get wind she ours? They won’t come for Keondra, they’ll come for Kaylani. That baby gon’ need security.”
“I know,” Dique said. “I told Keondra already, don’t tell nobody shit… at least not yet.”
I took a deep breath, still processing this shit. Everybody around me was just slanging dick. Tone had a baby on the way, and now Dique was a confirmed father. Bringing these babies into our world was dangerous. It reminded me that I should start strapping up with Carmen before we end up in the same predicament. “So now what?” I asked. “You ready to step up as a father or what?”
“Hell yeah,” Dique nodded. “I ain't never ran from shit in my life. I should’ve run from Keondra’s lil sexy ass though, but I’ll be whatever the baby need me to be.”
Pops slapped his heavy hand on Dique’s shoulder. “Then be that… and don’t let nobody put her in harm's way.”
Ma wiped her face with a napkin. “And if Keondra tries to be messy, we’ll deal with her too. Ain’t no time for sloppiness in this family. However, I’d like to meet my grandchild.”
Carmen glanced at me. “You think we can trust Keondra?”
I shook my head. “Nah…. but we control the narrative.”
