Page 47 of Don Caselli

“Yeah, never heard that.”

“I can say it in your ear when I’m riding you.” She blushed; her eyes were nearly closed with how low they were.

“Lowkey need that sometimes,” I looked over at her and she smiled.

“Will you tell me more about your family?”

“Yeah, I got you.”

“Okay.”

Greene came running across the street barefoot with shots in her hands. “Shottttts. Poppa is sharing his rum.”

Me and Navy looked at each other. “Fuck it, we ball.” She laughed and accepted the drinks.

My fuckinghead felt like someone slapping the shit out of me and wouldn’t stop. As I leaned up, my shirt was around my head and my sneakers was kicked off to the side on a carpet. It smelled like coco butter and musk as my eyes tried to focus on where the fuck I was at. The last thing I remembered was doing shots with Navy and Greene.

Greene kept challenging me and I wasn’t backing down from a challenge—ever. Her grandparents were no better cause they kept hyping me up to take the shots with her. It had been a minute since I had let loose and had fun. Half the shit I didn’t remember doing, but I know I picked Navy up and raced her uncles. I ran track in high school, so I smoked his ass while carrying her.

“Got you some coconut water, ginger tea, and some water crackers,” I heard Ro’s voice, but didn’t see him.

“Why you screaming?” I winced as I spoke, because everything felt amplified this morning.

He chuckled. “Nigga, I’m whispering so I don’t wake up Avril and Navy.”

I finally followed his voice, and he was sitting in the dining area, while putting on his work boots. “How are you even up? And where am I?”

“You’re at my house. When you and Navy started placing bets on who could walk to the Brooklyn Bridge, Avril grabbed her, and I grabbed you and walked ya’ll back to our apartment.” He chuckled. “And I have no choice but to be up. Got a family to provide for.”

I respected a man that provided. I didn’t have a family, but I knew it was a conscious choice to show up as a husband and father every day. There were niggas every day who chose themselves, and after the night that we had, Ro could have been in bed sleeping his hangover off. Instead, he was lacing his work boots up and had even considered the fact that I would be fucked up and made me something.

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. She’s my entire world, Don… my angel in life, and she deserves happiness.”

“I agree.”

“Antwan, he’s a good kid. They’ve been connected at the hip since school, but I would be a fool to say that I knew they wouldn’t last. The minute Mamas decided not to go away to college with him, we knew the relationship wouldn’t last.”

I stretched and walked over toward the table where he was sitting. The tea was still hot, like he just poured it before I found myself waking up on his couch. “I’m not in the business of having beef with homie. Also not trying to rush her into something she’s not ready for, you feel me?”

“I feel you. She looks at you different, though… seems different with you. I think the long distance and always trying to get right with each other took a toll on her. She changed a bit, became withdrawn, but wanted to pretend so we wouldn’t notice. I noticed.”

I nodded and took a sip of the strong ass tea. “Ro, there’s rum in here?”

“Hell yeah. How else you get over a hangover?”

I couldn’t help but laugh as I sipped the hot ass tea. “I want to get to know her the right way. Navy is different, and being completely honest, she got my ass gone. Never met someone like her before… she knows who she is. In a world where everyone is trying to be someone else, that shit is refreshing for me. I’m nothere to tell you that we have a future because only she knows that. I’m saying I’m here to know your daughter and continue to laugh with her.”

“Ro, why didn’t you wake me up?” Avril came shuffling into the kitchen, and then she paused. “The way you ran with my baby on your shoulders… don’t ever do that again.” She laughed.

“I’m sore, like I just worked out for twenty straight hours.”

“Yeah and would have been even more sore had we allowed you two nuts to walk to the Brooklyn Bridge.” Avril kissed Ro on the head. “Have a good day, Lovey. Call me when you get a chance?”

“Always.” He stood up and held his fist out toward mine, and I bumped fist with him.

We all turned our head when we heard someone clearing out their nose. “Morning Daddy… have a good day at work.”

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