Page 9 of For the Love of City
“Damn we gotta set up visitation or some shit too? How much support you need for her ass, nigga?”
“Shut up, Trav. But I can look at her and tell that the world ain’t jaded her. Not yet. Her daddy kept her put up in the house and away from shit and although we can’t do that for her, we gotta make this shit as normal as possible. Her daddy looked out for us when we needed it so I ain’t about to let that lil girl fall by the wayside just cause I wanna be wit’ the hos and shit.”
“That’s deep, bruh. You a good dude, Corey.”
“Thanks, Uncle Trav.” I said that shit sarcastically as hell but I meant every word. He was my brother so if I had a daughter, he damn sure had a niece.
He pat me on the back and I knew he was ‘bout to talk shit but that he was giving me his silent acceptance. “Here you go with this shit. Come on and introduce me to the youngin. If she won your ass over that fast I know she about to bleed my pockets dry.”
I hesitated wondering if two niggas walking into her room was going to spook her, but frankly, she’d stood tall this whole time. When the door opened and I was standing there, all her mama did was shove the paperwork toward me and give her daughter a dismissive kiss on the head. I didn’t understand how anyone, much less a woman that had carried a baby for months, could just toss her to the side. But that shit was the past now. To her credit Lyric didn’t cry or scream or even ask after her mama. She just asked me where she was sleeping and was almost surprised that she had a room to herself. She’d been holed up in that shit ever since.
I motioned with my head and we both headed down the short hallway. I hated that her room was the closest to the door and was already contemplating switching with her. It would give her a bathroom in her room and she wouldn’t have to worry about having privacy when she needed to handle her feminine shit. The paperwork for baby girl was already put up in the safe just in case I needed to present it to somebody. Her mama said she was going to file a notarized copy with the school and the court. I didn’t have to worry about checking behind her because she was eager to wash her hands of her daughter so I was sure that was done as soon as she dropped her off.
We stopped in front of her door and I knocked and waited for her to tell us to enter. We were greeted with silence for far too long but after what seemed like forever; I heard her voice granting us permission.
“Hey Lyric, I wanted to introduce you to somebody that’s like my brother—” I opened the door slowly my eyes darting around trying to locate her. I knew her ass was small but I ain’t think she was that damn small. Her speaking up was the only way I could locate her.
“I have a knife and I will kill the both of y’all.” Lyric was crouched in a corner of the room near a window like she was either going to jump out of it or do exactly what she said and take us all with her.
“Shawty, this ain’t that. At all. I don’t understand why you feel that way. Scratch that, I do know why but trust me, this nigga here would put a bullet in my head himself if he thought I was doing something crazy.” I pointed back at Trav who was just nodding his head like a deacon agreeing with the pastor. The room was small with just some blinds and a bed. I’d tried to make it decent by throwing a pink comforter on the bed and putting a nightstand in here but I figured she’d decorate it how she wanted to.
“Two actually. Double tap to make sure he dead. I know you worried, but we just trying to look out. We know how crazy it can get out here and we just want to make sure you not caught up in any of the stuff these people got going on.”
His hands were up like he was trying to convey we weren’t the enemy. She eased that knife down, but I could see she still was hesitant to trust us. She had the pretties nutmeg brown skin and a little baby face. I was gone A-Town stomp the fuck outta King’s head when we dropped him in the ground with his favorite pair of J’s for ever thinking about this girl like that.
“I just want to go to school and figure out what I’m doing until I hit eighteen.” Lyric sounded scared to tell us her plans but being good parents meant this was the kind of shit we had to know.
“What do you like to do?”
“Music.” Her eyes lit up when she said it and I could tell that she was really into it. I knew that instruments and shit cost money but if she wanted to give it a shot we would entertain that shit for sure. Anything to keep her out of trouble.
“You got the money for it?”
She rolled her eyes in the most bratty teenager way that I’d ever seen. “Obviously not.”
I shook my finger at her and grinned because I needed her to keep that shit up. “See, that’s the side of you we need to see. The one that you keep trying to keep hidden cause you think we on some weird shit. You can ask anybody about City and Trigga. We ain’t on bullshit.”
She shrugged her shoulders and looked around before focusing back on us suspiciously. “Shit changes.”
I was gone let her lil cussin’ slide but the first time she cussed at me she was gone be in a world of hurt. “Yeah, I apparently got a dependent and shit and didn’t even get to enjoy the nut it took to make you.”
Her mouth dropped open and she put her hand over her mouth. “Did you really just say that? Out loud?”
“Aye, we can tone shit down, but you gone have to be a little less uptight around us. We some hood niggas and I’m glad you ain’t like these chicks running around trying to be up in any and everyone’s faces, but you gotta toughen up.”
She huffed again like a brat at Travis’ words. “Fine. Anything else?”
“You know how to shoot a gun?” I looked at Travis trying to figure out why the fuck he thought it was a good idea to ask her that shit. In his head he was trying to put her on game but he ain’t even try to ease this girl into this shit.
She looked appalled at the question and it took everything in me not to laugh at the face she was making. “I’m fourteen, why would I know how to fire a gun?”
“Baby girl, I caught my first body at twelve. That’s how I earned the name Trigga.” I sighed and lifted my head to the sky. This nigga was just not understanding that he was about to traumatize this damn girl. I had to live with her so having her trust us was a big damn deal.
“Admitting to murders, not quite what I thought today was going to be like.” She took that shit far too well for me but I still had to figure out how she was feeling.
“I’m sure you didn’t, but this is going to be a quick training to get your ass up to par. We do shit to make money and folks might frown on the how. You participating is up to you. But we got a lot of folks that might want to use you to get at us. Your affiliation can be kept quiet or it can be made known, the choice is yours.” I didn’t want to throw her into something without giving her a chance to keep living the life she had been. Her daddy kept her in the house and her mama clearly did but to avoid dealing with her, not to protect her. I wasn’t about to start off this family shit with treating her the way other people had.
“So either hide or toughen up.”
