Page 37 of Welcome to the Table
“You mean our daughter. You can’t protect her from everything. You not gon’ lead her blindly. I told yo’ ass that before. She needs to know, so she can protect herself. You want to tell her bits and pieces, but this shit is way deeper than that,” she fussed at him.
Daddy was silent. He turned to look at me and saw the fear in my eyes.
“Excuse me, Ladybug.” I didn’t know what he was talking about until he grabbed the front of my mother’s nightgown, pulling her to her feet.
I sat back on the sofa. I had never seen them like this. My mother laughed at his gesture.
“Melph, let me fucking go before I show our daughter who really runs this fucking house. You are showing her shit that she ain’t used to seeing between us.” My mother laughed, but I was horrified.
“Nah, because you talking too fucking much. Let’s go before I snap yo’ fucking neck. This girl talk shit is over.” He let her down, and she stumbled a bit, laughing the entire time.
That made me less scared because he wasn’t hurting her. She straightened her dress and winked at me before following him out my door. I laughed and shook my head. Maybe that’s what happened in my absence.
My dad stopped, causing my mother to pause. “Hellcat and Hollygrove gon’ take you shopping for everything you need to finish school online.”
With that, he walked out the door. I felt like a giddy schoolgirl when he mentioned Hollygrove. All those teenage feelings came rushing back like a hurricane, but I kept it to myself. They would kill Hollygrove if they knew I liked him. That’s the ironic part about it. They would kill him for me wanting him, and he didn’t even know. They had officially blown my high, so I grabbed the half smoked blunt and ashtray, went back to my windowsill, and pulled the window open.
I missed the noise and humidity of the city. The wet wind made my hair turn back into its natural curly state as I smoked. I looked out as the trees blew, and it gave me a sense of peace. I smoked my blunt until I got high enough to fall asleep. Then, I put it out, fell into my bed, and was asleep in seconds.
Chapter 9
Calliope Black
This shit was getting out of hand. I never expected Athena or Melph to react the way they did, and they wondered why I didn’t bring anyone to meet them. Granted, I had been fucking with Klarity for five years, but damn, they didn’t have to do all that. My mind couldn’t help but wonder why Athena called her a snake. I didn’t need the answer because what she said was law. I would never go against Athena. Not because I was afraid, but she was never wrong about shit, even if she didn’t have a reason.
Klarity was the first woman who got a part of me that the other bitches could never get. They wanted it but didn’t deserve it, and now I didn’t know where the fuck she was. I didn’t want to go home, in fear that she wasn’t there. That shit would hurt my core. I wasn’t an emotional nigga, but Klarity brought the shit out of me. I was a marshmallow with her. I tried the love shit, but that was the first and only time I would. My heart was officially black and cold as Antarctica. I didn’t even want to look at a bitch too long, or I would snap her fucking neck. If it wasn’t about pussy, then we had nothing to discuss.
The funny thing about this entire shit was that it wasn’t on either of our terms. She didn’t cheat, and she didn’t have anyproof that I was fucking other bitches. I felt helpless. I wanted to step in and save her, but I knew I couldn’t go against my family. That shit was unheard of. They had to know some shit that I didn’t for the shit to happen the way it did. I wanted to question them, but decided against it. We had bigger fish to fry, and maybe her leaving was for the better good. I knew shit was about to get ugly, and no one could be trusted. Klarity had never seen the beast in me, but he was definitely about to come out. Melph never ran from shit, so I knew the world was about to feel the wrath of my family behind this shit, and I was ready for it.
I didn’t like the life we led, and I would scream that shit until I was blue in the face, but I didn’t have a choice. I was born into it. Had the Black Guerrilla emblem tatted on my neck. We were branded by this shit and lived by it. Always having to be on alert. I didn’t trust anybody with my life but me. I protected me. All those guards and shit were too fucking extra. If a motherfucker wanted to get you, they could get through those guards. I trusted Hellcat a little, but he was too fucking wild and loose. He couldn’t control his anger and was always ready to slice and dice. I didn’t understand how Hollygrove put up with that nigga.
Now that I thought about it, I didn’t get a chance to even hug my sister. Shit went left as soon as I walked in. I had kept eyes on her over the years. I knew all about Athena’s protection but didn’t speak on it. I never told all my secrets.
I aimlessly drove around the city, letting the wind tap on my face. I bobbed my head toLil Wayne’snew album, and it was pretty good. I looked in my rearview mirror and noticed a car following me. Maybe I was tripping, so I swerved and got on the interstate to see if they would follow me. They did. I couldn’t see who was driving. Their front windshield was tinted. They chose the wrong Black to fuck with first. I sped up, so did they. Then I realized who the fuck I was, and I wasn’t about to let them think I was scared.
I swerved into the exit lane and pulled into a dark alley. I put my Spider in park while grabbing my .45 in the process. I grabbed the other one from between the seats and tucked them into my vest for easy access. The lights from their truck were so fucking bright that I couldn’t see shit. High beams in full effect. I hopped out and started walking toward their truck. I wasn’t scared of shit, and I was about to show them.
Before I could get to the front of their car, the back door opened, and two feet hit the ground. My brow held a light bead of sweat. The city’s humidity was high. The alley reeked of piss and weed, but I ignored it. Dumpsters were in the darkness, but they served a good purpose when needed.
I wasn’t familiar with niggas in the city following me. My eyes shifted quickly as the person stepped out of the truck. I made sure my gloves were tightly on my hands. I hated the way guns felt against my skin, but I loved using them. I wasn’t like Hellcat. That nigga was wicked with a knife, but guns were my friend. The other three doors opened, and I went for the gun in the holster on my shoulder. I was outnumbered, but that didn’t mean I wouldn’t kill everything that got out of that truck.
“I come in peace.” I heard a deep voice that held a bit of an accent.
Each man who got out of the truck was dressed from head to toe. Rifles perfectly fit in the hands, ready for a good kill. I didn’t flinch. Wasn’t supposed to. They were trained for sure and weren’t from New Orleans. Intruders came to conquer, destroy, and demolish, but not on my watch. I didn’t need backup. I was my backup. They were here to send a message. One that I didn’t know, but I would before they left.
“Whoever the fuck you are, you didn’t come in peace with all this shit.” I pulled my gun and cocked it.
If them niggas wanted to shoot, they would have got out of the truck busting, so I knew this shit was for show. I heard adeep chuckle before I heard his footsteps. He closed the door and came closer to the light. The more the light shone on his features, the more familiar he looked. I squinted to get a closer look, but he still didn’t look familiar. I took a few steps to make sure I wasn’t tripping.
“Frenchy?” It came out as more of a fucking question because I hadn’t seen this nigga in years. I saw what the fuck was going on but took it all in like I hadn’t already peeped game. I knew this shit was coming. Now the shit was all coming together.
“Yeah, I know it’s been a while, but I needed to make my presence known and reach out on my own.” His Colombian accent was strong. He had a dominant presence, but he was in my territory, so that shit went out the window. He waved at his men to put their guns away, and they dispersed back into the truck. It was just him and me.
I stepped closer to him, tucking my guns. He wasn’t a threat.
“The fuck you need to make your presence known for? Ion fuck with you like that, and why the fuck are you here?” I towered over him. I knew it had something to do with the shit with Melph, but I wouldn’t speak on it. I tried to stay as far away from that shit as I possibly could.
He put his hands up in surrender.
