Page 48 of Not A Homie, Lover Or Friend
His dad hadn’t said anything. He stepped forward directly in his son’s face. “Married. You are now a man. You’ve got bigger shit to worry about than those streets. I see you, Monfua. I do. Oute alofa ia te oe.”
I smiled. “You said I love you.”
His father turned my way. I shrank a little. “He taught me,” I mumbled.
Monfua’s father pulled me into a hug. “Welcome to the family.”
His mother clapped. “Now we celebrate.”
They said a few words to him before leaving the house. Once they were gone, Monfua glanced at me. “Kirk is dead.”
I tossed my hand over my mouth. “What!”
The way he stood tall with so much confidence. I already knew. “That nigga gone. Touching grass literally. I don’t feel bad about it either. I told you before I would protect you,” he calmly said to me.
A part of me was scared, but the other part of me felt safe. I knew what came with him being a part of the Zoo, the question was, could I handle it, and the answer was fuck yes.
MONFUA
Sukalati had fallen asleep while I showered. She curled up in bed with her thumb in her mouth. I could tell she was tired and probably hadn’t slept all night waiting for me to come home. That was the initial plan, but when I received the notification that my application had been submitted, I knew it was she who had pressed the button. She believed in me, and that was part of the reason for my actions with Kirk.
I knew she was trying to redeem herself, and I respected her for it. Instead of coming home, I went to do some other things to complete the application process. It took longer than expected, but now the cards were in God’s hands.
I wanted to plan something special for tonight, so while she slept, I decided to go and set some things in place. I almost wished I could say the dust was settled for her, but I knew the bigger issue would be with Foe. As bad as I wanted to step in for her and take the blows he was going to give her, she needed to handle that shit like an adult. When she felt like she needed someone, I was going to be right there to hold her, to talk her through it all, but this was something I couldn’t get her out of.
After getting dressed, I kissed her and then left the house. The first stop I made was at the bar. When I entered, there were a few heads in there. I remember I told Kareem I would look out, but after the club and seeing him and Mali on some bullshit, I changed my mind. However, when I walked in the back and saw him myself washing fucking dishes, I almost lost it.
When he saw me, his lip curled up, giving a forced grin. “Ugly nigga,” I mumbled. “What the fuck are you doing back here?”
He shrugged. “You told me to come by, so I did. I talked to your mom, told her how we were locked in, and she let a nigga get a job,” he winked.
I rushed over to him and grabbed him by his dingy ass shirt. “What type of game are you playing nigga? You and Mison running around this muhfucka on some scheming shit. Get out!” I barked.
He began laughing. “You firing me, Island Boy? Huh? I mean, shit, to be honest, you should’ve been in prison just as I was. Nigga you weren’t a saint.”
His reminder of something I thought about often bothered me; it was the reason I was trying to change. “What are you and Mison up to?”
He glanced down at my hands that were still gripping his shirt. I let go, “Mison owes me money. A lot of it, and if he doesn’t come up off it. He’s a dead nigga just like that nigga Dio.”
I laughed. “Nah, you’re going to be the dead nigga.”
He shrugged. “Maybe, but if I go, the Zoo will be no more. Tread lightly with the threats. I got powerful people behind me.” He winked.
I didn’t know what that meant, but I knew it was time to put Chevy on game.
As I made my way through the streets, I passed by a fire station, and a smile eased on my face. I knew that lifestyle would be a change for me, but I felt ready. When I reached mydestination, I got out of the car and headed inside. I worked my way down each aisle looking at toys, edible oils, lubes, and other gadgets.
I picked up something from the shelf to take a better look at it when I heard my name being called, “Monfua?”
I turned to look and was surprised. He smiled widely as if he was ready to make a joke. “Nigga what you doing here?” he asked.
Diamond walked over to me and dapped me up.
I held the toy up, “Shit, same reason you’re here,” I said to him.
Diamond nodded. I was waiting for him to say something smart, to say why he didn’t like me just as Foe did, but he didn’t. He continued to move around the store picking shit up and throwing it in the basket. If you asked me, the nigga was about to be on some major freaky shit, but that wasn’t my business.
I continued to grab a few more things before I ended up in the next aisle with him. He turned to me, looking at the cuffs, oils, and toy in my hand. “You about to have an OLS?”
