Page 16 of Typa
“Naw. Let’s go out there now,” Uncle Marcus said. “That nigga hemmed up right now anyway. I don’t want to have to dip back in the streets to get at his ass, but I will.”
I was so damn embarrassed. I glanced at Aunt Chas, and she had a frown on her face, looking like she was ready for whatever. The only thing that was keeping me sane was that this shit would have probably come out whether I was Mythic or not. There would have been tension anyway. However, I knew that tension was more severe because I was involved.Jesus.
I sent text messages to Epic and PJ. They were the only ones I knew that would be able to keep Mythic calm and away from the house. Uncle Marcus said Mythic was hemmed up. I wondered what that actually meant. Even after all this, I cared about his well-being.
Please keep Mythic away from the house. Please. I can’t get ahold of him.
I looked up at the men of my family and saw frowns on all their faces. I grabbed my purse, and my daddy grabbed my hand and led me out of the office. When we got to his truck, Shaydon came to the door and opened it for me. He grabbed my hand and helped me inside. Before closing the door, he said, “I’m gon’ be here, baby.”
SIX
MYTHIC
“Why you not answering yourphone for Maui? Where the hell are you?”
I was listening to Epic’s voicemail. I could tell he was nervous, especially after the conversation we had. Adrian had hemmed my ass up last night. Muthafucka had pretty much held me hostage, saying that I owed him more money for what was confiscated. That wasn’t my muthafucking fault. He could talk to his police buddies to get that shit back, or he could take it out on Seven’s ass. I wasn’t giving him anymore of my fucking money.
He and his boys tried to scare me into giving him more money, but he should have known that shit wasn’t gon’ work. I didn’t go back home, because I didn’t want them trying to get at Maui. I would have been their way in. As I sat at the bridge, staring at the water, I saw Maui’s car fly by. There were a ton of cars behind her.Aww fuck.
I checked my text messages to see that PJ had said that Maui texted him saying for me not to go home. Evidently, they found some credibility to Seven’s story. If they were coming for me, I needed to stay away like she said. However, the nigga in me wanted to go home and dare them to try something. I would goout shooting. I just wished I could see Maui one last time. I knew it would only be a matter of time before she found out.
My phone rang and when I saw my dad’s number, I knew I had better answer. I already knew he was calling to chew me the fuck out. “Hello?”
“Tell me that shit ain’t true. You sent those feens for Seven, for real? Man, the Hendersons are like our family. What did Seven do to you? He younger than you, so y’all didn’t even really run in the same circles.”
“He ain’t do nothing to me. I just thought he would be an easy target. I underestimated him.”
He took an extremely deep breath and blew it out. “The more I try to understand you, the more you confuse me. I don’t understand that shit, Mythic. Where are you?”
I stared out at the water, knowing I’d fucked up and lost my baby . . . both of them. There was no way I would be able to be in our baby’s life. My heart was heavy as I looked at the email from Lamar Institute of Technology. I was supposed to be starting school in a couple of weeks. I didn’t even want to go anymore. I would have to withdraw.
“Mythic! Where the fuck are you?” my dad yelled, clearly irritated even more by my silence.
“At the bridge, man. That was over a year ago, prolly like two years ago when I first got paroled. I’m not the same person I was back then.”
“Mythic . . . shit. You in over your head. The Hendersons ain’t gon’ let that shit ride. You know that, right? How am I gon’ protect you from all them niggas?”
“No disrespect, but I ain’t ask for your protection. I ain’t never had that shit anyway. Just keep doing what you been doing. Don’t worry about me. I’d probably be better off dead anyway.”
I ended the call, not giving him a chance to respond. What did I have to live for? I may as well go home and let them take me out. Standing from the dirt, I went to my ride and decided to go to Vanessa’s house to finally see my son. I wasn’t even excited about it. Vanessa wasn’t a ratchet ho, so I supposed that would make it easier. She just wanted me to accept responsibility for the life I created. I opened my console and saw I had a couple of bands in there that I could give to her.
When I turned on her street, I looked around, trying to make sure no one was following me, then turned in her driveway. I sat there for a minute, trying to gather the nerve. After taking a deep breath, I got out of the vehicle and headed to the door. My head stayed on a swivel, checking my surroundings. Those niggas had me fucked up if they thought they would get another dime out of me. So, I knew I needed to be prepared to meet my maker. PJ was the only nigga that cut for me hard, but I didn’t want him involved in this shit. That had me without a crew. Me against the fucking world.
I rang the doorbell, then I heard a baby cry. Lowering my head, I did my best to keep my heart hard. I couldn’t allow him to penetrate my defenses. I’d never been around a baby like I was about to be. The door opened and Vanessa was standing there in some sweats and a T-shirt, holding our son. Her eyes were wide, but she remained silent. She stepped aside and allowed me to walk inside.
I turned to her once inside as she closed the door. When she turned to me, her shock had dissipated and was replaced by a frown, indicating her anger or irritation. “So you finally decided to accept responsibility, huh?”
“The DNA test said he was mine, so I’m here to make it right.”
“You know I didn’t sleep around like that, Mythic. If you are honest with yourself, you knew this was your baby.”
“What’s his name?”
She rolled her eyes. “Caleb Mystic Semien.”
I nodded as she came closer to me for me to see him. Lil man looked just like me.Damn.“Can I hold him?”
She didn’t respond verbally. She just handed him over. When I turned him to me, he frowned. That shit made me smile. His eyes went right to my grill. I suppose it sparkled, grabbing his attention. His eyes then shifted to the diamond chain around my neck. I could see Vanessa in my peripheral. She was smiling at us.
