𝐒𝐎𝐔𝐋 𝐓𝐈𝐄𝐒 (𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐊 𝟐)

043

"Oou who that? He kinda fine, say whatcho name is?" Aria said as she stepped over the spilled food and began to approach him.

"Unafuckinvailable." Raseem said putting his hand up to stop her from coming any closer. He then proceeded to show off the fitted hat with Epiphany's name on it and the chain making her mouth drop.

"Thats embrassing." Tee tee busted out laughing.

"Not as embarassing as your dry ass skin, cocoa butter is a thing you know? Buy some witcho ashy ass." Aria said.

"You you funny as shit." Raseem laughed and looked over at Armani who still stood stuck at the scene happening before her. "Good morning momma."

"Good morning Rah." Armani said looking down at Savior who was tugging at her pajama leg. "What baby?"

"I'm hungry." Savior loudly announced purposely.

"Me too." Kaori agreed making Kamala look at them.

"Aww my babies hungry, Karizzy make yourself useful and grab the old high chair from the garage." Kamala said making her nod her head.

"Hey y'all." Said Nasir finally coming down the stairs rubbing his eyes. "Good morning y'all." He corrected himself when Kamala cut her eyes at him.

"Good morning." Kamala said as Nasir took Kaori from Armani who held her arms up.

"Tee tee clean up that damn mess, I'm not gon say it again!" Kamala said making Tee tee smack her teeth as she grabbed the broom and begin to walk back to the mess.

"Grab the swiffer too, common sense should have told you that." Kamala said making her huff as she walked slowly to the cleaning closet and grabbed the swiffer.

"Breathe all you want to, thats why God gave you a mouth and a nose." Kamala said.

"Damn you mean to these kids." Armani laughed. "Maybe I need to start acting like you."

"No you dont." Raseem said. "You already mean."

"Boy no I am not, I'm nice to you if anything." Armani said watching as Karizzy came back and placed the high chair beside the chair Armani assumed she'd be sitting in.

"Mama." Kaori pouted.

"I know baby, you'll eat soon okay?" Armani said.

Kaori nodded her head and began to follow Savior around who followed Raseem outside the front door. Armani wasted no time to run outside and snatch Kaori up in fear that some would happen to her.

"Raseem where you goin?" Armani asked.

"TJ and Jamarcus up the block at the basketball court." Raseem said making Armani nod her head.

"Remember the rules I told you if the police comes around checking y'all?" Armani asked.

"Never run away from the police, keep your hands visible, take your hood off so they can see your face clearly, be respectful, keep a respectful tone, speak properly, don't be aggressive, NEVER raise my voice at authority, and eye contact." Raseem repeated the rules to her making her nod her head.

It still made her sad that it had reached the point in society where she had to go over rules before her black son could go out and live his life. It saddened her that even with these rules, life was still dangerous for him and her little boy, so she prayed over them twenty four seven and so far God hadn't failed her.

"You wanna take Savior or I keep em?" Armani asked.

"You keep em, we probably not gon be there for more than thirty minutes since I heard y'all cooking." Raseem said. "Matter a fact let me go in and ask granny K if they could come over." Raseem went back in the house and came back out two minutes later and told Armani what she said.

"Okay baby, be safe and set your timer for thirty minutes! Breakfast should be close to ready by then." Armani said.

She watched him walk up the street before she took Savior hand and they all went back inside.

"Okay, need any help?" Armani asked when she joined Kamala in the kitchen and washed her hands.

"Uh can you make the pancakes and the eggs? I got the grits cooking, the cinnamon rolls in the oven and the bacon and sausage in the oven too." Kamala said as she turned the grits making sure they weren't too thick.

Armani nodded her head and began to pour the batter looking over at Nasir who kept the kids occupied. It seemed whenever Armani began cooking, that's when the two wanted to come and be under her but at any other moment they were with Nasir or Raseem harassing them and being in their faces.

"Okay." Armani mumbled to herself as she grabbed the eggs and cracked them into a bowl. She used a fork to turn the eggs then put oil in the pan she was using, she then poured the eggs into the pan and began the pancakes.

She finished the eggs within a couple of minutes and the pancakes an extra couple of minutes later. Once she finished, she put the food on the big trays and the girls came to help set the table.

"Auntie Kamala would you support me if I became a stripper?" Aria randomly blurted out making Armani cut her eyes at Kamala.

"No because a lady should be modest and have some form of respect for herself." Kamala said making Nasir mumble "awl shit" knowing his wife was about to start.

"You do realize a job doesn't automatically cancel out your self respect right? You can work as a stripper and shake ass but not allow these men to touch your and or disrespect you. You can shake ass and still know your worth. Stripping is a way to make fast money off the perverted lonely and sometimes cheating ass men, and no girl should be told she lacks self respect because she's stripping." Armani said making Kamala look at her.

"Why not make money a regular way at a regular job with your clothes on? Men see your body and thats the first thing they'll assume that is all your worth." Kamala challenged her.

"And so fucking what? Men will see your body fully dressed and start undressing you with their eyes any damn way. You can be fully dressed and men can still think you're a little side piece or you're all body or whatever you just said. Being a stripper does not mean that you lack self respect, it means you like to hustle and make that fast money without doing it the illegal way, hence selling drugs." Armani said.

"Well I personally believe--

Kamala sentence was cut short when a gunshot went off making everyone pause and stop what they were doing.

"Wheres Rah?" Nasir asked.

"At the basketball court." The words left Armani's mouth slowly as she felt as if she was about to vomit.

Nasir and Armani looked at each other before they grabbed their shoes from beside the door and began to run at full speed towards the court with the rest of the family not far behind them.

"Please lord don't let it be my baby..."Armani said. "Don't let it be him, don't let it be any of them."

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thoughts?