Sincerely, Yours

Chapter 2

• Kenji •

"Grant, come on." One of the regular guards approached his cell while he laid there, looking at nothing in particular. He sighed hearing the sound of cell five being buzzed opened. "Fuck y'all want with a nigga." He mugged the guard waiting to escort him. The guard said nothing in response, cuffing his wrists then proceeding to place shackles around his feet.

The guard gave him a light push, which Kenji decided to ignore because he didn't want to end up back in solitary for another week. He'd been spending way too much time in the hole and felt he was losing the rest of his sanity; day by day of being there. He let out a humorous chuckle, following behind one guard that led the way while he felt the other one practically breathing on the back of his neck.

They made it to the visiting room where they removed the handcuffs and shackles for the time being. To Kenji's surprise, he had an unexpected visitor. "Hey baby." Her honeyed voice greeted. "What you doing here?" His eyebrows frowned.

"Is that any way to greet your mother?" She looked him in the eyes sternly. "I'm sorry. It's good to see you ma." He hugged her, inhaling her sweet scent. They took a seat at a table across from each other. "Everything alright?" Kenji questioned, growing concerned. His mom never showed up at the prison without him knowing— he automatically thought of the worse.

"Yes, baby. Everything is fine. I just wanted to see your face. Sorry for not waiting on your call." She explained. Kenji was currently serving a eight year sentence and his mother, still to this day wasn't handling the change well. He grabbed her hand. "I'm sorry you gotta always drive all the way up here."

He blamed himself for the look in his mother's eyes. The life he lived was risky and dangerous, but he was sometimes selfish enough to not care about the consequences it came with. "I'm sorry too." She shook her head, placing her free hand on top of his. "Ro come and see you?" He asked her.

She nodded before letting out a soft giggle. "You know Ronin is always checking on me. Coming to the house and eating all my food. Nothings changed since you two were kids." Kenji smirked, "Ro gon' always be Ro." He shook his head. While he did his time on the inside, his best friend and right hand man Ronin, held things down on the outside.

As long as his moms' was good and no one fucked up his business, he could handle whatever came with being locked up. At Solitude; everyone knew who Kenji was and no one ever dared to cross him— however, there were a few hating ass niggas who often watched his moves as if they would be bold enough to test his gangster.

"When you get out of here I want a daughter-in-law and some beautiful grandkids, Kenji. No more playing with these fast lil' girls. You need to change, get your life on the correct path." His mom pressed. He already knew what she meant by changing and getting his life on the correct path. His mama wanted him out of the life and it was no secret.

Normally Kenji would've sucked his teeth and ignored her wishes, but he knew she was right. He's already done four-years out of his total sentence and it's taught him a lot, surprisingly. He didn't want to leave jail and go back to doing the same things, but he felt that streets was all he knew.

The streets made him the man he is today and he couldn't leave it all behind him like that. "I'll try my best to give you what you want ma." He slipped her a closed mouth smile, touching his beard that was in desperate need of some shaping up.

While their conversation continued, other inmates were entering the visiting room to see friends and family. Kenji's only visitor was his mom and he liked it that way. He didn't need to give the guards and warden more reason to keep eyes on him; he already knew that they were watching him like a hawk— waiting on him to make one slip-up.

"This moms?" Victor, one of the inmates and Kenji's infamous rival questioned with a grin printed across his face as he stood there eyeing Mrs. Grant. "She a snitch, too?" Kenji stood up, leaning over the table with dark eyes. "What the fuck you say about my moms, bruh?"

"Kenji!" Mrs. Grant called out, trying to get him to look at her. "I'mma fuck you and this bitch." Victor made a hand gesture while touching his crotch. "Yeah, you talking real tough in here with all these guards. I'mma see yo' bitch ass on the outside, bruh." Kenji took a few steps closer only to be stopped by his mother's hand.

"Bitch ass Palma Ceia nigga." Victor flicked him off. "Bitch ass mother fucker." Kenji balled up his fists, ready for whatever was about to happen. "Kenji Grant I'm not gon' holler your name again boy." Mrs. Grant gave her son his final warning to relax. She hated this side of him— hated that Kenji was bound to get into a situation one day that may sadly; cost him his life.

As the intense stare between the two continued, guards rushed over in response to the commotion. "Hey! There a problem here?" One guard questioned. "Nah, we good." Kenji tells him, re-claiming his seat at the table while another guard escorted Victor to the other side of the visiting room. "We good... for now." Kenji mumbled this time, looking over in that direction.

"Calm down." Mrs. Grant looked her son in the eyes. For a minute, she didn't recognize him with that stone cold killer look. "I apologize ma." He shook his head, realizing that he got out of character while in front of his mother. He never did that. Kenji was very cautious of what he did and said around her.

"Is it always like that?" She asked. He ran his hands down his face, looking over at Victor again. "Thanks for coming up here to see me. I really appreciate you." He expressed sincerely, placing his eyes back on his mother. Even with all the trouble he did and caused as a youth until now; she never turned her back on her only son. He cherished that.

"I don't like this." She grew emotional, "I worry about you and your safety while in here." A tear rolled down her smooth, honey brown skin. He leaned in forward, swatting the single tear away.

"I'm sorry." Was all Kenji could muster up to say. If he could turn back the clock, he would've acted differently. Sometimes he wished he would of been like the other kids in his neighborhood growing up— choosing going to school and getting the proper education to amount to something good in life.

Unfortunately, he didn't take that route. He learned the rules of the game and quickly became his own boss at just the age of eighteen. In a way, the street life chose him; he was just wise enough to know how to operate smartly. He knew being watched or caught up was the biggest L— though from where he stood currently, it didn't feel like he made too many wise decisions along the way.

Everybody's at war for different things. Kenji felt he was at war with his own heart at times.

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