Familia III: Blood Legacy

Chapter 11

"Cras es noster

Tomorrow, be ours."

~ Nehemiah~

Another day, another dollar I said throwing my clothes in the dirty clothes hamper as I stepped into the shower and let the hot water run over my body. Whew man I ain't cut out for this job anymore. I thought going to culinary school was a great idea but now, now I am rethinking it cause these hours be killing a nigga for real. I was in the shower for 30 minutes before I felt her arms go around my waist. Hey baby! Hey Merci! How was work? Ugh can we not talk about it please. It couldn't be worse than my day. I think it was. I had to remove a colostomy bag and shit got all on my pants leg. Eww you win! That's what I thought, here let me wash your back I said taking the loofah from her and washing her back. Tell me about it, I want to be a nurse, but I don't think I wanna deal with old people and shit every day. I don't blame you for that, but at least we're following our dreams. One of us is at least she mumbled as if I didn't hear her. Baby boy asleep? He's at my grandma's house. Why he has a nice bedroom here. I got off late and I didn't want to wake him up. Ahh ok so we're alone tonight. Yes, we are, I said looking over my shoulder at her.

The past 3 years have been nothing short of amazing for Merci and me. I mean don't get me wrong we've had our ups and downs and even our arguments and disagreements. Most of them stemmed from things that my mom may have said or done to her. While others stemmed from my own insecurities. It was one thing for her to work at the club when I was courting her, but once we got serious, I couldn't watch her dance anymore. So, I did what anyone would do and went to my mom thinking she'd understand and at least respect my wishes. Yeah, some help that was instead of pushing her out of the strip club she drew her in further even making her a manager at the club. Now that caused a problem between me and Merci because I knew how much she wanted to go to school. I mean hell I even offered to pay for her to go and she wouldn't take the money. She said she was a grown ass woman, and she wasn't taking no money from no man or nigga. Being the person that I am I backed off and let her do her until she didn't want to do it anymore and then she found a part time job working at a nursing home. It wasn't what she wanted to do but it was at least a step in the right direction for her.

Have you thought anymore about what we talked about? Come on now you know the deal! NJ seriously not everybody is cut out for college, and I am one of those people. All I am asking is that you try for me. I don't care if you major in general studies, I just want you to do something other than dance at my mama's club on Thursday nights or working at that nursing home taking out old people's shit bags either. She pays good money! Merci! NJ, she does pay good money. Money that keeps my grandmother's lights on and provides for me and Braylon. I can do that as well. It's not your responsibility to do that. Merci, do you ever think about the future? I think about the future every day, I can't help but think about it. Why won't you let me do things for you and Braylon, I know you not use to that type of thing, but I am trying to be there for you. I know you are NJ; I am just not used to that type of thing. I wasn't raised like that so I don't know how to let someone take care of me. I understand that trust me I do, my life wasn't the best either. I mean I just found out my father is not only my father, but my cousin's father as well. Wouldn't that make them your siblings, she said chuckling at me. Technically it would if they were actually allowed to know that they are my siblings. Wow I can't believe your aunt and mom slept with the same man and had kids with him. Nope we are not talking about that. I mean really NJ; they were sharing a nigga. Merci! Ok I am done; I just think its comical. And how is that comical to you? Because they both a little touched in the head, now you tell me knowing the women they are, would you ever expect for them to share a man? It was something I'd thought every day since the day she told me that Jesse Dela Cruz was my father. I'd never thought in my life or the next that my mom would be ok with the man she was dating, also dating another woman much less the woman being her best friend. But I guess at the time they weren't even friends like they led us to believe, they were just associates.