Taming The Dogs

Sixteen

Key

After a good minute of just standing there in just his underwear August left to put in some sweat pants before rejoining me downstairs. He was still quiet so I spoke.

"Are you going to tell me what's up or not? Obviously you lied about going to Houston but why tho?" I asked sitting down on the couch next to him.

Rubbing his hands through his hair he sighed propping his elbows up on his legs.

"It's complicated." He mumbled.

"Well if anybody knows complicated it's me so spill I'm all ears." I said clasping my hands together.

I lived for a good story so I made myself comfortable until he was ready to talk.

Lifting his head up he looked over at me shaking his head before he started to talk.

"I usually spend da holidays by myself. I ain't got no family to really share dem with."

"What about Ashton? Aren't you guys first cousins?" I asked confused as to how Ash had somewhere to go and Aug didn't.

"Yea but he cool wit dat side of da family. Dem his mama people. Dem my daddy people and me and dem jus don't get along."

"What about your mom and her people?"

"My mama died when I was 8. Da only family I knew of hers was my granny. I stayed wit her until she died right after I graduated. So basically it's jus' me." He said nonchalantly.

The way he spoke about not having anybody as if it was ok hurt me to the core.

"I'm sorry to hear that August I really am."

"It's cool. I don't think about it often so that helps."

"How'd your mom pass?"

He licked his lips before speaking. "After my dad left us we had to downsize to a one bedroom. It was just me my mom and my older brother. My mama use to love to cook so she taught us. When Christmas came I knew we ain't have no money for presents so I decided to cook for everybody. I thought I could really do it by myself. Everything was going good until my little neighbor from the next door apartment came to show me his bike asking if I wanted to ride. My mama and my brother were still sleep and as a kid my attention span was short as fuck. I forgot all about the food throwing my towel and mittens on the stoves. When I came back from playing the apartments were filled with smoke as everyone stood outside. Fire trucks and ambulances surrounded the building. I can still remember the sympathetic looks the people gave me when they wheeled the two body bags out once the fire was out out. They were burned so bad that we couldn't identify them if we tried. So yea Christmas ain't never been that pleasant for me."

"Oh my God." I said as my eyes watered.

"Why you cryin' man?"

It was crazy that he was the one who went through all this and yet I was the one sitting here in tears.

"August I'm so sorry." I hiccuped.

"Yea ion wanna talk about dat tho. Why you ain't in Chicago?" He asked changing the subject.

"I left my I.D here so I had to change flight times."