Family Tithes

California Love

"That's sweet and all but deflection only works on someone who doesn't care to ask questions," She says.

I sigh mentally. After the thirteenth and final kiss, I'm too turned on to keep up the conversation she tryna have. I try to go for her neck but she pull her head away. I hang my head not sure if I'm frustrated that she stopped me or if I saw it coming.

Even though I been knowing Yuri thirteen years, she never let me get passed first base. Honestly, she ain't even let me kiss her until like two months ago. With me going into hiding, losing Jonah ain't really hit me until a month after I got here. Feeling responsible for bringing the motherfucker who killed my little brother into our home just ate me up inside. One night, I couldn't take dealing with all that on my own. Yuri heard me in the next room and I guess she ain't know what to do. She tried holding me for a while but that ain't stop the tears none so she turned my face towards her and kissed me. I haven't been able to stop kissing her since.

"Are you sure you don't wanna talk about it?" Yuri says.

Her hand goes to the side of my face, but I can't look her in the eyes.

"Yeah, man. It ain't nun you don't already know," I lie.

Truth is, Yuri don't know that the only reason I hit her up asking to come "visit" her in Rosewood, California was because the Feds was after me. She agreed through the Face-time call without asking too many questions. But soon as a nigga touched down, she wouldn't stop interrogating me. I almost wished I woulda just turned myself in. If I was gonna get interrogated by anybody, I'd rather it be the motherfuckers who at least know half the shit I did so I ain't have to repeat it.

It ain't take me long to cherry-pick which parts of the truth I was willing to let her in on. I told her about Jonah dying, but I told her it was a stray bullet in a rough neighborhood. That part of the story developed the night she kissed me. If she was willing to take a step forward in our friendship to help me feel better, then the least I could do was tell her why I was crying.

Besides that lie, I told her about the other shit that was stressing me out. I told her about the Galvez raid and how I still ain't been able to figure out who was the cause of it. I didn't mention cutting Gecko's tongue out his mouth trying to get an answer. I told her that there was somebody in my circle I couldn't trust so I wanted to lay low until I figured out who.

Although I didn't tell her, I'm sure she has an idea of what I'll do when I find out.

I kiss the palm of Yuri's hand before sitting it back in her lap. Ri's been knowing me long enough to tell when I'm lying but lucky for me, she ain't learn how to read minds yet.

"Okay, Ace," but her clipped tone let's me know shit is far from okay, "I'm gonna go get some sleep. The first day of class starts tomorrow and I don't wanna be late."

I let her go anyway, figuring I'd just handle her attitude in the AM. I let out an audible sigh when I hear her close the door between us. Being on the outs with Yuri ain't nothing new. I kept her as close as I could without scaring her off but she couldn't understand that. She wanted shit her way or no way, hence why I got my first kiss from her thirteen years into our friendship.

The only reason I told her anything at all was cause I knew she could handle it. Her dad used to run the streets under Santana until he got locked up. Their business relations is the only reason I met Yuri at all. After Hurricane Katrina washed away all we knew in New Orleans, my Pops moved us to LA. He never stayed with us for more than a few weeks at a time cause all his business was here, in Rosewood. From '05 to 2010, he hustled his way up to being a disciple under the infamous Geedy. He and my pops had the same mindset when it came to business: they were businessmen first, but neither was scared of getting their hands dirty.

My Pops had something going with Deeno before the storm, but the only way to move up was to impress him. Well, a lot of niggas was moving funny trying to get Deeno's attention. My pops ain't like contending with dumb, younger niggas trying to earn a seat at the table. He felt like under different circumstances, he could be Deeno's number two but too many niggas clouded the vision. So it wasn't nothing for him to move us across country and start his business somewhere else.

In a lot of ways, Rosewood was like the hustling Mecca if you knew what you was doing. Unlike New Orleans, Rosewood wasn't controlled by one man. Geedy had control 'cause he was the supplier but he never played his hand unless he had to. The disciples under him distributed product to different regions. My Pops always said it was easier to start his own thing out here. He didn't have to answer to Geedy, the way he did Deeno. This gave him a chance to prove himself. He was rewarded with the title of disciple and with that came the head seat at his own table.

Yuri's dad was just one of the many my dad supplied to. The chances of us meeting really only depended on the day my pops took me to Rosewood with him. If it was a day later, I'd probably never known Yuri. 'Cause it was that specific day he brought me along to make his drops, I got to meet her. We clicked when we were seven and kept in touch since. I honestly don't know where I'd be if it wasn't for that girl.

Yuri gave me something solid to hold onto when the streets, the game & even my men was forever changing. My shawty gave me peace of mind. So, as much as she wanna know everything, I can't tell her. Call it whatever you want but I ain't ready to give her up yet.

I reach for the blunt roach in the ashtray on the table beside me. I rustle through the pockets of my basketball shorts looking for a lighter.

When I find it, I spark it up and wait for the calmness to settle over me with the high. Besides Yuri, weed  is the only promising thing about California.