Day of the barbecue: very long chapter ahead and there will be a part 2
Zephaniah
I'm at the barbecue. I had to park my car so far since everybody and their granddaddy, grandma, great uncles and furthermore here. The whole block is damn near full of cars and inside his house isn't any better. Somehow we still got room for more. I walked around looking for my uncle, he was by the grills cooking. There were so many people 5 grills had to be set out and everybody had their little station it was so cute. I said happy birthday and got him a card. I don't know the man like that to say anything more sentimental, but I didn't want to come empty-handed too. He kissed my cheek and said "why thank you niecey poo, I appreciate this, now can you tell Jupiter big head ass to come here." I smiled and told him "sure I'll just tell him to come by and I'm glad you like the card." He smiled, and then hug me. During our hug he said to me.
"you have grown up to be so pretty, looking just like you're daddy."
I just smiled and walk away. I never knew what to say to them type of responses, and saying thank you, to what I don't really deemed an compliment ain't my style, but he also look just a little bit tipsy too. Nevertheless, on my way walking from him, I was looking for my uncle and I couldn't find Juju anywhere, so I asked uncle azi, who just so happened to be nearby and closer, to go and get uncle juju, but he said he don't know where Jupiter at and he not going to he looking for him either, he got to go get some more meat and bears. If I do find him tell him to cash app him 600.
I was going to tell him he could've texted him all that shit to him then, but he walked away before I even had the chance to fixate my mouth to speak. I decided to text uncle juju instead and relay the message that way since I'm talking shit. I felt somebody near me, and it was auntie Jalina, she grab my arm and kiss my cheek. "Hi Zephaniah, we need a little help in the kitchen, do you mind helping?" I smiled and said "No problem tete" and we walked out and headed to the kitchen since we were originally near the patio and the kitchen on the other side.
I just so happened to see alora, and she saw me and as she walked passed me and she smiled, "Hello Zephaniah, long time no see, if you need anything, please reach out to me." While smiling at me, and about before I had the chance to say anything back to her, my auntie spoke. "I don't know who you is young lady, but I'm standing right here too, you might know my niece, but I'm this house, you speak to everybody, do you understand." As she crossed her arms around her chest and titled her head slightly to the side. Alora kept her composure and held her hand out "Hello I'm alora, excuse me, my deepest apologies for not clarifying that earlier to you also, but I work for Zephaniah, I'm her lawyer." with her hand still out my auntie just looked at it and looked her up and down. I decided now to take that's opportunity and say something. "hey alora, who invited you here?"
I wasn't trying to be rude but I didn't send an invite to her. "you're big bother Zaire did actually, and I didn't have the heart to say no to a good barbecue." I didn't say anything afterward but my auntie did. "if you work for Zephaniah, and only her then why is Zaire inviting you into places?"
"I mean you could've simply declined too. I'm stay out of it that's not my business, but I am going to have a small talk with Zaire. I looked at my tete and said "no need, it's okay, I'm assuming Zaire and she have been getting to know each other and I think that's good, honestly, I trust my big bother's judgment and he hasn't come to me about any worrisome concerns about her and she haven't breached our contact either so."
My tete rose her eyebrows and then looked back at alora. "You look very familiar. You're features. I have seen them before. "Alora started blushing and shook her head no. "please ma'am I'm very certain we never met before today, this is my hometown but nothing more than just a mere coincidence if you have seen me before or my features, and Zephaniah you are right, sometimes Zaire comes to me asking about legal advice over coffee, and nothing more, the last time we have seen each other was a while ago but he asked me to save the date to this barbecue, as stated before, I couldn't deny a good cookout." I smiled and my auntie stood there still puzzled. I wonder what she thinking. What could she know?
"Well if you ladies excuse my presence, I need to look for Zaire, since he is the one who invited me."
We both waved her goodbye and she smiled and walk away. I looked at my tete. "spill the tea" she said, "baby she's a little big, was she always like that?" I said "No tete but I don't comment on people's weight gain or lost personal choices, and things of that nature, not my business unless they speak of it to me."
She held my hand. "No baby, something off, and when I find out, hell is going to break loose, my spirit tingles shadiness, I might not be in yall lives at long to where you consciously remember, but I do know a shady motherfucker when I see one."
"I need to talk to Anandi before I continue to speak to you about her, I think I do know that little girl" I shrug my shoulder. Black people swear they know everybody and tete anandi might feed into these delusions of hers. We head to the kitchen and she introduce me to some people she grew up with or acquaintances she learn from or meet through other friends and etc over the years, and as more came, more people were introduced, including their children (if they had some, if not that their significant others) what's up with this family and knowing everybody?
Zaire pov-
(Past tense Omniscience. A/n: it will make complete sense when you finish reading what happens-)
I spoke to alora and decided that she should come too. Alora isn't showing that much still, and I think it would've been good for her to be exposed to how my family members are. Keep playing the cards, and eventually going to give you a jack of trades. I didn't know, I'll be going to be first though. We sat down on the folding chairs, In my big-ass uncle's backyard there was still plenty of room for people to fill up, the air was filled with auras of chicken, hamburger, ribs tips, you know the typical things at the black cookout. I watch as one of the tetes smacks her husband upside his head, and a watermelon I'm assuming he was about to eat fell out his hand. I was laughing and alora grab my arm. "Zaire can we go, I'm not getting a good vibe from this" and despite how pissed I am at her still, I should've listened. Instead, I brush her off and walked to my Uncle Juju.
"Juju can I get a hit of the blunt" It was him and a lot of other people standing around his campfire with him, he cough and then said "Yeah nephew." As he passed me his, I take a hit as I watch him get another one handed to him in the rotation their having. "Damn we 8 blunts deep.?" My uncle and the other people who heard me started laughing, "I said that out loud my bad" I passed the blunt to some dude who had his hand out, I pat my uncle's shoulder and walked away to head to the kitchen. Woman's raging from 8-95 was in there.
I'm not even exaggerating, my uncle must have invited the whole block to this place cause what? I hear some "Yeah girl, that's Jupiter's nephew the one I was talking about earlier." and "If only I was younger." and a few more "he fine as fuck." I ain't gonna lie that had a young man feeling confident, well until my sister walk in, "Zaire what are you doing in here? The food ain't ready yet." I shrug and told her "There's no way this food ain't ready and all these people here got their hands on something.? As I watch as an unknown lady put her fruit bowl down. "I mean look at this table."
We looked at it and it was indeed a table of side dishes. I look back at her and look forward to where her attention was then I saw Tete Anandi with the man that was at our dinner a few weeks ago holding hands. Zephaniah whisper in my ear. " They hit it off well, look how cute they are together." I wrap my arm around her shoulder and smiled. "Yeah, they're cute or whatever." Zephaniah started laughing and some people walked to Anandi, surrounding her, it got to the point where I only saw the crescents of her arm.
I rolled my eyes and let go of Zephinah, and then she looked at me, Zaire you texted me we needed to talk right, wassup what's on you're mind.? I held my hands up. "Nah this conversation needs to be in a different asphere, fewer people and stuff." She rose an eyebrow and shrug her shoulders, "alright big bro, whatever it might be, I don't think it's as bad as you making it seem, but I trust you're judgment."
My stomach dropped, I wanted to say I wish you didn't trust me as much as you do, but I just gave a tight lip smiled, and saw Niel walk passed. "Aye Niel, bro let me talk to you for a second." My vision all of a sudden got blurry, but I assumed it was just smoke in the air from the 5 grills, people cooking off of.
I could swear it was like a block party down here. Niel stood there. The blank stare on his face. I had never seen him like that and it was bothering me, but I ignored it. "Im about to go talk to Neil." I looked back at Zephaniah and she smiled and patted my shoulder and walked away from me. I walked towards Neil, and when we were face to face but before I could even say anything some lady distracted me yelling at somebody "Darius- I know you not- get yo motherfucking ass down right now, act like you got some common- I chuckled and brought my attention back to Neil.
His demeanor didn't change yet and my stomach dropped again. I should've taken that warning. "Yo Niel, let's go to a quieter place, the thing I must discuss with you needs to be out of everybody's ears." I heard alora voice and I turn around. I should've taken that warning too, all these distractions have been nothing but warnings. "there you are silly, I was asking around to where you have been." She looked at Niel, and I looked at Niel, nothing changed on his end, but when I looked back at alora, it did.
I allowed myself to assume they didn't know each other, maybe that's why she had that look of worry and confusion, worry about me, confused by his existence. "Yeah bro we can go in the front yard, not many people out there." I looked at alora, and she said " I want to come also, I'll stand at a distance though, you have been leaving me this whole time that we have been here and I'm tired of it." I whispered in her ear "Just because Zephaniah knows you here, doesn't make it right for you to be all under me, you dumb fuck, I haven't talked to her yet about us or the situation, we got going on, and don't you think it is more suspicious if you keep coming around me, and then you asking people where my whereabouts, you're ass better hope she doesn't connect the two before I get to explain myself." I looked at her, she kissed my cheek. "Zaire I honestly don't care." and crossed her arms.
Except, when I did look at her it wasn't her. It was my dad. I rub my temple and looked at Neil. Now something wrong. His face kept going into himself and a face I didn't recognize but the overall death-blank stare stood clear as day as he had
once before. "are we going to the front or what." I looked down and rub my temples again, "yeah bro let's go." he lead the way, and the walk wasn't long but my steps felt like I had on shoes with a ton of rocks in them. Another warning I should've taken. I looked around and people got angel wings on them. What the fuck, I thought, I shook my head, did I eat something that had perc in it, like damn. We get to the front, alora ass still on my tail, "you stay here. " to my surprise she was in compliance. My dad appeared again in the image of her. What the hell? I rub my temples again and Neil was right, not many people were out here.
We walked down the steps and nearby, my uncle's shiny blue Cadillac. His favorite one too. We stood, and yet again his expression not changed. "Well I wanted to speak to you about you're boy Troy, I have been hearing the streets talking, you seen him, or heard from him." Neil's image did. Once again a face, I didn't recognize appeared, and then it was Niel once more. He chuckled. "You sick son of bitch, you know that shit don't you Zaire." I stood in confusion but I held my ground. "Nah I'm not, anyways where you're homeboy been" he pulled out his gun. A revolver? or I think it is, my vision is too blurry now. Pow, a hit to my leg, pow a hit to my arm, pow, hit to my stomach, pow hit to my hand. I heard a scream. Was it mines, all this pain. I fell, I hear my- my mom? If this me about it die, then I should say this.
"Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep, and if I die before I wake, I pray to Jesus, that it was worth the pain.
"Stay with me, baby, SOMEBODY CALL THE FUCKING Ambulance!" pow, I heard another shot, sounded further away but I was in and out of consciousness. I see the younger me. "Stay with me son, I- I'm sorry" I felt a tear fall down my cheek, "I'm sorry, Lord, please protect my child."!
Those were the last of what I heard until I fell completely unconscious.
Me rn-
Xoxox cece