[Makaveli, 21]
[black pov]
It's not supposed to be hard for people to feel you but for me it always has been an issue; being misunderstood. I learned to live with it though. Never get too attached because niggas switch up when they find you to be different than they assumed. Only a handful ever got me. One being my brother Makaveli. He's a youngin', but he always knows what's real. When I don't got nobody else, I go to him; even though he's locked up it sometimes feels like he's the most present in my life.
He supposed to be getting out this week. He been locked up since he was seventeen. He's twenty-one now. But, he got into a fight. I know he was set up. I know he knew it was a set up but that nigga can never back down from a fight even for his own good. That's how his ass got up in that hell hole in the first place.
"It's gone go by quick." I mumbled on the other end of the table. He shook his head, discouraged.
"Three more fucking years, Black." He balled his lips up and looked away. He sighed, "How momma doing? I know she mad."
I shrugged, "I haven't seen her. I been tryna keep my distance from everybody."
"Why?"
"It just ain't cool right now. Me and daddy ain't talking. You know how that go. Everybody follow him."
Mak nodded his head, understanding. "Well, don't go too far King. You know family is everything."
"Yeah, I know."
"What about this new dude you was telling me about?"
"He aight. We might be over though. He realized what I do and shit. Ran away from me like I was gone do something to him. That shit hurt me for real. I don't even know if i'm supposed to be mad or what. I didn't think he would react like that."
"Damn. Maybe just give him a minute? Let him process and whatnot."
"Nigga got a girlfriend though so it don't even matter."
"Then what are you even doing Black?"
Lonnie gave Makaveli a look that his brother immediately understood as 'naw, nigga i'm in love.' Maki tilted his head empathetically. "Oh it's like that?"
Lonnie let out a heavy breath through his nose.
"Just talk to him then." His brother offered.
"I don't know. He's the emotional type."
"He's sensitive? He should understand you then. Just try to talk to him. I think it would help."
"Im just tired of talking Maki. I want somebody to just get me. Just have me. You feel me? That shit crazy. Like i'm just me. What the Fuck else do buddy want?" Lonnie exclaimed, getting frustrated all over again.
"Exactly." Mak agreed.
"I asked him about the tattoo. Remember I was telling you my idea?"
He nodded.
"He talmbout its permanent and shit but got his whole ex on his fucking chest. The fuck type'a shit is that?"
"He got her name?"
"Nah." He scoffed with a sneer, "It say jill the love of my life."
"Say you lying Black. Soft ass. Who get some shit like that on em."
"He had to love her for real for real. I want him to feel that way about me. I had thought he did until today. Now, i don't really fucking know." He looked around remembering where he was, "You know they put up a new jail in the city right? You think they would transfer you so we can see you more?"
"What that mean?" He asked, looking his brother square in the eyes. "You done talking about it?" Makaveli called him out for changing the subject so abruptly.
Lonnie shrugged.
Makaveli played with the plastic from the bag of chips Lonnie brought him, thinking. He looked up at his big brother. "Tell him to choose." He told him.
"Choose what?"
"You or the girlfriend. Test his loyalty to you. Then you'll know what's next."
[]
"I don't know if you two have ever met before. He was at the funeral, but didn't really socialize. Understandably." Oz offered. "This is Kwabena's father." He gestured towards the high yellow, 5'11, muscular man sitting on the couch in Oz's living room. He had a long silky ponytail in the color 4 with the sides faded off and a clean line-up.
"His daddy white?" Cole exclaimed. Oz stared at him until he stopped looking so shocked. Cole smiled, "Oh, forreal? I thought you was dead or something. Definitely thought you'd be Black too."
"Well, here I am I guess. And not Black." He chuckled. "My family is from the middle east though. So, Black adjacent." He reached our his hand to Cole.
"I'm Cole." He shook the man's hand.
"You was his best friend?"
Cole nodded.
"Maybe you can help me then."
Cole shook his head. "I ain't no snitch. Plus I wasn't there. If I was there he wouldn't be dead. That's what we did. We looked out for each other." He sat Three down and got him situated in the kitchen. "So what brings you around now?"
"I been trying to get back into Kwabena's life for some time now. He wasn't the most welcoming, not that I blame him. But, somebody took our future away. I wanna know who."
"Yeah? And what're you gonna do when you find out? Take somebody else's future away?"
"Hell yeah."
"I don't think you realize that you took y'all's future away a long time ago. Seems a bit late."
"Colin." Oz scolded thru gritted teeth.
"Oz. One thing about you is you're always going to do the polite thing. Like inviting Cobe's birth father into your home after raising him alone. But, I'm a bit opposite. I, like you, know how much it affected Cobe to not have any biological family around. That shit fucked him up so good and I just don—"
"Stop while you're ahead, son." Oz warned him. "You don't know nothing about this man."
Cole sat on the couch. "Dame call you?" He asked Oz. "He said he was gonna come by too."
There was a knock on the front door and Cole turned his head towards the sound, "That's probably him." He stood to answer the door. But, it wasn't Damon. It was another dark skinned man, built like a line backer and two inches shorter than Dame.
"Hey," the man started, "I'm here for Puff."
Cole frowned. "Puuuufff? Ain't no strippers in this house man. It's a holy house bruh. You got the wrong address."
The man read off the address from his phone. "That's this address."
"Yeah?" Cole answered, still unconvinced he belonged at Oz's house. "Oz! You know somebody named Puff?" He asked, still twisted up in the face.
Oz didn't answer but Cobe's father did saying, "Oh, that's me." With a giggle. Cole watched him with disgust as he crossed the room to greet his buddy. "Hollywood!" He called excitedly, welcoming the strange man into the home. The two clasped hands in a professional type handshake and 'hollywood' followed 'puff' into the living room with Cole right behind him.
"Oz, this is who I was telling you about. Fleetwood Hollis, meet Osborne Haygood."
Hollis put out his hand, but Oz stood to hug him. "My parents are big fans." Hollis told him, "I grew up listening to your band. It's nice to meet you sir."
"Likewise, son. I hear you can help us." Oz asked, getting right to business. "I want to show you his room." He offered.
Cole watched the spectacle with confusion; only speaking up once Oz offered to show him Cobe's space. "Woah," he started, "Where y'all going? Who is this man?"
"Cole. He's an investigator. He needs to see what Cobe was like."
"No he doesn't. Cobe was murdered. What does looking at his teddy bears and shit going to help solve, huh?"
Oz pinched his lips in frustration. Hollis walked over to him. "I'm Hollis, and you are?"
"You don't know who I am?" He asked, almost offended. He didn't expect Puff daddy to know him, but Hollis was young.
"I didn't want to be rude." Hollis smiled, showing off his sparkling white perfect teeth. "Or unprofessional. Of course I know who you are. But, who were you to the deceased?"
"The deceased name is Kwabena. And he was my best friend. So, any questions you have, you can address to me. But, I probably won't answer them."
"Well then, I do have one question for you." He started, "Do you know Alonso James?"
Cole smirked, "I don't know. Why?"
"Just curious. I heard they were friends."
"They might've been. What he look like?"
He shrugged. "Never met him." Cole looked at him skeptically.
"Then who told you they were friends? Who do you work for? DPD?"
Hollis smiled. Cole was asking the questions Oz was too polite to ask.
Hollis, not wanting to answer Cole's questions offered to table the conversation. But, Cole wasn't having it.
"Nah, because if you're not an officer, what type of investigator are you? What authorizes you to find Cobe's killer and how do I know you're not the one who killed him?"
"Cole, chill out." Oz tried.
"I can't. Being around Cobe the last couple of years has taught me to question everything and everybody. I need more information before I go around telling folks' business if there even is any to tell. Right detective?"
"Absolutely." He gave Cole an agitated smile; turned to Puff and nodded, "Following your lead, Puff."
"Nah, nigga. You follow my lead. Oz is mourning. It's too soon for all this shit. Aight? He's emotional."
Both Puff and Hollis nodded in agreement. "Maybe it is." Hollis offered, directing his words towards the mourning father. "Would you prefer we reconvene at a later time? Not too much later though because there is a time stamp on these things."
Oz looked at Cole, shook his head in thought. The fifty something year old man folded his arms over his chest. "I'll call you." He nodded. Taking the young man's hands into a top-over-top handshake. Hollis nodded and took his exit.
"So, Puff Daddy." Cole called as soon as the front door shut behind the other man. "You have any Arab blood? I never thought about Cobe's name before now. Kwabena Mo-"
"Moor. Yeah. Those are my people."
"The ones here too?" He asked curiously, hinting at something but not in a way that Oz would get. He sat amongst the older men in t he living room. "There's a lot on the west side."
"A few of 'em." He answered just as coded as Cole's question was.
"So, abandoning him was protection, in a way." Cole concluded for himself. "Oz, you like seafood?" Cole asked, guiding the elder with his eyes, asking without asking for him to leave the room.
"Yeah?" He answered, unsure of the reasoning but trusting Cole anyhow. He went into the kitchen where Cecil III was sitting, leaving Cole and Puff alone.
Puff giggled at the move, "Call me Cassius. Puff is for the streets." He offered with an unwavering toothy grin, leaning back to be more comfortable. The two made eye contact, observing one another in brief silence.
"You know what? I can see it." Cole commented on the likeness between Puff and his friend, Cobe.
Tbc.
y'all want me to tell y'all who i casted for puff?
p:August 16, 2023