"Hey, 'Keem," Imani greeted, walking up the stairs of his bachelor pad. She looked up from her phone when she reached the top of the stairs. Hakeem was on the floor, sitting up slowly. "Damn." She held back a laugh. "Ma, got you good, huh?"
Hakeem glared at her as he stood. "That's not funny," he said. "She's crazy."
"That's what you get for bein' disrespectful," Imani told him, cleaning his face. His eye was already starting to swell, and his lip was bleeding. "Maybe you'll think twice about who you call a bitch."
"Yeah, whatever," Hakeem muttered.
Imani smacked the side of Hakeem's head. "Don't get mad at me 'cause you disrespectful." She wiped his eye, giving him an ice pack to stop the swelling. "I'm tryna help you."
"Mommy, can I hold Hakeem, now?" Imani asked, looking at her pregnant mother sitting down at the dinner table, holding Hakeem in her arms. "I don't want him to squish the baby."
"Keem has to eat, baby," Cookie shook her head.
Lucious pulled the little girl close to him, hugging her.
"Go play with Andre," Lucious gestured to her older brother sitting on the couch with their aunts and uncles. Imani scrunched her little face up at him. Andre didn't know how to play with her, nor did he want to. The only person she played with was Jamal, and she hadn't seen him. Lucious laughed, seeing his daughter's stink face. "After Hakeem eats, you can hold him."
"Okay," Imani sighed. Lucious urged her over to one of Cookie's sisters, Carol. She sat down next to her aunt, putting her head on her shoulder.
A few minutes later, Jamal comes downstairs, wearing Cookie's heels and a scarf tied around his head. He strutted into the living room, hands on his hips.
Imani laughed, thinking it was funny. She would always walk around in her mother's clothing, pretending to be her. The entire house got quiet, looking at the young boy in the room. She didn't know why, but the moment her dad saw Jamal, he tensed.
Before she knew it, Lucious had snatched Jamal up. Cookie rushed after them, handing Hakeem to Imani. "Lucious!"
Imani placed her head on Hakeem's, keeping him quiet as she walked to the window to see what was going on outside. Lucious was throwing Jamal into the trash. He was throwing him away. "No!" Imani passed Hakeem to Carol and ran out the back door.
"Are you outta yo' damn mind?!" Cookie screamed as she pushed Lucious. "I wish you would."
"Daddy, stop it!" Imani screamed from the top of the stairs. "Don't throw him away!" Tears streamed down her cheeks. She didn't understand. Lucious would let Imani walk around in his shoes and chains, why was it a problem when Jamal did it with their mom's stuff? They were just clothes, why was Lucious so angry?
"Mani, go back inside!" Cookie told her. She looked back to Lucious, pure hatred in both of their eyes.
"He ain't right!" Lucious yelled, pointing to the trash. He wasn't about to be embarrassed by his own son in his own house. Walking around in heels like a girl? He wanted to act like a little bitch, he'd get treated like one.
Cookie pushed him away from the trash cans, pulling Jamal out. "It's okay, baby." She held him close, crying as Lucious walked out of the yard. He couldn't even look Imani in her crying face. From then on, Imani never looked at her father the same. Their relationship was always strained since that moment, since Imani was one of the only people that was fully in Jamal's corner. Hakeem would back him up sometimes, Andre always stuck by Lucious, and Fallon was too young to know the issue. But Imani always had Jamal's back when it came to his sexuality and their father. It didn't matter what it was. She was there.
"You got this, 'Mal," Imani told her brother as he stood on the small stage. She stood a little ways away from him, sitting in front of an electric keyboard. He smiled at her, showing off his dimples.
He nodded at her and the music started.
I give you all of me,
But it still ain't enough to make you happy,
I give you everything,
It still don't measure up,
Feels like I walked five-thousand miles,
And didn't even come close,
Feels like I tried to make you smile,
But you don't even care, no
Jamal looked to the crowd, looking at Becky and Michael sitting in the front.
I'll never be big enough to pay your dues,
But I keep trying,
And you just keep making me jump through hoops,
What do I gotta do?
Imani leaned forward on the keyboard, leaning into the mic. She didn't usually sing with Jamal on stage, but he was down a backup singer, so she was filling in.
I just want you to look at me,
And see that I can be worth your love,
I just want you to look at me,
And see that I can be,
Good enough, Good enough, good enough,
Imani looked to the crowd, seeing Cookie's face in the back of the bar. Her eyes lit up, seeing two of her children on stage, singing.
I try to show you that I'm strong,
Why do I even bother?
Cause it's the same old damn song,
You call yourself a father?
Cookie's face fell to that of a frown as she realized the song was about Lucious. Her mind went back to the day she had to remove her son from the trash as her daughter watched, helpless.
Feel like I'm reaching for the stars,
But Heaven isn't letting me,
I wish that I had longer arms,
But I know that that will never be,
Never be,
I'll never be big enough to pay your dues,
But I keep trying,
And you just keep making me jump through hoops,
What do I gotta do?
I just want you to look at me,
And see that I can be worth your love,
I just want you to look at me,
I just want to be, yeah,
Good enough, good enough, good enough
Good enough
The crowd crowed clapped for Jamal and Imani could see Cookie smiling from the audience. Jamal smiled, putting the mic back on the stand.
"Y'all got it, 'Mal," Cookie said, sitting on one of the couches in the club with Imani and Jamal. "You got all of it. Now we just got to show the world."
"I mean, I am showing people," Jamal said. "I...I showed a whole room tonight."
"You shouldn't be selling donuts and cookies with your music, you should be selling out stadiums. And you will. Both of you."
"That's what me and Fallon have been trying to do for months," Imani sighed.
"I just want to play," Jamal said. "All that touring and albums, it...messes up the purity of the sound."
"Yeah, you're so pure, only a couple hundred white kids in Brooklyn and San Francisco even know your stuff." Cookie looked at Imani. "And I have yet to hear anything from you and Fallon. Y'all got to share what God gave you to the world."
"Ma, I'm not that guy," Jamal shook his head. "Imani might be, but I'm not. But I love you."
"Yeah, I love you, too," Cookie replied back. She pointed to Michael and Becky. "Go on over there with your friends." Imani laid her head in Cookie's lap as Jamal planted a kiss on Cookie's cheek. Cookie shook her head, watching Jamal walk away. She took a sip of her drink before looking down at Imani. "Now, why haven't I heard anything from you?"
Imani shook her head. "Dad says it's not good enough. He doesn't even listen to it. We can never get a release date. Hell, we don't even have a producer or a manager. I'm fine with producing, but we ain't gon' get nowhere without a manager."
"Let me do it," Cookie told her. Imani looked up at her. "Let me manage you two."
"What?" Imani sat up. "You'd do that? I mean, what about Dad?"
"You let me worry about Lucious," Cookie waved her hand. "Just show me what you got, baby."
Fallon walked into the new club, Leviticus. She weaved through the crowd of people dancing and drinking, making her way to the balcony where Jamal and Hakeem were standing. Jamal had a drink in his hand and Hakeem was bopping his head to the music. Hakeem seemed upset.
"What's wrong witchu'?" Jamal asked, eating an orange doused in whatever alcohol was in his cup.
"You seen her yet?" Hakeem asked.
"Who, Cookie?" Jamal asked. "Mm-hmm."
"She crazy. She beat me with a broom, bro," Hakeem told them.
Fallon's mouth dropped open. "Oh, my God. Are you okay?"
Jamal chuckled. Hakeem looked at him. "Oh, you think it's funny?
"Hakeem, they both crazy," Jamal chuckled. "Shoot, I read Dad was in the Illuminati."
"What's she gonna do now?" Fallon asked. "Dad don't want her around."
"She's tryna manage my career," Jamal said. She gestured to Fallon. "And yours and Imani's." Fallon looked over at Jamal. Why was she trying to manage Fallon's career?
"What'd you tell her?" Hakeem asked.
"What do you think I told her?" Jamal replied back. "You know I ain't ready to release no album. Imani didn't say nothin' yet."
"Yeah, well, if you do end up working with her, and Pop's handling me, best believe they try to make us kill each other."
"That ain't gonna happen," Jamal assured both of his younger siblings. "Let's go."
Hakeem looked to a group of women in the club. "I gotta talk to a friend of mine first," he said.
"Really?" both Jamal and Fallon deadpanned.
"You got studio tomorrow," Jamal told him, walking up to him. "Come home and get some sleep."
Hakeem walked over to the ladies. "It's all a part of my artistic process." Fallon rolled her eyes, walking with Jamal.
Fallon stood in the sound booth while Imani and Cookie stood on the outside. Turned out, Imani already accepted Cookie as their manager without talking to her about it first. They were supposed to be a team, and she was going out, making decisions without her.
"You ready?" Cookie asked Fallon. Fallon nodded, putting her thumb up. She held her headphones on her head as she began singing.
Hit me with your eyes,
I never seen that kind of view,
You walkin' over here,
The way that it went down, that's when I knew,
We be talkin' all night,
But I can tell you need to work on you, you, you,
Like you, you, you, like you,
Cookie had her hands up to her mouth, hiding a smile. She'd never heard Fallon sing before, but Imani said she was good. Hearing her baby girl's sweet, silky smooth voice, was way different than hearing Imani talk about it. Her voice drew Cookie in immediately, and now she realized why Lucious wouldn't give those girls the time of day. Her girls were a force to be reckoned with. Even Lucious didn't know what to do with their type of music. But Cookie did. And she was going to show Lucious exactly what kind of power those girls had.
AUTHOR'S NOTE
Well, well, well. We've reached the end of the first episode of Empire!! Sorry this update took a little longer than expected. I got hit with back-to-back school projects.. But, here it is!!
Let me know your thoughts!