“I want some conch salad too, so don’t let them eat all of it,” Richard said as he gave Alicia a hug, rocking her back and forth, squeezing her tightly.
As Richard squeezed, Alicia could feel the hard steel of his gun jutting into her side. “Boy, Daddy should have never gave you no gun, cause now, every time I see you, you got one,” her nose wrinkled as she pulled away from his intrusive thug gear. She glared in the direction of his hidden gun with disgust. “You even had one at the funeral today.”
“Sis, you know a lot a mother fuckers don’t like me, so don’t even trip,” Richard replied. His tone was serious, but a half grin gave away his joking demeanor.
Alicia hardened her look and crossed her arms over her chest. She knew her brother well enough to know that you had to be hard with him when giving a direct order, and what she was about to say was a direct order. “Hmph,” the haughtiness in her voice palpable, “Well, you bet not do nothing to Dwayne.”
Richard raised an eyebrow and asked, “Where he at anyway?” Alicia had only said that HE couldn’t hurt Dwayne. She’d never said anything about E or Skinny. Maybe E could catch Dwayne off guard and pistol whip him at the party.
Even before the sinister grin could finish taking its place on Richard’s face, Alicia knew what her brother was thinking. “He ain’t here yet, and you bet not let Skinny or E do nothing to him neither.” Her face was so close to Richard’s that he could smell the barbeque ribs on her breath.
“Damn, Sis,” he said, retreating back a step. “You bee reading my mind? How ya’ know E and them be coming over here anyway?”
“You don’t stay nowhere long without them popping up,” Alicia replied matter-of-factly.
“A’ight, you got my word,” Richard seethed through gritted teeth. “He good and I ain’t gone fuck with him,” quietly adding, “Today.”
Alicia scowled at him, her eyes intense. She drew in deep breath, ready to give Richard a what for, but before she could attack, Gina entered the kitchen.
Gina spotted Richard immediately. Her face lit up with a wide smile and sparkling eyes. “Brother!” She yelled across the tiny room. “Come give your big sister a hug.”As Richard reciprocated her grin and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, Gina fought the urge to nag him about Dwayne. She was certain that Alicia had already given him the third degree. Besides, Alicia had more pull when it came to talking Richard out of doing something crazy. Those two had always shared something special. Gina had been jealous of it when they were younger, but now it was just a part of life.
Richard released Gina from the embrace but kept his hands on her arms, the smile that had been on his face just moments before was replaced by a look of concern. “How you holding up, big Sis?”
“I’m gone be a’ight,” she replied, smiling weakly. Secretly, she doubted the certainty of her own words. Trying to cover her doubt, Gina quickly changed the subject. “Where Skinny at?” glancing around the room as she spoke. “I know you running that girl crazy.”
Before he could answer, Gina’s son, Pop bolted through the back door.
“Ma!” he yelled. “The DJ’s just got here!”
Richard smiled as he spotted his nephew. The young features, eager attitude and feisty temper always reminded Richard of himself when he’d been that young. Richard walked over to where Pop stood. “Wuz up, nephew?” putting his arm around Pop. “Come on. Let’s go pay the DJ’s.” Just before walking out the back door, Richard remembered Gina’s question. Calling over his shoulder, he answered, “Skinny out here in the car. She coming in a minute.”
“Damn Unc,” Pops said, looking up, still wrapped under his uncle’s arm. “What, you cried when you went home? Cause I ain’t seen you cry at the funeral and you sho’ don’t look like you gone cry now.”
Richard smiled down at his nephew and tightened the grip on Pop’s head slightly for a brief second. Crying hadn’t crossed his mind since he’d left the funeral. Sure, he was sad. Sure, he missed his father, but crying was a sign of weakness and weakness could get you killed. “Ain’t nothing to cry for, Pop.” Richard’s head shook in the negative as he spoke. “That ain’t how my daddy raised me.”
As Richard and Pop made their way towards the DJ van, Richard noticed Skinny storming down the walkway to the house. Her arms swung stiffly at her sides. Her lips were tightly pursed. Richard knew that look well. Skinny was pissed.
“Get them joints out the car, boy,” Skinny hollered over her shoulder as she stormed up the stairs. It was just like Richard to pop too many pills and then make her roll joints for him.
“Wuz up, Auntie Skinny,” Pop called, waving his hand frantically. He hoped he could find a chick as fine as Aunt Skinny when he got older.
“Hi baby,” Skinny hollered back just before opening the door and disappearing inside the house.
With Skinny gone, Pop turned his full attention back to Richard, who was looking down at him patiently.
“How long you want them to be here, Pop?” Richard asked, referring to the DJ’s.
Pop gave his uncle a quizzical look. “Unc, I don’t call no shots round here.”
“Well,” Richard said as he pulled a wad of cash from his pocket. “Check this out. Whatever you say gone go tonight, a’ight?” It was high time the boy learned what it was like to be in charge.
Pop weighed the decision carefully. He’d never felt so important. Trying to think like a grown up, he considered how long the adults might want to listen to music. He knew the party usually got hot around midnight, so they would need at least a couple more hours of music after that.
“Well, it’s eight right now,” he spoke slowly, testing the authority of his voice, still thinking as he spoke. “So get them to stay for six hours.” He looked up at Richard expectantly, watching for a reaction.
Richard smiled and nodded. He handed Pop four hundred dollars in cash. “Take this and pay them. Then keep the change.” Lovingly, Richard gave Pop a quick pat on the back, indicating a job well done.
Pop’s eyes grew to the size of saucers. Uncle Richard was paying him. He knew what that meant. Trying to maintain his composure, he took the money and sauntered off, heading for the DJ van, but as soon as he was out of sight, he smiled ear to ear and pumped his fists in the air.
***
After sitting in the car for more than thirty minutes, which had further irritated Skinny after the joint incident, Richard finally made his rounds, saying hi to all of his family members and friends. Now, he lounged in a folding chair in the back yard, rolling and listening to the DJ, watching but not watching the crowd around him.
“Unc!” Pop called from the back door.
“Yeah, wuz up, nephew,” Richard called over his shoulder.
“E and them out here looking for you.” Pop shifted his weight quickly from one foot to the other, waiting for his next order.
“Tell them to come back here,” Skinny called back, adding, “Tell Auntie Alicia he’s here, too.”
Skinny knew Alicia had wanted to speak with the three of them once E arrived, and she wasn’t one to ignore Alicia. While less violent, Alicia could be just as crazy as her brother sometimes.
E came through the back door and walked towards Skinny and Richard. His jaw jutted back and forth, and his teeth were tightly clenched. His dilated pupils hid the colored irises of his eyes.
“Brah! Wuz up nigga?” His teeth grinding had stopped, but only long enough for him to speak.
Richard chuckled, “Lil’ Brah, you must be rolling nigga.”
E opened his mouth to respond, but Alicia’s voice cut into their conversation, calling them all from the back door. “Well, all y’all follow me,” she said, motioning inside with her hands.
E looked at Richard in silent question. He wondered what Alicia would need to talk to all of them about. Richard only shrugged in response as they headed towards the back door.
Once inside, the small group made their way to Pop’s room. The crowd parted slightly as navigated their way through the kitchen and living room.
Alicia entered the small bedroom first, holding the door open so that Richard, E and Skinny could all make their way in. Shutting and locking the door, she turned to face the small crew now surrounding her. She looked at each of them, waiting to speak until she was certain that she had their attention.“I don’t know if Rich Kid told y’all or not, but Dwayne stole money from our Daddy while he was on his death bed.” With her plan now in motion, Alicia simply stood back, crossed her arms over her chest and analyzed each reaction.
E slowly moved his head in Richard’s direction as he tried to meet Richard’s gaze, but Richard only looked down at the ground. E could see the evidence of a deflated plan in Richard’s expression. Turning his gaze back to Alicia, he answered, “Naw, he ain’t tell me shit.”
“Well, I told him not to do anything to him,” her body slightly leaning forward in their direction as she spoke.“Y’all hear me?”
“We hear ya, Sis,” Richard and E replied, quickly and in unison. “He good.”
Alicia turned her attention towards Skinny, giving her a hard stare. She was innocently looking around the room, acting as though she hadn’t heard Alicia, but Alicia wasn’t buying the innocent look; she knew Skinny better than that. “I’m talking to you Skinny,” Alicia’s tone hard. “What? You think I don’t know you gone bust a bitch’s head if my brother told you to?”
“Sis, I told ya already. We ain’t gone do nothing to the man,” Richard cut in, hoping he could distract Alicia. If successful, he could help keep Skinny from having to make an official promise. Without that spoken promise, Skinny was free to do as she wished, and Richard knew Skinny had the same wish as him, for Dwayne to pay for what he’d done.
Alicia shot Richard a venomous glare, making it clear that she was on to him. “You probably wasn’t,” pointing at Richard as she spoke.“But you would have told E or Skinny to do it and then act like they ain’t know I asked y’all not to. That’s why I want y’all,” turning her attention back towards Skinny, “to promise me you ain’t gone do nothing to Dwayne.”
Skinny glanced over at Richard, waiting for his signal. Once the promise left her lips, the deal was sealed; there would be no retaliation for Dwayne. In response to her silent question, Richard made eye contact and nodded once. “We promise you, Sis,” Skinny said through clenched teeth. The expression on her face made it clear that the words caused her great pain