Page 43 of Just Listen
Nodding, all I could do was cry too. I was truly hurt to learn that Claro didn’t make it, and couldn’t fathom how Zae felt, as his best friend. This was devastating, while I wondered how this would change Zae as a person.
After we’d both cried for a few minutes, I cleared my throat. “So…what happened?”
He pinched his nose, as he seemingly contemplated. “He came to get me because…a house that we run was hit today.”
I frowned in confusion. “A house? You…I thought that you was done with trapping, Zae?”
He exhaled, while rubbing a hand over his exasperated face. “I was trying, baby. I really was…but financially I felt like I wasn’t quite ready to let go of that side money. And I can’t risk my dispensaries getting shut down by moving real dope through them.”
So, basically the nigga had never stopped hustling illegal narcotics. Even with all the legitimate business he was doing.
I shook my head disappointedly, knowing that Zae was far from the average guy and had reached milestones that some men never would in their lifetimes. So, to see that he wasn’t content with grossing a couple million a year told me that he was money hungry, which was clearly his downfall.
I sighed. “So, what else happened?”
He gulped. “We pulled up to the spot and was reviewing the camera footage. It was a lot going on at once. All I know is that we eventually got back in my truck. One of our partners was standing outside of my beamer, chopping it up. And then somebody pulled up, and started blasting. They hit everybody that was standing outside. Claro…Claro tried to bust back, and caught one to the head. And now, I can’t get that shit out of my head. I see it every time I close my eyes. His fucking brain matter splashed across the dash.”
“Oh, wow,” I cried.
“Yeah,” he sniffed. “I’m fucked up. I’m hit. Lost my right hand…and I’m really just thinking about crashing out.”
“No.” I shook my head. “You need to focus on shaking back. Fuck everything else. Especially this street shit, Zae. God is clearly trying to tell you something.”
He pinched his nose again, as a stoic expression overtook his face. “Yeah, I hear you.”
Standing there, I could see that there was a dark cloud gathering over Zae’s head, and I wasn’t sure if I was weathering this storm with him. Especially if he was planning to play shoot ‘em up in the streets. Like my daddy had always said, he’d hustled too hard, put too much on the line, just for his daughters to end up with a nigga who was gonna drag us back to the places he’d fought to escape. And daddy hadn’t raised no damn fool.
So, I was definitely going to help nurse Zae back to health, because I’d never abandon him at a time like this. However, the status of our relationship was once again uncertain.
***
After tapping in a code, I pushed the double doors open, before stepping into my parents’ massive home with a heavy heart. Although the home was expansive, including the foyer, I felt this immediate, inexplicable warmth wrap around me. Seconds later, the sound of flapping flip flops could be heard hitting the hardwood floors, before my mommy’s pretty face came into view.
Without saying a word, she approached me with open arms, that I eventually fell into, and boohooed my eyes out. Offering comfort that no other person on this earth could, my mommy hugged me tightly, while soothingly rubbing my back. Without an ounce of shame, I released it all.
Naturally, she knew about the shooting. I’d texted her, letting her know about Claro, and her immediate response was that I needed to come home. She needed to lay eyes on me.
Yep. Whenever life would become too heavy, me and all my siblings would seek refuge here. Because no matter how old we’d get, Raven would always be our safe place.
***
That night, I was tossing and turning in my bed at my parents’, as my emotions and thoughts were all over the place. It was honestly overwhelming as I thought about Claro, Zae, and my late period.
There were so many variables to consider. And no path was simple. Initially, I thought that my biggest issue with Zae washis lack of attentiveness, only to find out that he was still in the damn streets. That changed everything for me. I also didn’t want to seem callous and abandon him in his time of need.
“This is too much,” I groaned, as I rolled onto my back and gazed up at the high ceiling.
Just then, I heard a brief tap on the door, before it crept open.
“Jaylah. You sleep?” My daddy whispered, as he stuck his head in the room.
I gradually sat up. “No. I’m up.”
“Good,” he sighed, as he flicked on the light, and ambled fully into the room. “Cause I need to holler at you.”
My lashes fluttered, as he sat at the foot of the bed. “About what?”
“Shit, I’m tired.” He yawned and stretched. “And stressed,” he messily added.
