Page 30 of Mr. Calloway

I had been expecting him to either show me or discuss it, but he hadn’t, and now we were at this point. Secrets weren’t an option when it involved our children, so I couldn’t understand why he’d try to hide it from me.

“She came to see me today. She’s waiting for you, and I believe this is the best moment to learn about your family’s history, June,” I told him.

I could see him swallow deeply. His lack of desire to have anything to do with them, I understood, but now those genes he carried from a family he knew nothing about were possibly affecting our child. We couldn’t change what was to come ifit were being passed down, but knowing we could at least get ahead of it for our son’s sake could help. The Zaria he knew was gone. I was now in lioness mode, and saving my family was my only priority.

***

June didn’t leave the room after they poked at Peace’s arm to draw blood. He waited impatiently alongside me as the time ticked for the results to come back. Every other minute, he would pull his phone out and text Dio. I knew they were planning something to find Samara, and as bad as I wanted to tell him to get the fuck gone, I knew he wouldn’t until he knew Savior would be fine.

The sound of tiny grunts, followed by his sweet whimper, signaled that Savior had awakened. June hopped up from the chair, rushing over to him.

“My silent killer, Daddy’s right here,” he said to him as he kissed his forehead. “I know you don’t understand me, but I need you to pull through. You’re strong like me,” he continued.

When my phone vibrated on the table, I picked it up to see an alert from my Ring camera. The moment I clicked on it, my blood boiled. “This bitch,” I muttered.

Samara’s mother was standing at my door. I quickly hit the mic. “What the fuck do you want?”

I could see that my voice startled her. “I’m here to speak with Zaria.”

“Where is Samara?” I asked.

I could see June slowly turn to look at me.Eyes back on my phone.She leaned in. “I was coming to ask you the same thing. I-I tried talking to her, but the last time I tried, she wouldn’t talk to me, so I figured?—”

“Lady, get off my fucking porch!” I snapped. “You want to see me? Fine. 3231 Black Trail Way. Give me an hour.”

I closed out the app and looked at June, who wore a smirk.

“That was Samara’s mother. I’m going to meet with her. I don’t trust her, so whatever you and Dio are conjuring up needs to be done.”

He ran his hand over his head. “You know I like it when your ass steps into boss bitch mode.”

“That’s because you’re fucking crazy.”

He laughed.Oh, his laugh, his dimple, his smile. It was one that made me melt every time he did it.“You might be right. Am I wrong for it? That vegan puss?—”

Dr. Carter stepped into the room just as we found a little calm. “Hello. Is that Peace?” she asked.

“Yes,” I smiled.

“He’s awake,” June jumped in while pointing at Savior. “He whined a little, but he seems okay.”

She flipped through her file. “Let me start off with the good news. Peace and Savior are cancer-free—” she paused, “—for now, but it doesn’t mean that it can’t happen, especially if either of you has it in your history or—” she looked at June, “—was affected by it. I’m going to ask that you two continue to have them checked. Now, as for Savior, he has an infection, and it’s taking a toll on him. I want to keep him here for a few more days, give him the proper care so when you take him home, it will be all smiles and no worries.”

June started to approach her. “What if I got my family’s history? Can you tell me if he or Peace would get it?”

She closed the folder. “None of us can be certain if it will happen, but what I can do is my best to take what you give me and prepare you both so we can get ahead of it. Cancer is sneaky; it’s just like life. It comes at you so suddenly, but how you handle it when it arrives is what matters. Mr. and Mrs. Calloway,get some rest. It’s something I often have to tell my husband because he’s much like you,” she said to June before walking out of the room.

Hearing her reassuring words gave me a sense of relief, and I was sure it took just a tad bit of weight off June’s shoulders. All I knew was that cancer was bigger than some fucked up cells in the body. It also came in human form, because people came in to destroy things like a wrecking ball, but against the Calloways they didn’t stand a chance. It would always and forever be fuck cancer.

June

To know my son was only safe for now bothered me. Was I grateful he was free of cancer? Yes. However, it didn’t mean it couldn’t happen, and knowing that made me feel like a failure. I was cursed, and so were my kids. A part of me felt like I had been selfish, knowing that broken niggas don’t ever find themselves whole, yet they glue themselves together piece by piece, leaving tiny cracks, making it easy to break. I didn’t regret my kids, but I regretted not being more mindful of the timing.

I felt a thousand pounds of pressure being added to me, and despite how I was feeling, I owed it to my wife to see it all through. This was the part of being a leader that no one understood. It didn’t just come with having hittas or fucking shit up from time to time. It came with bearing the weight of not only the people you loved, but your own as well. Samara was part of the Zoo; she was my fucking daughter, and just as I would shake and move for my sons, I would do the same for her. That meant I had to put June to the side and tap in on real nigga time, which was Chevy.

While Z left, I stayed back, keeping Peace and rallying the guys up to talk. Dio’s worry became my worry because if Samarahadn’t reached out to him, I knew something was off. I kept it cool in front of Z, but I knew what she said was right.

As soon as Savior fell back to sleep, I got up and went back to the waiting area where the guys were. Everyone seemed a little more relaxed, which let me know Zaria had updated them on her way out. Dio stood from the chair as I approached them.