Page 48 of Lyric Squared

My infatuation with his world is what led me to his sons and our bonds formed from there. Though discreet, I could spot a Lord from anywhere. Liam wasn’t any different. While his home life was the perfect disguise for most he encountered, I knew what lie beneath the surface.

The newly remodeled white bricked home that I stopped in front of sat between a blue one and a gray one that I’d acquired many years ago. They were rented to two cousins who weren’t interested in putting Dooley behind them. My money was received on time, every time which came as a surprise to anyone that was aware of our arrangement. I wasn’t a stranger to the rule – never doing business with family. But before anything, I was about my paper and both tenants knew it.

If they had a problem paying, I’d kick them out on their asses just like I would anyone else and without getting authorities involved. To avoid conflict, they emptied their pockets religiously and paid every dime owed each month. The money went directly to my Nanny. It was her source of income in addition to the social security she’d been getting for years.

Dressed in an Armani tee and jeans, I stepped out of the truck after disabling the engine. I stuffed the key into my jeans to make sure that I didn’t sit it down somewhere and lose it. Thatalmost always happened in Nanny’s house. It was so easy for any and everything to come up missing.

“Ken here!” I heard as soon as I rounded the truck.

Deante, Nelly’s boy, jumped up from his seat on the porch and screamed. He wasn’t a day over eleven and as wild as they came. He was a fearless young bull, reminding me so much of myself as a youngin’. Just like me, no one was putting out the fire that was burning inside of him.

Whatever he put his head to, he would become and he’d be a beast at it. His love for basketball, if he allowed it, would take him to the top. I knew it and so did everyone else around us. The only task was keeping him alive to see his dreams come true. As much as he was on the courts, he was in the streets. As often as I could, I was sure to talk to him about it.

“You staying out of trouble, young nigga?”

“Man, what’s that?” He sniggered.

“Don’t get fucked-up out here thinking you cool and shit. Keep your head in them books and your feet on that wood.”

“I been in the gym,” he shared.

“Good.”

“You got like twenty dollars you can spot me?”

“Only if you promise to pay this shit back when you make it pro!”

“Ahhh. I see what you did there.”

“And, I see what you be doing. Don’t let these streets keep you from giving your mother and brothers a better life. They deserve it.”

I dug into my pockets and pulled out a hundred from the knot of them that was folded inside. His eyes glowed when he realized he’d be getting much more than a twenty.

“Give Tay and Renny twenty. You get sixty. I want my shit back, too,” I reiterated.

“I got you,” he agreed.

If paying to keep him off the streets was what I had to do, then I was more than willing. If anything ever happened to either of her boys, Nelly would never recover. Tay was too young to know much of anything. Renny wasn’t interested in the streets. He was still finding himself and had recently realized he was into humans with the same body parts that he had. We’d all known it was coming and was happy that he could finally free himself from whatever shackles or shame his preference held him hostage with. He was only twelve, a year older than Deante.

I left Deante where he stood and headed up the three steps that led to a concrete path, stopping right in front of her door. So much about my Nanny’s home had changed since the remodel, but it still felt the same. It still resembled home, even with the new upgrades.

“Knock, knock!” I yelled as I swung the door open and walked in.

As expected, I found my old lady posted on the couch with a cup of coffee in hand and the remote in her other. Slightly, she turned her head until she noticed my figure headed in her direction. The toothless smile that she displayed was utterly unfair, clenching my heart and soul simultaneously.

Excitedly, she rested the coffee cup on the small, portable table in front of her and stood to her feet with a quickness that I didn’t know she could muster. Her skinny legs marched toward me and it wasn’t before long that our bodies were crashing into one another. Her head nestled in my chest as my arms wrapped around her, encasing her in my frame.

And just like that, we remained for umpteenth seconds. Neither of us in a rush to dismantle our connection. Neither of us interested in releasing the other. So, we stayed. I could feel the wetness of her face on my skin after it had broken through my shirt. Her fragile frame shook as she began to mumble words that were beyond me and my understanding, but I was certainthey had something – if not everything – to do with the man upstairs.

After what felt like two laps around the sun, we parted. Nanny wiped her tear-stained face with the back of her hands as she looked me up and down. It was her way of making sure I was in good health – mentally, physically, and emotionally. I was. Almost.

“My baby!” She clapped her hands together after she stepped out of my embrace. “What’s the matter?”

“What you mean, old lady? I’m good.”

“Oh, Keanu, save that for someone who gives a shit about the front you like to put on like you’re just this tough booger. I know your heart and it’s uneasy right now. So, tell me what’s the matter?”

“Can’t I just be happy I’m out and trying to adjust to being a free man again?”