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“How long are you going to stay mad at him?” Gi asked, referring to Uncle Lucas.
The way I saw it, Lucas was the cancer of the family. My pops and Uncle Ross were far from perfect, but they handled it like men when they made mistakes. They didn’t run or use their son as a human shield to avoid accountability. That shit was weird to me, and I didn’t condone sucka shit, family or not.
“I’ll let you know when I decide.”
Shaking his head, “Everybody thinks I’m the problem, but it’s your hateful ass.”
“Shit could’ve ended badly because of his bullshit.”
“But it didn’t, Mack. Some shit ain’t worth holding on to.”
“Maybe one day I’ll get there, Gandhi, but for now, it’s fuck that nigga.”
I gave people the version of me they deserved. I could be the nicest nigga you ever met or the coldest. That much was left up to you. Aunt Xora announced that dinner was ready, and we all gathered around the table, prepared to bless the food.
Thankfully somebody put a muzzle on Sophia, so dinner was tolerable. Skylar relaxed about halfway through and even talked with my mother and Xora. Even though nobody’s opinion trumped mine, I wanted Skylar to feel comfortable, and vice versa, since our family was extremely close.
“You’ve been quiet tonight, Ty.” Aunt Xora pointed out. She was naturally intuitive like that. She could always tell what anybody in our family was going through.
He had been quiet. Partially because he wasn’t fucking with his father, either. The other part, I assumed, had to do with Kyerra. It was still crazy to me that both of them fucked with Kyerra. Even crazier that Tyson went back after knowing she had been with Gi.
“Is it something we should know?” Solana probed, and I was willing to bet she knew Kyerra was pregnant.
Tyson smiled at Solana in a way that screamed he wanted to curse her out. The table remained quiet, looking around at each other to figure out what was happening.
“Kyerra is pregnant, and it might be mine,” Tyson replied, but every eye in the room shot to Gi. He didn’t care. Gi was the only one still eating his food.
“Oh my God! This story sounds familiar!” Sophia erupted.
“Does it? Cuz I have a story for you too.” Hailo fired back as Gi grabbed her arm and whispered something in her ear, causing her to reply. “I’m not going to keep ignoring her mouth! She thinks she can say whatever she wants, and we’re all supposed to ignore it because that’s just how her miserable ass is!”
“One-night stand. You’re in no position to judge anybody!” Sophia replied, causing Hailo to shoot up from her
“Girl, get a new joke because that one is old and tired. Yeah, we had a one-night stand, and I got pregnant but guess what, Auntie? We’re happy, and you can’t say the same after twenty-plus years. You don’t have to like me, but you better keep your disrespect to yourself. I’m going to check on my baby,” Hailo shoved her chair back and stormed out.
“You should’ve left her alone.” Was all Gi said, following her out of the dining room?
Thankfully dinner was almost over anyway, so I could use this as an excuse to go home. It had been enough excitement for one day. My uncles requested a private conversation with Tyson, and Skylar volunteered to help clear the table.
“Were you fucking that girl too?” My mother asked, cornering me in the hallway.
“No,” I replied, somewhat disappointed in her question.
“Good.” Relief escaped her lips as she planted her hands on her hips. “You boys never take a day off from stressing everybody out.”
“I’m innocent.”
“Breaking tradition isn’t innocent, Macklen.”
“But it feels right.”
“This family has done things one way for a very long time. It won’t be easy just because you want her,” she replied honestly.
“I know, but Sky and Cam deserve a family too. Especially after what happened. Why can’t I give her that?”
“I don’t know why, can’t you?”
No matter how hard I tried, Mia never told me what to do. She’d ask endless questions forcing me to decide on my own. “Tradition.”
