His jaw tightened again, but this time it wasn’t from anger. It was from holding himself together. I knew that it would take him a while to heal and that it had nothing to do with the physical aspect. My son was touched mentally, and I knew it would stick with him forever. I stood up from the chair and leaned in, pressing a kiss to the top of his head, letting it linger for a second before I straightened myself out.
“I’m about to go get your mom and your sister,” I told him. “They can come back in now.”
He gave a small nod, and I didn’t say anything else as I turned and made my way toward the door. When I got outside, I gave Eternity a kiss and told her that I needed a moment. She knew how I got in situations like this. She knew exactly who I used to be. A moment of solitude was needed for sure. The moment I put some distance between me and my wife and children and stepped out into the hallway, my expression shifted. Too much had happened in too little time. Too much had touched my family. It was, but so much a nigga like me could take before I started crashing out. And as I walked down that hallway, I could feel the unraveling moment settling in my chest. It was time for me to bring that side of me back out. The part I had been keeping tucked away. The part that handled things when they needed to be handled. A faint smile pulled at my lips as I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone. Because now? It was time for the adults to come out and play. And when me and Sha got together… just call the law, is all I’m going to say.
MJ had been released from the hospital for a few weeks now, but that didn’t mean he was back to himself. He had been moving around the house quieter than usual, keeping to himself in a way I wasn’t used to seeing from him. The same boy who used to carry energy in every room he stepped into had been sulking. I let him have his time. Not because I didn’t care, but because I understood it. Sometimes a man had to sit with what happened to him before he figured out how to move forward from it. That didn’t mean I was about to let what happened slide. I had all the intention of sliding for my son, and now was the moment.
Sha and I walked side by side across the football field. The grass was slightly damp under our cleats as the sounds of practice carried through the air. I already knew they would be out there today. Cornelius wasn’t hard to track, not when he put his whole life on display for the world to see. All it took was a quick look at his Instagram, and I had everything I needed. He was blogging about how he got jumped. Wasn’t that some shit? As the weeks passed, I was able to get a time, location, and a routine for his dumb ass. This was the only place where I would be able to get the entire team together. The damn school season was over, but still, this group of boys ran scrimmages and practiced together. It was evident that Cornelius really cared about football. He was dedicated as hell, just like MJ was with basketball.
Sha adjusted the helmet in his hands, letting out a low complaint as he glanced down at himself. He was tugging at the gear like it personally offended him.
“Man, I ain’t gonna lie, I feel stupid as hell in this shit,” he muttered while shifting uncomfortably.
I finally glanced at him.
“Then you should’ve got a smaller cup for your jock strap.”
He shot me a look like he was offended, but I could tell that he was trying not to laugh at the same time.
“Man, shut up,” he muttered under his breath while adjusting himself again. “This shit ain’t made for grown men.”
Despite everything, that almost pulled a smirk out of me. Almost. I had to mentally hop in that emotionless bag to handle things how we were about to. We kept walking across the field in silence.
The small group of six was gathered toward the middle of the field. They were a loose circle of bodies talking, laughing, and moving with that careless energy that came with thinkingnothing could touch you. Sha stepped forward first. He slid right into their space like he belonged there.
“Aye,” he called out, getting their attention. “Y’all need one more?”
A few of them looked at him, confused at first, then amused. One of the boys let out a laugh.
“Old head, get outta here. You really came to play football with the youngins?”
Sha shrugged while holding up the helmet in his hand.
“Yeah, I got my helmet and everything.”
That was all it took. The jokes started flying. Laughter broke out around him. And a couple of them were shaking their heads while others stepped closer like they were entertained by the idea of him even being there.
I kept walking. They were all so focused on Sha that nobody paid me any mind. I stopped right when I reached the center of that circle, and that’s when I saw him. Cornelius and I were face-to-face. The moment his eyes landed on me, everything changed. The confidence he had been standing there with drained from his expression so fast it almost would’ve been funny if it wasn’t exactly what I expected. He recognized me. We were looking each other eye to eye just like the night he had picked Maliah up for their date. The only difference is that I came here to settle a score, and I knew that he sensed that. He knew why I was there.
His body shifted like he was about to turn and run, but he didn’t make it far. Sha was already on him. Sha’s hand came up quick as he pressed a gun flat against Cornelius’s chest like it had been waiting for that exact moment. The laughter died instantly. Wasn’t shit funny anymore. Everything froze. Silence spread across the field, thick and heavy, broken only by the sound of breathing that had suddenly gotten a lot more noticeable. I looked around and was satisfied with everyone’s reaction. Thisis exactly what I wanted. I didn’t rush the moment. I didn’t raise my voice because I didn’t need to.
I stepped closer, standing directly in front of Cornelius, my eyes locked on his as I spoke.
“So, everyone,” I said calmly, letting my gaze move across each one of them before settling back on him. “I believe you know my son, MJ.”
Nobody spoke, and not a single one of them shifted out of place. The only thing giving them away was their breathing. I gave a small nod.
“Good. That makes this easier.”
I took a step back and then looked at all of them like a teacher getting a head count before a field trip.
“Line up.”
My voice stayed even, but it carried enough weight to move them. With Sha pressing the gun firmly against Cornelius’s chest, there wasn’t any hesitation this time. The rest of them fell into place, forming a line while Cornelius stayed exactly where he was. He was at the end of the line, locked in by Sha and his gun. I stepped toward the first one, stopping close enough that he had to look at me.
“Y’all jumped him, right?” I asked.
He hesitated. His eyes flickered past me like he was looking for a way out that didn’t exist.
