A few moments later, Mae came to the door and eyed me down the same way Tacarra had. “Can I help you?”
I stuck my hand out for her. “I’m Jazzlyn. My husband and I were friends of Nymir. I wanted to talk to you about covering his funeral and whatever else expenses you may need.”
“I already told your husband I don’t need his damn drug money. That’s what killed my grandson in the first place,” she snapped.
I could see the pain in her eyes as she tried her best to keep it together. She was up there in age, and I could tell she was tired. Not physically tired, but just emotionally tired. There was no telling how many devastating losses she suffered in her time. Nymir’s death may have been the hardest.
“I understand that right now is a hard time for you, but if you can, just give me a second. Your grandson was great man and was nothing but kind and respectful when I was around. Forget about him and my husband’s dealings.Ijust want to help.”
She stood firm at the door, internally debating whether she could trust me. Her eyes landed on Cyro, who remained behind him. “You can come in, but your big ole friend is gonna have to wait outside.”
Cyro was ready to snatch me up and tell me no, but I held my hand up at him, assuring it was fine. She stepped aside and let me in. She did what she could with the small apartment, even had a twin bed nestled behind the couch as an additional bedroom for one of the other children in the house.
The plastic on her couch let me know exactly who I was dealing with. She was old school and didn’t take any shit. She pointed for me to take a seat, and I did. It was hot and humid inside the apartment; she tried her best to thin out the air with multiple fans and an open window. She took a seat on a recliner next to me.
“Sorry about the heat. I know you ain’t used to being in these types of conditions where you’re from.”
I chuckled because I often got prejudged based on how I looked. “I’m actually from here. I was born and raised in this building until my mother got put out,” I enlightened her.
I could tell I surprised her. She would have never guessed. “Who was your mother and father, if you don’t mind me asking?”
I fought the urge to roll my eyes at the mention of my parents. It had been close to five years since they were put in the dirt, and I still hated them. “Terrence and Sylvia Barette.”
“Oh, I knew them. He used to knock her around like loose change in his pocket. They left for a long time, then came back before they died. Sorry for your loss.”
I shot her a tight-lipped smile. Clearly, she had no filter. Had I been mourning my parents, I would have been offended. “Thank you. Nymir was a good friend to my husband, and we would like to cover the cost of his funeral. How have things been coming along with that?” I shifted the conversation.
“He’s still in the morgue. Between bills and taking care of the rest of my grandchildren, I don’t know when he’ll be buried. My good friend Shonda is gonna help me with a fish fry to see if we can raise the money.”
I was getting somewhere with her. She seemed to trust me because I came from the very building she was living in. Knowing Ahk, he probably rolled up with his iced-out chains and watch on. He wasn’t a gaudy flexer, but he never toned himself down for anybody.
I shook my head. “That won’t be necessary.” I reached into my bag and pulled out my checkbook. I could feel her eyes seeping into me as I continued to write out the check. Once I finished, I tore it out of my book and handed it to her.
“Girl, you must be out of your damn mind! A funeral ain’t nothing but five thousand over at West Chapel Funeral Home.” Her eyes widened at the amount I wrote down on the check.
I laughed. “This is for Nymir’s funeral and whatever else you need.”
“Where we’re from, people don’t just hand out $25,000 without some sort of return.” She shifted her eyes from the check then to me.
“Your grandson meant more than that to my husband. Please let us know all about the funeral arrangements. We would love to attend to say our goodbyes.” I smiled lightly while jotting down Ahk’s and my phone numbers on a receipt I had in my purse.
She was in shock, but she managed to crack a smile that indicated she was relieved. “Thank you.”
“It’s nothing. Nymir was family. This is what you do for family.” I got up from my seat and gave her a hug. She didn’t hug me back at first, but when she did, I could tell she really needed the embrace. I bid her a goodbye and was heading to the door to leave.
“How’s your sister?” she asked from behind me, stopping me in my tracks.
I laughed lightly. “You mean my brother, Priest? He’s great.”
She looked at me like I had two heads. Her brows bumped together as she shook her head. “No, I meant your sister. Last time I seen her, she was cleaning up your parents’ unit after they died. She’s tall, light, with gorgeous, long, black hair, just like you. I forgot her name.” She snapped her fingers while trying her best to have her memory serve her right.
“Ms. Mae, I don’t have a sister. It was only Priest and me,” I corrected her.
“I remember your brother. He’s the one who was all over the news. But I could’ve sworn a young lady was moving things out of your parents’ unit upstairs. When we spoke, she told me her father had been murdered, and she was just collecting his things before the super threw it all out in the courtyard,” she persisted.
I recalled Priest and I getting multiple calls from the super to clear out the apartment after the crime scene clean-up crew lifted my parents’ bodies. We never got around to doing itsimply because we didn’t give a fuck to. There was nothing of sentimental value in there for us. Hell, we barely wanted to plan the extravagant funeral we fucking gave them.
I turned around to face her with a puzzled look on my face. “You still can’t remember her name?”
