Okay, man. See you Saturday?
Yes, sir. See you Saturday around noon.
I slid my phone in my pocket and hoped I could finally make things right.
“What’s up, Graham? Come on in, man.”
I gave Uncle Shawn a tight smile and walked inside. Once he closed the door, I shook his hand. “It smells good in here. Y’all cooking?”
“Aren’t we always?” He chuckled. “Umm . . . I didn’t tell Sonya you were coming. Her ass prolly would have skipped town.”
I slid my hand down my face. Shereallydidn’t fuck with me. I couldn’t say I blamed her. I followed him toward the back of the house where the kitchen was. Aunt Sonya was at the stove and looked to be tasting something. When she heard footsteps, she quickly put the utensil down and turned toward us.
“Why you all in my pots?” Uncle Shawn asked her.
She looked like she wanted to laugh until her eyes landed on me. I swore I was about to sweat. “Hey, Aunt Sonya.”
“Hello, Graham.”
She was about to walk right past us until Uncle Shawn grabbed her hand. “Graham is here to talk to us, baby.”
“Us? About what?”
“Well, we have to wait and find out.”
She turned her gaze to me, and I swore there was ice in that shit, because I fucking shivered like I wasn’t a grown ass man.
“Why didn’t Sidney and Devin come?” she asked me.
“I didn’t tell them I was coming. Some of the things I need to say . . . or rather explain, don’t need the extra ears.”
She frowned slightly and turned to head to the sitting area. Uncle Shawn nodded at me and followed her. I took a deep breath and fell in behind them. Thankfully, I’d been around Uncle Shawn enough to know when he was being genuine. He seemed to be genuinely interested in what I had to say. He didn’t seem to be holding any animosity towards me.
Once we all sat, I fidgeted somewhat.
“Aww, fuck. It’s that bad?” Aunt Sonya asked.
I took a deep breath and began. “It’s nothing new . . . just old shit that I never apologized for or explained. I’m not going to go into full detail with my explanation, but I want to give you enough to help you understand my past behaviors. Dad made me realize that I never apologized for my behavior toward you, Aunt Sonya. I’m sorry for being a fucking pervert as a kid. I know I gave you creep vibes, and that was fucked up.”
Her facial expressions softened. She was no longer frowning. Her eyebrows had lifted slightly. “I apologized to my parents, but you are the one that I should have apologized to immediately after. I probably should have apologized to you first. I was disrespectful to you. Although I was a teenager, I knew better. I just . . . I mean . . .”
I took a deep breath. This shit was hard to vocalize. I didn’t like talking about my feelings or explaining a damn thing, yet here I was. “I used to hear them talk about you, so I started watching videos you were in, even old ones that you’d done when I was super young. My mama used to get so angry about all the attention you got and how men desired you. I wanted to seewhythey desired you.”
I glanced over at Uncle Shawn. He wore a blank expression on his face. I continued. “My dad never said anything negative. He would just say that you’d definitely found your purpose . . . your lane. I hate to bring up old shit. I don’t want you getting angry about stuff y’all already squashed. My mama just seemed to be jealous of you. You were her whole conversation when you and Uncle Shawn got married. It was like in order for her to be supportive of Aunt Serita, she thought she had to be against you.”
“Graham . . . that’s enough. I get it. Apology accepted. Thanks for that,” she said, swiping a tear that had fallen down her cheek.
I knew those times were hurtful for her. I remembered hearing Kyla, Chloe, and Sharee talking about it. Kyla couldn’t stand Aunt Serita for the longest time. Aunt Sonya was like a mother to her. So much so, until she started calling her mama. The last falling out my mama and Aunt Sonya had was because of that. We were out here, in Dallas, for Kyla’s high school graduation. That was the same day I grabbed my dick while staring at Aunt Sonya, making sure she saw me do it.
I lowered my head for a moment, then looked back up at her and nodded. Standing from my seat, I decided it was time for me to leave, even though it took four hours to get here. I was so uncomfortable. They weren’t saying a word. Uncle Shawn had put his arm around her, trying to bring her back to the present, I was sure.
“Well . . . umm . . . I guess I should go.”
I turned and headed toward the door so fast I should’ve gotten dizzy. My nervousness was warranted. Uncle Shawn wasn’t to be fucked with, being that he used to be heavy in the streets, and Aunt Sonya was known to lay a bitch out in her day. I’d heard the stories of what she did to Shane’s girlfriend and her mama, not long before he got reacquainted with the woman he was married to. That was only a few years ago.
“Graham!”
I turned to see Aunt Sonya walking toward me. She was still a beautiful woman. Thankfully, I’d gotten a handle on my obsession with her by the time I graduated from high school. Otherwise, this day would have never come. When she got to me, she extended her arms with a smile on her face. I gave her a tight smile and embraced my aunt for the first time since I was kid.
