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Chapter 14
Sydney
Iknow it was hardfor momma and daddy to keep Uncle Elijah’s release to themselves and I couldn’t argue with them about it. To see the look on Booker’s face when his father appeared was worth more than anything. With everyone caught up in the moment it’s too bad no one thought to take pictures of the emotional moment when a father was able to hug his son as a free man.
I stayed at my parents’ house that night, reminiscing of a time when daddy and Uncle Elijah ran Cooper Road. Although Booker showed excitement of hearing their tales, I could see the sadness in his eyes that he wasn’t around to experience any of it. Like daddy told him the day his momma dropped him off on our doorsteps, had they known about him, Booker would’ve been with us, no questions asked.
When Uncle Elijah was incarcerated, the feds had taken his house, cars, and whatever money he had in his accounts. From a person looking in from the outside, he had to start from the bottom.
To his surprise and ours, daddy kept track of his accounts in the Cayman Islands. I didn’t know before I took over that daddy was putting fifty percent of his profits in an account for Uncle Elijah. Had I known, I would’ve been doing the same.
I tried to calculate what the amount would be, but the numbers were too high. Let’s just say, Uncle Elijah is probably the first person to be released from prison very wealthy.
“I don’t want to have to deal with anything else to take me from my family.” Uncle Elijah said. He looked at daddy, and said, “Clint, we always said one day we would walk away from this life. Our kids have done what we weren’t able to do. I want to spend the rest of my days watching our children turn our illegal business into what will make the Morgan name worldwide.”
Daddy grinned with pride. “And they are on the right path to doing that.”
After filling Uncle Elijah in on what we’ve been up to, he gave his nod of approval. Once he was up to date on our operations, Uncle Elijah was proud of the work we had done.
When the hour grew late, Booker wanted to take Uncle Elijah to his house for the night, so the two of them could have some bonding time. My parents nor I objected. Booker and Uncle Elijah needed this time to fully connect with one another. It’s one thing to visit your parent within the confinements of prison, but another to have them physically in front of you without rules and regulations. My parents and I knew Booker had questions for his daddy he didn’t want to address in front of us. We completely understood that.
We walked him and Booker outside to the front. Uncle Elijah hugged daddy so tightly, I wondered if either one of them were able to breathe, but when he showed momma the same affection, I learned that his mighty arms were like a human incubator for his family.
“Clint, Rachel I want to thank the two of you for looking out for my boy as if he was yours,” Uncle Elijah said with tears in his eyes. “You could have turned him away that day, but instead, you all welcomed him without any true documentation to prove that he was mine.”
Daddy chuckled. “Elijah, look at Booker. He’s the spitting image of you. How could we not bring him into the Morgan family? Shit, even if he looked like his momma and had a drop of Morgan blood in him...he was ours.”
“Thank you, brother,” Uncle Elijah expressed as he hugged daddy.
As hard as I try to keep my positive exterior, this moment has tears flowing from my eyes like I just watched a Lifetime movie.
“Tomorrow we’ll go house hunting,” daddy laughed when they released each other.
“I’m all in,” Uncle Elijah replied. “But I want something that will have me within the same distance of everyone.”
Daddy grasped his shoulders, then shook them. “Of course. Sydney will make sure that’s possible. Right, Sydney?”
Without the list of vacant properties in the area in front of me, I still respond, “Yes, daddy. Uncle Elijah will have his place within the next forty-eight hours.”
*******
Afew days later Ihad a vacant three-bedroom single level house for Uncle Elijah to move into. It was less than ten minutes from my parents’ house. I had a maid service come in and clean the house from top to bottom. I asked Uncle Elijah what he wanted updated in the house and arranged for a contractor to come by and give us a quote.
Over the next week of getting Uncle Elijah situated, Domencio and I spoke through facetime and texts. Although he said he understood what we were doing, I could see the disappointment in his eyes when I had to numerously give him a raincheck for dinner. Like me, he knew how important family is, but I do recognize that we were in the beginning stages of our relationship too.
After leaving work on Friday, I decided to surprise Domencio. I swung by Seafood Daddy and picked up two orders of their loaded seafood boils. On the ride to Domencio’s house, my senses overpowered me as I breathed in the spiciness of the food. It could’ve been because I hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast or because Seafood Daddy always had the best boils. Either way, I was ready to crack open some Dungeness crabs.
Pulling into Domencio’s driveway, I’m met by two of his men. They were polite as one opened my door and the other asked if I had anything to bring inside. After telling him of the food on the backseat, he got it out, then the two escorted me to the front door. When we grew closer, the door opened to Jefferson smiling at me.
“Ms. Morgan, so good to see you,” he greeted.
“You too, Jefferson,” I returned, entering.
