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“This is one of the things I felt we should disclose tonight.Witherspoon Homesand how it involves Jas.” She massaged her temples, obviously frustrated.
“What does my company have to do with this…” He scooted his fat ass up on the sofa and shouted, “This punk! Why is he in my home with my daughters and sister, Ashira?”
“Why are you treating him like a damn ruthless misfeasor, Dad? Let’s start there!”
I decided to come with it. “Because the summer I was sixteen—the one I told you about—your father was a highbrow-ass snob socialite who belittled me the whole week I interned under him.”
“Highbrow?” Witherspoon scoffed. “A damn snob and socialite. You were grooming into a criminal. A punk who took no direction and didn’t want to work. If I’m not mistaken, the damn guidance counselor begged me to take you on. And even after she shared with me your gun charge, I thought to do the right thing and take you on. You showed up late damn near every fucking day and couldn’t stop being a goddamn tough guy for a mere eight hours to learn shit.”
I shook my head. “I was late one day; the first day because I had to find a way out here, which was running in the damn summer heat for at least five miles. You kept bustin’ my ass over the way I spoke, stood, and even sat. You ain’t wanna focus on teaching me your craft, you wanted to insult me in front of the rest of them cats, squares just like you. I ain’t have an issue spending the summer learning from a square with other squares; it was being reminded all damn day, every day that I was the circle that got to me. That’s why Ileft—look, I ain’t got no interest in rehashing my behavior as a kid. I ain’t trippin’ over no summer camp bullshit.”
“I don’t even know what that means, but it doesn’t negate your criminal history. You’re a convicted killer. A fucking convicted murderer.” He laughed, glancing at his daughter. “It was all over the news and in the papers. Shit, all over the internet!”
I shook my head again. “No, I’m not. That’s where you thought you left me.”
“Hang on here! What are you talking about?” Ashira demanded. “And why does it sound like you two have had more than ‘a couple’ of encounters?”
“I met your father that week of the summer program. The next time I saw him was when I was on trial for themurders—”
“Noelle, please leave the room.” Ashira’s eyes were squeezed closed. It was the mention of murder again. Not a typical great room conversation in the Witherspoon palace, I now understood. I was embarrassing her. Hurting her once again. “Aunt Kimberly, maybe you should, too.”
“Nah,” I shook my head and softly turned to her. “I’m here…” My attention shot down to her belly. “…for life. I’m in. And what I don’t want is to hide behind shit. Since I’m going to be here, let me stand on this.”
“I’m not going anywhere.” Kimberly’s chin lifted. “There’s something going on here I need to know about.”
Ashira shook her head, defeated. Witherspoon sighed, shaking his head. Noelle was all wide eyes and a damn hanging jaw. I could have felt like shit from that impression alone, but I’d been prepared. I was going to keep it one thousand here. I had nothing to prove at this point in my life. My time for my conviction had been completed. For some time now, I’d been working on myself with the assistance of a licensed professional dutifully. I’d given my past and future to Christ and He carried the debt from there. My shit was ugly, but I wouldn’t hide beneath it. I deserved better than that for myself.
Fuck that!
“Like I said,” I continued. “When I caught the charges and was on trial, one day I was in the holding cell for court. Guess who popped inunannounced—”
Witherspoon spat, “Let’s not be so damn dramatic, man!”
“Nah, I leave that to squares like you. You found me. You followed the headline, found weird ass, Black-male-Karen energy and came to the courthouse. I ain’t know how you pulled it off or why until your arrogant ass chuckles in my face while I’m chained to a bench in a room full of niggas. But you remember what you said?”
“What I said holds norelevance—”
“Wait, Daddy,” Ashira interrupted the start of his self-righteous rant. “If you hadn’t seen him in years, why go to the courthouse?”
There was a thick silence in the air Witherspoon needed a minute to choke on. “I’d seen the headlines, saw it on the news. I knew I remembered him. Knew I was right about him. You know, you tried to describe me as an Uncle Tom a few minutes ago, but remember, I selected you even knowing your past. I was trying to help you. Give you good game that week you were with me. I saw the path of destruction you were headed down. I did my part as a successful Black man! I was trying to warn you, son!”
“Warn me by coming down there to gloat.” My face went tight at that bullshit. “You told me three things you called in life: you’d be rich, you’d have only a daughter, and that I’d be sitting exactly in the room I was in, chained the way I was, and going to a cold cemented cell where I belonged.” Ashira gasped hard, covering her mouth. “You know what type of evil you gotta have in your heart to say that to a kid?”
“Damn, Daddy,” Noelle breathed behind us. I couldn’t see her, but caught every syllable.
Kimberly cleared her throat, swiping her neck. “Noel, that was…uh… That was…”
“Fucking savage, Daddy,” Ashira choked on tears I knew she fought to keep away.
“I’m sure Ididn’t—well, even if I said those things, they didn’t come outthatway,” Witherspoon argued. “And even with all of that holding true, I still don’t understand why he’s in my home, Shi-Shi!” He rubbed his head, looking frustrated.
“He’s here—” Ashira cleared her throat. “—because clearly full circles are a thing. I met Jas back in February when I switched my therapy sessions to the morning to maximize on my hours for work and the dance studio. We have the same therapist. For a few weeks, we talked and…” Her eyes closed again, the air stiff as fuck. “…I guess I was drawn to him. I found him attractive and it took some time, but he finally showed signs of being interested in me, too.”
“Oh, shit!” Witherspoon rolled his eyes. “If this is about you asking for my approval to date, don’t waste your breath, sweetheart. This guy is bad news. The scum of the earth. Look him up!”
“Look her out,” I proposed with a shrug. “Have herGoogleme. What’s my name?”
Witherspoon’s eyes fell and face dropped as though he was trying to think. “It’ll come to me.”
