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A hard slap reverberated across his back as Mikel smirked. “Yeah, Uncle Bently. That’s a bad word.”
“Since when does it cost one dollar? Last time it was a quarter. That’s highway robbery,” he said as he dug into his wallet.
“No, it’s flatulence.” Lyra shrugged.
Bently’s eyes furrowed as he looked to Mikel who was trying hard not to crack up.
“Inflation, baby. That’s inflation,” Mikel corrected.
Lyra rolled her eyes and held out her hand. Was she six or sixteen?
Bently pulled out a five and handed it to her. “Alright, here. It’s all I have. It should cover me for the next four times I slip up, princess.”
Lyra’s eyes lit up. “Five dollars?”
“For your college fund,” Mikel reminded her.
“Okayyyy. I’ll go put it in my piggy bank.” Lyra stalked off.
“You have your hands full.”
“It’s fucking terrifying having a daughter, man.” Mikel’s complexion grew a little whiter.
“That’s one dollar for the college fund,” Bently teased.
Mikel smacked his shoulder. “Only counts if you get caught.”
“Jasmine in the kitchen?” Bently asked.
Mikel nodded. “Yeah, Zoey’s sleeping in that thing she wears.”
“Touchdown!” Mr. Stone and Andre yelled together.
“You notice anything off with Dre lately?” Bently asked.
“Something’s been on his mind, but he won’t talk to me about it. I figured it had to do with Mia’s paperwork. Probably just stressing about their interview with ICE coming up.” Mikel shrugged.
“Yeah, maybe.”
“Dinner’s ready! Shut the TV off and find a seat,” Mrs. Stone called.
Bently waited for TJ as he was the last to file into the dining room. He wanted TJ and Belle to feel welcome, to know they had a place they were wanted.
As they sat around the table, Mr. and Mrs. Stone did what they did best—brought everyone together in conversation. They laughed as a group, they teased. Mr. Stone was talking to TJ about the college where he was a professor. Mia, Jasmine, and Remy were laughing with Belle. She fit into his life like she had been made to all along. TJ helped himself to a third plate. Bently remembered what it felt like to be a bottomless pit as a growing teenager. Though he’d had to go hungry more times than not so his brother and sister could eat.
He’d come so far, despite the circumstances he’d been born into. For the first time in his life, he wanted to share his life with someone else. No, not someone—with Belle.
“So, Belle. What made you so hesitant to be friends with our friend the sheriff here? Was it because he’s a cop?” Andre’s hard gaze leveled on her.
“Man, what’s your problem?” Bently asked, a slight edge to his voice for the first time that night.
What the hell has gotten into Dre?
Belle placed her hand over Bently’s thigh, instantly injecting him with calm.
“Absolutely. As a Black man, I’m sure you know that you have a one in one thousand chance of getting killed by the police. It’s survival to be weary of those who have been given the ability to wield power in a way that is so harmful for minorities and other groups of vulnerable people,” Belle said.
Andre bit his bottom lip, looking between TJ and her.
