I kneeled down beside Game and he grabbed on to my waist and held me tightly. He sobbed on me as I rubbed his back. I really didn’t deal with these types of things, but I knew his pain. To lose someone so close to you is a tragedy. Those vivid pictures of my slain mom flooded my head. Just minutes before I was about to hop in a Lyft and go back to the K-Spot, I saw Kayla run in, tears flowing down her face. I knew something was wrong, so I decided to put all of the drama in the backseat.

“Irresponsible bitch!” I heard Game curse. “Since she had them kids, she never gave a fuck about them. When I see her, I’ma hurt her ass!”

“Jahfar, I never told you that my mom died. She was assaulted when I was eleven years old and I was there to witness it. I could never remember all the details, but I don’t need to. It’s painful enough. After my mom died, my dad lost himself. The pain of losing her was too heavy, so he went off and never came back. One day he didn’t pick me up from school, and it was the last I saw of him. After that, I didn’t have any family here, so I was bounced around from foster home to foster home, ten to be exact. I won’t go into too many details about my time there, but it was next to hell. The burns on my back that you saw the other night were from my fourth foster mother who thought that burning my skin with a lighter was purely entertainment.

“I said all of that to say that your sister is going to have a hell of a time accepting the fact that her son is gone. Losing her son is punishment enough. I know it will be hard, but you have to forgive her and be there for her. You don’t know how many nights I wished and prayed that someone would’ve been there for me after my parents died. The people who hurt my mom, I know it haunts them, so I try not to think about it. You have to be there for your sister and help her pull through this.”

For the rest of the night we sat in silence and I prayed for this family’s healing.

1 week later

Game and I still hadn’t talked about our blow up, partly because he was grieving and partly because I avoided it. I wasn’t ready to bare my soul to him, so I tried my best to be there for him and didn’t even bring up the argument.

We met at Game’s mom’s house for the repass. Though the funeral was sad, Trey was sent off beautifully. He had a cobalt blue casket, his favorite color, and dozens of blue moon roses. There was not a dry eye in the church, and I had to stop Game when Trey’s father walked in. Big Trey had been an absentee father to his son and daughter since they were born, and he was really abusive to Danni. Game’s blood was already boiling with Danni, so he was looking for someone else to take it out on.

Jaylen, Game’s older brother, was even in attendance. He was released from prison a day before the funeral after doing two years. I couldn’t tell if Game was happy to see him, because the two didn’t talk at all. I could see some kind of sibling rivalry going on between them that I would ask about later.

Poor Danni couldn’t contain herself at the funeral. She howled out loudly as her mom held her. She couldn’t even see Trey before he was lowered into the grave, due to her falling out every time she got close to the casket. All in all, it was just a sad day. Danni kept yelling that it was her fault and God should’ve taken her instead of her son. Her ex, Mario, was in attendance as well. He hung his head low and I could tell he had been close to Trey too. Game, however, was unusually quiet and didn’t shed one tear. He paid for the entire funeral and even though he still blamed Danni, he stood by her side the entire time.

Just to make myself busy and avoid the sad family, I got the food out so that everyone could start eating. I felt nervous as hell, so I had to do something to calm my nerves. I just wanted to help. Mario had ordered all the soul food classics from Martins Soul food. I started sitting everything out when Jaylen came in.

“Aye, what’s your name again?” I heard him ask.

“It’s Misty,” I answered, having to mentally correct myself from telling him Anna. I had come clean to everyone about my real name, so there was no need to lie to him.

“You need help with anything?” he asked me. Since he’d gotten out, we were briefly introduced, but hadn’t said more than two words to each other after. He was an exact replica of Game; just a little more muscular and with more tats than the subway in Harlem.

“Ummm sure. I’m just putting the food out.”

Jalen grabbed the pan of baked spaghetti and put it on the table. People were starting to pile in after coming from the gravesite. I picked up a pan of chicken, but it was so heavy that I nearly dropped it and Jaylen caught it.

“Oh my god, thank you. Do you know how mad folks would’ve been with me without any chicken to eat?” I laughed.

“Damn right. Ain’t no black funeral without any chicken.” He laughed.

I grabbed another pan and this one was even heavier with the baked beans. Jaylen noticed me struggling and helped me. Our hands touched just a little when taking the pan, and he gave me a friendly smile. When I looked up, Game was coming into the kitchen.

“Hey. Everything okay?” I said, turning around to grab the other food. I didn’t even notice the scowl on his face until I turned back around.

“Aye Jalen, don’t touch my fucking girl ever again man,” Game said, so calm that it was scary. I didn’t even know that I was his girl.

“Man, gone head with that shit!” Jaylen replied.

“Aite, go ahead and try me boy!” Game said, patting his waist, and I saw that he had a gun. I had never seen him carry a gun before.

“Let me speak to you outside for a moment,” Game added to me in more of a demanding way than asking me. Before I could even respond to him, he was out the door and I was following.

I walked outside and he was standing with his hands in the pockets of his Balmain slacks.

”What is your problem? And why do you have that at a funeral?” I asked, pointing to his waist.

“I don’t ever come out unless I’m strapped baby girl,” he said condescendingly, like I was just supposed to know that. “But check this out, I don’t want you around my brother.”

“Why not?”

“Because I said so. Anything else?” he asked.

I squinted my eyes up at him and frowned before walking back into the house. This was not the place or the time. For the rest of the night I tried my best to avoid him and keep my spirits up.

Back at his place, I was tired of the silent treatment that was going on, so I broke the ice.

“So, are you going to tell me what’s really going on? I know the death of your nephew is devastating, but that had nothing to do with what happened earlier with your brother.”

“I don’t even want to discuss that right now. I’m not in the mood. Oh, and you can go anyway. I know you really don’t even want to be here. Before my nephew died, you were packing your shit up.”

I sighed. “Really? This is how we talk to each other now?”

I hopped my tiny self in front of him. He was really about to walk past me.

“Misty for real, you are testing me right now.”

“So, answer my question.”

“My brother is just not a good person, aite?” He finally gave in to me. “That’s who Bregan stepped out on me with.”

“The girls’ mom?” I asked, puzzled, softening my demeanor.

He nodded, yes.

“Damn, you think he would try to make a move on me too? I thought that y’all were trying to work on y’all’s relationship.”

“Man, that nigga is grimy. I don’t care about reconciling nothing with him. When we were younger, I wanted to be like his ass, but he kept getting locked up and I hit the block so I could take care of my family. That was a problem for him. When he came home from Juvie, he was mad that I was out here doing my thing. Jealousy is a mutherfucker, especially when it comes from your family.”

I started to say, at least you have family, but I kept it to myself.

“Well, don’t let that worry you. Don’t you have a deadline coming up? That’s where your focus needs to be right now,” I said, trying to change the subject.

“You’re right,” he said, pecking me on my lips and then heading for the shower.

I sat on his California King and started to curl up with my new book, The Hate You Give, when my phone chimed. It was a text from Chandler saying that she had found me a 2-bedroom townhouse. I nearly jumped up and down for joy. I had been working my ass off at Starbucks for about two months and stacking. I had even filled out an application to get my GED. Things were kind of coming together but I didn’t want to jinx it, so I kept moving the same way I did when I was broke. I mean, Starbucks was paying me about $900 every two weeks, and that wasn’t a lot, but I had been with Game a lot, so I didn’t have to pay for anything. On top of that, I was still getting a few things right for the library, so that would be up and running in a few months. I wanted all African-American authors, so ordering books was taking time.

Game walked out of the shower with a towel around his waist. Baby boy was dripping wet looking all sexy as usual, but before my mind raced to all the nasty things that I wanted to do to him, I had to tell him my good news.

“Jahfar! Guess what!” I said while jumping on the bed excitedly.

He just looked at me like he was not in the mood to play the guessing game.

“Well okay, attitude central. But anyway, my friend found me a place finally! I am happy to finally have my own, my FIRST OWN!” I was smiling from ear-to-ear, but Game did not share my excitement.

“Why are you looking like that?” I asked all out of breath from jumping.

“I just don’t get why you were so pressed about finding a place when you could’ve just stayed here and stacked,” he said, drying his back off with a towel.

“Are you not happy for me?” I was taken aback.

He just kept on doing what he was doing without giving me a response.

“This is supposed to be a good thing. I wouldn’t depend on you for a place to stay when I’m now in a position to get my own.” I looked at him weirdly.

“It’s like you have a point to prove or something. There isn’t a question of whether you can do it. You are more than capable, but I think it’s just dumb, honestly.”

“Okay, it’s dumb because I’m going out here getting my own, but the thing you say you hated about your baby mama was that she sat around spending your money. Okay, you know what—” I paused. “I’m beginning to think that you and I moved a little too fast. Maybe we need to take a step back,” I said, a little sadness in my voice.

I just didn’t get his problem and arguing with him was beginning to be draining. Like, every little thing didn’t have to be the end of the world. And then he had this attitude as if he was the only one who had a say in this relationship or whatever we were doing. I was starting to think that I should’ve just kept it moving that day that Kayla came to his house, then I wouldn’t be going through this.

“You’re not getting what I’m saying, but I’ma just let it be. Congrats on your place and we can do whatever you want to do.” He slipped on some boxers and left the room, leaving me standing there not knowing what to say.

“Thanks ASSHOLE!” I yelled. Now I really couldn’t wait to get in my own place.