Page 7 of Still Yours

I’m sorry you had to go through so much with your nothing-ass parents, but I wanted to let you know none of this was your fault. I’ve watched you grow from a small boy into a teenager, and I've realized you're nothing like your family. We let you live because we wanted to give you a chance to take these events that happened to your father as a lesson so you can become an honest man. You don’t need them, and always remember that business is business, never personal.

Signed,

Anonymous.

Dexz frowned at the letter and stuffed it in his pocket. He didn’t know how to feel about what they said, but what they went through was a life lesson. His parents’ killer wrote him a letter letting him know nothing was his fault and to move on with his life.

How? He thought. He was alone, his parents were gone, and now he was stuck in California.

Burner Man was gone when he walked back into the kitchen, but he knew why he left so quickly. Burner Man was hot in the streets, and the police surrounded the house, crowding Dexz’s living room. When he made his way to the living room, he was stopped by a detective, who asked him a million questions. Dexz simply told them he had no clue what happened, and that the same thing happened to his father in New York, but his body went missing. The police constantly asked him questions he didn’t want to answer about his parents, so he started lying.

“Well, we’re going to take you to the station so you can talk to a social worker and see if they can place you in foster care.”

Before Dexz could say anything, Rhonda walked up, waving a piece of paper.

“You don’t need to do that. Before his mother died, she made me his guardian.” She handed the paper to the police officer.

Rhonda had written up a fake promissory note before she came outside. She had heard the gunshots, but she was scared and didn’t want to come out. She saw the police come, but knew they weren’t going to do anything but dump him at some crowded group home, so she stepped in.

Dexz was released to Rhonda but didn’t stay at her place. He was in the streets, at Kayla’s, or staying in the back house of his house that was now a crime scene. He had to wrap his thoughts around what was going on, so staying away from everybody was best for him. He figured he’d move in and start over with Rhonda after his mother’s funeral.

Chapter 3

LAST STANDING: TWO WEEKS LATER…

Dexz stood at his mother’s grave, gazing at her chrome casket being lowered into the ground. He felt so much anger because he wasn’t there to fight for her like he wanted to. Dexz knew his mother couldn’t stand her ground. He didn’t take her fears seriously either because he was so mad at the whole situation.

As Dexz stood in silence, he didn’t know how to feel about his mother. When he was a young boy, he was such a momma’s boy, but as time went by, he had no connection with her. He saw a weak side of his mother that made him feel like she was the type of woman that he never wanted to marry. His father walked all over Liza, causing her life to end at such an early age. Liza never thought for herself. A man always thought for her. That’s why her family disowned her. The only person who was willing to come to California to bury her was his Aunt Silvia.

“I told your mother all that illegal money would end her life like this,” Silvia said as she stood next to Dexz. She wore an expensive all-black pantsuit, with a black veil covering her face.

“I should have been there for her. I shouldn’t have left my homie there,” he said out loud.

“You are a teenager, Dexten. You are a tough boy, and thank God, you got that from my side of the family, but it wasn’t your place to protect your mother. Had your father done right by y’all, this wouldn’t have happened. It’s not your fault, so don’t go on in life thinking it is,” Silvia said as she gazed at her nephew.

“You might be right, but it’s going to be a while before I get over all this. Everybody knows my Ma was my world. My dad was a fucked up nigga when it came to money, but I never wished death on him. You are the only one that will ever know how I felt about them, Aunty. I’ve been taking this situation with a grain of salt so I can stay focused, but I’m fucked up.”

“You know I got your back, boy. If you ever need to talk, you know you can call me.” She smiled as she gently rubbed his back.

“Well, if you have my back, why won’t you take me back to New York with you? I miss home. I don’t want to be in California by myself.”

Silvia sighed. “I’m sorry, Dexten, it’s just too dangerous back home. I think you need to stay here until you’re eighteen. Let things die down in Harlem. I know the letter said they weren’t looking for you, but I don’t think I should take that risk. I have your baby cousin at home, and I can’t put her through that. I will keep in touch and send you an allowance as I promised. Just stay with that Rhonda lady like you told me.”

Dexz put his head down and stuck his hands in his pockets. He wanted to flee to New York on his own, but he was only fifteen and couldn’t buy a plane ticket. Silvia would only be sending him three hundred dollars every month, and she was only leaving him with a thousand dollars when she left, so he knew his grind wasn’t going to stop. He knew it was either a group home or Rhonda’s, so he settled with Rhonda.

After they went to have a late lunch, Silvia drove back to Liza and Dexz’s home. Dexz didn’t want to be inside while Silvia went through his mother’s things, so he walked on the side of the house like he always did to smoke. Dexz had gone from only smoking weed to smoking cigarettes and drinking dark liquor. When he was sober, he felt alone and misunderstood, so he stayed intoxicated to hide his pain.

“I’m sorry for your loss, Dexz,” he heard a small, soft voice say to him while he had his head down, puffing on his Newport.

When he looked up, it was Pretti. She was standing in front of him, fresh-faced, wearing a black bodysuit and a pair of classic white Adidas. Her hair was bone straight, and she wore big hoop earrings. Dexz really wanted to be alone, but the innocence in her face wouldn’t let him tell her to leave.

“Come here, Pretti. Let me talk to you for a minute.” He gestured for her to stand next to him.

Pretti walked over to him shyly. She had been looking out the window and waiting for him to come home from Liza’s funeral so she could see how he was doing. Pretti knew everything that happened. She even heard the gunshots, so she figured he had to be devastated and needed some love. They stood there silently until Dexz finished his cigarette. He then lit his blunt and passed it to Pretti.

“How did you end up with Rhonda? Where are your parents?” he asked, catching her off guard.

Pretti sighed. She hadn’t thought about her parents in so long. She always tried to block them out of her head because she hated them for being so selfish. Even though she felt like she was doing okay, she thought life would be better with her parents around. She was alone and left with many questions. She still didn’t understand why they had left her, but she was done trying to figure it out.