Page 9 of Love Sanctioned

I followed up by decking his ass dead in the face. He fell back against one of the other youngins who immediately pushed him off.

I took that as my cue and finished his ass with two body shots and an uppercut.

“What did I do, man?” He was laid out on the floor probably seeing stars.

“You put your hands on your mama and I don’t play that.” I looked up from him at the other faces, all of which looked at me with confusion. “He ain’t allowed on no block I own. As a matter of fact, anybody putting hands on a woman ain’t allowed to step on my streets.” I raised my voice a little, so I was heard and didn’t need to repeat myself.

“And go apologize to yo’ mama, bitch.” I spoke down to him, then exited the same doors I’d entered less than ten minutes ago.

“I see somebody retained Unc’s boxing lessons,” Killah said as we walked out.

I laughed, thinking back on our childhood. Unc knew we hugged the blocks even when my mother didn’t. He made sure we knew how to protect ourselves and never became a mark to a soul.

“Probably did, but I’m damn sure too old to be using them.”

“No shit. You know these young bulls are eating, sleeping, and shitting fast food and pills. If he would’ve gotten the upper hand on you, I was clearing the spot and we were keeping that between us.”

I laughed, because one thing about my blood, he always had my back. It had been this way since we were kids and his mama dropped him off and never came back.

“You're laughing, but I’m dead ass serious. Hand was on the pistol the entire time,” he said once we were in the car.

“I already know. Trigger happy ass.”

He laughed. “What’s up with Junior? He's straight?”

I already knew why he was asking about Junior. “Better be. He just asked me for a car. The fuck he gonna do with a car?”

“Drive it, duh.”

“See that’s that shit. You are on his side too much. He doesn’t even have a permit. Who's gonna teach him how to drive?”

He laughed. “Don’t they teach that shit in the schools?”

I shook my head. “I don’t know. Where did you learn?”

“Onna streets right along with your non-driving ass. Every single time Unc set those keys down we were up. I got my license at twenty something but have been driving since I was fourteen.”

I chuckled because he was right. When we were around my son’s age, no car keys were safe. “Nah you right, ’cause I went with you. Lemme get this lil nigga some lessons.”

He laughed hard as hell and so did I. Our upbringing was nothing close to my son’s and that was only because I made all the mistakes and sacrifices so he didn’t have to. My boy was gonna be better than me in every aspect, even if I had to fight him every step of the way.

THREE

Karsyn

I said I was done with him, yet here I was parked outside of his house, spennanight bag in the trunk. God, I couldn’t stand up if you paid me, but I was trying. That had to count for something, right? He said we were talking and that was literally what I was here to do… talk.

Psy: Pull in the back, baby. You know how they drive this way.

A text came through just as I was about to turn my car off. Instead, I mashed the brake, switching the gear and pulling out of the park right across from his house. I hit the stop sign at the end of his block a second later, flicked my left turn signal, then waited for the car going the opposite way to go first. I then turned on the side street and finally into his alley.

I pulled up behind his grandmother’s house where a black G-Wagon I knew belonged to Killa was idling. I knew it was his because for as long as I'd known him he was the only person with a back window sticker that said FAFO in all caps.

His brake lights came on and he pulled up so I could back into the opening garage next to Posydiann’s truck. Psy knew I wasn’t about to attempt to pull in, so the passenger side door of the G Wagon opened immediately. His tall frame exited the car just as I opened my door after pushing the button for my seat to change positions. At five foot six, I sat much closer to the wheel and pedals than that of the six foot three tree stalking over to where I was.

“Yo, you gotta start using your back camera, Kars. The fuck you got it for if yeen gonna use it?” Killah’s voice spilled from the lowered driver side window.

I approached the passenger side laughing. “Stop talking shit. I do use my cameras. That’s just a tight garage and he knows it.”