American Girl (Ch. 4) || T’Challa
tags: @imgabbyrae
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Akira came home right after leaving the interview - if it could even be called that - and went straight to the kitchen. That morning she hadn’t ate, sadness leaving her too sick to her stomach to eat the grits and sausage her granny set out for her and her brother each day - and Akira always ate the grits and sausage her granny set out for her.
Luckily, it was still in the microwave when she got back, right next to Tory’s bowl, also left undisturbed. Akira shook her head as she grabbed his out to heat hers up. Why her grandmother still bothered to cook a thing for her brother she’d never understand. Whatever he ate, he got while he was out there in the streets. Tory never came home at night and he sure wasn’t there in the morning either. They crossed paths every once in a while. A “hey lil’ sis” here and a “what’s up big bro” there, but they weren’t as close as they used to be. Not like they were before he started selling.
When her food was done, Akira grabbed a fork from the dish rack and headed toward the sound of afternoon reruns of Judge Mathis, a.k.a. Granny’s favorite pastime. Akira leaned against the doorframe of her grandmother’s bedroom and smiled as she blew on her spoon. Granny looked sweet as ever, sitting up in her purple cotton gown, silver hair strands pulled back into a wispy bun. She had no idea about Akira getting fired, or hired for that matter. Akira decided on the ride home she would wait and see how the whole “giving herself a chance” thing played out before she told anyone anything.
“The queen doesn’t want to sit on her throne today?” she queried in the mean time.
Granny usually viewed her shows from the dark red, time-worn recliner sitting in the living room, but today she was in bed.
“No, not today,” she answered, a touch of extra liveliness in her voice. “Your brother says he’s coming home today and I wanted to be out his way. Says he’s coming home for good.”
Akira could see the hope in her grandmother’s eyes and it broke her heart. Tory coming home for any period longer than fifteen minutes just sounded like a lie, but Granny believed everything he said. Akira loved him to death, but she’d stopped doing that a long time ago.
“Granny,” she sighed, not wanting the old woman to get her hopes up, but she already knew what her granddaughter was thinking and didn’t want to hear any part of it.
“Oh, now you hush up girl, and have some faith. That’s was the Lord do; have faith in his sons and daughters.”
“Even the Lord’s tired of Tory, Granny,” Akira told her, and it was the truth. Akira could count on two hands the number of times Tory had claimed to be handing his life over to Christ. She always said one day he would try and Christ would hand it right back. Still, Granny wasn’t having it.
“I said hush up,” she repeated, sternly this time, one of her shaky fingers pointed toward her granddaughter. Akira didn’t want to get her pressure up so she hushed.
Then they both heard him coming.
Heavy bass and heavy language booming down the street, getting closer to the windows until they rattled to the beat. Instead of being upset by the shaking pill bottles and the mention of “big booty bitches,” Granny just looked at Akira with those hopeful eyes again and said, “There goes my grandbaby now.”
The music went off and the sound of Tory’s heavy footsteps took its place. Neither of them said a word as the steps got louder and louder, until the front door opened and closed, and he was inside.
“Ayo!” he called out.
“In here,” Akira responded.
He followed her voice and there he came, towering behind his sister in all of his six-foot-five glory. Granny’s face beamed. He was two hundred and twenty five pounds of pure, tattoo-covered muscle, but all she saw right then was her little baby grandson. Even in Akira’s frustration with him, her face of stone couldn’t help but betray her when he pulled her into a tight hug and said in his golden voice, “Lil sis. How you been, Kiki?”
“I was good until you called me Kiki,” she cringed to hide her smile, but as she looked up at his light-skinned, thick-bearded face, she broke. She and Tory had different daddies, but he looked just like their Mama. Akira thought maybe that was the curse that kept him so far away.
“Good, good,” he patted her back then started toward Granny. “And how is the queen of the house.”
He sang the word “queen” in an offkey falsetto, earning a laugh from the both of them.
“Oh, I’m good baby,” she said, pulling him close by the hands and rubbing her thumbs across his inked-up skin. “And I’m glad to have you back.”
“I’m glad to be back Granny, and I’m not going nowhere.” He looked right as Akira as spoke, knowing she was the one who needed convincing.
“I know I said it before but I mean it this time, and I'ma show y'all. I’m not going back out there. Them streets ain’t the place for a black man.”
They all sat in silence, Tory’s words settling into the atmosphere. Akira had nothing to say but, “I’ll believe it when I see it,” but Granny wouldn’t have appreciated that so the only thing she opened her mouth for was to take in another spoonful of grits.
“Y'all got anymore of that left?” Tory pointed to her bowl, ending the awkward silence.
“In the microwave, baby. Just for you.” Granny smiled.
“A'ight then,” he rubbed his hands together. “One bowl of that then me and Kiki gonna go play some ball.”
The basketball court was only an eight minute walk but Tory still insisted that they drive. “Let’s go in your whip, sis.”
She didn’t argue with him. Mostly because she didn’t have the energy. Arguing with Tory was the type of thing that took the wind out of even the greatest debater.
“Where the aux at?” he asked when he got in on the passenger’s side.
“Don’t have one.” She opened up the arm rest to pull out a book of CD’s. “Take your pick.”
“Nah, I’m good,” he declined.
So they drove without music. As they made their way through the streets, Tory wouldn’t stop looking over his shoulders. Every stoplight, he looked nervous. Akira noticed, but didn’t say a word until they got parked by the playground. A group of kids ran around the jungle gym, playing with their lightsabers.
“You ready?” Tory had his hand on the door handle, but Akira stopped him with one question.
“They coming after you?”
He put his hands back in his lap.
“Huh?” He played confused, but she knew he knew exactly what she was talking about.
“Q and his boys, are they coming after you?” She spoke loud and clear.
His silence said it all.
“Goddamnit Tory!” Akira pounded the steering wheel, triggering the horn.
“Relax!” he retorted. “They don’t know where we stay at and I’m trading in my car tomorrow morning! They won’t know I’m there. I told you I’m through with that shit, Akira. I’m done. I don’t wanna die.”
His voice went soft as he spoke the last sentence. He almost sounded like the brother she grew up with, who cried when he broke their Granny’s good vase because he knew he was about to get a switch to his behind. She wondered if there was anymore of that boy left in him. She hadn’t seen him in a real long time.
“So what you gon’ do?” she asked him. “Hide in Granny’s house forever? It’s not realistic, Tory.”
“I don’t know,” he admitted. “I don’t know, but I’ll figure it out.”
Akira shook her head. He didn’t even have a plan.
“Come on, Ki I don’t wanna worry about that shit right now. I wanna play ball with my little sister. Can we go now?”
She didn’t respond for while, then she felt a nudge on her shoulder.
“Or you scared to get your ass kicked?”
Akira looked to her right for the first time and saw him smirking, a playful glint in his eyes. By Tory magic, her heart warmed again. She kissed her teeth then grabbed the ball from the back seat.
“Let’s go, fool.”
“Fool? I ain’t gon’ be the fool after you get this work. You musta forgot who I am.”
He hopped out the car and ran to the court like a kindergartner at recess, waiting for Akira to catch up and join him. She laughed watching him wave his arms for her to hurry up.
Maybe the boy still lived.
I hope nothing bad happens to her brother😭😭😭😭😫😫👀👀🧐🧐. And he gets help.