8

                                    

                                          
Sorry for the wait. School has been kicking my butt. I was told senior year is a breeze. THE LIES THE LIES  *Kandi voice. Anyways. Carry on. 

                          
Devonte 


                          
"Aunty, I'm straight, I promise you."
                          
I looked up from where I was sitting on the couch, playing the game. Yazmine was in class, but when my aunt wanted to come by, she knew she was always welcome. Of course she wanted to check on me. Since the funeral, I hadn't seen her much. I really hadn't seen anyone much. I guess she was scared I was pushing everyone away again, like I did when my mom died. She wasn't wrong. 
                          
My aunt shook her head. I stopped her before she could question me anymore. "I should be checking on you."  Getting up, I folded my aunt into a hug, and she relaxed into my body. She lost her husband a man she was married to thirty years, yet she was worried about me. She was the most selfless woman I knew. "How you feeling?"
                          
"I'm just taking it day by day." I held her for a moment longer, then she sighed and pulled away, and walked towards the kitchen. I followed her, watching as she messed around with pots and pans. It was like she just needed something to do, but the kitchen was already clean. That didn't stop her from wiping down all the counters.
                          
As she cleaned the same spot for the third time I had to stop her. I hated seeing her like this. Taking her hand, I gently took the sponge from her. "I got it. You sit down."
                          
It was then, when she finally was still, finally sat, with the pain etched in her face, that I saw her age. The sorrow made her old. She didn't have wrinkles or nun, it was just a deep sadness I could see that revealed her tiredness and her age. I hated it. 
                          
There was nothing I could do. In a way, we were similar, we needed to be busy to forget. She had been cooking and cleaning non-stop since the funeral. I had been back in the booth. Today was a rare day in that I was actually home. 
                          
"I remember the first time your uncle tried to get you to act right." She broke the silence, a smile dancing on her face. 
                          
I grinned. "My bold ass told him to get the fuck out of my face."
                          
"Talking about some, he wasn't your Dad."
                          
"Yeah he wore my ass out!" 
                          
Shit, my uncle seemed like a pushover and all soft, so I thought I could run shit when I first moved in. My uncle gave me the whipping of a lifetime. The kind where you can't sit down for days. After that, I was on the straight and narrow with him. Everything was Yes Sir and No ma'am. He never touched me again, he never had to!
                          
"He really ain't want to do that, he felt bad afterwards," my aunt remarked. 
                          
"Is that why he used to sneak me money?" My aunt ain't believe in an allowance: we were allowed to stay at her home and we were allowed to eat. But my uncle would always slip me five or ten dollars whenever he could. Andre ain't need no money, that nigga was trapping. 
                          
"Otis used to sneak you money? I told that Negro you could get a job!"
                          
"You ain't know?" I was incredulous. Nothing got past my aunt. 
                          
"Never." She started to chuckle. "I had no idea."

                          
"Remember when me and Andre was posed to cut the lawn and trim the bushes and Andre bribed me so he ain't have to?"
                          
"I still don't know what possessed you to cut the bushes down, you were just supposed to trim them," she laughed. 
                          
"I ain't know how to work that thing! Andre was posed to help me, but that nigga wanted to go see some girl," I defended myself, chuckling.