by S Yvonne
“Happy birthday to youuuu! Happy birthday to youuu! Happy birthday dear Lyric! Happy birthday to youuu!” The crowd chanted as they sang happy birthday on her 18th bday. Lyric had her auntie Pepper to rent out a section of STK’s Steakhouse on South Beach just for her little private party.
Her cake was beautiful and so was the minor decorations. She didn’t care about being too flashy with everything, she wasn’t hard to please and she truly enjoyed herself.
Pepper looked on and smiled at Lyric looking just like Tasha back in the day. She was the spitting image with just a little bit of QUA. Lyric had those beautiful cocoa colored almond shaped eyes with those long lashes. She had beautiful hair in which her baby hairs lay smoothly just like Tasha’s. She was a little taller than Tasha was because she took QUA’s height but she was slender with a little curves.
Lyric had taken Pepper and Tru through a lot of changes over the years and it wasn’t easy but it was worth it. A lot of her ways were just like her parents… true hustler at the heart. Every time she would get in trouble for doing something… Pepper and Tru would have to sit her down and explain to her that her mother did those same things and exactly what the outcome was. It was like from all the stories Lyric was told about her mother… the more she wanted to be like her. It wasn’t until her middle school years that she really slowed down and started taking life seriously.
She had everything a girl her age could possibly need. At 35 years old Pepper had done good for herself to make sure of that. She had managed to get her GED and also went to nursing school where she became an registered nurse working down at Miami Jackson Hospital. Tru wasn’t too bad himself. He owned four mechanical shops and a landscape business but just like a true hood nigga at heart, he still dibbled and dabbled in the streets. In his eyes all money was good money.
“Auntie Pepper…” Tasha walked over to her laughing. “This lil get together is littttt.”
“I’m glad you enjoying yourself with all your lil fast ass, wild ass friends.” Pepper chuckled and pulled her close. “Come here… you see your friend Freda over there?”
Lyric bust out laughing. “It’s Rita auntie… Rita.”
“Whatever.” She waved her off. “Well don’t be like Rita… Rita a hoe, she’s always in the emergency room with coochie problems.” She shook her head and frowned.
Lyric’s eyes got so big and she was too embarrassed like it was her. “OMGGG that’s TMI.”
“TMI? What’s that?”
“Too much information auntie… you gone have to get with the program if you gone be hanging with us.” She chuckled.
“Well whatever… just don’t be like her or else your coochie gon’ fall off and I’m gon’ have to sew you on a new one.” She warned her.
“What? Wowwwww.” Lyric chuckled covering her mouth knowing she’d never be able to look at Rita the same again. “I keep my coochie to myself.”
“That’s my girl.” Pepper high fived her. In a way, it was like she was able to be a parent while still having a piece of Tasha’s friendship through Lyric cause they were really close and Pepper acted just Tasha.
Lyric grabbed the chain with her mother’s ring that was still around her neck. It was a habit to always make sure it was still there cause she never took it off. “Where’s Uncle Tru?” She looked around.
“Right here…” He told her walking up looking clean as day. “You know I wouldn’t miss this. Happy birthday baby girl.” He kissed her cheek handing her a pair of keys to a baby beamer. Her eyes lit up.
“Noooo… you foreal? It’s mine? Where is it?” She jumped up and down.
“Outside… the baby blue one… and it’s a graduation present and a birthday present.” He reminded her since she was graduating the upcoming weekend and had a full scholarship to Florida State University.
“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” She ran off with her friends to go look at it.
Pepper gave him a knowing look. “I already know… it’s fully covered and every thing. She gone be aiight bae.” He kissed her lips. “We did okay… I’m proud of us.”
“Me too…” She grabbed his hand walking to the table to finish eating.
Tru and Pepper had never had a biological kids of their own and they never even tried. They truly dedicated all their time to Lyric. They even made sure they took her to visit QUA a few times a year and they too had a real good relationship.
When the party was over; they agreed to let Lyric go hang out with her friends as long as she promised to be responsible. Pepper always worried whenever Lyric was out doing something. She just didn’t want her to ever get caught up or influenced by the streets like they did. Lyric had never been to the projects… she had never seen much of what life was like for them back then and Pepper always wanted to keep her away.
Tru on the other hand didn’t agree. He felt like she should know her background but after years of debating, he just let Pepper have her way like he always did. Happy wife; happy life.
By 3am Pepper was pacing the living room floor furious as hell, especially since Lyric hadn’t answered not one phone call from her all night. She only responded via text saying it was too loud at the party they were at for her to answer the phone. Tru lay there on the couch just watching his beautiful wife about to pull her damn hair out. “Bae leave the girl alone, she aiight damn. She’s not gon’ do nothing crazy.”
“No… I knew you shouldn’t have got her that car. She’s never stayed out this late.”
Tru couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “You’re fucking with me right? You do remember what you were doing before you even turned 18 years old. It’s her birthday Pep… she’s fine.”
“Yeah… whatever.” She mumbled pulling out her phone to call her again. Still, no answer. She finally lay on the couch where she and Tru both dozed off. And hour later Lyric came wobbling through the door barely being able to walk and Pepper knew she’d been drinking. She hopped up. “Lyric! You done lost your damn mind walking in this house at 4 in the morning. On top of that you’re fucking drunk! So you’re drinking and driving?! How fucking irresponsible is that?!”
She held up one hand trying to make it to her room. “Please auntie… not now.”
Pepper looked to Tru and grilled him. He was now up watching everything. “Leave her alone; let her sleep it off and I’ll talk to her tomorrow.”
“No you wont! You never handled shit…you always allowed her lil ass to get away with everything Tru! Now suppose she would’ve killed somebody or what if she would’ve ran herself off the road?” She tried to make him see where she was coming from.
“You’re right.” He agreed. “And like I said, I’ll handle it when she sleeps it off cause right about now the girl can’t hear shit you talking about and it ain’t processing to her.”
He stood up to check on her… she couldn’t even make it in her bed, she was on the floor next to her bed snoring like a baby. “Humph… leave her ass right there too.” Pepper fussed and turned to walk away. She was so damn angry she couldn’t even get any sleep after that and Tru didn’t either. He changed and went to work out in the garage.
A couple of hours later, Pepper was in the kitchen scrambling up some eggs and frying sausage with toast. Lyric came walking in with a bad hangover looking like shit. She sat at the barstool and lay her head on the island.
“You know I’m pissed with you right? How fucking irresponsible it that Lyric? Why would you do some shit like that and then not answer my calls?”
She didn’t want to hear this shit this morning cause she wasn’t in the mood but she answered anyway. “I was in a party.”
Pepper snapped her head back. “And?”
“It was loud.”
“And you thought it was okay to get drunk at this party?”
Lyric shrugged her shoulders. “Yes… no… I mean, ion know. It just happened. We was celebrating, we’re about to graduate and it was my birthday.”
“It’s nothing wrong with that Lyric, but you
have to be smart at all times. That wasn’t smart at all… now what if you would’ve hurt somebody on the road? You would’ve fucked up your life and somebody else’s all for a drink? I see this shit at my job all the time Lyric… all the time.”
Lyric, being young and naïve responded the best way she knew how. “Well it didn’t happen that way so can we just leave it alone?”
“I swear your mama wouldn’t have done no shit like that.” Pepper hissed almost regretting what she said as soon as it slipped out.
Lyric’s head shot up. “I don’t know what my mama would have done cause you don’t tell me nothing about how she really was! All you do is compare me to her like you hate me for not being her!” Lyric fumed. “Guess what auntie… I’m not Tasha! I’m Lyric! And every time I try to get to know Tasha you tell me I don’t need to know the bad shit! I only need to know she loved me! I don’t know how she got HIV! But what I do know is I’ve been getting tested once a year all my life until I was finally in the clear! I don’t know where she lived! Where she came from! What she did for money or nothing! I don’t even know myself cause I don’t know where ‘I’ came from!”
“Lies! That’s all lies! I’ve told you plenty of shit!” Pepper frowned.
“Yes! Good stuff!” Lyric reminded her.
“And bad too!” Pepper defended herself.
“No! Wrong! If I did something bad that was relatable to something my mama did ‘THEN’ you’d tell me about it. Other than that you haven’t told me nothing! Nothing about my family or nobody! Seem like when ya’ll buried my mama… ya’ll buried my past and hers too!” She stood up to walk away.
Pepper felt like she had been punched in the gut. She had no idea that Lyric even felt this way. She thought she was simply protecting her from all the hurt of the past. She felt bad, real bad cause all she ever wanted to do was protect her. Tru had heard everything. He stood off to the side listening at first but now it was time for him to intervene.
He placed his hand on Lyric’s shoulder. “Look Lyric, you was wrong last night and that’s just the bottom line. I put my neck out there for you and told Pepper to leave you alone cause I felt like you were responsible and knew better. You cant argue something when you’re wrong cause you can never fix a problem you don’t acknowledge.”
She calmed down a little listening from his perspective. Pepper couldn’t believe it. Maybe her delivery was always a lil more aggressive than Tru’s but she was basically saying the same shit he was saying, only Lyric seemed to get him and not her. “I understand Uncle Tru… I’m sorry I put you in that position and it wont happen again.” She apologized.
“Now… about all this other stuff. Is that truly how you feel?” He asked her.
She dropped her head. “I do feel like that. I don’t know who I am, or the past. I don’t even know what ya’ll were really like before ya’ll got me.”
Pepper cleared her throat. “It’s cause we never wanted you to be like us, we wanted you to be better and Tasha wanted the same thing.”
“I’m my own woman now auntie. I can make my own decisions. You don’t have to guard me to that extent, but I’ve felt lost cause I truly don’t know. Like what happen to my grand parents… were they even close to my mom? Do I have any uncles? Cousins? It’s just been me… me and ya’ll and that bothers me. I need to know… it’s not a want, it’s a need.”
“Have you ever talk to QUA about this?” Tru asked her.
She shook her head. “Nah, it’s still too painful for him to talk about ma. I think it’s painful for him to look at me cause I look so much like her. He never said it, but I sensed it plenty of times.”
Tru felt bad for the girl… he walked away and came back with a box. “Come… sit..” he told her pulling out old pictures of him and Pepper from back in the day. “Let me tell you bout uncle Tru and auntie Pepper before we had to grow up. You may not wanna hear this, but I wasn’t shit nice…” He started. He didn’t hold back either, he told her their entire story and showed all the pictures for proof. Lyric couldn’t believe it. She knew her uncle Tru was gangster but just seeing his old pictures, the way he dressed, him holding all type of guns and stuff really tickled her.
Pepper was kinda standoffish at first and not because she didn’t want to be apart of their conversation, but because her feelings were hurt. She wondered, if Tasha were in this situation… what would she do? She asked herself that a lot throughout life. It only took her a few moments to figure it out, but she knew… she knew exactly what she had to do.
Twenty-One
Graduation Day
Pepper and Tru stood amongst the other guest in the crown looking at all the graduates. They couldn’t have been more proud of her for doing what they didn’t do because none of them had walked the stage for a diploma. Not Tru, not Pepper, Tasha, or QUA. Somewhere down the line Tru and Pepper did get GED’s in order to pursue careers and QUA even got his since he’d been locked up but Lyric was making them proud. Not only was she breaking the cycle. She was the first one to actually go away to college too and they knew it was because of the life they were able to give her. If she had to grow up in the projects like they did and be accustomed to surviving on her own, they were sure she wouldn’t be on this stage today.
“Lyric Grace Anderson” they called her name to accept her diploma and cords and everyone clapped and cheered for her. Pepper even shed a few tears. Although she and Lyric still hadn’t fully made up… she would never miss this day. She was truly a proud auntie and when she said she wanted to go away and study business and marketing; neither Tasha or Tru was surprised. It was in her blood to want to be an entrepreneur. They had a surprise for her and she didn’t even know it.
After the ceremony they watched Lyric looking beautiful as ever taking pictures and shedding tears with her friends. It was a bitter sweet day for them because they all were attending different Universities all over the country. They took Lyric out to eat to her favorite place; The Cheesecake factory and had all kind of gifts for her. She didn’t even need to have a trunk party cause they had gotten everything she needed for her dorm as well. She was good and full when it was time to go but still, they had one more stop to go. Where we at? She asked when they pulled up in front of the Bus station. What we doing here?”
Before she could say another word, when her eyes met his. The tears poured from her eyes with both shock and excitement. She hopped out the car and ran to his arms. “Daddyyyyyy!” She cried squeezing him tightly around the neck. Tru and Pepper got out the car watching letting them have a moment. Everything was right on time and perfect timing. They had found out a month ago that QUA was being granted parole. It took everything in them to hide it from Lyric, especially Pepper. She wanted to wake her up everyday and tell her that her first true love was coming home.
QUA looked different now. The same, but different at the same time. His mid 30’s were doing him real good. He gained some weight and was buff now. He still wore a low cut but now had a full beard that had a little gray hairs in it. He was still handsome as ever. His heart skipped a beat as Lyric ran up to him; it was just like looking at Tasha back then; she was her twin and he still couldn’t believe it. “What up baby girl? I love you sooo much… and I’m proud of you baby, you did it.” His deep voice tickled her ear as he hugged her. QUA never liked to cry but this emotion was on a whole other level. He never stopped loving her and always thought about her. He had missed out on so many years and he never thought he’d see this day. He couldn’t get back the time that was lost but he had a lot of making up to do.
“I loved you too daddy!” She cried. “I love you too! Welcome home.”
They both walked hand and hand over to Tru and Pepper where they all smiled at each other. It was like a reunion like back in the day. It wasn’t one dry tear and everybody was all smiles. QUA clapped Tru up and gave him a brotherly hug. “Thanks bro… for everything. It takes a solid man to step up and do what you did. I appreciate you foreal.”
“I wa
s scared as fuck back then but I wouldn’t have had it no other way. We bro’s and that’s what bro’s do.” He nod his head.
QUA then hugged Pepper. “You look good sis… I wanna thank you too. Foreal. I know Tasha looking down smiling on all us right now. This all she wanted; for everybody to be good… that’s it.”
Pepper choked up on tears. “I love you bro. Welcome home.”
“Thank you.” He smiled. “Anybody know what time it is?”
Lyric checked her watch and gave him the time. She was still in awe and she hopped he didn’t have to go so soon, they had so much to catch up on. “Don’t tell me you have to go right now.” She whined.
“I gotta check in with my parole officer and the halfway house. I got a few hours to spare but I can’t be late.”
Pepper nod her head. “I got you. Where you wanna go first you hungry?”
“Nah… take me to see my baby.” He told her.
Pepper knew that was coming because QUA never got a chance to tell her goodbye. He never got a chance to accept what happened.
At the gravesite… Pepper, Tru, and Lyric wanted to stay back and let him have his time. Lyric didn’t like coming here cause it always made her sad seeing her mama’s name on that tombstone buried so young but when she watched from a distance watching QUA break down she started to cry as she fanned herself. “I’ve dealt with a lot of things but coming here seeing my mama like this… I can never deal with this shit.” She sniffed. “It’s just too much.”