Ghost to the Game

by Orion Pharoah

  I grabbed her in my arms, “Belle, baby calm down. I'm right here. I'm sorry baby girl! I’m right here”

  Chapter 17

  I was just hanging up a call with C Murder-he’s been handling Columbia for about a month now and wanted to let me know everything was going smoothly. I heard Belle running through the house screaming, she jumped into my arms.

  “They made it! They made it! The New York showcase! The girls made the New York showcase!

  “Baby, I wanna be happy for you but I need more details about what's goin’ on.”I laughed, “You have so many organizations baby girl, I mean, ballet, martial arts, college prep. I can go on, I mean really, there’s young mothers, sheltered women. Who made what?” I asked.

  “You didn't even mention the dance team, silly! The dance team made it, you damn cave man.” She quickly retorted smiling and kissed me as she walked out the bedroom.

  “I guess we're goin’ to New York.” I said smiling.

  “I guess WE are!” She yelled from the other room.

  She barely stayed still the entire flight to New York and I could tell she was really excited and nervous for the girl’s dance team. We grabbed a late dinner after checking into our hotel and got rested for the girl’s big day and the next morning, we grabbed a coffee and headed out to watch the performance. The girls did remarkable, and you could tell they’ve been working hard and earned their right to be there. After the first performance they all circled around Belle and danced, this had been her project for so long and to see it blossom, couldn’t make her happier. A group of girls from Houston’s wards made it to a New York competition and being acknowledged felt extraordinary to all of them. She was in her zone, caught up in the middle of it all and by the evening she was a whirlwind of tears and smiles and when it was all over, I turned to her,

  “Why don't you take the girls out for a really, really nice congratulatory dinner?”

  Her eyes beamed, as she jolted into my arms.

  “Are you serious? Anything I want?”

  “Anythin’ you want.”

  “Including congratulations presents?” Her smile got bigger.

  I shook my head, “Includin’ congratulations presents. I smiled.

  She squinted, “No budget?”

  I smirked, “No budget.”

  “What are you gonna be doing?” She rose her eyebrow.

  I laughed and kissed her, “Just gonna check on business, I’ll see you tonight baby girl.”

  “I love you Orion, thank you for this.”

  I kissed her on the forehead and jumped into a taxi.

  ***

  I called my New York lieutenant and asked him to meet me for a drink. We sat at a private table at a Manhattan speak-easy and ordered two crown and cokes and after a few minutes he said to me, “I know Alex is like family but honestly, I was just doing my job when I found the issue.”

  I took a drink, “I understand Wayne, have you found out any more information?”

  He shook his head. “No sir.”

  “Thank you, how’s business?” I asked.

  He set his drink down and looked around nervously, “Orion, J was here this morning asking about the business, am I in trouble?”

  “No, everythin’ is fine.” I nodded. “You didn't say anythin’ to him about Alex did you?

  He looked in my eyes, “No sir.”

  “Okay good, we don't need to do anything about Alex until I'm 100% sure. Right now, we only have confirmation that he was in the same country and I appreciate and know that I don’t have anything to worry about with you. Every family member can’t be perfect but we try, right?”

  He smiled. “Damn skippy.”

  “Well let me get outta here, my girl’s about to buy up all of New York.”

  He dapped me up, “I bet she is, I heard the girls kicked ass tonight.”

  I walked out and hailed another taxi. My heart was racing as I called Belle, she could hear it in my voice when I asked her where she was. She said she was just dropping off the girls so I asked her to meet me back at the hotel. Pops was supposed to be at Uncle Pete’s this week.

  Belle was in the lobby when I walked in, she walked straight to me when I walked through the doors and asked me, “What's wrong?”

  I hugged her, “Let's just get up to the room first, okay baby?” She held my hand tightly as we got on the elevator, walked to the room and closed the door. I grabbed a satellite phone and called an old friend. “Hey buddy, how you doin?”

  “I'm doing very good, Sir.”

  “You remember that task I said I'd never tell you to do?”

  I could hear him take a deep breath. “I remember.”

  “I’ma need to know as soon as possible.”

  “It takes a few hours but I’ll start the trace.” I heard him say.

  “It's pretty late here so see where it is at zero nine hundred.”

  “Yes Sir.” He replied, and I heard a dial tone.

  Belle put her hands to her face, “Orion what's wrong?”

  I dropped my head, “Baby I don't know.” I sat down on the bed and scooted myself back onto the pillows, Belle laid on my chest and we fell asleep worried. We woke up to the sun breaking through the windows of the suite and went through our morning routine in silence. We got something small for breakfast and sat and waited for 9 o'clock. The satellite phone rang.

  I answered swiftly, “Yea.” I listened, “And he's there right now?” I grabbed a pen and jotted down the number he gave me. “Never again.” I said and hung up the phone.

  I handed the phone number to Belle and she picked up the hotel phone to dial directory assistance. She repeated the number to them and when the call connected, she dropped the phone. She turned to me in tears, “Baby, it’s an oncologist’s office.”

  I hung it up and called directory assistance back to get the address. When we pulled up, I saw his car out front waiting for him. I told the driver he could go and gave him a hundred dollar bill and we waited there for Pops, Belle in my arms trembling. I could see the look in his eyes when he walked out the front door, not quite disappointment not quite shock.

  “Hey old man, you forget the way to Uncle Pete's?” I asked as I forced a smile.

  Belle ran to him crying, he wrapped his arms around her and looked up at me. He said, “If the girls are done celebrating, we can all go see Uncle Pete.” I clenched my teeth holding back the tears and shook my head, “yea, okay.”

  Chapter 18

  The flight to Bahamas was quiet. Belle cried herself to sleep in Pops’ arms as he held her and whispered, “It'll be okay.” I sat in the front captain’s chair thinking. It was 11 years ago that I sat in a private jet just like this one, in the arms of a man who would become my new father, not knowing what the future held for me. Now, somehow knowing what the future has coming- it doesn’t change much.”

  Pete smiled as we walked up the beach and gave Belle a huge hug. He handed Pops a blunt and lit it for him then, turned to me and held his arms out and when I embraced him, he whispered, “We all gut our own walk and we must walk it tru’ to da las’ step”.

  He stretched his arms to push me from his chest so he could look me in the eyes and handed me a blunt, “y’all gon need dis toni’t, what he gotta tell ya not gunna be easy.” Pops went on to explain that he was at a stage of his cancer that there was no return from and it could be any moment. He told us that he had decided to fight it in his way and after almost a decade of fighting with mother nature as his ally, he said he’s just getting too old and is running out of time. We all cried and hugged as we came to grips with what Pops had just told us and after a while, I realized it was just Belle and I looking at the waves wash in. I held her in my arms without saying a word for what seemed like an eternity.

  She broke the silence whispering, “You're not going to make this easy, are you? You're not gonna let me love you through this huh?” I squeezed her a little tighter and kissed the top of her head, “Baby I can't.”

  She
cried, “Why not Orion? Baby please!” As tears ran down my cheeks, my voice broke, “Belle, I know the ending this time and I still can't change it.” I could feel the entire weight of her body sink into my chest as we stood there silent and watched the tide come in.

  Chapter 19

  The family and business where at their strongest when fate backhanded us. I found myself back in the Bahamas less than six months from the last time, standing on this same beach. I drove to Uncle Pete’s villa, a secluded private home overlooking the beautiful sea. Pops’ closest friends were there and when I walked in, I saw C murder sitting in an armchair, Belle was standing beside Uncle Pete and PJ quietly making conversation. I walked into the house through the living room and went straight to the back where the master suite was and pulled up a chair beside Pops’ bed. He grabbed both my hands, “Son I’m not gonna sit here and wish for more time-that would be a waste of our moment. I love you boy. You have been the happiness in my life and I love you for that. I know you'll do great things and move mountains-you are their pack leader. You're taking them places they’ve never dreamed of going and you're all thriving. Trust Belle, she loves you from a place outside of the game and Son, that’s rare-hold on to her as long as you can. I want you to be the man you want to be and always know that your Pops loves you for all eternity.”

  He paused as tears fell from his eyes and I smiled and moved our hands to his chest as I leaned in closely, “Pops I love you too. Thank you for your love and most importantly thank you for my better different. I'm gonna make you proud, I promise. Now get some rest ol’ man.”

  I kissed his cheek as he closed his eyes and the game collected it's cut.

  I walked out into the living room with my head down and everyone stood up. I hugged Uncle Pete and PJ, then grabbed Belle’s hand and rose my head to address the room,

  “Let's go build a throne for our king gentlemen.” I said confidently with tears in my eyes.

  We all went to the spot that Pops and Pete hand-picked to become his alter and once his body was placed on the throne and the fall stones were set, I placed the last rock on the stack. I looked down the hill and nodded to C Murder and he brought the torch up and handed it to me, then he walked back to the family as I lit the wood and I said goodbye to our king. Hours had passed as the alter fire glowed into the night and I motioned for C-murder.

  “C, I want you to take the family home and I'll find you after I say goodbye.” C hugged me tight and shook his head in agreement. He gathered them and everyone said their goodbyes and departed for the air strip. I stood there with Belle and Pete remembering what it was to be a good son. Pete wrapped his arms around me and Belle and spoke low, “You kno’ da future he want’d for ya, now ya hav’ ta make it on ya own.” He squeezed my shoulder looked at Belle and whispered, “Let's go in an’ get som’ food in our tummies, he gunna be here awhile.”

  They walked arm in arm back into the villa, Belle resting her head on Pete’s shoulder as I walked up the hill to the burning ashes as the fall stones collapsed into his shallow grave. I hit my knees beside the glowing embers and realized that I would not only have to face my past but embrace my darkness in order to successfully make this crossroads deal.

  Chapter 20

  The first couple of weeks after Pops, I spent most of my time in a hammock on uncle Pete's back patio watching the tide role onto the private beach. Belle spent her days at Uncle Pete's bar helping out and teaching the local girls Portuguese- it was like she could fit in anywhere. At night she would come climb in the hammock with me and we would stare up at the stars, I told her the story of how Orion stood over the pyramids in Egypt and all the different names that he's had. I told her the story of him and the Scorpio and all the things that my pops taught me about the constellations. And that was our existence, until one morning when I didn’t get in the hammock, I walked up to Uncle Pete who stood in the living room looking out the window and he asked me if I was prepared to walk again. I took a deep breath and looked at him, “I know I gotta go back, it's been a little too long.”

  “Ya Brudda.” Uncle Pete replied.

  “I know one or two people have been whisperin’ things.” I chuckled as I spoke low, “Well let's see how loud they wanna whisper.”

  He looked at me and went into the closet, opened up a huge safe and pulled out a small leather case. When I reached to grab it, he held on tight, looked in my eyes and said, “Ya Pops, my brudda, Jason, knew dat the wor’l works in two sides, light and dark. Dare are no tragidis in the worl’, jus’ differn’ sides of a coin. Ya life begin wit’ him threw a mistakin idendty but tank Ja, dat mistake make an ol Jamaican lady to see ya as her boi.”

  I looked down at the case and said, “So this is the last piece to the puzzle?” Pete smiled as he turned to lock it away. “Dat’s the last piece but you gutta make it to da end and now, the game knows you a playa.”

  I hugged him and said, “Then I guess I better go home.”

  Chapter 21

  Nancy Rose (AKA Big Momma) came running into the lobby as I walked into the building, she squeezed me tight and whispered, “Jason was everythin’ to this organization and you showed him a family. We love you and stand by you, now there's a conference room up there just waitin’ for you to lead again.”

  She kissed my cheek and I squeezed her tight and made my way to the elevator, I walked into the conference room and I made eye contact with C Murder and he lit up; everyone else was smiling and you could almost hear their sighs of relief.

  I stood firm and addressed the room, “Gentlemen, thank you for droppin’ everythin’ and meetin’ me, I have the entire Houston family headed to Brosco's and there are cars downstairs, so let's load up and go have dinner with an old friend who thinks he can be disrespectful.”

  Everyone stood up and walked downstairs and I got in the car with C Murder. He gave me a hug and said, “You didn' even tell me you was comin’ in, Bro.”

  I shook my head in agreement, “I know C, I know.”

  There was concern in his voice, “What the hell is goin’ on?”

  “Well the greedy bastard is havin’ dinner, like he does every Tuesday night, at Bosco’s and it's time to pay him a visit.”

  C looked at me. “You got everybody bro?”

  I sat up to look him in the eyes, I replied, “Yeah, it's gonna be different for a while C.” He nodded his head in agreement, “Orion, you know I'm down, you pulled me from hell an’ hey, I'm down Bro, let's get this shit done right now.”

  As we walked into Bosco's twenty strong, I felt like Pharaoh walking into Egypt. C and PJ followed me upstairs as everyone else found a seat. The VIP circled the entire restaurant with an open view of the dining area below and it was full. In the back-corner booth sat Derek, one of my Pops’ oldest friends and unfortunately, one of the most arrogant as well. He smiled when I walked up to the table, “Sit down, you know I'm sorry for your loss, J was a good man.”

  I smiled back and looked over his shoulder to see his two bodyguards sitting in the booth beside him. I nodded at C Murder and PJ and they went and sat at the booth with the bodyguards.

  “There, that's better. It's just me and you and just our conversation.” He took another bite of his seafood curry.

  “Yep just us buddy.”

  “What's on your mind youngster?” He wiped his mouth and put his napkins back on his lap.

  “You've had quite a bit of things to say while I was out and you've made some decisions that don't seem very family friendly.”

  He smiled. “Now, see that's where you're wrong kiddo.” He took a drink then continued, “I'm the oldest member of this family and as such, with Jason gone, I'm not just gonna bow down to the young prince, some positions are worth fighting for.

  I sat back in the booth and put my hands in my lap, “You smug son of a bitch. My pops was your oldest friend and you didn’t even come to say goodbye. And now, you want to fight me?” I glared. “You think you can take on the entire family?”

&nb
sp; He took another bite of his food.

  “No kiddo, I think the entire family knows better and once your ass falls, they will know who to follow.”

  I smiled at Derrick, “I've learned a lot from my father, he said to be patient and to always I think eight steps ahead. He taught me to understand that human beings are animals and animals are creatures of habit, meaning they do things that are repetitious.” I took a deep breath. “He also taught me how to reward loyalty and that my decisions effect the entire family and based on my decisions they will either be loyal or revolt. Now, I don't really think you want to fight me Derek.” I looked him in the eyes.

  He finished his food and took a big drink. He smiled and puffed his chest, “I'm gonna destroy your young ass and everything you think you hold dear. Did Jason teach you that about me?”

  I smiled and leaned into him, “Yeah Derek, he did, I understand you're just a nasty beast but you're not stupid. That's why I knew I could come into your favorite restaurant and have a reasonable conversation with you, you're not going to do anything reckless in here.” He chuckled as I continued. “At least you're smart, It’s a shame though.” I focused my glare on him. “Your arrogant ass comes to your favorite restaurant and they tell you there’s a private party going on and that there's only two booths available, they’re already reserved by other customers but you prove your arrogance by paying off the reservation and taking both booths when you only need one. Then, you order your favorite dish and when it comes to you, you chastise the waiter after a few bites and tell him that it’s a little too spicy.”

  I chuckled, “He apologized and advised you that because of the party, the chef spiced up the menu for his special guests. You brushed him off, 'cause you really don't give two shits and continue to just slop down your curry even as we have a conversation, like you could give a fuck less.”