“Well, I apologize, regardless.”
“Thank you.”
“Alright, yall, let’s go inside,” Ray-Ray suggested.
Nervously, Rye, her mama, and Roz followed his lead. Entering the testing lab, and getting their mouths swab felt like a blur, as both Rye and Ray-Ray’s minds raced. The entire ordeal was over in a matter of minutes, and soon they found themselves back in the parking lot.
Rye was ready to go home and bury her sorrows into the bottom of a tub of ice cream, until…
“Say, Rye, do you mind going to dinner with us? You and your mama. My treat,” Ray-Ray offered.
Rye paused, as she stared at him. He had his lips tucked into his mouth, showcasing the ocean deep dimples, much like her own. His honey brown complexion was beautiful. The waves in his head were dizzying. His bright brown eyes were warm. It was strange looking at him, as he appeared to be a young virile man, and had she’d randomly seen him around she could’ve very well find herself attracted to him. Of course, now, she knew better, but it was upsetting to think that she’d gone around not knowing who she was biologically related to. Still, the softer side of her wanted to know him, and she wanted him to want to know her. Therefore, his invitation was a welcomed surprise.
Finally, she replied. “Sure, I’ll go.”
***
Holding the envelope in her hand, Rye was too afraid to open it. It had been three days since she’d taken the DNA test, and Ray-Ray had gone out of his way to find a facility with the quickest turnaround, which was why they already had the results back. But she found herself fearful of receiving the results. The thought of Konya possibly being a little confused about the paternity crossed her mind, as well. She still found it highly suspect that her mama had chosen to have Dewayne play daddy to her, when her biological clearly had way more money. After doing a little digging…primarily getting the scoop from Lea, she learned that Ray-Ray had been a well-known hustler for many years. It was said that he’d retired from the game, but had left on top, which meant that his name still meant something in the streets. Hearing Lea speak about her supposed father like he was some sort of celebrity felt weird to her, as she wondered why any sane woman would coast through life without his help, after procreating with him.
“Rye, if you don’t open that damn envelope,” Konya snapped impatiently, as she towered above her daughter.
Sitting on the couch, Rye took a deep breath. “Okay.” Biting her lip, she ripped the envelope open. After unfolding the sheet of paper her eyes scanned over it. The back of her neck went cold, as she saw 99.99999% printed on the page.
Without realizing it, her chest heaved up and down, before she broke down into heavy sobs. Konya yanked the paper out of her grasp and read over it. She then dropped the paper to the floor, before embracing her child.
“Aww, baby don’t cry,” she sniffled. “You’re gonna make me cry.”
“What’s…what’s crazy is that I don’t even know why I’m crying,” Rye’s lips quivered. “I’m just too emotional these days.” she attempted to wipe away her tears.
“It’s okay,” Konya whispered, as she kissed her daughter’s forehead.
Just then Rye’s cell danced across her ottoman. So, she pulled away from her mama, and grabbed it. Realizing that it was Ray-Ray, she answered. “Hello?”
“Hey,” he stressed. “What’s up? You busy?”
“Uh…no, not really. What’s up?”
“Well, I got the results. Did you?”
She sighed heavily. “Yeah.”
“Well, damn,” he chuckled. “Why you sound like that? You’re disappointed?”
She paused briefly. “No, I wouldn’t say that. Just feeling a little overwhelmed, right now. Just a few months ago, I’d been going my whole life thinking that some other man was my daddy. Now, things are different, and I’m just trying to process it all.”
The phone fell silent for a moment, before Rye realized that she’d had a slip of the tongue. She’d never discussed Dewayne with Ray-Ray, so he probably didn’t know what Konya had been leading her to believe.
“Hello?”
“Yeah, I’m here. I was just a little thrown off by what you just said, but it’s all good. But yeah, I really need to see you. Talk face to face. So, I would appreciate it if you come over today. You and your mama. Is that cool?”
“Yeah, I think that’ll work.”
“Alright. So, see you in a few hours?”
“Yes, you’ll see me in a few hours.”
“Okay, Rye. See you then.” he ended the call.
Rye lifted her head, and focused on her mama’s face, knowing that she’d been listening intently to her conversation. “Get dressed, ma. We’re going over Ray-Ray’s house.”
***
Rye stepped into Ray-Ray and Roz’s house thinking that they were going to have an intimate pow-wow, but the scene she stumbled upon was anything but. There were various children literally running through the house, and a gang of people hanging in the living room. Seeing all those faces made Rye feel like she was a new girl on her first day of school. Thankfully, Konya was right at her side, while Ray-Ray was on the other.
“Everybody,” Ray-Ray spoke authoritatively, immediately capturing everyone’s attention. “This is, Rye, my daughter. Everybody this is Rye,” he announced.
Roz shook her head. “Rayvon, you’re so embarrassing. Putting that girl on the spot like that.”
Ray-Ray’s daughter Raven was the first one to step up to Rye. Taking her by surprise, she hugged Rye. “Welcome to the family.”
“Thank you,” Rye hugged her back.
Raquel was next, offering her a hug. Then it was a few of Raquel and Raven’s kids, except for many of their older children who were too busy to come that day, before the cousins stepped up. Konya stood back, feeling a tremendous amount of guilt. She’d never stopped to think about siblings or other family ties she was depriving her daughter of. The only thing she’d considered was her feelings, and now more than ever she was realizing that regardless of how she’d felt about Ray-Ray back then, Rye was just as much his. She’d had no right to deny him the chance to be a father. Unfortunately, in her immaturity she’d equated his treatment to her to how he’d be as a parent, and she now knew that her assessment was not only inaccurate but unjust. One thing just simply had nothing to do with the other. This much was evident, as she watched Ray-Ray interact with the very people who descended directly from him.
“Oh, my God, daddy, she looks just like Keyasia. That’s crazy…and they were fighting, going lick for lick. She gave Key’s hard ass a run for her money,” Raven rambled, as they all sat in the living room, chatting.
Raquel tittered. “Yeah, we can laugh about that now, but I was thinking the same thing. Usually, Key is a bully, but you got with her ass, baby,” she addressed Rye.
Rye shook her head, smiling lightly. Truthfully, the situation was still a sore spot for her, because of how things had panned out with Jaylen.
“Speaking of which, what were yall fighting about, anyway?” Raven questioned.
Rye swallowed hard. “Uh, we had a little confrontation on a facetime call. I used to know her…boyfriend.”
“Wale?” Raquel quizzed.
Rye nodded.
Raquel frowned. “Was it recently or---”
“The call wasn’t too long ago, but I haven’t dealt with him in a while. Whenever I did, he was still single,” Rye quickly clarified.
“Oh, okay, I got ya,” Raquel replied, glad to hear that she wouldn’t have to cuss her son-in-law out.
“So, are you and Jaylen like together together?” Raven asked, changing the subject.
Rye scowled. “Me and Jaylen aren’t anything anymore.”
Raven bucked her eyes. “Owe, that’s surprising, because he never brings girls to family functions. So, I just knew that yall were serious.”
“Yeah, well, apparently he can’t deal with the fact that I talked to other people before I knew him,” Rye s
coffed.
Raquel shook her head with a smirk on her face. “Niggas. You’d think Jaylen would know better. Especially with the way his mama and daddy be carrying on---” she trailed off, as she grumbled.
Raven playfully elbowed her sister. “Bitch, stop being messy.”
“What?” Raquel opened her arms. “I’m just saying.”
Just then a young cat came waltzing in the living room. “What’s up?” he spoke to everyone.
Ray-Ray smiled, as he laid eyes on his pride and joy. “Junior, where you been, son?”
Rye glanced the boy’s way, immediately knowing that she was looking at her brother. His resemblance to Ray-Ray was uncanny, down to the dimples.
“I was visiting my little friend, pops,” the boy answered suavely.
“Oh, yeah?” Ray-Ray grinned from ear to ear.
“Oh, God,” Raven dramatically gasped. “Could you at least pretend that he’s not your favorite? I mean, come on. We know that he looks just like you and all, but damn. Everything he says aint that damn amazing.”
Little Ray-Ray merely chuckled at his sister’s banter. He knew that she was just kidding. He was the baby and his sisters had children older than him, so there definitely wasn’t any form of jealousy amongst them. If anything, he felt like he had multiple mothers versus two sisters.
“Junior,” Ray-Ray spoke up from his Lay-Z-Boy chair. “There’s your sister I told you about.” he pointed at Rye.
Little Ray-Ray glanced over at Rye. “Oh, alright. Hey,” he greeted her. “She looks like Key, yall. But who’s the oldest? Me or you?”
Rye cleared her throat. “I’m twenty, so---”
“Okay, so, I’m still the youngest,” Little Ray-Ray presumed, before peering over at his father. “Pops, unless you have some more of us out there that we don’t know about.”
Roz whipped her head around. “Who? He better not have no more fucking kids out there, especially younger than you.”
Ray-Ray shook his head, as he grinned. “Girl, chill out. Junior is my youngest child. Trust me.”
“That’s what the fuck it better be,” Roz fussed, causing everyone in the room to titter. Even Konya found herself laughing.
By the end of the night, Rye felt welcomed, and was looking forward to her journey with her new family. As they were preparing to head home, Ray-Ray, Raquel, and Raven all volunteered to walk them to their car.
Just as Konya was attempting to slide into her vehicle, Ray-Ray halted her.
“Wait, let me holla at yall before you go,” he asserted.
Konya stood folding her arms, while Rye leaned against the hood of the car.
“I just wanted to say that I really appreciate yall coming over today. And I’m looking forward to getting to know you, Rye. I wanna be a part of your life, and I hope that I’m not coming on too strong.”
Rye shook her head. “No, you’re good.”
“Cool.” He nodded, before focusing on Konya. “And keeping it real, I was pissed, after I found out that you had her believing that some other man was her daddy…but Roz brought me back down to reality. She reminded me of the changes I took her through back in the day. So, after thinking about it, I want to apologize for not being the man that you could come and talk to. I know that I made that difficult. I see how I was foul back then, and treated plenty of women like shit. Shit, I wasn’t even a nigga that I’d want to see my daughters with. So, I know that contributed to your decision not to tell me about her. I understand.”
Konya nodded. “Thank you, but I know now that I was wrong for that, so I apologize as well.”
He nodded graciously. “That’s what’s up.” He focused on Rye again. “As far as me and you…I want to fully be here for you. Make up for lost time. I’m here for moral support, but that’s not it. You can lean on me for whatever. Even financially. I know that you’re grown, but that don’t matter. What’s mine is yours. I know it might sound crazy, but I just wanna spoil you. Make you forget about the times when I wasn’t around. So, is there anything that you need, right now?”
Rye scratched the back of her head. Hearing him say that was like music to her ears, and she damn near wanted to pinch herself. Still, she wanted to play it cool, and not appear hard up for anything. “Well, I could use a---” she hesitated.
“What is it?” Ray-Ray questioned eagerly.
“I am looking for a car---”
“A car? Done. What kind?”
Rye’s heart skipped a beat. “Uh, is there a certain range---”
“Nah, just tell me what kind of car you want.”
She squinted one eye. “A Benz.”
“What class?” he asked with no hesitation.
“C…L.”
“CL class. Got it. We’ll have that by tomorrow.”
“O-kay,” Rye dragged out, still unsure of everything.
Ray smirked, sensing her hesitancy, but he could show her better than he could ever tell her.
Raven cleared her throat. “And I know that you have me and Raquel locked in your phone. Use those numbers, please. Stay in touch. Hell, even if you don’t, we aint letting you go nowhere. We’re family and we’re here for you. Use us. We have some hella resources.” She winked.
“Yep,” Raquel agreed, as she nodded her head.
“Aww, thanks,” Rye cooed, as she willingly hugged Raven. Against her will, her bottom lip began to tremble. “I really appreciate yall welcoming me in like this.”
Raven stepped back and allowed Raquel to hug her as well. “Girl,” she waved off. “It’s nothing.”
Finally, Ray-Ray was able to get his hug. Without realizing it, Rye wrapped her arms around him tightly. While he rubbed her back, she cried softly. However, this time, these weren’t tears of sorrow or confusion. This was about joy and the sincerity she felt from them. It had her feeling that despite all her problems, everything would be okay.
Chapter 18
Rye’s eyes fluttered open, as the sound of her ringing cell awakened her. Groggily, she reached over, and grabbed her phone off the nightstand.
“Hello,” she answered gruffly.
“I take it that you’re still in the bed.”
She sat up. “I am, but what’s up?”
“That address you gave me last night is correct, huh?”
“Yeah, it is.”
“Alright, then. Meet me out front.”
“Now?”
“Yeah, now.”
She smiled. “Okay…Ray-Ray. I’ll be right down.” she ended the call.
Feeling a burst of energy, she hopped out of bed. Running to the bathroom, she quickly brushed her teeth. Right after, she skated back to her room, and slid her feet into a pair of Gucci slides. Wearing a black camisole, checkered black and white draw string pajamas, and a silk scarf wrapped around her hair, she headed for the door. On her way out, she noticed her mama still lying on the couch, indicating that she hadn’t bothered going to work.
Shaking her head, Rye stepped out into the hallway. Konya was truly something else. Initially, she’d been stressing the point that she and Rye needed to get themselves together financially, but slowly but surely Konya had backed away from the job that her sister had given her. Lately, she’d been communicating with Dewayne more often, and Rye could feel it in her spirit. Her mama was about to buckle, and carry her ass back to Dewayne. It was disheartening, but there was nothing she could do about it. Her mission at this point was not to dwell on the negativity.
After traveling through her building, Rye moseyed outside, before her eyes scanned the perimeter. A smile etched across her face, as she noticed Little Ray-Ray leaning up against the hood of a white Benz with the panoramic roof. Patting her head, she ambled towards him. As she strolled over, Ray-Ray noticed her, and hopped out of his Porsche, which was parked right next to the Benz.
Rye giggled, as she noticed that Ray-Ray wore a wife beater, along with Jordan ball shorts and shoes, looking like a youngster.
He smiled brightly. “What you laughin
g at?”
“Nothing,” Rye claimed, as she stepped up and hugged him, without putting much thought into it. She then released him and hugged her brother.
Little Ray-Ray cheesed, as Rye stepped back to admire the car. “Pops, she aint like the rest of them. She’s friendly. I like her.”
Ray-Ray nodded, as he licked his lips. “You like the car, baby girl?”
Rye grinned from ear to ear. “Yes, it’s nice.”
Little Ray-Ray laughed. “I’m glad you like it. It’s mine. Maybe one day you’ll get one too.”
Rye lifted her chin. “Oh, okay.”
“Nah, for real. Here’s your keys,” Little Ray-Ray offered, before handing her two electric Benz keys.
“White is cool with you, huh?” Ray-Ray asked, as Rye gawked at the car.
“Yeah, I love it,” she quickly responded.
“Straight. All the paperwork is in the car. I signed it all over to you.”
She glanced at him. “How much are the notes gonna be?”
Ray-Ray scowled. “Notes? What notes?”
Rye’s eyes wandered around. “For the car. I’m okay with paying my own notes.”
“Nah, baby girl.” he shook his head. “Why would I offer you a car and then make you pay for it? That’s not how this works. The car is paid for. All cash.”
Rye tucked her lips into her mouth, feeling emotional. “Thank you.”
“Aye, it’s all good.” He briefly hugged her again. “Just make sure that you go put some insurance on it. Then give me the information and I’ll handle that too.”
“Okay.” Rye hurriedly nodded, trying to prevent any tears from falling.
“Oh, yeah, and this is yours too.” He snapped his fingers, before retrieving a stuffed envelope out of his pocket, and handing it to her.
Standing there, Rye opened the envelope and noticed that it was all cold cash. Thumbing through it, she realized that it was nothing but hundreds. Her jaw dropped in astonishment.
Ray-Ray smiled at her reaction. “That’s twenty racks, right there. I don’t know how your finances are looking, but I wanted to put something in your pockets.”
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