The Unusual Suspects Book 2

Tony

I walked in the house to see my mom sitting at the nook sipping her coffee.
"Hey mijo. Come have a seat." she said sweetly. It was said in a way to make me feel at ease, but I always had to prepare for the worst in any situation. I knew way better than to not take heed, so I did sit down across from her. She set her phone down and looked me in the eyes. "There are a lot of things that a mother knows in regards to her child. She knows when they need a little extra help, when they need a little more love, when they need attention, when they've lost their virginity, when they're becoming a true adult, and even when they're not living right. A mother knows Anthony. With that being said, I know there are several things that I overlooked when it came to you and Jose, but there are more things that I need complete clarity for. Maybe then, I wasn't ready for the realization or I didn't want my illusions shattered, But I'm going to ask you this one time, and one time only. What are you off into?" This was the exact moment that I was dreading and I was hoping this wouldn't come before graduation, but it did. I could never lie to the human lie detector. She already knew the real.
"Everything." I told her, never breaking our eye contact at all. She nodded.
"I appreciate your honesty Love. But why though? I bust my ass to make sure that you guys would never have to resort to any of that, yet you both managed to do so."
"We never wanted to watch you go through any of that. You work too hard. Plus, this has been the best run dad has had in a long time, and he wasn't able to do his part. You had managed to have this life for us when you had help, then you suddenly didn't. You have done everything to keep us from leading that life, you're right. But we were trying to do everything we could so you didn't have to work hard for the rest of yours." She looked in my eyes and we stared off for a few minutes. "I'm sorry. I know this isn't how you raised me at all. I just didn't know a faster way." I told her.
"So after he got better, why not just stop?" she asked me.
"It's not that easy. Plus, I needed to find out who did that to Jose and Anna. I couldn't just walk away from that situation and let it stand as is." For the very first time, I could see the disappointment in my mother's eyes. "Mijo...where you are, we have been. Your father decided the service was a better option than the path that he was leading and he chose another route, so that yall wouldn't do the same things that he did. Realistically we were too young when we had yall and that seemed like the easiest way to give yall the world. I get it. But it's like the effort was all in vain in the end." she said.
"It wasn't in vain. Yall didn't make that decision for me, I did. Yall raised me correctly, I chose wrong. Though, I had my reasons, I knew better. I knew better because that's what yall instilled in me. There has been several times that I contemplated telling yall the truth, but I didn't want to be the cause of your disappointment. Like I am in this very moment. I just wanted to relieve some weight, not add more. I'm sorry." I told her. She looked back up at me. "You're not sorry son..." my dad said walking in the kitchen. "...A sorry individual would've never owned up tp everything like a man. You're a man. We wanted more for you, yes. But I couldn't be more proud of you than I am right now. You started to tell me the other day when we were sitting there talking, but I wouldn't allow you to. I wanted us to talk like this so there are no questions and no confusion." He came and sat down beside my mother. "I too made the exact same decision that you did around your age. For similar reasons. When the accident happened with Jose and Adrianna, it reminded me of the instances that occurred when I was out in them streets. At that moment I knew one or both of you were out here. Anthony, I give you credit though, you hide it very well. Then I noticed you dismissing yourself from dinner tables and the expression on Toya's face. I wanted to be wrong, but I saw it. Then Jose, came forward and told on himself. He said how much you tried to keep him from doing the things he was doing, so we questioned why you didn't come to us. It became obvious that you felt a sense of responsibility for what had happened. Jose instantly said the incident had everything to do with him and nothing to do with you. I pride you on trying to keep that separate. But, what you have to ask yourself is how long do you think this is gonna stay a breeze?" he said as they held each other's hand and looked at me.
"I don't know how to tell yall this..."
"Say it. You're grown." My mom said.
"I just got in a position where I don't touch product, I don't do dirt...I just take meetings." They looked at me blankly.
"So you're already waist deep. Okay...do you really trust these people though?" My dad asked me.
"Truthfully, I trust them with my life. They've put theirs on the line for me before and not a single nothing has happened to me this entire time."
"You also have a praying mother though." she said to me.
"I know and that means more than anything to me. But I can't just hop out."
"He's right. He cannot at this point, but he can slowly transition out." my dad said. "For the sake of your child, I think that may be what's best for you." He had a point, they both did. But I'm not there yet and not quite ready. But a weight was lifted. The truth does set you free.