Shut Up & Listen

1.lost ones

August 13, 2022
2:13 pm

|lonnie.25|

[]
Lonnie sat uncomfortably on the couch in the large two million dollar Birmingham home. It was white, all shades, everywhere. And so many windows that Lonnie felt as if the whole world was peeking at him. Maverik sat beside him, rambling, "Do you think your mother was ready to have a kid?" He'd been talking for the past hour. "Mm mm." He shook his head, "She wasnt. Do you think i was?" He asked, only pausing for a second too short to receive a response.

"I thought i was. But i wasnt. I didn't expect... i wasn't ready to see myself. I never seen myself until i saw you. Scared me." He chuckled, "I felt like i didnt have any control over anything. You were me. Shit, you are me."

Lonnie side eyed him feeling as if this was something of an apology. It unnerved him.

"Then why do i scare you?"

Maverik nodded. "Its true, I still feel uncomfortable when I see you, I mean, not with my eyes, but you know, whats inside." He gestured with hands going back and forth from his body. "I know whats inside of me and I can see it in your eyes. But, you don't have the control I got. I learned it. I never taught it to you. And, i'm still afraid of whats gonna manifest from my own son. My first born." He explained, still giving hints of responsibility that Lonnie had never received before.

"What do you think im capable of?" He asked, curious.

"Murder."

"Murder?"

Maverik nodded. "I told you. I see me in you.  Maybe if you saw me, you'd understand yourself better."

Lonnie nodded, "well i'm outta luck then."

Maverik scoffed.

"I'm not you motherfucker. I'm me."

"And me and ya grandfather and his father and so on and so much. I robbed you. And i'm deeply sorry for that. Whatever you've done is all on me."

"Aight, cut it, pops." Lonnie waved his hands, dismissing it all. "You giving yourself too much credit homeboy. And on top of that, I don't know what'chu mean. What did i do?"

Maverik smiled, "We don't gotta talk about nothing you don't want to man. I want you to feel at home here. Feel free to grab anything out the kitchen, you seen where everything is. Wash room, Bath stuff and whatnot. Anything else, ask one of the twins or Holle."

"Where Reese at?"

"That boy don't live here no more. And if you see him around here, remind him of that for me."

"Damn, switching out one son for another? What the hell he do?"

Maverik straight faced him, reminding him of the night they spent in the hospital with Maurice and iLeah.