Lost One

𝙴𝙿 𝙵𝙾𝚄𝚁: 𝗙𝗔𝗠𝗜𝗟𝗬

𝚟𝚘𝚕𝚞𝚖𝚎 𝟸

               ❝News just broke: Dave East is NOT the father. But are we actually surprised? This is Shantey Ledé we're talking about. She had another man raising a son that's not his. I knew she was a bitch. But, she a scandalous one too, baby. You know what I suggest—for Tavon Booker to divorce her ass, take they kids, and for Dave East to take his son. She don't deserve them. I wanna know how the people that really matter feel about this. Tavon, Dave, how y'all feeling? Inquiring minds wanna know?❞

               The voice echoes, with a fast collective of negative tweets surrounding the public test results overlapping each other on the screen. The final and last tweet, "Women like her deserve to die" zooms in, until the screen turned pitch black. ♪ Oooooh-ooh-oh-ooh, ha-ha ♪ The vocalizing starts and the dark screen started to separate horizontally.

               ♪ Steady, are you ready?
               ♪ What's going on? ♪

               The slow motion visual of a walking pair of red custom bandana Air Force Ones head in the office warehouse. The camera eased up the tall build, then pulled back to reveal TUFF CROWD in graffiti letters embroidered on the back of the unlined Eisenhower jacket.

He sits down, facing the camera and revealed Tae. The dark Tom Ford shades covered his eyes, smoke coming out of his mouth and circulating around him. He put out the blunt in the ashtray before the scene returns to its normal speed. The song fades out slowly, ❝Are you ready to talk about it?❞ The producer asked, subtitles appearing.

               ❝Better now than never, right?❞ Tae asked, ❝But I'm not who you should start wit askin. It's two of us.❞

               ♪ However do you want me? However do you need me? ♪ The song started again, and the scene shows a animated plane leaving California and landing in Harlem. Then it showed Dave sitting in the chair in a cannabis-themed bodega. He had on a Diamond Supply tracksuit from his capsule collection with the brand and suede bucket hat over his individual braids. The flicker of the pocket lighter echoes and lights the Fronto Leaf wrapped blunt.

❝Did I ever have any suspicions about his paternity? You shittin' me?❞ He chuckled a little, ❝Never once crossed my mind. Then the infamous picture that was floating all over the blogs.❞

               Dave hit the blunt, inhale and exhaling the thick smoke.

❝When I heard bout the photo, I didn't question it. I went on raising my son and that was that. But, when I saw the picture wit my own eyes, everybody in my ear, the comparisons mufuckas was makin' on the blogs, that's when questions start to rise wimme. I called Shantey about it and she convinced me not to worry bout it, so, I didn't. But don't mean I wasn't skeptical. Accusations like that don't just go away. So I don't want I felt was necessary.❞

               The guitar strums of "Heavy" started to play, as the scene slowed of Dave putting the blunt between his lips and exhaling.

❝Me and Shantey was going through mad shit around that time, and no, I didn't trust her. And wit our history it was hard for me to trust her word. So, I got the test done.❞ Dave revealed, wiping at his eyebrow. ❝The results, though.. I wasn't expecting that shit. At all. I never been so heartbroken in my life and at that moment, that tone of bricks fell on me crazy. I bonded wit him. I'm Daddy to em. How do you let somebody you raised know that they wouldn't be around as much like his brother because you not his birth father? What do you say to a three-year-old that love you regardless?❞