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⋆⁺₊⋆⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆A Week Later ⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆⋆⁺₊⋆ ⋆⁺₊⋆ ⋆⁺₊⋆Woodland Courts Apartments, Chicago IL⋆⁺₊⋆ ⋆⁺₊⋆
Today's date was November 20th, 2022—six years since November 20th, 2017. More specifically, today marked six years since Makai's closest friend, Tyrone, the one he'd always considered a brother, had his life taken right in front of him.
And as harsh as it may have sounded, he didn't feel that sad. If anything, he just felt numb.
He must have thrown up everything he'd ever ate that day, but that had been the extent of any physical reaction he had since then. Just a few tears here and there. Because what was the point? That didn't help. It didn't solve anything.
Time didn't make it better either; it only left him with two choices: move forward or be trapped in the past and forgotten.
He chose the former. But sometimes he couldn't help but feel selfish for doing so. Beating himself up because he was thankful for that traumatic experience to some extent.
Sure, he would do anything to have Tyrone back, but he couldn't help but think that, without that experience, he'd still be on that corner—doing who knows what.
Hell, it could've been him.
He wiped away a single tear as he zipped up his black Moncler jacket, preparing to leave his house. His plan for the day was to visit T.Roy's mom, who still lived in Parkway Gardens, and bring her some flowers and a card—just like he did every year.
Visiting her had become somewhat of a ritual, something that kept him grounded. It was part of what he did to honor T.Roy, along with the annual cookout in O Block this weekend in his memory.
Keeping T.Roy's name alive was his only focus today. So, he set out for his first stop: CVS, to find the perfect card.
••
"Why, hello, my baby!" Mary, Tyrone's mother greeted Makai with a warm hug as soon as she opened her front door, delighted to see him.
Makai had hoped to keep his emotions in check, but the moment he saw her, his eyes welled up with tears that spilled over as he handed her the flowers and cards.
"Wassup, ma." His voice cracked as he hugged her back. They held the embrace for a few moments before she pulled him inside and shut the door, ready to catch up.
You see, Makai's parents had never been a part of his life. It had always just been him and his aunt—and that was only when she was mentally stable enough to care for him. She had her own struggles, drugs being the primary way she coped with them.
But during the times when she couldn't, Mary never hesitated to take him in. Some of his fondest childhood memories were from the times he lived with her and T.roy.
