Black Wynter 2 "Quiet Storm"

Chapter One

This was by far the saddest wake that Nyasia had ever been to. Though the casket was beautiful, as were the flowers, burying Brooklyn just was not right. Ny wasn't feeling this at all. She sat in the front row of seats in the chapel and watched Nekhi as he stood hovering over his little sister's casket. Nyasia's heart broke into a million peices. Her soul ached for her man.

Ny stood and walked over to Nekhi, planting her hand on his back and rubbing him. He cried silently. "I'm so sorry, Brook. I'm soooo sorry," he was saying to his baby sister, who couldn't even hear him. Nyasia thought it best to stay silent. She knew that nothing she could say would help ease the pain that Nekhi was feeling, anyway. So, she just saw it best to stand by his side and be there for him. Console him when he needed.

Nyasia felt a presence behind her and she turned around to see an older version of Nekhi standing behind her, in a tan jumpsuit, with cuffs around his wrists and ankles. She looked past the dude and noticed two police officers standing a few feet away, watching the dude. This must be Desmond, Ny thought to herself.

She had only heard about Desmond. He had just gone to jail, when she and Khi got together. They'd never gotten the chance to ever meet, but she'd heard so much about him. Nyasia stood aside and gave Des room to comfort his brother. When Nekhi turned around and saw Des, he grabbed his brother, holding onto him like a child. He broke down crying harder.

Desmond cried as well, as he looked down at Brooklyn. Nyasia's heart went out to them both. Brooklyn had always been a good girl and this shit was really sad. She hadn't deserved such a tragic death like that. She knew that Nekhi would never be the same ever again. She knew he would blame himself and be hard on himself about this for the rest of his life.
The heartfelt moment was short lived when Teshae (their mother) made her presence known, by entering the chapel and approaching her sons at Brooklyn's casket. "Don't cry and weep now, motherfuckers! This is all ya'lls fault! My baby girl is dead because of you two! Ya'll killed my baby!" she shouted at them.

Nyasia rolled her eyes. This bitch had a lot of nerve. "Mommy, calm down. There's no need for all this yelling," Desmond spoke to his mother, respectfully. "No! Fuck that! Ya'll killed my baby! Out here hustling in these fucking streets! What are you even doing here, Desmond? Take your ass back upstate!" Teshae barked.

Nekhi was a lot different from Desmond, though. He wasn't as humble as his big brother. He barked back at Teshae. "What the fuck you putting on a show for? Don't act like you give a fuck about Brooklyn NOW! You ain't never give a fuck! Trynna make us look bad in front of everybody. Tell everybody how I was the one who took care of Brooklyn! Yeah, tell them that! I might be out on the streets, but I took care of my little sister! Not you!" he said.

Nyasia watched to her horror, as Teshae stepped up closer to Nekhi and slapped him hard across his face. "You watch how you talk to me, Nekhi!" she screamed. She tried to hit him again, but the two officers that had come with Des grabbed her. "Miss, please take it easy," they told her, as they attempted to escort Teshae out of the chapel.

"Neither of you have ever been good for shit! And this is all ya'lls fault! Nekhi, she is dead because of your bullshit! And Desmond, you're the reason why Nekhi is out here on these streets in the first place!" she screamed, as the two officers pulled her outside.

Nyasia looked around at all the people present at the wake. All of their thoughts were clearly written across their faces. She knew that they were all judging the hell out of Nekhi's family.
*****
Once the wake was over, Desmond approached Nyasia before leaving back upstate with the two officers that he had come with. "You must be Nyasia," he said to her. She nodded. "I'm Nekhi's brother, Desmond," he let her know. Nyasia nodded again. "I know who you are," she said, softly. "And I'm so sorry about Brooklyn," she added.

"Yeah, I'm sorry too," Des responded. He was quiet for a second, then he cleared his throat and spoke to Nyasia, again. "Listen. Shit is about to get real crazy in the hood. I'm sending people after those niggas who killed my little sister. I know my little brother, he's a hot head. He gonna want to avenge Brook's death himself," Desmond paused. Ny waited for him to continue.

"Don't let him do that. It's too dangerous out here and I already lost my sister. I'm not going to lose Khi, too. Those Harlem niggas will be handled. As for Nekhi, I need you to do me a favor Nyasia, because I know you love my brother," he said. "I do love him. What's the favor?" Nyasia asked, curiously. "Get him the fuck out of here. Move. Outta state. Somewhere better. I really don't want my brother to end up dead or locked up. I wish somebody would have told my babymother this shit," Desmond confessed.

"Des, I've been trying to get Nekhi out of the hood for the longest. He doesn't want to leave," Nyasia protested, sadly. She would have given anything to get her baby out of these streets. "I don't care how you do it, just get him outta here, Nyasia," Desmond insisted, with pleading eyes. "Perry! Time to go!" one of the officers called to Des. He looked at the officer and nodded, then turned to Nyasia one last time. "Please," he begged her.

Tears welled in Nyasia's eyes. She didn't know what to do or say. Yes, it was true she wanted nothing more than to get Nekhi out of the hood and away from all this madness. But she just wasn't sure that she knew how to do something like that. Nekhi had a mind of his own and he had made it clear to her on countless occasions that he was not leaving the hood until he was good and ready. How was she gonna get him to agree to leave, now that he was without a doubt 'bout to go look for niggas who killed his little sister?

Nyasia allowed her emotions to take over her, and she threw her arms around Desmond, hugging him tight. He hugged her back as much as his cuffs would allow him to. "I know you got this, Nyasia. I'm counting on you. Happy to finally meet you. Sorry it had to be underneath these circumstances though," he said to her. Then, he pulled away and walked to the vehicle he'd come in, on his way back upstate.
*****
Ny stood in her bedroom doorway and watched Nekhi as he lay in her bed, his back facing her. He had been this way since Brooklyn's funeral. Just in bed, day after day, quiet. Not saying a word, not doing anything, not eating. Nekhi wasn't even showering.

Nyasia walked further into her bedroom and approached Nekhi. Walking to the other side of her bed so that she could see his face, she saw that he was once again silently crying. She climbed in the bed beside him and wiped his tears. "Baby, you can't do this to yourself," she told him, gently. Nekhi didn't respond.

"Listen. I don't know how you're feeling. So, I'm not gonna sit here and say that I know how you feel, because I don't. I can only imagine. Loosing a sibling is something I wouldn't wish on anybody. But what I do know is that you cannot sit up here and die, too. Baby, you're not eating. You're not talking or bathing. It's like you're on your death bed, Nekhi. I can't watch you do this to yourself, anymore. There are people out here that need you. Me and Wynter, baby. We need you," Nyasia said.

Nekhi looked at Nyasia, hearing every word she said. The tears kept rolling down his face, but he finally spoke. "Nyasia, I feel so heartbroken. I've never felt this kind of pain in my life. I thought I'd been hurt when Blaze died but... Nyasia, I feel like I can't even breathe," he told her.

Nyasia pulled her man up and held him. "I will help you, breathe. I will do anything for you, Nekhi. But we gotta get the fuck out of here. This is getting outta hand. First Blaze, now Brooklyn. Who's next? Lok? Tommoi? Our baby? We gotta go," Nyasia tried to make him see. Nekhi shook his head. "I can't leave now, Nyasia. These niggas killed my baby sister. I have to take them out now," he said back. "And then what, Nekhi? What will that solve? Brooklyn will still be gone, baby. You take one of them out and then they take someone else we love out. Then, you retaliate again and again and again? It has to stop at some point, Nekhi," Nyasia argued. "Well, not at this point," Nekhi said, simply.

Nyasia's heart sunk. She said nothing more on the matter, because she just knew that trying to convince Nekhi was a lost cause. She knew deep in her heart that she wouldn't be able to fulfill Desmond's wish of getting his brother out of the streets.