Guess who just had a birthday!!! Me. Lol. My present from ya'll could be lots of comments & votes. Love ya'll, guys & guyetts.
Let's proceed, shall we?
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Avery Jordan
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"Keep on. You're about to make me put you out."
"Why is it that you're the older sister, yet you act like a baby?" Austin asked me, laughing.
"I don't act like a baby. You just better not pinch me like that again. That stuff is painful." I said.
"That stuff is painful, " he mocked.
Pinch.
"Ouch, Austin!" I winced.
"Keep fuckin' wit ha." August said walking into the living room with us with a bottle of water.
"We ain't known you long enough fa you ta put ya hands on ha." August told him.
"Aww. Ya'll so cute." Austin said making cute faces & kissing noises.
"Anyway, August. I needa blunt."
"Why you tellin' me dis?"
"Duhh, nigga. You sell that shit for living."
I looked at August.
"Nahh. I actually don't. I passed tha bidness ta my olda' cousin, Kre."
I smiled a bit after hearing August say he's basically out of the business. There are so many more things he's good at.
"Oh. Well I'm sure you got some weed around this big as crib somewhere."
August reached beneath the couch and pulled out a shoebox full of weed and Black N' Mild.
I've noticed that he's been smoking more lately and kept his "calming medication" in almost every room.
"My nigga." Austin cheesed and rubbed his hands together.
"And this is my cue to leave." I said, giving August a kiss and walked upstairs to the bedroom.
--
"Baybeh?"
"Yes, August."
"Why we only get 10 fingas and 10 toes?"
I sighed and shook my head. I've been dealing with this since August and Austin smoked. I took Austin home, but I still have to deal with Anthony, who apparently decided it would be a clever idea for him to drink as well.
"I don't know, babe." I said as he looked at me with low eyes with his head laying on my stomach.
"I ain't got enough. I think I need twelve each." He said, attempting to put a braid in his hair.
"Why?"
"Think about it, baybeh. Tha more I have, tha more blunts I can roll. Duhh." He said, patting my shoulder, implying that I'm slow and he felt sorry for me.
"Well maybe God only wanted you to have ten each."
He looked at me with a with his lips turned upward and a slight smile.
"You right, you right." He said before staring off into space.
"August?"
No comment.
"August?"
He stared at a string of hair in his hand.
"My hair fallin' out." He said with a sad face.
"I'm gettin' old." He said, halfway asleep.
I laughed at him as he attempted to put the strand of hair back.
"August. No." I laughed again. "You can't put it back."
"I can't? I can't bring my brotha back?" He asked, looking into the empty space ahead of him.
"What?" I asked, ending my laughing fit.
"What are you talking about, August?"
"My brotha." He said as a tear rolled down his face.
"My brotha. My olda brotha. I had one. Just like you got a younga one. He was everything ta me. Taught me everything I know today. Looked afta me. Cared fa me. Did everything fa me, and I couldn't do something as simple as look afta him. If I had been thea' dat day, he'd still be hea'. People always dyin' in N'Walins, but when I heard who it was, my heart damn nea stopped. If I had been thea, he'd be hea. My momma would have a son. My nieces would have a fatha. And I'd have a brotha."
He wiped mucus from his face with the back of his hand, as well as his tears.
I took in everything he was saying. This is why he never spoke of siblings. It was just him and his brother. The fact that he blamed himself was too much for him. I hated that he felt this way and there was nothing I could do.
"Avery.." August looked up at me.
"Why am I cryin'?" I wiped a tear that escaped from my eyes and held my hand out.
"Come on, August. Let's go to bed."
We took the journey up the stairs and into his bedroom, since that's where he'd rather sleep.
After hours of a drunken August trying to get comfortable, he got out of bed to release massive amounts of vomit.
After he released some and came back to bed, the was back into the bathroom to release some more. Luckily tomorrow is Saturday and neither of us has to work.
I sat on the edge of the tub and rubbed his back in circular motions.
"You think that's it?" I asked him as he draped over the toilet.
"Yea."
He rose slowly and brushed his teeth, then washed his face afterwards.
I wet a face rag and set it on his face as we laid down. He was so close and securely, I felt his cool breath breathing down my neck.
"Baybeh, you up? " He asked after about 15 minutes of silence.
"Mmhmm." I replied, looking out at the night sky through the window behind him.
"Promise me something."
"Anything."
He took a breath.
"Promise me you'll never leave me."
I took my attention off of the sky and focused on him. The look in his eyes held such pain and sorrow. But beneath his eyes and into his soul, it was gentle love and sweet affection.
I caressed his face with my hand before answering one of his most important questions.
"No, August. I'll never leave you."
He smiled a faint smile.
"Gimme kiss. " He said moving closer to me.
I smiled and granted his wish as he deepened the kiss before pulling away.
"Goodnight, handsome."
"Goodnight, gaw'jus."
-—
Chapter took a minute, but..
Umm..
Yea.
Until next time.
