Faith

•17•

August

"So das how you feel huh?" I folded ma arms across ma chest.

"Yea it is honestly."

"Aight." I nodded.

Everybody else just sat thea. By tha look on ma momma face I knew she wasn't happy.

"Seeing as how you grown right, What's tha one thing I always tell y'all since y'all been growing up?"

She didn't answer me.

"Chaylin I asked you a question?"

You could hear the annoyance in ma voice at that point.

"Callie?" I turn ta ma niece.

"Family first." She said with no hesitation.

"Exactly. Me, ya uncle Travis, ya uncle Jamal and ya aunt Netia always told yall, family comes first, don't ever forget whea ya came from because in tha end when shit goes left, family suppose ta be tha ones ya got."

"I know this Uncle Aug." She mumbled.

"Nah it don't seem like ya ass do otherwise tha least ya would have done was pick up tha damn phone an call somebody rather than we having ta be tha one calling ya very fucking time."

"So that's what ya mad about, me not calling often."

I began to laugh and shake my head at ha response.

"Yeen getting tha point."

"Well enlighten me then."

"Chaylin you better watch your tone." Cha added.

"What tone and why are you siding with him. You never had a problem with my relationship before so why now."

"First of all, I'll be damned if ya think I ain't gonna check ya ass fa how you speaking ta me especially." Chandra snapped. "Secondly, I don't have a problem with you and Reggie's relationship and you know this but don't be rude."

"But all he's done is be rude." She pointed at me.

"And that's our que to head inside!" Brian said as him Sarah, Maggie and Era went inside.

"I think we should go too!" Misty's momma said getting up. "Come on mom."

"Why and miss the action!" Maw whispered.

"Come on mom!" She said again through her teeth as she helped ma up.

"I'll go inside too." Reggie said.

"Yea you do that!" I mumbled.

"See what I'm saying, like why do you have to be rude towards him, you don't even know him."

"Nah what's rude is that ya lah boyfriend didn't have tha decency ta speak ta one of us before asking you ta marry him."

"Aug not so loud." Misty tried ta calm me.

"And ya right, Ion know him. Trav you know him?"

"Nah."

"Mal you know him?" I asked a other brother.

"Nope!" He shook his head.

"See none of us know him. If we knew him, he would have know that ain't how we do it and you know this." I pointed at ha. "Just like how I asked ha grandma fa ha blessing, just like how Jay asked both Cha and ma momma, we all had that respect. Yea I'on come across as tha most easy ta approach nigga but shit it still got ya other two uncles and Jamal."

"Yea well neither of y'all are my father so why does it even matter.".

"Whoa now Chaylin!" Travis spoke up.