Dancing on Achilles Heels BxB (Staten Krown)

9

"You are so fuckin' dumb. You know that?"

I'm at the table with my aunts. They are gathered around. Prince and Tone are in the living room watching the football game. They have the volume turned all the way up. I know why. I knew they would be like this. Aunt Tonetta is lighting her blunt on the stove. Aunt Priscilla is drinking a glass of wine. It's Aunt Claudia though that is looking at me right now grilling me from across the table.

"How was I supposed to know what he would do?" I ask.

Goddam tears are starting.

"Stop crying like a little bitch before I get Tone come in here and beat the fuck out of you," Aunt Tonetta states, "Won't be no nephew of mine tearing up like that. This world may break you but you won't shed a fucking tear because of it."

Claudia just shakes her head, "You so fuckin dumb, Desta. On my life—I'm surrounded by dummies."

"You gonna stop calling him dumb bitch," Aunt Tonetta states.

I guess it was only ok when she did it.

"I'm calling all you dumb. Why am I the only one in this family not fucking affected by Tray?" Aunt Claudia states, "You going to let this man drive all of you to the grave like he did Bonnie."

I'm shocked Aunt Claudia gets away with it. I'm shocked my Aunt Tonetta doesn't grab her up and beat the dog shit out of her. That was the kind of bitch Aunt Tonetta was. You talked shit and most likely you ended up with a black eye or some shit. Right now Aunt Tonetta just looks away. She goes weak. I look over at her, but I've already figured Aunt Tonetta out. She puts up this facade like she's so tough but how tough was she when her gang was running a train on her. How tough was she then? I knew Aunt Tonetta. She was tough except when it came to her gang. She was tough except when it came to my father.

"You guys are overexaggerating," Priscilla states.

I look over at Priscilla. She is the prettiest harsh girl by far. Prissy doesn't even like to bring Priscilla to school because the boys at school go nuts. But inside that head of hers was nothing but air.

Claudia gives her a look, "Point proven."

"I don't think Trayvon did what you guys are saying he did," she states, "Matter of fact, I know."

Aunt Tonetta doesn't skip a beat, "He took the money. As soon as Desta signed those papers he claimed the money and disappeared. How long has it been since we seen him?"

"A week," Claudia states.

"Prissy said she seen him looking online before he left," Priscilla states, "Looking for houses. He probably just out looking for houses for you guys."

"Is the dick that good you dumb bitch?" Claudia asks her sister.

Priscilla looks like she's about to get up and slap the shit out of Claudia but Tonetta stops both of them. She stands over the table and hands me a blunt.

"You need this more than me," Tonetta states giving me the blunt, "Your daddy stole that money. By now most of it's gone. We ain't gonna see that nigga around here again until that money is spent. And you know what he's going to spend it on. Money and bitches."

"Don't trash my man," Priscilla states.

Priscilla. Priscilla. Priscilla. She wasn't making this any better. I had spent forever looking up at her and she could feel nothing for me. All she was thinking about right now was "her man". She had dropped the act by now that nothing was going on between her and my father. I just sigh a little bit. I ain't mad at her. Not completely. I want to be. I want to hate Aunt Priscilla but I just feel disappointed really. It's like rolling an orange up a hill hoping it'd make it only to realize that it's always going to roll back down. That was my Aunt Priscilla. No matter how high she wanted to put herself...she always came rolling back down. Always. It never failed.