Cousin Lionel smiles at me, "Glad you could make it man."
I look over at Joyous. I understood we were desperate but really? He was going to these shady motherfuckers? Uncle Regis, Lionel and Sheila had stolen the money that we had wanted to use to originally open the club. They were the lowest of the low when it came to family.
"I don't like that shit you guys talking calling Joshua our enemy," Joyous corrects them, "It's not like that...."
"If it's not like that then nigga why you here?" Sheila asks.
I can't stand Sheila. You ever met that one girl who is just nosy for no goddam reason. She was always running and telling that. You couldn't trust the girl as far as you can throw her. The fact that Joyous was even willing to get in bed with this bitch just turned me all the way off. Joyous was never the smartest sibling. He was street smart. The dude could flip some drugs more than any man I know, but when it came to business plans he ain't know shit. I thought he brought me here to talk about pressing legal claims on the club.
This wasn't that.
This was some back alley bullshit. If Uncle Regis and Sheila were involved, then most likely it was some bullshit. Lionel was usually the nicer guy. Looking at him he reminded me of myself so much. He's so scared of his fucking father that it's ridiculous.
I get up, "Joyous this is about to be some bullshit..."
Lionel is the one who tries to make sense of all of this, "We not trying to say he's our enemy in life. But he's our enemy in this Jamison."
I turn. Lionel was the more reasonable cousin. I'm hesitating. Uncle Regis was a goddam criminal. I didn't like where this was going even talking to him but I couldn't leave Joyous in here alone.
Uncle Regis twists his beard, "What happens when the money runs out?"
He sounds like a used car sales man. He looks like one too. One of those oversized Deacon suits that he always wears. He probably bought it with the money he stole from his own mother. His wife died when he was younger and ever since then he's been that sleaze ball at church trying to get with the youngest girls. And if anyone said something he'd run behind his brother, the great pastor. I ended all that when I killed my dad. You would think Uncle Regis would hate me. You would think he'd be avoiding me like my mother.
No. The sleaze ball needed me so he was right here playing coy.
"Daddy's right," Sheila states, "You both got felonies. What you going to do? Sell drugs for the rest of your life? Ya'll ain't never going to be shit. Joyous, Marcella ain't never going to take no bottom of the barrel drug dealer back. The club is all you have and Joshua got that..."
I wonder how serious it was with Marcella and Joyous but I wasn't sure. It couldn't have gone well when she thought Joyous was gay. I look at my poor brother. He probably thinks he has a little gay in him. I want to tell him so bad it was all a mistake but that would blow up Keon and for some reason there is a soft side that I have for Keon.
I'll always want to protect the guy.
"Is that why you all are here?" I ask, "Because the money you had ran out? The money you stole?"
"Let's not talk about that," Uncle Regis states.
"Sure."
"Just listen to his plan. If you don't like it—-you can bounce," Lionel states.
I sit back down. This shit is making me uneasy. Joyous crosses his arms. I wonder if he is thinking twice about having us in this bitch. He should be. I can't read him though. He is stone faced and for the first time he looks a little bit like Joshua. It's one of the faces Joshua always puts on when he doesn't want anyone to know he's affected.
