It's Above Me Now.

25: This Too Shall Pass

"Un-fucking-believable!" Ruben snapped. "Unbelievable! Veronica, I haven't been this mad in a long time. I, I, I, I don't even know where to start. Security. What the fuck were they doing? Why weren't they doing their jobs? Chance was their employer, and they were supposed to protect him from any threat. I've seen the videos from the press, those fuckers allowed this man to run his mouth way too much before stepping in and doing anything about it. I want names and addresses, I'm suing everyone including the damn security organization itself! Next, where were Bud and Lou? They were supposed to be patrolling as well, looking out for any shit like this. They know exactly what we're up against, I can't wait to see those two. And finally, you. You, Veronica. I'm not even going to bother to ask where the fuck you were but that statement you gave trying to belittle this whole mess...straight pitiful. You sounded all over the place, trying to put words together as if you aren't already built for this type of shit. It was sloppy. Hell, these nowadays rappers would have articulated better sentences than you did. You should have defended Chance more in your statement, and still be apologetic! If I was there, none of this would have happened. Best believe!"

Ruben breathed out restlessly and rested back in his seat, huffing and puffing. It's a good thing he wasn't here in person to give us this tongue lashing because his presence would have made me feel worse than I already did. We were talking to him via FaceTime because he was still stuck in Dubai handling business, and for everyone's sake I hope he stayed there a little while longer.

"I know damn well you aren't casting blame on me, Bud, or Lou. How dare you?" Veronica responded irritatedly. "Tell me dear, how would we have seen this coming? I crossed my T's and dotted my I's before Chance had the event. I made sure our son was secure! But we can't control every damn thing and you know that!"

"But we can conceal the shit that's going to ruin us." Ruben shot back. "Our son was on the wrong path, you know that. You should have known skeletons would have tried to come out the closet especially being in that area where Troupe is. Why didn't you ask Chance about his past dealings, the people he dealt with? Why didn't you inquire about the people he sold to, and what type of people they were? That my dear, is what a good mother would do. I can't do every damn thing when it comes to protecting our son! We both have to look out for him. You so badly want to sweep who our son used to be under the rug and forget that side of him ever existed. You painted this picture of who he's supposed to be in your head but it doesn't work like that. I'm disappointed in all of you. Tomas should still be here with me getting business sorted but he's on the next flight back to help fix this shit. I gotta go."

Ruben clicked out the call before anyone could say anything, leaving Veronica and I sitting speechless in the Mosses' living room. It's only been a day since the whole debacle, and I've been hiding from the world every since. I wasn't taking no calls nor texts from any of my brothers, especially Drew. I knew it wasn't his fault but his father set me back big time.

"I don't blame you for anything." I finally said. "This is my mess, and you guys can't keep protecting me. I've made some mistakes in my young life, and as an adult I take full responsibility for them. So don't sweat it mum. Ruben's an egotistical maniac, and I think he's just mad that the situation is tarnishing the family name and this legacy you two love to preach about."

I saw a smile escape from Veronica and she extended her hand. I reached for it, and the two of us shared a quiet exchange until Tomas burst through the door ten minutes later. I sucked my teeth at his presence, which he simply ignored. Bud and Lou followed closely behind, and I could tell that they were getting tired of dealing with my family's shenanigans.