Hear Me Sin

Chapter Ten

Compton, California 

OMARI LIGHTLY THREW THE FOOTBALL and watched it soar across the lawn, before it landed in ten year old Enrique's arms who jumped to catch it.

He laughed, showing the shiny braces he now sported. "Dang Mari, why're you throwing it like you're on a real field?"

Omari chuckled, licking his lips as he cracked his knuckles. "My bad champ, I forgot you like two pounds."

"I'm not that skinny, why does everybody keep saying that?" He said throwing the ball back.

In three months Enrique had already hit a growth spurt. He wasn't even a preteen yet and he was hitting the early stages of puberty. Just slightly his voice had changed, somewhere between that awkward phase of being high pitched, but evening out. So his voice cracked sometimes depending on the emotion he was feeling at the time. He had gotten braces because he wanted to straighten his teeth and he was starting to become the cute little boy he was. Less nerdy and more handsome.

"I guess man, if you say so." Omari said easily catching the ball with one hand. 

It was a Saturday afternoon in the Summertime. A little after the seven months they've been together, Inola and Omari chose to move in together. They got a bigger place with three bedrooms and two bathrooms. Inola now went to school full time while Omari took care of all the bills and finances. It was a different way of living for Inola, to depend on somebody else, but Omari convinced her going full time would help her finish faster and once she was finished with medical school, she would start making enough to take care of herself and her boys with or without him. 

He tossed it back the same time Enrique felt his Samsung Galaxy 4 buzzing in his pocket. He caught the ball then put his hands up in the formation of the letter T. "Wait, break, break. Give me five minutes I'll be back." He said pulling out his phone as he ran toward the house.

"Enrique, really?" Omari said throwing his hands in the air. This was the second time during their ten minute game he had paused it. Recently he'd been texting and talking to this girl in his class he really liked, so Omari knew he was trying to get himself a girlfriend.

"Five minutes Mari!" He yelled, already inside the house.

Omari chuckled and shook his head, walking toward the porch knowing he wasn't about to come back outside. Joshua was in his wheelchair in a red wife beater and some shorts. He was looking around as drool pooled out of his mouth, his head leaning to the side in an odd position.
Omari made it over to him and fixed him up, repositioning his head upward in the chair. 

He gently rubbed the top of his head, taking a seat next to him. "You good baby boy?"

He obviously knew he wasn't going to get a response but he always spoke to Joshua. He still grew like a normal person but he hadn't changed much yet. He was still only six so he had a while before he got to the stage his brother was at. Enrique's birthday was two months ago, so now that he was ten he thought he was grown. 

Omari had bought him a phone for his present and now he acted like he wasn't part of the family. All he did was text his friends and his little crush. He originally bought it because he was getting older and in case of an emergency he would need to be able to contact people.

Omari picked up a magazine and began to fan Joshua, trying to give him some relief in the eighty degree weather. Just then Inola came out of the house in some cute white flip flops and causal summer dress, holding a plastic tray with several tiny blue ceramic bowls on them.