How Do You Want It (URBAN)

36

I came to a slow halt in front of the house where my uncle was murdered. The house I used to visit when I was a kid. It looked like an ordinary house on the outside. The two story house was boarded up and it looked like it was still in perfect condition, but I was pretty sure once I entered the inside of the house there would be a totally different turnout.

I exited my car and locked it. It was a Nissan prime, but it got me where I needed to go and hasn't put doubt in me yet. Besides, at least it was something while my job was helping me to build my credit and buy a newer model car and put more money than I've ever seen in my pockets.

I couldn't get the door open because it was boarded up, but I was hoping I wouldn't have to use the crowbar in my car, but I went back to my car and popped the trunk and grabbed the crowbar. Walking back onto the porch I use a crowbar to take the nails out of the boards and one by one they all fall down onto the porch in which I move them up against a brown still in good shape banister.

"Goddamn." I covered my nose trying to conceal at least a portion of the prudent smell of rain mixed with mold and possibly feces.

I stepped into the living room and immediately flashbacks ran through my head. This was where I slept when momma wasn't able to pay the heat bill and I was sick that year so Uncle Benny had me come here to stay until I got better.

I entered the kitchen. I didn't walk far into the kitchen because of the mice and spiders hanging around everywhere, but I remember this is where he taught me how to cook dope when I was fourteen. I had just started school and he told me if I wanted better clothes that I'd have to work for them. I never did tell momma I was selling drugs that year. It would've broken her heart and she would've kicked me out for sure. But Uncle Benny has me to stop when things almost got too far. Apparently he was in the middle of a war I assumed and didn't want me to be involved or targeted.

Pushing through old doors surprisingly everything looked normal besides old dirty moldings and the ceilings and walls were falling apart. Then I neared towards the basement door. Where everything happened. My heart was practically beating outside my chest. I didn't know what to expect. Did they clean up his blood or just leave it? He had a closed casket because his face was unrecognizable. My mom had to identify him by his figure and his tattoos.

I knew it was him when she came through the door and fell to her knees. I've never seen my mom that way before until then, not even when grandma died. It hurt me seeing her hurt. That's why I'm trying to get myself together, for her and myself.

It seemed as if the basement smells even worse, just from opening the door. I treaded carefully down the stairs remembering how unstable the stairs were. They've always been old and creaky.

There was a weird feeling within the air. It was cold and foggy. There wasn't any electricity so I ripped the newspapers off the small windows.

My eyes landed on the outline of what was obviously his body. And there was a spot next to the shadow of his head. They say his brains had been splattered everywhere and the clean up crew didn't feel the need to clean all of it since the house was supposed to be shut down, in other words destroyed. All of the houses on this block were supposed to be shut down and destroyed. I guess whoever wanted it done changed their mind.

"Damn Unc." I licked my lips and bawled them up to prevent my emotions from clouding what I came here to do, but I just couldn't help myself.

"Why didn't you shoot back? You told me you were untouchable. The man with the steel," I shook my head at his infamous quote. He was the Superman of the family. Came in and saved us from debts. He saved us from threats. He saved me from burying myself deep in that deep hole of void of missing a father. "I miss you man."