Grime Diary: The American Interpretation

guys, but he didn’t do shit.”

  “So then how’d he know that someone robbed me?”

  “Cause people talk. You think someone is gonna rob you and keep quiet. They’re feelin’ like they robbed the queen. They’re gonna speak about it. Stories fly more than birds around here.”

  BP looked back at his boy then tried to punch T in the face, but T was quicker than BP. He ducked and BP lost his balance. His buddy helped him up. BP was embarrassed. Inside of trying again they walked away without another word.

  “Is it over then?”

  “I don’t know. You could think it’s over and then you’re in the wrong place at the wrong time and bam it’s on again. It’s just better to be prepared around here.”

  I chuckled. “And I wanted to come back here.”

  T laughed, “Don’t come unless you’re invited.”

  I nodded my head. I wasn’t sure if he was joking or being serious. Either way he could come take me back here whenever.

  We came to street with small houses on both sides. They were each made of brick. Each house had a white door unless the owner decided to paint it. There was one window either on the right or left side of the front door. I followed Name down the right side to a house with no lights on. It was hard to tell houses apart in his neighborhood, but he lived there, so he knew with his eyes closed.

  He pushed the door open and immediately there was yelling from another room. I could hear his mother yelling his name.

  There was a small living area with a couch and a large lounge chair on the right side of the room. To the left side was an old piano. Across the hall from that was an open door to a bathroom. Then a hallway leading down from the bathroom. Straight in front of us was a small circle dining room table with a sliding door to the backyard. Before the dining room was a cut in the right side of the wall to the kitchen.

  There wasn’t much in the house. A few family pictures and small plants by the piano was all they had to decorate the place.

  T walked into the kitchen and hugged his mother who was standing there putting away dinner. His mother turned around with a hearty laugh she hugged him. I could see that she was a woman that found happiness in small things.

  His mother had a wrap around her head. She wore a black house coat and slippers. Her face was bright when she smiled, but from the wrinkles and dark circles around her eyes I could tell that she was a woman with a lot of stress.

  “Did you eat? How was work?” His mother asked.

  “Look who’s excited now,” He teased. “I ate and work was a bore.”

  “Oh.” She frowned.

  “It’s always a bore you know that.”

  “I just… I just wish that you could be doing what you want to do.”

  He gave a halfhearted smile. “Do you know how many moms say that every day?”

  “At least your mother knows you’ll be doing it one day.” She kissed him on the cheek and went back to packing the food away.

  “Yeah, okay.”

  He walked out of the kitchen and down the hall to door that was cracked open. As soon as we were both inside he closed it.

  The room was dark expect for a light that came from a computer screen. There was a boy sitting in front of the screen. I assumed this was Chris. He whipped his chair around as soon as we entered.

  Everything about him was the same expect for his age. Chris was an exact copy of T.

  Chris didn’t knowledge me as I stood next to T

  “What are you doing? You staying out of trouble?” T asked Chris.

  “Yeah, yeah. I’ve been playing computer games.” Chris told.

  “Good. Where’s dad?”

  “He’s out. Should be back soon though.”

  T nodded his head. He didn’t seem bothered that his father had wanted him home, but wasn’t there when he arrived. “What kind of mood’s he in?”

  “It’s Tuesday, middle of the week, so he’s pissed off,” Chris smirked. “Should have come to see him on Friday when works over.”

  “Uh, I’m just trying to make a bigger effort with him.”

  The front door slammed shut and it seemed to rattle the whole house. They both went silent as they waited to hear their father’s voice.

  “Where’s my boy?” His father yelled.

  “In his room!” his mother answered back.

  “No, my other boy. Is he home?”

  “In the same room as his brother.”

  Chris put his headset back on and went back to his game. T opened the door and peeked into the hallway. Before I could get a look his father barked a hello with a husky laugh.

  T stepped into the hallway and I stood in the doorway of Chris’ room. T and his father had a small hug. His father tapped his shoulders and looked him over.

  “How’s work?”

  “It’s work, it pays,” T said. “You?”

  “It’s work and it pays,” His father smiled. “How much money ya get?”

  “Enough.”

  His father was getting sterner. “You aren’t going around spending it on every little thing you see?”

  “Does it look like I buy anything?”

  “Well, I don’t want you spending any more unnecessary money. You need to save it for your future. Maybe you’ll be able to go to school.”

  “Not this again. How many times have we tried this? I’ll never have enough money or patience for university. We fight about this every month. It never changes and I don’t want to fight with you for weeks.”

  “It’s not the same this time. I don’t want to argue. I want to tell you what’s going to happen.”

  T folded his arms across his chest. T and school had never gotten along. He barely passed his courses and everything he enjoyed didn’t have a simple course. Music he loved, but there was too much fluff and not enough practice. In English he loved learning words, structure and poetry, but there’s was so much more in English that he didn’t enjoy. His parents knew he could do well in school if he focused more. T focused enough to pass and get out of that place, but for Chris it was different. T drilled Chris when it came to school. He wanted Chris to be smart. T had it in his mind that Chris would have a job with something in science. Science was hard, but it paid.

  “Your mother wants to move somewhere on the east coast.”

  “On the east coast of what?”

  “East coast of America. She’s thinking closer to DC with her friends or New York City. Once you get there you never know what kind of opportunities you will have. I want you to be able to have some money to do things with. Maybe there you can actually do your music program.”

  T tried to hide his grin. “This isn’t going to be like all the Christmas gifts you got me. This is actually going to happen? I don’t want to get my hopes up.”

  “We wouldn’t be telling you unless we were sure about this move.”

  T hugged his dad. “You really believe that I can do something with my music there? You hate my music so much.”

  “I don’t hate your music,” He paused. “It’s just that I see those kids who’ve given up all their money to invest in equipment, but they’ll never get a deal. You’re good son, but I don’t know how good. But we’ll be in the big cities. You’ll find out soon enough.”

  T seeing his father tear up hugged him again.

  “I’ve always wanted you to have a smart head on your shoulders. I want you to know that I love you and what you do, but sometimes to live we’ve got to put up with certain things.”

  “I know dad. I just can’t believe that you actually like my music. I’ve only wanted you to understand.”

  His father whipped his eyes. “I know and we’ll be able to discuss it more now with opportunities. But I know you’ve got to go out with your friend, so get out!”

  T turned around and went back his brother’s room. Chris was now listening to music and writing on a notebook.

  “Chris,” T barged in. “When did you get yourself a notebook?”

  “Ever since I found o
ut we were moving I started writing like you.” Chris said proudly.

  T nodded his head. “Well, let me see what you’ve got.”

  Chris handed T his notebook. T flipped through the small amount of pages that Chris had written on. T was proud of his brother, but he wasn’t going overboard.

  “Needs a little brushing up, but you’re getting there bruva.”

  Chris smiled, “Thanks.”

  “Welcome, but you keep on those books too. I want you to be the smartest rapper when you get to your new school.”

  “I will.” He sighed.

  “Good.”

  We walked out of Chris’ room into the hallway. T yelled to his father bye and then walked to the kitchen kissed his mom and we were out the front door. I waited until we were out of the neighborhood before I started talking.

  “You seem a little lighter with your family.”

  “Cause I know my family. I know they won’t kill me. I don’t have to have my guard up there.”

  “What about your dad?”

  “Usually with him it’s like I’m worthless not using my head or my head is in the wrong place.”

  “But now he’s supporting you?”

  “Yeah.”

  “You don’t seem as happy as you were before.”

  “I am. I just know that now my dad is gonna be all over my music like he is about his favorite soccer team. You’d think he was on the team the way he talks about them.”

  I chuckled. “At least he’s interested.”

  “Yeah, yeah.”

  T was happy, but he didn’t want to show it. His family wasn’t the worst for his neighborhood. There were people with way worse like Nina who barely had any. He never talked about his family much to anyone because a lot of people had it worse. Most of the time there were small things that exploded into big things with his