“Not trying to be mean, Devon. I’m just trying to help.”
Devon sat up. “I want to be you.”
“You can’t be me. I’m already taken. You can be yourself, though.”
“But you’ve got swag.”
“Yes, I do, because I’m from Detroit, and it’s in the water. Not sure what’s in the water in Mississippi, but you’re a July, and all the Julys have swag. You’ll get yours.”
“You think so?”
“Have I ever lied to you?”
“No.”
“You’ll get your swag, promise.”
“Okay. Thanks, Amari.”
“You’re welcome. I’ll see you in the morning. And think about what I said, okay?”
He nodded. “I will.”
Amari walked out, and there stood their dad. He froze.
“I heard what you told him.”
Amari wondered if he was in trouble. “I wasn’t trying to hurt his feelings. I—”
“You did fine, Amari.”
He exhaled.
“I never had a big brother growing up. Devon’s lucky to have you in his life.”
“Just trying to help.”
“Awesome job. See you in the morning.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
Trent stuck his head in Devon’s door. “You good in here, son?”
“Yes. Do all Julys have swag?”
He paused. “I think we do. The OG and your brother certainly do.”
“Tamar’s got swag. Even if she did make me work at the ceremony.”
“She definitely has swag.”
“Do you think I’ll get some too?”
“Yep.”
“Amari thinks I should man up and apologize to Zoey.”
“Do you think he’s right?”
He nodded. “I do. Amari said if she doesn’t accept my apology, then it’s on her. Everybody will know I tried.”
“Your brother’s right, but you have to be sincere about it. You can’t just say the words and not mean it.”
That seemed to throw him. “Oh.”
“And falling back on Bible verses might not be the way to go about it, either. They have to be your words from your heart, Dev.”
“Okay.”
“I saw you rolling your eyes at Bobby.”
“I don’t like his tattoos.”
“You said that, and I said I don’t think your opinion matters to him, Devon.”
He hung his head.
Trent gave him a fond smile. “See you in the morning. Get some sleep.”
At school the next day, the weather was again too cold for the students of the Marie Jefferson Academy to take lunch outside, so they gathered in one of the vacant rooms, which Mr. James designated as the lunchroom. Devon spent all morning trying to work up the courage to approach Zoey and apologize, but the right moment never seemed to materialize. As he opened his lunchbox, he saw Amari giving him the eye, as if encouraging him to get it together. So when Zoey and the new boys, Wyatt and Alfonso, took seats at his table, Devon looked up and said sincerely, “Zoey, I’m sorry for being such a butthead.”
She stopped, and everyone else did, too.
Devon didn’t like the scrutiny, but he plunged ahead. “I really want us to be friends again. If you don’t want to, that’s okay, but I’m really, really sorry.”
To his surprise, her lips curled up into a smile. “No more dumb stuff?”
“None.”
“Promise and hope to die?”
“Promise and hope to die.”
She extended her pinkie. “Pinkie swear, Devon.”
They locked pinkies, and Devon felt happiness warm his insides.
Zoey said, “I’m glad we’re friends again. I want to form a band. Are you in, Devon?”
“I’m in!”
Elated, he glanced over at Amari, who shot him a big smile and a thumbs-up.
After lunch, on the way back to the room, Amari and Brain were debating whether the Chiefs would win or lose Sunday’s game against the Jets when Zoey came over. “Can I get some help after school from you two?”
“With what?”
“I’m putting a band together, and I need somebody to help with the sound and stuff.”
Amari looked at Brain, who shrugged. “Sure. Who’s in the band?”
“So far just me, Devon, and a boy named Reed from Franklin who plays the sax. I had Mr. James put a notice on our school FB page last week. I’m hoping some other kids will show up. Today’s the auditions.”
“How long will you need us?”
“Until five o clock. My mom said she’d give us a ride home.”
“Okay.”
“What kind of band is this going to be?” asked Brain.
“Hopefully a hard rock band like my bio dad Conor plays in.”
Zoey left them to go back to her seat, and Amari shook his head. He couldn’t wait to see how this band idea turned out. In the meantime, he sent their mom and dad a text to let them know he and Devon would be late getting home, and why. He went back into the classroom and looked over at Kyra. She smiled shyly and lowered her eyes back to her book. He sighed, wishing he knew what to do.
“So what kind of band do you think this is going to be?” Trent asked Lily as they sat together, waiting for the boys to get home after school.
She shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine.”
“Amari’s text said both he and Devon were staying after. Do you think Devon and Zoey have finally made up?”
Before she could answer, the boys arrived.
“How’d the auditions go?” Trent asked.
Amari shook his head as he undid the buttons on his coat. “They’re a long way from Coachella.”
“We had fun,” Devon countered as he dropped his backpack on a chair and removed his coat, too.
“So are you in the band, too, Devon?”
“Yes. I apologized at school, and Zoey said she wanted to be friends again.”
“That’s great.”
“She said she was going to form a band like the one her bio dad Conor is in. And she asked me if I wanted to join,” he crowed, grinning. “I’m going to be the singer. Thanks for helping me with the apology and stuff, Dad.”
“You’re welcome, but your brother is the one you should be thanking.”
Devon looked over at Amari. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
“So life is good again?” Trent asked.
“I hope so.”
“Your mom and I are proud of you, Dev.”
“Me, too,” he said.
Lily smiled. “So tell us about the audition.”
Amari shook his head. “Zoey is still learning to play lead guitar, which meant she was awful.”
Devon shot him a censuring look, to which Amari responded, “She was, and you know it. The kid playing the sax was okay. One kid from Franklin tried to take over and tell everybody what to do, so of course, Zoey wanted to fight.”
“He was a big kid, too,” Devon added.
Amari said, “Zoey didn’t care. Told him if he didn’t get out of her face, she’d stick her guitar where the sun don’t shine.”
Trent held on to his smile, barely, while Lily covered her laugh with a cough before asking, “Isn’t she supposed to be taking anger management classes with Reverend Paula?”
“Yeah, but she’s going to get an F. Brain and I should’ve had on referee shirts. It was a mess.”
Devon said, “I want some rocker clothes.”
Both parents paused and shared a speaking look.
Trent asked warily, “What kind of rocker clothes? Leather?”
“No. Something fresh and off the chain.”
They all stared.
Devon explained, “Since I’m going to be the lead singer, I need to wear something with swag.”
Trent wondered who this kid was and what he’d done with the Devon who’d left the house that morning. “Swag,” he echoed, doubtfully.
“Yeah. Amari said I had to find my own, so I think I know how now.”
“Don’t put this on me,” Amari warned.
Lily asked, “Where do you propose to get these swag clothes?”
“Amazon. They have everything on Amazon. Will you help me look after I get my homework done? I’ll pay for the things out of my gold-coin money.”
Trent and Lily shared another look. In truth, the boy had his parents by the short hairs. He wouldn’t be cruising the net unsupervised, and he did have the money in his bank account. There was nothing about the plan they could honestly say no to. So Lily said, “Sure, honey. Let me know when you’re ready to go shopping, and I’ll come up and help.”
He grinned and did a fist pump.
Amari rolled his eyes.
Trent wondered why he had a sinking feeling in his gut, but he was pleased with Zoey for accepting Devon’s apology, and he made a mental note to let Reg and Roni know. She could’ve easily slapped the olive branch out of his hands and told him to kick rocks. That she hadn’t was an indication of Miss Miami’s solid gold heart. Maybe now Devon wouldn’t have to suffer any more black eyes from her solid right hand.
CHAPTER
11
Bobby walked into the Dog that evening without knowing what to expect. He’d been invited by Trent to the monthly meeting of a group called Dads Inc. He really had no interest in attending and wanted to blow it off, but felt he owed Trent for being so cool with him all week. He had the rest of the month to come up with an excuse as to why he wouldn’t be able to make the next meeting.
The diner’s atmosphere was much more subdued now than during the day. There were only a few people inside and jazz was playing on the box. Bobby kind of liked the old-school tunes Malachi played during lunch, but he wondered if they ever played any Jay Z, T.I., or Pharrell—and not that sappy “Happy!” Although he admittedly felt better able to relate to the lyrics now than when he had been down in Dallas. He was starting to understand what true happiness was all about.
He spotted Trent and the men in a back booth. As he sat, Trent said, “Bobby, I think you know everybody here.”
“I do.” He nodded at Luis Acosta, who was sipping on a longneck. Luis nodded back.
“You want a beer?” Barrett asked.
“No. I’ll take a Coke, though.”
Mal raised his Pepsi on ice. “Man after my own heart. I’ll get you one.”
Bobby had no idea what Mal meant by that, but figured he’d find out sooner or later. He was finding that everybody in town was more complex than they appeared on the surface, and that was taking some getting used to, too. Back home, what you saw was who people were. There were very few subtleties.
Mal returned and set a cold can of Coke and a glass of ice in front of him.
“Thanks.”
“I saw your look,” Mal said. “I’m a recovering alcoholic. Only soft drinks for me.”
Bobby was once again blown away.
“Been sober for a while now, though.”
“And we’re all real proud of him,” Trent added.
Bobby didn’t know what to say.
Mal saluted his son, and Trent acknowledged him before saying, “This meeting of Dads Inc. is now open. What’s everybody got going on?”
Bobby settled in and listened.
Trent began by telling Reggie how pleased he was with Zoey for accepting Devon’s apology.
“She told me,” Reggie replied. “I think it’s great, too.”
Mal cracked, “Maybe now she can concentrate on something else besides kicking his little silly behind.”
Trent gave Bobby the backstory.
Bobby was surprised. “Itty-bitty Zoey?”
“The Henry Adams heavyweight champion of the world,” Jack pointed out. “Miss Miami does not play.”
Bobby chuckled and wished he’d been around to see that.
“And Bobby,” Trent added, “Devon and I had a talk about his rudeness to you. If it happens again, let me and Lily know.”
“Will do, but he’s just a kid.”
“True, but he’s a kid we’re trying to raise right, and respecting others is a big part of that.”
Bobby nodded.
Barrett shared how pleased his son Brain was to be reconnected with his birth mother, which led Trent to talk about his own reconnection.
“So when’s she coming?” Gary asked.
“A few days after Christmas, and she’s staying until the day after New Year’s. She thought it might be nice to start the new year off together, and I did, too.”
“That’s great,” Luis said, and added, “Thanks for the invitation tonight. Never been to anything like this before.”
Barrett explained, “We formed it after deciding we needed man time to survive all these forces of nature we’re married to.”
Jack tossed in, “Also gives us an excuse to knock back a few beers,” and everyone laughed.
Bobby felt awkward, but realized the gathering was no different from being with the members of his gang when they got together to shoot the shit. They inevitably wound up talking about their girls too, and how they were stressing the guys over whatever it might be, and who was beefing with who, and who they needed to take care of on the street after being dissed in some way, real or imagined. Of course there were no blunts being passed here, and no hard bass thumping on the box, but that was okay.
“So, Bob, are your kids’ shots up to date?” Reggie asked him.
The question caught him off guard, but he knew the answer. “Yes. Making sure stuff like that is good is one of the things Kiki and I keep on top of.”
“Great. When you get a free minute, bring them by the clinic. It’s over in the school. I’d like to get their information and give them a quick checkup.”
“Will do.”
“Reggie, how are you and Roni doing?” Mal asked.
“Okay. Not back to where we were before I lost my damn mind, but we’re slowly working our way. She and Cass are hunkered down in the studio, working on that tribute CD. Keeping my angst over missing her to myself.”
Bobby wondered what that was about. Maybe he needed to be taking notes, so he could question Crystal later, especially if whatever the doc was referring to was common knowledge.
Jack said, “So you’ll all know, Rocky and I are talking about moving in together after Eli goes off to school next fall. Not sure how I feel about living in sin.” That drew a few laughs.
“I’d rather marry her, but you know Rock. I’m doing good just being with her.”
“You got that right,” Mal said, smiling.
“I’ll keep you posted,” Jack promised.
Bobby was once again surprised. Jack and Rocky?
Barrett turned his way. “So, Bob. You and Kelly thinking about tying the knot?”
That caught him off guard too, and this time he had no answer.
“How long have you two been together?” Luis asked.
“Middle school.”
“Long time. I met my late wife in middle school, too.”
“How long has she been gone?” Gary asked quietly.
“Be five years in February.”
The men softly offered condolences.
“Thanks. Still miss her like crazy.” He stared at the label of his beer. “She was my Aztec goddess. God, she was beautiful. Lost her in a fire at our home. The gods are cruel, my friends. Cruel.” He took a small sip and set the bottle down. “Can you imagine answering an alarm in the middle of the night and realizing it’s at your own place? When I jumped
off the engine, the house was fully engulfed. Anna had the kids outside, but she said Lissa went back in to get the family cat. The place was so hot the windows were exploding, the roof was caving in, my men were holding me back, and I was screaming her name like my heart was being ripped out of my chest, because it was. We found her the next morning.”
“So sorry,” Mal whispered.
“Thanks. Of course the cat comes strolling up later. It had gotten out on its own. I almost took my ax to it, but Lissa was a surgical nurse, a person who saved lives. To her its life had value.” He used the tip of his finger to slowly trace a circle in the condensation on the table from his beer. “Gave the damn thing to the humane society. The kids cried and begged me to change my mind. Had I waited a few more days, I might have agreed with them, but the pain was too raw. I couldn’t stand the sight of it.” He looked into the solemn faces surrounding him. “Is this what this group is for?”
A few of them nodded.
“Good. Damn glad to be here.” He raised his beer.
The dads returned the salute. Bobby was so moved, all he could think was Wow.
Later that night, as he lay in bed beside the lightly snoring Kiki, Bobby replayed the meeting in his head. He’d never seen a man reveal himself the way Luis Acosta had, and the most shocking part was the aftermath. He hadn’t been belittled, sneered at and called a bitch, or subjected to ridicule. Nobody he knew in Dallas would have opened up that way. It just wasn’t done. Life on the streets was a dog-eat-dog, survival-of-the-fittest kind of existence. Although he was no longer in it, he still tended to live by those rules. Tonight had given him yet another experience to take in and weigh as it related to this new life.
He also hadn’t answered the colonel’s question about when he planned to marry Kiki. He glanced her way for a moment, and then back up at the ceiling. There was a lot to think about.
The next morning, Trent and his family were at the table, having breakfast. He noted how happy and relaxed Devon seemed and attributed that to him having Zoey as a friend again and from ordering his swag clothes. Lily refused to reveal what the clothes looked like. Devon wouldn’t be allowed to wear them until he performed, she said, and she wanted Trent to be surprised. Frankly, that scared him to death.
“So how are the Acosta kids doing in school, Amari?” he asked.