Page 69 of Lau Ahi
I asked the question to judge his mental not his honesty. He didn’t need to tell me any of this but he did. Whether it was for him to gain better footing when I took over or to be altruistic I wasn’t sure.
He shrugged not giving a fuck either way. “You don’t have to. I’m good where I am. How many times in these meetings have I spoken up? Tried to push back or give my input on something?”
He was right but I knew better than to give him credit for something that small. “Maybe you don’t really care. Or you’re playing the long game.”
“I don’t care. I appreciate having the protection that being a part of the family provides me but I make shit shake on my own. With or without it. I told you, business is good. We got the restaurants, nightclubs, gentlemen’s clubs—everything that we need. I like being rich but couldn’t give a fuck about being wealthy. That comes with a level of rubbing elbows with muthafuckas I’d rather shoot. I like the level that I’m at and don’t want to be the face of anything. I gotta clean my image up for. My dirt is too public-facing for me to ever want to be in your shoes. I’m happier to look toward what could be and make shit shake on my own. The last few years of our heyday before your people stepped in were nothing but scamming without any long-term investments. Like they knew they were about to lose and wanted to grab whatever they could while they could. That’s where they got fucked up at. They weren’t hungry. Then they got bitter and looked for the easiest target.”
“My mother.”
He sucked his teeth fed up talking to me. “No, nigga! You.”
Now I was cracking a smile. It had to be the long hair that had people thinking I was a bitch because nothing else about me gave easy target.
“Me? Anyone who sees me as an easy target is going to very quickly realize why that’s such a mistake.”
“They might. But that doesn’t mean that they’re not going to try to rain hell down on what you have going on before they try to snatch it from you. The easiest way to do that is to make you look incompetent. They have no blood tie to the shipping business but they might try to muscle over a larger part. Your people gave them a chance to run the east coast operations and they turned it down because they ain’t want to work. Now they’re relying on handouts. How soon before they plot to bite the hand that feeds them?”
Expansion from Hawaii to the mainland was something my great-grandfather had done. From there, Nakoa Shipping Lines had started international travel between Asia and the west coast with stops in Hawaii. That was my grandfather’s expansion. The marriage between my mother and father expanded our operations to the East coast which gave the Franklins the ability to run something and be further integrated into the Nakoa family.
They declined.
They felt as though they were owed because they’d arranged the marriage that brought theConsortiumprotection to the Nakoas and that working for them or with them wasn’t necessary. Instead, they wanted to be paid for it as dividends as though they were investors, although they hadn’t put a dime into the business. For the sake of my parents, my grandfather agreed to the demand hoping my parents’ marriage wouldn’t start out with contention.
It didn’t work.
“You’ve given me something to think about.”
Hakeem only nodded because I was sure that he hadn’t expected to have a history lesson today either. Our family was fractured, within both sides and if we were going to continue tobe successful we had to learn from the mistakes of the people who came before us.
“I’m sure I have. Look, they might hate how things are set up, but I’m good. I travel the world, not on a private jet every time but what I have, I worked for.”
“Technically, your dancers do the most work.” A slight peace offering but the only way I could break the heaviness of the conversation we’d had so far.
He grinned and the pride of his accomplishments shone on his face. “That they do. But I make sure they’re protected, well respected and most of all well-paid. They don’t worry about any bullshit happening and I’m proud of that. I’m not having them sell their souls the way Theo does. That shit bothers me, especially when he tries to recruit my girls with his bullshit.”
I nodded because Hakeem definitely ran a tight ship. He took on the darker side of the entertainment industry, whereas his mother did more with hospitality. She had multiple restaurants throughout D.C. and Baltimore that were extremely popular. The bougie Black girl aesthetic was her brand and it was one that she could deliver without pretense or snobbery. I might not have kept up with my family on a personal level but I did with business. I had no issue with lending my financial support in the way of patronage but I also wanted to ensure that they weren’t going to become a liability by fucking up. Hakeem and Matty were extremely successful on their own, their names synonymous with excellence in hospitality.
“I appreciate that.”
“You’re welcome.”
His arrogance was a sure sign we were related and I had to chuckle at how he didn’t give a damn about offending me this entire time we’d talked. “I never said thank you.”
His glass went back down to the marble bar top and he shrugged as he slid his hands into his pockets. “You didn’t have to. I knew it was implied.”
I fought a smile because he was right, and I appreciated his candor. “Maybe we’re related after all.”
“Maybe we are. You’ve got a lot on your plate right now, Ori—”
“Are you offering to watch my back?”
His laughter boomed in the empty room and I would’ve been offended if I wouldn’t have understood his stance. “Hell the fuck no.”
“Damn, no familial loyalty?”
Hakeem thought for a minute the same joking smile on his face. “Not saying that. But I also know better. If something goes down you’re going to want impartial people to come and help you out. You don’t trust me to be that yet and I get it. Besides, I know even the idea of you needing them to come help you is an insult to you personally.” He gave me a knowing look and I couldn’t lie that I felt more kinship with him knowing that much about me than anything he’d said before.
“Glad you know that.”
