Page 19 of Contract With A G
“Wait a minute, so is she dealing with Grandpops because of you?”
“Yeah nigga, and before you say it, his ass can’t die from aids because the cancer in him will kill him way before then.”
Caine shook his head and sat back in the chair.
“Nigga do you have any morals?”
“Some, but not when it comes to money.”
He shook his head, resting his back against the chair.
“You holding on to that grudge against grandpops too long, Duke. He didn’t call you a failure at the family reunion, he said you move like one. There is a difference.”
“No grudge, I just fuck with people how they fuck with me, and we all know how this nigga feels.” I shrugged and walked over to the pantry to see what the fuck I had in here to eat.
I grabbed a couple bags of Doritos from the bottom shelf and leaned against the counter after crunching one bag in my hand before opening it and dumping it into my mouth. This shit was about to be breakfast and lunch for me, because I rarely sat down and had a good meal.
“Eating Doritos, and I bet your ass hasn’t even eaten a decent breakfast yet.” Caine shook his head.
“And I bet yo ass ate some matcha toast or some shit with your fake bougie bitch, huh.”
“Why does she have to be a bitch, Duke? When are you going to start respecting females?”
“Shid, when they start respecting themselves.”
“A lot of them do, you just choose to deal with the ones who don’t.”
“Oh, so what I need, baby bro? A stuck up, Hillary banks ass bitch like your woman, Kharti?”
My brother adjusted himself in his chair because he hated a nigga bringing up Kharti. He knew that I knew shit about him that would make Kharti run in the opposite direction of his ass.
“Duke, I just want you to give a fuck about something one day besides revenge, pussy, and money. Pops always said I was the smart one, but he often credited you for being the strong one. You have Mirical, and she needs a solid foundation. When she wakes up, show her that her daddy has changed for the better. That’s all I’m saying.” He threw his hands in the air.
“Yeah, I hear you, little nigga. I always do.”
“Well listen to me one day. Better yet, get like me.” He chuckled because he knew that shit was comical.
“But I’m about to roll. I got some shit to handle at the funeral home for Pops.”
“Alright, go handle business, President Obama.”
Caine got up from his seat and dapped me up before he left out of the back door.
Sometimes I wanted to show that nigga that Duke Essex can be a family man and not just a single father kind with a crack head baby mama who he can’t stand. Then I remembered I don't give a fuck what anyone thinks. I move how I want to move and no amount of money changing who I am.
I'm not chasing wealth like him, I'm chasing my damn self.
Chapter 7
Caine
The next day
When I walked into Essex’s Chicken the smell of my grandmother’s secret recipe hit my nose, bringing back the same familiar feeling it always did. I looked around the restaurant, admiring the chicken mascot on the posters and uniforms. It was the same drawing of the chicken wearing a red jersey and red and white shoes that my mama had created. Back then, I never imagined that a playful drawing by her would become something so important to our family business.
I walked to the counter and stood in line like any other customer, waiting patiently until I finally made it to the front. Jackie, the manager, looked up at me and smiled.
“Caine, why do you always wait in line here like you can’t just walk back here and get whatever you want? I mean, your brother Duke does it all the time.”
