I set my beautiful sleeping baby in her crib and went into the unpacked kitchen. I turned on the TV as I began to make me a ham sandwich. "Good evening, this is abc 7 news with the lastest update, I'm Shirley owen your host, we have some breaking news from Saturday shooting, 27 year old, damien moore is wanted for a shooting of 40 year old, derek Montegomery, he was shot multiple times in the chest, ending in the victim passing away. the case is still under investigation, if anyone has any information on Damien Moore where abouts please contact your local authorities, he was last seen in a 97 chevy black truck on broadway, if anyone has any information contact your local authorities as the number provided below, on to your Mikey." the news said. I called my sister to see if she just heard what i did. "hello." candice said "girl, did you hear the news?" I asked "no why, what they said?"she asked shopping for grocery's in the supermarket. "Girl, they looking for damien, he must of skipped out of town somewhere." I said "what, they still didn't get that nigga, girl and we all told him who he was, you heard anything on mark?" she asked "these cops don't care, they let the criminals out and the ones who don't do shit in, and no I haven't talked to him yet, ain't he suppose to get one call or something?" I asked " yeah at lunch time, he'll probably call you and ask you to click me in or something." she said smelling if the fresh fruit was good. "Probably, anyways what you doing?" I asked "Nuttin, making grocery's, you know your nephew eat up the dam house." she said "ma, how you gonna just do me like that mane." jay said in the background "boy hush, don't you see me on the phone." candice said "but you talking about me tho ." he said "boy if don't hush your little smart ass mouth, don't make me whoop your ass up in here, thinking you grown and shit, go grab the milk and eggs, shit." candice said "he getting to smart." I said laughing "girl is he, he ain't nothing but 14, and acting like a grown ass man, his daddy barely even come around to even see how his mouth be disrespectful, that's why that nigga on child support." candice said "okaaay, hm, these men I tell you." I said "But you good though, you got a good baby daddy and soon to be husband, when y'all gonna start planning." she asked "when all this craziness dies down and you know derek funeral is in a few days." I said getting depressed thinking about it. "hopefully we can get mark out before then or get them to let him see derek." she said "yeah, well imma talk to you later, your niece just woke up." I said "ok girl, give my niecey poo some loving for me." she said "I will nanny, bye girl." I said "bye"she said and hung up the phone. I gently picked natalia up and sooth her back. "whats all that fussing about huh, you hungry, let's go get something in that belly, yeah." I said walking with her in my arms to the fridge. "hey bae...hey daddy baby, yeah, u smiling." marcus said. walking through the door."hey how was your first day at work." I asked Marcus opened up his own business in computers and tech. "it was good, things gonna get betta for us." "I hope so." I said Wednesday, the evening of my brothers funeral. I spent the whole night awake watching my babygirl sleep. I cried most the night, marcus was tired from work asleep. The worst day of my entire life. As if losing my mother of the hands of my father wasn't enough. losing my adopted parents and grandmaw was just getting worser. losing him was the last of my soul, it killed me. I felt so dead and lost inside. at the funeral, I just staired at my brother lying in the casket, he looked so peaceful as he was sleeping. only he wasn't waking up. "hey baby, how you doing, you alright, how that baby doing sugar." auntie lane said "I'm okay, she good, just wish he could of seen natalia." I said placing my hand on his arm. "he sees baby, he watching y'all right now, he know how you feeling and he watching over that baby, he want you to be happy and move on with your life, ain't you finna get married, you should be worried about a wedding dresses not old Derek, hm he probably drinking all the beer he can have dancing his little heart out." she said "thank you auntie." I said sharing a laugh with Auntie lane, she sure knew how to put a smile on someone's face while your down. derek was a big dancer, and loved his beer. he was the life of the party. Derek was the class clown that made everybody laugh. "alright, you take it easy sugar plum." she said the service began and Mark got up on the stage wearing is orange suit in chains. "I um....excuse me....I wrote this letter to you brother, so I hope you looking down and listening. I know life was never easy, the streets was all we knew to get it quick. hot boys inside these walls. just keep living bro, tell mom and dad and maw maw we doing okay, we love them, missing all y'all. don't you worry about down here, I got them, imma protect them, you have my word. you gone too soon but I know God had bigger plans for you, he probably got you djin in that motherfucka." he said sharing a laugh. "Mark!" my auntie shouted "sorry auntie, see D, auntie getting on me already, you ain't been gone that long, but anyways I love you brother, never forgotten, rest in peace, till we meet again homie."mark said walking off the stage. as we arrived at the grave yard and said our last goodbyes, my aunt started to sing eyes on the sparrow. we each put a white rose across his casket and held each other as we shared tears. the casket was slowly going deep down in the ground. I felt like everything was my fault. I could of stopped it from the night damien had came over and infected me with this heartache. none of this would of happened, the cost of my brothers life wasn't worth it. I held my babygirl close as she was clueless as day on to why everyone was so sad. "I got y'all, okay, imma protect y'all till my last breath,imma make sure jay and natalia make it out this shit, I promise." mark said to me and candice. we all gathered at mark house whille my auntie lane cooked for us. Mark was still at the graveyard. "hey man, you been gone 4 days and you got a nigga in his feelings, I miss you young blood, me and nate gonna kill that fool I promise you, jay gonna live through you, nigga already talk like you and everything, best believe imma watch out for natalia and our sisters, but imma not gonna kept you, I know you doing your thing up there, you know how us Montgomery's do it, got a year in the cage, say a prayer for me, love u mane, peace." mark said walking off into the police car. he had to serve one year in prison. marcus walked into the door, back from the store getting wine for us ladies and everyone was sitting in the living room while auntie finish up with the nice dinner. she had baked mac n cheese, fried chicken, corn bread, black eye peas, and peach cobbler. "there's my little boo, come here." natalia started to smile and make bubbles in my arms. "yeah that's daddy baby, say what smelling so good." marcus asked while holding natalia. "Go see, she should be about done." I said "I hope because I'm hungry, I can eat all y'all plates." candice said "Dam, is you a female mama." jay said "Boy I should slap the stupid out your ass, you the one to talk, eating every got dam thing in the house." candice said "mane mama I was just joking, chill mama." jay said laughing along with Marcus and me. "yeah that's what I thought, and what y'all laughing at, don't encourage him, amayla you better get your nephew, before I catch a charge." candice said " that's your son, ain't that right Natalia." marcus said "tell him no baby." I said "y'all come eat." auntie lane said "ooooooweeeee smell good like a motherfucka, oh sorry nay nay, don't repeat me when you get older."marcus said "you better not teach my baby curse words" I said grabing her. "mane I'm not gonna teach her that." marcus said "close y'all eyes and bow y'all heads." auntie lane said "father God we thank you for this food and for the one who made it for us, please shower us with your love and healing over this family and keep my nephew derek safe up there, let him know we love him and miss him dearly and we gonna live through him, in the name of Jesus amen."Auntie lane said. the food was so mouth watering, I think I ate a whole cow. I was stuffed like a teddy bear stuffed with cotton. we shared a few laughs and memories of my brother derek. "yo remember when D got his ass suspend trying to fuck alicia in the bathroom. "candice said "yeah if it wasn't for Kaylee walking up in there, derek would been a baby daddy." I said "Kaylee was a snitch anyway." candice said "man maw Pattie woop that ass tho, had him dancing in the house, he ain't never touch a girl till he got out of school." candice said as we all laughed. "y'all was something else growing up, but this little one right here, he bad." auntie lane said pointing at jay. "mane why you gotta pick on me tete. " jay said "don't act like you stupid boy, I'm may be old but I ain't stupid, disrespecting your momma, don't make me woop that ass." auntie lane said "mane, it ain't even like that, I'm good auntie." jay said "boy don't lie, tell the the truth." candice said "ok." jay mumbled "what I couldn't hear you, what you said little boy." auntie lane said "yeah" he said "yeah what." candice said sounding strict in her tone. " yes ma'am." jay said "boy you better act right, you in the kitchen full of women who capable of slapping you on the side of your head with a frying pan, you better stop playing boy." marcus said "yes sir" jay said. as we all are full, we said our good byes and marcus and I headed home with babygirl. 4 bed and 3 bath house, my brothers sure knew how to make a girl feel loved. I'm gonna tell natalia all about my brother derek. tell her how much of a goof ball he was, and how much he loved her before she was even born. he made a locket for her that I didnt know about, until we was notified about his will. in the locket was a picture of him, me and candice and mark, we was all standing together posing at a bbq family gathering. how I miss those sweet memories. (continuing)
© without a test, you can't have a testimony.