Meeting of the Minds

Meeting of the Minds

When the doorbell rang, Joshua climbed down from the sofa
and raced to the door. Taylor sprinted behind him, scooped him up
in her arms and gave Jai a cautious look. Heʼd spoken to her,
telling her everything that Tim had told him. She listened quietly
but what she wanted to do was tell him what she thought was going
on with Trenace.

After she answered all Marlaʼs questions, she left the police
station feeling more disturbed. She phoned Liza as she drove back
to the office and told her Trenace was officially listed as missing
and that there was an ongoing investigation. She told Liza that she
felt that something bad happened to Trenace. Once she arrived,
she printed a hard copy of the article that Trenace had submitted,
gathered the personal contact information, and dropped everything
off at the police station on her way home from work. That was
three hours ago. Once she arrived at home, Jai told her about
Nate because he wanted her to take the baby into the bedroom
while he, Ryan and Nate talked. He knew there would probably be
a loud argument in their apartment tonight.

Jai stood up from the couch and walked to the front door as
Taylor carried Joshua to their bedroom. He opened the door and
saw Ryan standing there with hands by his side instead of Nate.

“Hey man.” Jai gave Ryan a quick hug.

Ryan returned the hug and patted his brother on his back
quickly and entered the apartment as Jai closed and locked the
door.

“So whatʼs going on?” Ryan asked, removing his leather
jacket. “Does this have anything to do with the phone call that you
made to me the other day?”

Jai nodded, and sat down on the sofa.

“Okay.” Ryan said as he headed toward the kitchen. “Let me
get something to drink and Iʼll be right with you.”
“Be my guest.” Jai sat down. “You have a choice of water,
juice or light beer.” Jai listened to Ryan rummaging in the
refrigerator, finding a light beer. Jai raised an eyebrow as his
brother sat down beside him. “I thought that I would need it.” Ryan
managed a small smile.

“You may, man. You just may.”
“So whatʼs the deal? Whatʼs Nate doing?”
“Selling drugs.”

Ryan looked ahead, focused on nothing in particular. He took
a long swig of his beer and then shook his head slowly.

Jai decided to push on since the news wasnʼt going to get any
better. “Heʼs deep into this Ryan. Itʼs not like heʼs just selling a few
bags of whatever to crackheads. Heʼs a little higher up in the food
chain. Thereʼs someone by the name of Marco Carrera that Nate is
supposed to be working for and this guy is a heavy hitter and he
has a crooked cop trying to bust him. Itʼs just a matter of time
before he winds up in jail or dead.”
“Dead?”
“Thereʼs some kind of drug war heating up where Nate does
his business.”
“And how do you know all of this?”
“One of the partnerʼs at the firm told me. The crooked cop is a
friend of his.”
“And you trust him?”
“Tim has no reason to lie to me.”
“Tim? As in Tim Walsh?” He took another sip of beer and
leaned back into the sofa.
Jai nodded.
“And the crooked cop is his friend?” Ryan asked
disbelievingly.
“Umm hmmm.”
“And you believe him?”
“I met him. Heʼs a real ass. Heʼs got it out for Nate because
he wanted a piece of Nateʼs action and Nate told him ʻno.ʼ”
“So what are we supposed to do?”
“Convince Nate to get out of the business.”

Ryan smirked while shaking his head in disbelief. He took
another sip of his beer and then began to speak.
“You canʼt be serious man. Please tell me youʼre not for real.”
“If dad were alive, he would want us to do this.”

Ryan stood up slowly from the sofa.

“If Dad were alive, Nate wouldnʼt be into this at all.”
“Whatʼs up with that man?” Jai asked. “What do you mean?”
“Nate and Dad were close. Dad would have seen this coming
and he would have nipped it in the bud. He would have made Nate
carry his dumb ass to school and make something of his life.”
“Itʼs that kind of thinking that probably made him turn to that
type of life in the first place.” Jai said with just the slightest hint of
anger in his voice.
“Whatʼs that supposed to mean?”
“Nate wasnʼt the ʻbook-smartʼ type. Calling him a dumb ass
isnʼt going to help the matter any.”
“All Iʼm saying is that weʼre responsible for the choices that we
make. In order to make those choices we have to have the proper
guidance. Dad could influence Nate in a way that Momma never
could.”
“So youʼre saying that Nateʼs being into what heʼs into is Dadʼs
fault; because he wasnʼt here?”
“No, thatʼs not what Iʼm saying. Iʼm saying that if he were
alive, Nate would probably not have chosen the path that heʼs on
right now.”
“I suppose then that he could say the same thing about you.”

Ryan shot him a look of defiance before taking a gulp of beer.

“Being gay and being a thug are two different things! Being gay
isnʼt a choice any more than me having darker skin and brown
eyes.”
“I know Rye.” Jai responded gently. “But some people think
that itʼs about choice. Maybe Nate didnʼt feel as if he had one.
Whatever the reason that heʼs into what heʼs into isnʼt important.
We have to make him let it go.”
“You think heʼs gonna listen to us?”
“Anything is a start. He has to know that we care and that we
have his back. I think that Dad wouldʼve wanted us to do this. Isnʼt
that what being brotherʼs is all about?”
“Itʼs about a lot of things Jai.” Ryan scratched his head
absently. “I donʼt know man. Yeah, Dad wouldʼve wanted us to
unite and pull him out of dealing, but letʼs keep it real, Nateʻs a
grown man just like we are. Heʼs gonna do what he wants to do no
matter what we say.”
“We still have to try.”

For about a minute, the room was completely silent. Jai stared
at Ryan and then looked at the clock on the DVD player.

“Whatʼre you thinking?” Jai asked as Ryan sat down on the
sofa.
“Iʼm thinking about when times were good like when Dad was
alive and when we used to clown on each other.” He looked over
at his brother. “Every now and again, I miss those times.”

Jai nodded sadly.

“Me too.” He murmured. “Remember when he used to give us
money and send us to the Esquire movie theatre on Sundays?”
“Yeah.” Ryan said and managed a small smile. “We saw
Shaft, Cleopatra Jones, Sheba Baby and Coffy.”
“Mom used to get pissed because we were only supposed to
see the matinee and always wound up seeing the main feature.
She was never down for us seeing anything rated ʻRʼ.”
“She still isnʼt.” And then they both chuckled lightly
“Tell me something Jai. How did we drift so far apart?”

Jai looked down at the plush carpeting before rising to his feet,
crossing the room and turning on the stereo. “Weʼre not as far
apart as you may think. If we were, then we wouldnʼt be here now.”
“Nateʼs not here yet though.”
“He will be. My gut tells me that heʼll show. We donʼt break
promises to each other. You want another beer?”
“Sounds good.”
“You know, he came by my office today.” Jai said heading
toward the small kitchen. “He probably already knows that we
know.”
“And whyʼs that?”
“He wants me and Tim to stop talking to Prescott.”
“Who the hell is Prescott?”
“Prescott is the crooked cop.” Jai said returning to the living
room holding two open bottles of beer. “It came out like a threat
but he wants us to stop dealing with Prescott. Heʼs going to have
to explain that one.” He handed Ryan one of the bottles, and then
lifted the other to his lips.

“And what about this drug war that you mentioned earlier?
Whatʼs up with that, Jai?”
“From what I understand, this guy Marco Carrera is supposed
to be a heavy hitter in the trade. I donʼt know how big he is but I
get the impression that heʼs pretty high up. He and some Italian fat
cat are getting ready to go to war but I donʼt know why.”
“Money probably.” Ryan said. “And I think that the term that
youʼre looking for is drug lord.”
“Drug lord?”

Ryan nodded.

“This doesnʼt look good. But I guess we wonʼt know anything
really until we talk to Nate. Heʼs the only one that can tell us who
these people are.” He took a sip of his beer and fondled his finely
contoured beard. “Thatʼs assuming that he will. Donʼt be surprised
if he doesnʼt.”
“And so what is this? Meeting of the minds?” The female
voice asked from across the room.

Jai and Ryan turned their attention to the doorway that led into
Joshuaʼs room. Taylor stood there with her arms folded across her
chest.

“I figured that it was safe since I didnʼt hear any shouting or
furniture being moved.” She entered the room, but not before
Joshua shot around and past her, heading straight for Ryan. Ryan
stood, picked him up and raised Joshua above his head. Joshua
giggled as his uncle lowered him to his face and planted a kiss on
his cheek. “Whatʼs up Lil Man?” He said, and set him down on the
floor.
“Mommy wuz readinʼ a stowy.” He pointed toward Taylor.
“Yeah. Iʼm reading him a story, watching a video of Sponge
Bob and playing a game, in five minutes flat.” Taylor walked over
to Ryan and hugged him. “How are you, Jaiʼs brother?”
“Pretty good….and you, Jaiʼs lover?” He pushed her away
from him, holding her at armʼs length and then reached down and
took her left hand.

It took her a second or two before she realized that he was
looking at her ring finger.

“Sweet.” Ryan said, admiring the ring. “Love the way it
sparkles.” He looked back at Jai. “You got good taste in jewelry
Dawg!”
“You better believe it.” Jai smiled broadly.

The doorbell ringing sounded through the apartment,
momentarily silencing everyone. Ryan shrugged his shoulders and
then started towards the front door.

“Letʼs get this party started.” He said more to himself than
anyone else, not realizing that Joshua was tagging along behind
him.
“Hey Little Man!” Taylor called.

Joshua stopped in his tracks, turned to look at Taylor just as
Ryan opened the front door. Nate stood in the outer hallway; the
outside light glinting from his head as he stepped around Ryan
without saying a word.

“Unca Nate!” Joshua raced to him. Nate picked him up with a
smile, gave him a quick kiss and then put him back down. “Whatʼs
up Shorty?” He sounded as if he were genuinely glad to see him.
“Fine. Mommy wuz readinʼ a stowy ta me.” He turned his face
up to him and smiled.
“Come on Joshua. Back to the room.” Taylor extended her
hand to him as she cut her eyes to Nate. “Hi Nate.”

Nate nodded his head at her just as Joshua took her hand and
they walked back into his bedroom. Taylor closed the door
soundlessly behind her.

For a moment, the three of them just looked at each other
without saying a word. Nate looked down at the floor and then
directly at Jai.
“You think about what I said?” He said with finality.
“You want something to drink?” Jai asked.
“Naw. Look, I just wanted to make sure that you took what I
asked you earlier today to heart.”
“Who is Marco Carrera?” Jai asked from his seat on the sofa.
“And you might as well take off your coat and sit down because this
is going to be a long session.”
“What the fuck is this, some cross examination?” Nate almost
recoiled. “Look, I just came to say what I had to say and then Iʼm
out.”
“No.” Jaiʼs voice came out so calm that Ryan had to look at
him. “No, youʼre not going to bounce. We got some business to
discuss.”
“No business that concerns me.”
“You donʼt think so? Why donʼt you tell me who Prescott is?
And while youʼre at it, you might as well tell me who Carrera is.
And when you do, donʼt stop there; tell me what you do for a living.”
“All you got to know is that you got to leave Prescott alone.
Thatʼs all Iʼve got to say on that, yaʻnoʼ what I mean?” But he had
said the last part of his sentence so quick that it sounded like “nawha-
I-mean”.
“Fuck it!” Ryan interjected. “Nate, are you dealinʼ?”

Nate cut his eyes at him for a second but didnʼt say a word.
Instead, he turned his attention back to Jai. “Jai, leave Prescott the
fuck alone before you get hurt! Iʼm serious!”
“Whoʼs gonna hurt me? Prescott or Carrera?”
“Itʼs not just you weʼre talking about.”
“Are we talking about Tim, Taylor, Joshua, Momma…What?
Whoʼs gonna get hurt and by whom? Because, if you donʼt start
answering some questions, then Iʼm going to go right down to
Prescottʼs office and ask him. Iʼm sure heʼll tell me what I need to
know.”

Nate stood in silence, his hands by his side, but he was
clenching his teeth. Ryan could see his jaw muscles working
overtime.

“Look Nate, weʼre here because we want to let you know that
weʼre family and weʼre here.” Ryan said in a controlled tone.
Nate ignored Ryan completely.
“Heʼs right you know.” Jai said without standing. “If you canʼt
depend on family, then who can you depend on?”

Nate chuckled to himself. Ryan and Jai looked at each other
as his chuckle became a low laugh.
“Did I say something funny?” Jai asked.
“What kind of shit are you trying to hit me with? What are we,
the fuckinʼ Brady Bunch now? You want to play ʻDadʼ now?” He
began to laugh. “Aw shit! Thatʼs fuckinʼ funny!”
“Why donʼt you let us in on the joke?” Jai said, annoyed.
“Look man, just stay away from Prescott. I did what I said that
I was gonna do. I came by here, now I gotta go!”
“So family is funny to you?” Ryan almost demanded. “Blood
donʼt mean anything?”
“You know what, fuck you Ryan! Mind your fuckinʼ business
before I slap you like one of my hoes!”
“If you think you can do it…” Ryan extended his arms to either
side of him. “The only thing between us is air brutha! Take your
best shot!”

Jai leapt up from the sofa and stood between them.

“This is not what weʼre supposed to be doing!” He said
quickly. “And nobody is swinging in my house unless itʼs me! Do
both of you understand that!”
“Hey, you know, fuck you too Jai!” Nateʼs voice began to rise
with anger. “You want to sit here and play big brother when you
havenʼt played that role in over ten fuckinʼ years! Fuck you and that
little bitch over there!”

Ryan took two steps towards Nate who didnʼt move an inch.
Jai blocked him, staring him in the face. “We arenʼt doing this
today!” Jai said low and evenly and then turned to Nate. “I donʼt
know what your problem is man. Most folks would really appreciate
having someone have their back and here you have your family
telling you to your face that theyʼre gonna be there for you no
matter what!”
“No! What youʼre trying to do is get in my business! What you
forget is that Daddy is dead! And when he died, so did your role as
a brother! Donʼt talk to me about family! Where the fuck were you
when all the shit was going on around me!”
“What the hell are you talkinʼ about?” Now it was Jaiʼs turn to
get pissed.
“You were never there! Never! You were always too fuckinʼ
busy! You didnʼt give two shits about family then…so donʼt start
talkinʼ this family bullshit now!” He whirled on Ryan. “And you,
suckinʼ dick and tellinʼ everybody like you proud of that shit!! Like
itʼs normal! Well fuck both yaʼll!” He turned to walk towards the
front door.

Jai grabbed him by the elbow. “Just like that! You want to
walk out, just say what you want and thatʼs the end of it? What
about you?”
“What about me?!”
“Maybe we make mistakes but, it isnʼt like weʼre the only ones
that made them! You make them too! We all do!”
“Yeah? Well, I ainʼt makinʼ no mistake now! Get the fuck off
me and do as I told you!”
“You know, I always thought that you were an asshole!” Ryan
said as Nate whipped the door open. “This just confirms it!”

Nate snatched his arm away from Jai and stormed from the
apartment. Ryan and Jai looked at each other and took a moment
to cool down. Jai closed the apartment door slowly.

“That went well.” Ryan said, as he crossed the room to seat
himself on the sofa.