Since getting out the hospital Noah pretty much refused to come out his room, he'd get up early so he didn't have to talk to us and when he got home from school, he would go straight down to his room and pretend to be sleep whenever we'd try to talk to him. Khalil thought we should give him some space, but I couldn't...... I knew why Khalil wanted to stay away from Noah because every time he looked at Noah he said he wanted to go find the other three dudes who jumped him and beat their asses, since two of them had been arrested already. Then there was Michelle....... she got down here the day after Noah got jumped and she has been trying her hardest to get us to let Noah come stay with her for his last three years of high school. I had a lot of love for Michelle and we normally got along but this was the first time we really argued, regardless of what she thought this was still the best place for Noah and I had no problem letting her no that numerous times, so for the sixth day in a row Michelle was at the house and we were having the same argument.
"Look at everything that has happened in the last year, from Khalil's heart attacks to this I'm just saying Marcus maybe Noah needs to come stay with me for a couple years. I want MY SON to have a normal high school experience and I don't feel he can get that down here." Michelle said and I tried not to roll my eyes.
"What happened to Noah has nothing to do with what happened to Khalil or anything that has happened to us in the last year, none of it is connected..... but I what I wanna talk about is why you put so much emphasis on the 'my son' part because last I checked for the last seven years it's been me that Noah has come to when he's had problems, me that stayed up with him while he was sick, me that's helped him with his homework, Khalil that's been teaching him to drive and how to be a man...... so the way I see it he's just as much MY SON as he is yours." I said heated, Michelle looked like she was about to argue but Marquise started crying and she moved to get him but I stopped her. "I'll get him...." I said irritated. I walked upstairs and changed Marquise and walked around the room with him until he fell back to sleep, then went back downstairs, where Khalil and Michelle were now arguing.
"Noah is old enough to make his own decision if he wants to go I..... we won't stop him but I'm telling Michelle he's not going to want to go." Khalil said pacing around the room.
"But that's the thing y'all give him too much freedom, he shouldn't have a choice when it comes to his safety. I'm not being unreasonable here, I'll be happy to let him visit during the summer hell every weekend if he wants too........" Michelle said.
"So what we keep Marquise and you get Noah........ I'm sorry but I'm not splitting my sons up. That shyt happened to me and Devin and I refuse to see that happen to my sons." Khalil said.
"Khalil that was different you and Devin......." Michelle started to say.
"I'm not going......" Noah said standing in the doorway, we all looked at him and he was clearly pissed off. "This is my home and mom I am old enough to know what I want to do and you can't make me go." Noah said heated.
"Noah don't disrespect your mom." I said quietly, Noah mumbled something under his breath then walked over to the door letting in Toussaint, Mario, Joejoe, Jose and Danny before heading back down to his room.
"Khalil..... I just want my son to be safe, how do you think I felt when you called me and told me what happened? How do you think I felt when you told me they hit him with brass knuckles then took a razor and craved the word 'nigger' in his back." Michelle said crying quietly.
"Look we need to sit back and think about what's best for Noah, because that's what's important." I said looking at Khalil, I could tell he was willing to fight Michelle tooth and nail to keep Noah and I needed to bring this situation down from a ten to a one before we all said something we would regret later. The door opened and my mom walked in with a bunch of bags in her hand. "Ma what are you doing here?" I asked and she silenced me with a look.
"I'm cooking for my grandson....." She said rolling her eyes. "Michelle would you like to help me." My mom said more like a statement than a question, Michelle followed my mom into the kitchen leaving me with Khalil.
"Khalil...." I said sitting next to him.
"I'm not letting her take my son..... either one of them. I'll find those other three dudes and handle myself if I have to.... they better pray they get arrested before I find them....... look I'm going over Zo's make sure you save me a plate." Khalil said kissing me and walking out the door.
"Marcus go downstairs and get me a bottle of wine and not that cheap shyt Khalil puts out for parties, get the good wine one of the bottle y'all drink before y'all have what was the phrase Tonya said you used 'crazy animalistic sex' and when your done make sure my room is together I'm staying over here this week." She said and I rolled my eyes, Tonya and her big ass mouth. I walked downstairs to the basement and started looking for one of the somewhat decent bottles when I heard Noah and his friends talking....... I never realized how much I could hear from in here.
"No' just say the word and we can go find these dudes..... I happened to know that his cousin goes to our school, all we need to do is approach this dude and find out where is these dudes are hiding." Someone probably Danny said.
"I just got my license we can go know if you want." Jose said, I knew it was him because of his thick Spanish accent.
"What are we going to tell my parents?" Noah said and I decided that now I should go break up this little pow-wow before they start plotting murder. I walked into his room and everyone was sitting around talking quietly, except for Toussaint who sat off to the side with a far away look in his eyes.
"Noah go help your grandma cook." I said looking into his eyes, he started to argue but got up and started following me, right before we got to the stairs I pushed him in the game room and closed the door.
"YO don't touch me......" Noah said heated, I stood there looking at him wondering if maybe that hit to the head fucked up his brain. "I'm sorry dad..... I just don't wanna be touched." He said and his hand involuntarily went to his shoulder.
"Look I understand that you're going through something right now and I know you're angry. But what you and you're friends were just talking about...... you can't let your anger get the best of you, I don't want you doing something stupid that could land you in jail." I said quietly, Noah quickly turned his head and I knew he was trying not to cry. I pulled him into a hug and he broke down completely.
"I wanna kill those dudes......" He said through the tears. "I've never hated somebody so much." Noah said pulling away and punching the wall, I stood back and let him vent and he told me how it all started at his school dance. "Marquise is crying I'll go check on him before helping grandma." Noah said pointing the baby monitor and walking out the room. I walked back to Noah's room where everyone was still talking quietly.
"Toussaint come help me in the back yard." I said and he followed me upstairs into and into the backyard. "Toussaint, I've known you since you were little and I know as well as I know Noah so whatever you got going through your head right now don't do it." I said seriously.
"Uncle Marcus..... you know me and you know unlike those dudes downstairs I'm not about talking, I'm about action so here's my promise to you. I'm going to find the dudes who did this and I'm going to make them regret every single hit they landed on my cousin.... you have my word on that and don't bother calling my dad either because he's even more pissed than I am." Toussaint said getting up and walking back in the house. I knew I had to stop them all from doing something that could ruin their lives so I decided to call the one person I thought could talk some sense into Toussaint, the one person he respected as much as his dad.
"Yuri.... I need a favor." I said hoping like hell he could stop them from doing something stupid.................................................
****Did Marcus have a right to get involved with Khalil and Michelle in regards to Noah? The only reason I ask is because, I've gotten a few message saying that when it comes to Noah Marcus shouldn't have a say because he's not Noah's biological father and I wanted to get some more opinions.*****
