Shut Up & Listen

the trip downtown (one):

Cole steps out the shower and stares at himself in the mirror while he air dries.

"Shit, I ain't ever been this off" he thinks to himself. He looks himself in the eye through the mirror and whispers " what the fuck are you doing? Why is this shit happening right now? Oh you a big guy now huh? You ain't shit nigga." He wipes his face with his hand and puts his hand on the bathroom door handle to leave. But then he hears the front door slam.

" MY NIGGA DAME what the fuck nigga! Ian seen yo college ass in years nigga!" He heard Kwabena's voice loud and echoing throughout his open loft.

"Mutha fucka" Cole whispers to himself.

He closes his eyes for a second contemplating his next move. Reluctantly he opens the medicine cabinet and pulls out an orange bottle. Five minutes later he re-enters the living area where he finds Dame talking to Cobe on the couch and of course Kwabena is eating the food Dame bought for Cole. 

Hungry ass. Cole thought to himself. Trying his best to ignore his presence, Cole walks past his company and into the kitchen to grab a drink. After downing half, he rolls his eyes and turns back to the living room to face his friend. "Yo why the fuck you let this nigga in?"  He asked Dame, referring to the caramel colored dude sitting on the couch watching Cole with a close eye.

"Yo Charlie you buggin this morning ain't you..." Cobe says looking at him with his eyes low, not sure where Cole's head is at or what he remembers. " last night was crazy, right?"

Dame cackled, "This nigga call you by yo middle name?"

"This nigga bout to get the fuck up out my house is what he finna do..." Cole responded in a low tone looking dead at Cobe. Not backing down, Cobe glared back at him for a minute then threw his hands up.

"Aight B. I got chu. But before I go, I gotta get something off my chest. About last night. I messed up. I was feeling some type of way and honestly I don't know what came over me. I hope you ain't mad. I mean, clearly you pissed at me." He paused, looking Cole up and down. "But what I mean is that I hope you can forgive me.... for overstepping. You my bro." He finished, closing up his to-go box.

Dame looks between the fuming man and the apologetic one wondering what else happened before he arrived.

Cole looks down at the dark chocolate hard wood floors reminiscing on his pops' memory, wondering if he was watching him fuck up from heaven. He then plops down on the couch and throws his feet up imaging his father sitting in the olive green easy chair up against the window. 

Something about this moment takes him back to one night with his father in this very room. He was laying on the couch as he is now, watching a movie that him and his father loved. The Wiz. He looked up from the television upon hearing his father calling him. He said," Aye son... get cho lazy ass up and get me something to drink... and hurry up! Your favorite part is coming on!" Cecil hollered as he dragged his cigar. 

 A few minutes later Cole and Cecil are singing along to the film.. " Slide some oil to me... let it trickle down my spine..." 

Cole hadn't realized he'd been zoned out, humming the song while staring out the window behind his pops' easy chair. Out the corner of his eye he see's white and gold Jordan's walking past him. He recognizes the sneakers as Dame's and wonders why he's in his home. "Shit..." he mumbles after realizing he'd fallen asleep. "Damn, when did I go to sleep?" He asked Dame.

" You didn't.. your eyes been open this whole time. You ass been laying there looking crazy for ten damn minutes.." Dame replied from across the room, flicking through channels on the TV.

Blinking wildly, Cole takes another sip from his bottle. " bro stop playing all the damn time. And where yo friend go?"

"Cobe?" Dame asked, bewildered.