Shut Up & Listen

The Witching Hour

July 04
Cole

"Whatchu doing back, man? Y'all left hours ago." Oz asked, walking past Cole with large trash bag in his hand.

"I brought Cobe back, his car is here, but he's a lil drunk."

"Oh aight." He began walking away until I stopped him. "Um.. can I bother you for a second?"

"What's on ya mind, Cole?" I looked around and he nodded then led me to his bedroom in the back of the house. "So, it's that serious, huh?"

"Well... you know I'd usually go to Dame... but, it's kinda about him." I admitted. I took a seat on the bed and Oz joined me. "Today... he was reunited with his older brother, Lonnie." I looked away from Oz. "They have a lot of catching up to do."

He chuckled, "Yeah... I would imagine so.".

"That means he's going to be around a lot less. He just got back, I just got back. We haven't been in the same place in a long time. Now we finally are and here come all these new nig- people... I jus-"

"Hold on, hold on, hold up! You 'bout to stress me out cuz you jealous that Dame finding his family?"

"I'm not jealous."

"Then, what is it? Cuz you know Dame would be right there beside you if your family came looking for you."

"I know that. And I've been supporting him. I'm just worried that he won't want me around anymore. Since he got real brothers now, he won't need me. I just get on his nerves all the time anyway."

"I don't want to be rude." He said putting his hands over his knees and raising his brows.

"I know, I sound like a lil brat. But I'm reallY scared for real Oz. He always be talking about how I'm not there for him, I'm selfish, I'm too emotional. One time he said that life would be easier if he didn't have so much dead weight. He didn't say it directly to me but I overheard him one day. And he's right."

"Cole... you gotta eventually shake this perception that everybody would be better off without you, man. You're an important part of all of our lives. Especially your brothers. Look at Cobe... you helped him keep his head clear and you got him out of that funk he's been in for years..."

"Yeah, then I helped him slip right back in..."

"I know what happened. It wasn't your fault."

"What you mean?" I inquired, fearing that Cobe May have told him why he and I stopped talking.

"Them niggas he was running around with... that violence... it just shocked him back to when his mother was murdered... it's not your fault. You did what you could."

"I didn't know he was still.." I started... referring to when I first heard that Cobe was struggling with mental shit back in high school. I never even considered that that would be the reason he was so closed off now. Damn, I don't pay attention to shit.

"That boy been through it. He always acting like nothing is wrong, but a father knows. And I know he stopped going to therapy. He think I don't know, but I can always tell when he starts bottling shit up again. Can you do me a favor?" He asked, changing the subject.

"Help me clean up after these triflin' muthafuckas. I invite them into my house, feed them, give them a good ass time and and and they just leave trash and shit all over the damn place like they ain't got no home training." He rambled, upset by the mess in his humble abode.

"Sure thing, Oz." We left the bedroom and he gave me a trash bag. I helped Oz and Kofi cleanup the house and learned that Kofi is staying in Detroit with Oz for the rest of the summer.