“He’s the same.” I took a deep breath and left it at that.
“Pops is a warrior. He may be down, but he’s not out.” Junior’s words resounded through all of us, especially because we needed them to be true.
“He’d be proud of you boys and what you accomplished against Xavier. The odds were stacked against you, and you persevered.” He gave us that wizened smile that said he was proud of us as well. The four of us shared a prideful look.
“Thank you, Minister. Come in.” I led him inside, with Daryl following. Orlando and Junior stayed out in the driveway to get a break from all the sadness in the house.
We hadn’t made it five feet into the house when we heard Ma’s voice.
“Minister Farah, so good of you to come.” She came down the stairs, always impeccably dressed and gracious, to greet our guest.
“I am so sorry this couldn’t be a happier occasion. It’s been years.” He kissed my mother on both cheeks.
“Thank you so much for coming. I appreciate it.”
“Is there anything I can do?” he asked, taking her hand.
“Just go on in and visit with him. It’s been too long.” She turned to me. “Vegas, you boys take Minister Farah in to see your father.”
Ma gave him a kiss on the cheek and then left to greet some more visitors. Daryl and I led Minister Farah to Pop’s room. Sonya was in there, changing the dressing on his wound. As soon as she finished, she scooted out to give us privacy.
Minister Farah moved close to LC, staring down at him for a while. I could tell that seeing Pop in this condition affected him. He seemed out of sorts, and for a man as buttoned up as him, that was saying a lot.
“Hey, let’s go back outside,” I offered, giving him an out.
“Is it that obvious?” He tried to keep his tone light, but his feet were almost at the door.
We followed him out of the room. Minister Farah seemed to be in a real hurry, so it didn’t take long before we were at the front door and then back outside.
“You all right?” Daryl asked him. He nodded, but the expression on his face worried me. Minister Farah and Pop were acquaintances, but I guess I hadn’t realized that they were so much closer than that.
“To see a man that powerful stuck in the in-between is jarring,” Minister Farah said, reaching for his keys distractedly. Seeing a person in a medical crisis can affect people all kinds of ways.
He turned his attention to the basketball hoop at the side of the house. “Hey, is that your boy?”
“Yes, that’s him.” Nevada was shooting hoops with Kareem and James.
“He’s a fine-looking boy, Vegas. Looks just like you.”
“Yeah, he does. Doesn’t he?”
The minister nodded. “Have you given any thought to letting me teach him privately? I can make a man out of him.”
“I talked to his mother about maybe letting you tutor him for a year; then, if he’s ready, sending him to the school.”
“Fantastic. He’ll be my most prized student.” Minister Farah looked so pleased with himself, and somewhere deep inside of me, an alarm bell started ringing.
“Well, with that being said, I’ll see you gentlemen soon,” he said.
“Sure thing.” I gave him a halfhearted smile.
“Man, you better watch out,” Daryl said with a laugh after Minister Farah was gone. “I think the minister is planning on making your kid his own.” He was joking, but I was afraid it might not be too far from the truth.
Sonya
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