Taboo 2:. Yoshe

Kemp was his uncle, though, out of respect and admiration for him.

      “Yo, what’s good, nephew?” Kemp greeted him with a huge smile on his face. He gave Rasheed a tight bear hug.

      Rasheed laughed. He hadn’t seen Kemp in about a year. The last time they saw each other was when Kemp visited Atlanta.

      “What’s poppin’, Unc? How you, man?” asked Rasheed.

      “I’m good. Can’t you see that?”

      Rasheed checked out the expensive pair of Gucci loafers on Kemp’s feet. He nodded while checking Kemp out from head to toe. “I can see that you’ve been doin’ your numbers.”

      Kemp helped Rasheed with his bags. “Yeah, a little, but, Rah, listen to me. I got something important to tell you before you go in the house.”

      Rasheed stopped in his tracks. “What’s up? Is everything okay?”

      “Ma didn’t want me to tell you and Karim because she didn’t want y’all to worry, but she’s dyin’, son. She has aggressive ovarian cancer and it spread. She’s not goin’ to make it. We were goin’ to put her in hospice, but…” As Kemp continued to talk, but Rasheed didn’t hear anything else Kemp said as he walked in the door and stood in the foyer.

      He didn’t know whether to be upset at Kemp and his family for not saying anything to him about his Nana, or to be angry at Karim for wanting to keep him in Atlanta. He figured that being angry with anyone was pointless, especially at a time like this.

      Rasheed tried to catch his breath. He felt as if he was about to hyperventilate. Kemp followed him inside and went to hug him. Rasheed softly nudged him away.

      “Where’s Nana, Kemp?” Rasheed asked with tears in his eyes.

      “Rah, look—,” Kemp began.

      Rasheed cut him off. “Fuck all of that! Where is my Nana?”

      “We just brought her home from the hospital. She’s in her bedroom. Karim will be here in a few days, too. I just called him today to tell him the news. That was when he told me that you were drivin’ up.”

      “So why didn’t anyone call me while I was on the road?”

      Kemp shook his head. “That isn’t any news to hear while you’re on the road, man. We just wanted you to get here safely.”

      Rasheed walked down the long hallway. On the walls, he observed the pictures of their large family. There were pictures of him and Karim in elementary school, old school pictures of his aunts and uncles, including two ten-by-thirteen pictures of his deceased mother, Lavon, and his uncle, Peppy. Rasheed felt his throat tighten up as he thought about Nana, the one woman he loved more than any other woman in the world. She was the woman he loved just as much as he’d loved Lavon Gordon.

      He opened the double doors to his Nana’s master bedroom. When their home was being remodeled, the Gordon sons made sure that their mother had upscale sleeping quarters. She had a king-sized, four-poster oak bed, which was sitting on top of a carpeted platform inside of her bedroom. Nana also had a nook area, where there was a small love seat and a thirty-two-inch television mounted on the wall. A beautiful chaise longue was in front of the huge window, and Nana was sitting in it, with a chenille throw wrapped around her frail body. She was still a very lovely woman, even with her bald head and sickly appearance.

      Miss Carrie looked up and saw Rasheed standing over her. He kneeled down on the floor beside her. He could tell that she was weak and that any day she was going to take her last breath. She kissed Rasheed’s forehead and he put his arm around her skeletal frame. He instantly began crying.

      “Don’t cry, baby,” Miss Carrie whispered. “I lived a good life and y’all have many memories of me. I don’t want you to fret or fuss over me, okay?”

      How am I gonna live without you, Nana? Mommy is gone and now you’re dyin’ on me… What am I gonna do? Rasheed thought.

      Rasheed wiped his eyes, but he couldn’t stop the tears from flowing. “But, Nana, you are the only mother I had for the last twenty-eight years! I don’t know no other mother but you! Mommy died and, and…” Rasheed drifted off.

      “Rah Rah, don’t do that!” she scolded. “I can’t help what’s happenin’ to me, it’s God’s will. It’s my time, baby. I know that you don’t want me to leave this earth, but, baby, I’m sufferin’, I’m in pain, and the fight is over.”

      “Nana, please! You have to fight it.”

      “Now, Rasheed, I’ve been takin’ care of you children all my life and I’m sixty-eight years old! Now it’s time for me to be taken care of and God is goin’ to do just that. The only thing that I ask of you is to let me see my great-grandbaby before I leave this earth.”

      Rasheed sighed. He didn’t know how he was going to accomplish that last request because he and Sierra did not see eye to eye. His grandmother was not aware that he hadn’t spoken to Sierra in months, and he didn’t have the nerve to call her now just so his Nana could see Messiah on her deathbed. Rasheed didn’t know what he was more afraid of: Sierra’s response to his request, or his reaction if she said no.

      “Okay, Nana, I’ll work on that.”

      “Please, baby. That’s all I ask of you,” she said while rubbing his face.

      Rasheed sat next to his grandmother and watched her until she dozed off. He put the throw across her shoulders and walked toward her bedroom door, looking back at her one more time. His body began to shudder with sadness, and he finally got the strength to turn the doorknob. As he walked down the hallway, Kemp was in the family room, shooting pool. Rasheed collapsed in Kemp’s arms and they both began bawling.

      Later that evening, after putting away his things, Rasheed decided to hit the streets. The night was still young and the weather was exceptionally nice. He needed to clear his head.

      Rasheed looked at his phone dozens of times, debating whether he should call Sierra. He knew that she had a new life. Any dealings with him would only be a distraction for her, but this was a life or death situation. His grandmother was dying and she had made a request. Now it was his obligation to fulfill it.

      Needing a moment to regroup, Rasheed decided to take a ride around the neighborhood that he cherished so much. Rasheed turned down Lewis Avenue and headed toward Hart Street. He was going to ride around to see if he saw any of his old cronies, just to see if anyone wanted to get a drink or two with him.

      Rasheed thought about Anwar Jones, who was one of his closest friends. He hadn’t seen his ace, Anwar, since he moved to Atlanta, and he needed to see him now. Maybe seeing an old friend could help lighten the stressful load that he was carrying.

      When Rasheed turned the corner on Hart Street, he parked near Roosevelt projects, which was to his left. No one was outside, which was highly unusual. He looked at the time, and it was only 7:00 in the evening. There, he finally found the courage to pick up his cell phone to call Sierra. He silently prayed that the conversation would be smooth sailing. He didn’t need any more stress.

      As Keyshia Cole’s “You Complete Me” caller tune played, Rasheed leaned his seat back and waited for Sierra to pick up. He had changed his cell number, so he figured that the number was unfamiliar to her.

      “Hello?” answered Sierra. “Hello, who is this?”

      “What’s up, Si,” replied Rasheed. “It’s me, Rasheed.”

      There was silence on the other end. “Rasheed Gordon?” she said sarcastically with a slight chuckle.

      He sighed. It looked like he was going to have to kiss a little ass. Anything for his Nana.

      “Yes. It’s Rasheed Hakim Gordon. How are you?”

      “I’m fine.”

      “How’s Messiah?”

      “He’s excellent. Oh, yeah, by the