Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 74450 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 372(@200wpm)___ 298(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74450 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 372(@200wpm)___ 298(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
Caspian sighed. “I’ve spent a good part of my life trying to even the scales, and I will continue to do so. One letter at a time, written to a grieving family. That’s my legacy. I will not speak of it but it is there. It speaks for itself. Here we are, three country boys from Portland, Kentucky, brought into the world screamin’ our heads off. We were living our lives, just trying to survive. Now, we’re thriving…Do you smell that?” He paused, sniffed the air.
“Yeah,” Axel grinned. “Smells like bubble gum.”
“…That’s my mama… My mama is here.” Tears flooded Caspian’s eyes. “Hi, mama!” Just then, a strong breeze poured through the cemetery. He looked back at Mrs. Florence’s grave, and saw the three white feathers practically floating. All three of them stared at the spectacle. Silent. The breeze ebbed and settled, and so did the feathers at last. But then the music from Legend’s phone kept repeating the same lyric from the song… ‘…Could you be the dream that I once knew?… Is it you? …Deja Vu.’
“…That’s just a regular ol’ mp3 song in a playlist on my phone… they don’t skip like no record.” Legend offered, his tone soft and stilted. “It’s her, y’all. It’s Mrs. Florence. She’s here.” Legend swallowed. Caspian shook his head, and Axel wiped a tear from his eye.
“She came to say goodbye… and she’s with your mama, Caspian.” Axel stated. Looking at him in disbelief.
“I know.” His heart beat a million miles a minute. “Thank you, Mrs. Florence! Thank you for helpin’ my mother. I spoke up for you, mama! I was your voice! I did it! WE KNOW THE TRUTH NOW!” He yelled, tears streaming down his cheeks.
“A mother’s love… a teacher’s love… the ultimate sacrifice.” Axel shook his head, a smile on his face.
“And now, it’s time for the new generation. The blood of my son is the sacrifice… He’s soon to come into this world, proving to me, once and for all, that there is a God.” His voice shook as he pointed to his chest. “I can break this curse by being the father I never had. We don’t have to hear, see, and speak the sins of our fathers. My son is due in three months, and he’s got two godfathers who I know will move heaven and earth for him.”
“You know it, man. Our kids are gonna be thick as thieves.”
“Church!”
“We will all protect our wives and children at all costs. Nobody fucks with the Brother Disciples. If you fuck with one of us, you fuck with us all. If Desiree or English has a problem, Azure will be there in a flash, and I have not one doubt, if I and Azure are havin’ a problem, my brothers and their brides will be knockin’ down our door to lend assistance. We will never be searching for love again. We will never not know where to turn or who we can talk to. Our days of hurting are over because we’re not faultless, but we’re true to each other. That’s love! That’s what we’re about. We’ve created a web of protection for each other because we were never safe when we needed it most. All of us are in this together.
“Our first-born children are boys… to me, that’s the start of a new beginning. That’s not a coincidence. They’ll start a new initiation of Brother Disciples. They’ll grow up together, just like the three of us did, but the difference is, they’ll have better childhoods than we ever had and there won’t be a need for someone from the outside to come in and save them.”
Legend cried out “Church!” while Axel grunted as if to say, “Preach, man.”
“They’ll be loved and cared for. Their mothers will pour love into them, show them how to feel… to not bury their emotions. If they experience some trauma, it’ll be addressed and not buried away. They’ll be believed when they’re hurting, and we won’t turn our backs on them.”
Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Legend’s eyes sheening with tears.
“…Our babies will be different. They’ll have us… fathers to love and protect them. We won’t be afraid to hug and kiss them, to tell them how wonderful, bright, and important they are. Ain’t no perfect parent, but our children will know that they’re treasured. Somethin’ we ain’t have all the time… That’s all we ever needed. We weren’t worried ’bout being poor. We weren’t worried about not havin’ the latest clothes, video games and toys. We just wanted love, damn it! It wasn’t too much to ask! We deserved to be loved!
“WE WERE JUST CHILDREN! Not bad seeds. Not criminals. We were babies! I just thank God that somebody was there to help us feel that love, to get us to be heard, seen, and spoken to, even though we only had her for a short time. Mrs. Florence made a profound impact on all three of us—changed our lives forever.”