Before I Black Pt. 3-Caged Bird A Singin' Read online

the city’s governing body, and you’ll get explanations that range from sympathy and concern, to pertinent and necessary enforcement of the law. Either way, Coach Knox was accordingly moved into a foster home on the Northside and enrolled as a sophomore at Rapid Falls where he would be expected to hastily recover and lead them in their playoff push. By the time Walter was released nearly two years had passed, leaving him and his younger sibling on separate sides of the city’s socioeconomic structure. Coach Knox had led Rapid Falls to the championship game for three consecutive years, only losing in what was basically his rehabilitation year before ultimately winning the last two titles, capped off by his miracle shot against Cleverdale in the semi-final round. He reinjured the same knee in his first year of playing college ball, but was gracefully accepted back into the Northside New Mecca community. Although he was viewed as a traitor to two-thirds of Groveland, including his brother Walter, choosing to coach at Langston rather than Rapid Falls felt like a great win for the residents on the Eastside. He was almost singlehandedly restoring a community decimated by drugs and draconian city policies, and then the murders happened.

  “My pops always told me one thing lil bro, don’t ever be a caged bird. This stuff out here going on too crazy for all that. I mean, even the police will kill yo a**! When you start doing stuff you don’t want to do, then you start making choices that you don’t want to make. Then you end up like a caged bird in a pet store.” Angelo has never been the preachy type, but his words carry weight in this instance, even if he fails to truly notice. The one thing that Kenny has never told anybody is how he truly feels playing in his father’s shadow, the constant pressure that he has to endure to meet his demands, no one but Kedric. Looking at his older cousin who sits in front of his computer staring into the blank screen, Kenny reveals, “you know I wanted to quit right after we finished sixth grade juniors.” Angelo snaps up and says, “yo pops would’ve killed you!” Kenny looks as if he’s disappointed his father by even the thought of quitting. He responds, “I know, that’s the same thing that Kedric said, he’s really the only reason that I kept playing no matter how I was feeling.” Angelo didn’t have any siblings, but the bond that the twins shared was undeniable. He asks Kenny, “do you think he would want you to stop?” Kenny is hesitant to reply but answers truthfully when he does. “No way, he hated when we lost,” he says. “That’s what I’m saying bro, some birds was made to fly. Kedric saw that in you too.” Being overly sentimental was never Angelo’s area of expertise either, and he’s been in his own share of trouble of course. He continues, “when you get a chance out here, to make it out of here, you take it.” Near the end of his edict his voice begins breaking, almost as if he was going to burst into tears at any moment. Kenny’s never seen his cousin show the ability to be vulnerable, but he picks up on it almost immediately. He doesn’t get a chance to speak though, before Angelo makes his revelation. “It was just me and Kennedy that night, leaving our chicks house on the lower eastside. We thought it would be faster if we took the back way instead of the train, to try make it back before his granny noticed that we even left.” He pauses and sits in his own condemnation, his shame protruding. Then he goes on, “them fake a** wannabe Groveland ni**as(sobbing), waited until we passed through and ambushed us. They almost got us real bad, then the laws showed up waving they guns so everybody took off.” Kenny’s face is left paralyzed by the information that he’s receiving, knowing that he had encountered what sounded like the same group of boys that had confronted Angelo and his friend, just moments before Kedric was killed. That means that, “we tried to get away, but Malcolm started to get tired. I was the one that advised that we hit the alley by Mr. Winfield’s(crying heavily)! I’m the reason they both got killed!” Tears have slowly started to form in Kenny’s eyes as he becomes fully aware of his cousin’s confession. The sound of knocking at the room door interrupts the two cousin’s exchange, it’s Kaleb. Angelo quickly attempts to straighten himself up before he notices and hurries for the exit. Kenny yells out, “so what am I supposed to do?” Angelo attempts to gather himself again, this time successfully, before he turns around and answers, “remember, never be that bird bro.” Kaleb has made his way to Kenny’s computer, completely oblivious to what had taken place before his arrival. “But what’s the cage supposed to be?” asks Kenny. Angelo doesn’t smile or frown at the question, one that has taken several dramatic life experiences to answer, instead he stays blank and emotionless. He answers, “the hood bro,” before swiftly disappearing into the shadows of the hallway.

  Kenny lays back on the bed, with tears beginning to roll down the cheeks of his face. Kaleb knows how difficult a time it’s been for Kenny, basically dealing with Kedric’s death alone. He asks, “what was that all about bro?” After a couple of minutes, Kaleb realizes that his question will remained unanswered for the moment so he continues, “you know the police are looking for the dude that got away. They’re saying that he’s the one responsible for the murders. I just don’t understand it bro.” Kenny finally lifts himself off of the bed and speaks. “I think he wants me to turn him in,” he says. Kaleb looks at him with a blank expression, to mask his confusion. “Bro what are you talking about?” he asks. Kenny answers, “my cousin, I think he wants me to turn him in to the police.” Kaleb is still in the blue as to what has actually transpired. “Dang for real, what did he do?” he asks. Initially Kenny doesn’t reveal his cousin’s transgression, instead choosing to walk to his closet to retrieve a small box that he places on the desk in front of Kaleb. Inside is a grey Polo jacket with dark smears of red all over it. It’s the jacket Kedric was wearing the night that he was murdered. Kenny divulges, “it’s him that the police are looking for.”