No Pain No Pleasure: Chapter 2

    Taken aback after his completely unexpected morning soiree, Andrele falls under curiosity of what the rest of his day had to bring. Originally believing that it would be a day of solitude, his day definitely doesn't seem to be following through with that idea.
    As he sat back on the couch he thought to himself, "Man that girl crazy..."
    He and Lea had a decorated past. They once dated when he initially moved into his loft. Within a brief infatuation period,  the couple fell victim of a steamy physical relationship. But with Andrele being a writer and was frequently away from her on business, complication set in on them. They both chose to opt out of the relationship before it turned for the worst. But although they were not together their physical fixation for each other would not let them completely be done with one another. Many days and nights of their sexual encounters went by, but as he was away more often the bigger her appetite grew and eventually urged her to move on.
    This caused no ill will between the two. Andrele was totally understanding of Lea's drift. He was even happy to know that she would have an opportunity to gain a real relationship and real bond with someone instead of their simple sex games. But she never entered a relationship and this morning encounter was the first time that they've come in contact with one either in months. It was surely an act that implied that there was certainly no lust lost.
    "I'm glad she aight though."
    With nothing scheduled as of yet Andrele decides to just start his day like normal and see where things would go from there. He gets up, takes a shower and cooks himself brunch. Lyrics of Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, Wale and many more echo as he moves throughout the place.
    "Aight let me check these voicemails."
    Beeeep...Message One!
       Ahh yes, Mr. Driek, this is
       Jason Cross, a representative
       from Smooth 99.2...We just
       wanna thank you again for
       the appearance and would
       like to extend our...
    "Next..."
    Message Deleted! Message Two!
       Drele I ain't playin wit you...
       we really need to talk about
       tomorrow! We ain't on the
       road but we still need to gon
       'head and make this quick
       money. You need it and I
       know I need it. Call me back
       Drele! Later...
    "Mercy is hilarious..."
    Message Saved! Message Three!
       Hey dere Sugarfoot...Just
       calling tryna check up on
       you. Ain't heard from you in
       a while. I hope you get a
       chance to visit soon. Me and
       yo mama miss you so much.
       Pat misses you too but he so
       damn stubborn. I told him to
       call you but it go in one ear
       and right out the other. But
       anyway, just know that Big
       Mama loves you and we are
       so anxious to see you. Talk
       to you later. Bye Bye...
    Message Saved! Ended Of Messages!
    And just like that his day was set up. It had been a while since he had a chance to spend time with his family and with his schedule clear this was a perfect opportunity to do so.
    Living in Atlanta all of his life, moving away is something he just could not allow himself to do. This was not only because of his personal preference not to leave but also because of his family. Andrele grew up very close knit to his family and could not see himself completely leaving them. Being away from them promoting and selling his books was enough but to actually not be able to visit and care for them at all was a totally different ball game.
    When Andrele first began to make good revenue from his writings, he offered to move his family into a bigger and nicer house than the one they were currently living in but his Big Mama wasn't having it. Big Mama, his grandmother, thought it better to stay in the house because not only was the house paid for but because of all the memories that the house concealed. No matter how much pleading he did, there was no way she was moving from that house.
    One of the great things about them living in the house was that it wasn't far from his place. He jumped in his Camaro and was on his way.
    Riding through his neighborhood always brought back great memories. This trip was did nothing less.
    As he turned on his street he even runs across his childhood friends Krik and Paul. Andrele, Paul and Krik grew up through grade school together. They were like brothers to one another. They looked out for each other and although Krik and Paul never really left the neighborhood after graduating high school, they always supported Andrele through all of his success.
    "Brah what happened to you earlier?" Kirk said as Andrele pulled up on them.
    "Man Lea came over..." he replied.
    "Aww man, you still talk to her?" Paul asked. "I thought y'all had don split up..."
    "Yea cause I told you that she had don tried to get at me..." Krik said.
    "Nawl brah, we don't talk no mo and I asked her bout that and she told me me she ain't messin witcha!" Andrele said.
    "Yea...well...I ain't even like her like that no way...she ain't bout nothin...her frappin ass..." Krik said.
    "Brah you good...dont sweat it brody...you'll find someone someday." Andrele said.
    "Man whatever...what you doin round here anyway?" Krik asked. "You know you don't be in the hood no mo."
    "Yea I know...I'm fallin through tryna visit the fam before I get busy again." Andrele said.
    "I went over there the other day...I think last Sunday...Big Mama invited us to dinner...you know I threw down..." Paul said.
    "Oh aight...well let me get through there and I'ma catch back up wit y'all before I head back to the criNib..." Andrele said.
    "Aight brah...hit us up foo..." Paul said.
    Andrele then leaves them and continues down the street.
    As he pulls up to the house he sees his niece and nephew playing basketball in the yard and it immediately brings a smile to his face. He blows the horn as he enters the driveway.
    "Aye y'all be'not hit my car wit that ball!" he says jokingly.
    "Yea whatever Unc..." his nephew Ryan answers. "You need to come and get yo pockets ran..."
    "Aye if I had some shorts I'd school you right now youngin'" he replies.
    "Man you running from this ass whippin'." Ryan said.
    "Aight...we gon see next time I'm here and I'm tell yo mama you cussin'." Andrele said walking away.
    "No man...I'm already in trouble...brah c'mon." Ryan said grabbing his uncle's arm.
    "I'm just playin...And how are you Ms. Alise?"
    "I'm fine but yo sister won't let me go out wit my friends." Alise said.
    "Are there gonna be boys there?" he asked.
    "Maybe..."
    "Well I wouldn't let yo ass go either!" he said laughing.
    "OMG...Can you please talk to her Unc?" she asked.
    "I'll see what I can do!"
    "Yay...thank you so much!" she said attacking him with a hug.
    "Where erybody at?" he asked.
    "They probably all in the living room...Big Mama talkin to Mama...you know Pat and Ken got into it the other day." Alise said.
    "Thanks...let me go see what they got goin..."
    Andrele walks through the house and as he usually does yells, "Where y'all at?...I'm home..."
    "Hey there, my grandson coming to visit his dear old Big Mama...how you doin baby?" Big Mama said.
    "I'm aight Big Mama...how you doin?"
    "I'm doing jus fine now that you here sugar...I'm glad you could visit...I got yo message from when you were in New York...You don made it big ain't 'cha boy?" she said.
    "I'm doin aight right now...I still got a ways to go but I'ma get there." he said.
    "Well you are a star to me baby..." she said as she hugged him and kiss him on the cheek.
    "Yea I know Big Mama...thats my lil star." A voice said from behind him. It was his mother and the rest of the family, his sister Kita and his father Pat.
    "Hey Mama, hey Kita...Pat..." Andrele said.
    The relationship between Andrele and his father had been tense since Pat walked out on them when Andrele was younger. Although he returned back to the family and tried to make amends, the situation never sat right with Andrele.
    Noticing the awkwardness Big Mama interrupts.
    "Come on in here and get you something to eat...we need to catch up anyway bout how things been...c'mon here."
    The rest of the afternoon went swiftly as the family, with the exception of Andrele and Pat, enjoyed time with one another. Chicken, black eyed peas, macaroni and cheese, string beans, collard greens and cornbread cover the table as they eat. Pat starts to cough hard.
    "Honey are you alright?" Andrele's mother Pam asks.
    "Yea I think something went down wrong." Pat answers
    "Have you taken yo medicine today...if not than you really need to..." she said.
    "I gotta get them from the bedroom...I'll be right back..." he said.
    "Or not..." Andrele mutters under his breath.
    There is a brief silence and then Pat starts for the door.
    "Congrats on your success son..." he said.
    "Oh so now I'm yo son?" Andrele said back
    "You've always been my son...but you haven't always accepted it." Pat said.
    "You haven't always accepted me either or us either..." Andrele replies.
    "Son..."
    "Just stop Pat...Just forget it..." Andrele said.
    Pat pauses, begins to talk but not to and continues out of the dining room.
    "What is wrong wit you Drele?" Pam asks.
    "Mama please don't start this..." he replies.
    "Boy you gon listen to me...Now that man may have made his mistakes but he has worked his ass off to not only support this family but to better his relationship wit us...especially you...he can't do that if you continue to blow him off...whether you like it or not that is still your father and you need to show him some respect." Pam stated.
    "Ok mama..." Andrele said.
    "Girl you know that is going through one ear and out the other...the boy is just hurt...he will..." Big Mama was saying before she was interrupted by faint coughing and a thud.
    "Pat...honey...are you ok?" Pam said rushing out of the dining room.
    Following were shrieks and screaming.
    "PATRICK...GOD NO NO NO...PATRICK..."