Mr. Navarro began

"Over thirty years ago Baptiste and I met and we often did business together. Real estate mainly. During that time Miami was different a lot rougher and it was necessary to have certain protections in place, to protect your businesses and property from falling into the wrong hands"

Mr. Navarro glances around the room.

"We brokered a deal to purchase a apartment complex that was being overrun by drugs and violence, the owner of the property didn't care what was happening because he didn't live in the community"

Mr. Navarro sips his drink and thinks before continuing.

" Baptiste and I purchased the building, we cleaned out all the dealers and prostitution, renovated so the residents could live in clean, safe and respectable homes."

" All was quiet for about six months. Until-" my father takes over the story

"Until someone, set fire to several of the buildings while people were still asleep" The emotion in my fathers voice is thick.

"Including the building were we all lived, you boys were small, Dominica you weren't born yet" My mother reaches over and grabs my fathers hand.

"Thank God, no one lost their lives, but the fire took what a lot of people had, including our families' ' my father continues. His look is like steel, I can tell our parents are lost in the memory. "

"Navarro, and I decided to renovate once again, but before we could, different elements began to move in and change what we had just cleaned up." My father looked at Mr. Navarro who continued

"Baptiste and I tried to handle things the right way, we went to the police, we went to city hall meetings, we patrolled the property ourselves, to keep everyone safe but we kept running into problems and people who didn't play fair." Mr. Navarro looks around the room at each of us.

"We decided to partner up with a few of the other Men who lived in the complex and surrounding areas, people whose livelihoods were being affected by what other people were doing., it was bad shop owners couldn't open there business with all the robberies and violence and children couldn't go to school safely-"

Mr. Navarro chimes in " We couldn't let your mothers go shopping or take the boys outside and we couldn't afford to move either." I see the same look Esteban gets when he is thinking

"We formed a organization to help keep things safe and protected, to help form security patrols of the neighborhood." My fathers says.

"la liberté ou la mort" our fathers say  in unison

"Liberty or Death?" Esteban said. "You and Mr. Baptiste are the founders of the L.O.D crew?! Esteban rose from the chair.

"Sit down Babe" I pulled him down next to me.

I knew all of this but Esteban didn't, so I understood his shock.

Our fathers shared a look and Mr. Navarro continued

"The L.O.D grew and became strong, we made our neighborhood safe, and over time people knew not to bother us. Until Francois Rueben wanted to do business in our area and with the L.O.D. " My father spoke lost in the past, my mother moved closer to him and for the first time I saw a crack in my fathers armor.

"Francois wanted your father and I to allow him to open up a leg of his operation in the heart of our area. We said No. We didn't do any business that involved drugs or the abuse of women or children, those were his main business, drugs and prostitution" Mr. Navarro glanced at my father whose head was hanging low.

"He first approached me, and asked for the meeting, but I said I would speak to my partner, although I knew the answer was No, Baptiste and I made all decisions in agreement. As I thought I told your father and we both agreed NO." Mr. Navarro spoke in a low controlled tone

"Well, we tried to be polite, honorable and handle it like gentlemen, we would never intentionally disrespect another man, but he would approach when we were out with our families. Last encounter we were celebrating Remi's 8th birthday. He was able to talk his way past our security and actually pulled up a chair to our table." Mr. Navarro wipes his hand over his mouth inhaling as he continues.

"After that meeting we heard from our associates that Francois had placed a hit on our sons." Mr. Navarro stops speaking but turns his attention to Esteban. I can feel Esteban shock as his body goes rigid.

Our mothers start to weep quietly and all these years later the pain and grief are still there.

"We were packing to preparing to take you kids out of the city" My mother says

"Raphael asked to go to the mall with his friends, I let him go with a security detail" My mother tells us but it sounds like a confession

"He didn't come home when I expected him, and then your father came home to tell me-" my father stops my mother from having to say what happened to her only son, her baby, his only son.

"Esteban, do you remember any of this?" My father ask Esteban

Esteban is quiet, his eyes go from me to my parents to his parents. "I don't, I can't recall anything from that time of my life. The Prison Psychologist said that I had some trauma that may be preventing me from recalling that time in my life. I couldn't think of anything except that was the Summer of Bullets and that shit was traumatic .

Our parents look at us and then Esteban.

"Well yes that summer was traumatic but your trauma started the day Raphael was killed " Mr. Navarro paused and focused his eyes on Esteban.

"You were with Raphael, you were shot as well." it felt like a bomb had been dropped in the room, Esteban stood up

"What"

"You and Raphael wanted to go to the mall to pick up shirts you all had made, you two wanted to show off when you got to New York" Mr. Navarro chuckled

"I think the shirts said something like Princes Of Havana or Miami or something"

"The Princes of Havana" my mother spoke up.

"I don't remember any of that, how could I get shot and lose my best friend and not remember shit" Esteban started pacing

"Esteban" I held out my hand and reached for him, bringing back to me so I could help calm him. When he sat I ran my hand down the back of his head the way he liked " Its Okay Baby" I reassured him

"We weren't sure who was involved, when the security saw that Raphael was gone two stayed with him and then the other two got you to a hospital. We didn't make it known that both of you had been hurt." Mr. Navarro Explains

"Things moved quickly, your wounds were not life threatening, you were in the hospital for two weeks. You came home and we didn't talk about it there was so much going on " Estelia says.

Clearing his throat Mr. Navarro began again" We had been a mostly non violent non confrontational group, until then. But We decided that going after our children was unforgivable." Mr. Navarro paused and he and father nod at each other in deep understanding.

"We retaliated, when it was done we left the city" Mr. Navarro said

"I took you and your mother to Valeria in New York" My father chimed in

"And I moved out to Fisher Island" Mr. Navarro added.

"When we realized the devastation behind what happened we walked away from that life and focused on keeping you and your mothers safe" My father said and the room fell into silence.

"We knew the time would come when we would have to address this again and it happened

" These people had a vendetta against both us and our families. But they specifically threatened Dominica's life." Mr. Navarro said

" And after what happened to King we couldn't let anything happen to you," my father added.

"We devised a plan that would protect you" my father looked at me like I should know the plan

"I told you, you were to get married and would be leaving Connecticut but then you left and we couldn't find you so we thought maybe that was for the best because then those people couldn't either" My father looked at my mother and she held his hand.

"I asked you, Esteban, to do something that would protect our family and that was to marry the daughter of my friend." Mr. Navarro looked at Esteban, who in turn looked at me.

"I knew that if anything happened you could protect Dominica, you and your business partners" Mr. Navarro said.

"I-" Esteban tried to speak but was cut off by his father

"Oh Esteban I know you are in to real estate just like I was into real estate" Mr. Navarro said with a knowing look on his face.

I was getting tired of all the double talk " Daddy what are you saying" I asked my father directly but he didn't answer so my mother did

"Dominica, Esteban is the man your father wanted you to marry" she looked at me and I looked at Esteban.

"You wanted me to marry Remi" Esteban asked his dad

"Yes," our fathers said in unison."

"All these years of heartache, worry and disappointment and you find each other anyway, it's destiny." My father says, shaking his head. I look down at my hands not sure what to say.

"So you see, we both tried to do what was best for you and you both did what you wanted. Kids never listen to their parents. look what happened, Dominica you leave your family and Esteban you live reckless and end up in prison" Mr. Navarro looks sad as he shakes his head. Mrs. Navarro leans over to hold his hand

"We might as well tell them" I look at Esteban

"Are you sure" he ask me

"What are you two whispering about" my mother ask

"Remi and I are already married" Esteban says and the room is not only silent but still.

" When? You were married to that other girl and then you went to prison?" Mr. Navarro asked.

Esteban and I had agreed that our parents would get the same version of our history that we tell everyone else, I mean I have the documentation to prove it. We also didn't want a different narrative out there, that may question our creditability. 

"Is there anything else you two want to tell us?" My father asked exasperated.

Esteban and I look at each other and then at our parents.