Concrete Rose

Ma fusses all the way home about Iesha and Ms. Robinson. They stop at Ms. Robinson’s house and bang on the doors, but no one answers. Ma says that they have to bring King Jr. home with them. At home, Maverick sets the car seat on the coffee table. Ma says that she hopes Iesha didn’t abandon the baby, but she tells Maverick that he's a parent now. No matter what happens, he’s responsible for everything. She notes that Iesha left enough formula and diapers for the weekend and says that she’s going to try to borrow Adreanna’s crib to set up in Maverick’s room. Maverick protests that King Jr. is going to keep him awake, but Ma asks who else he’s supposed to keep up.

Ma heads to the kitchen to make up a bottle, muttering about Maverick’s nerve. Maverick decides he’s going to call his son “Li’l Man,” since “King Jr.” doesn’t feel right. Li’l Man reaches for Maverick’s finger and pulls it to his mouth, so Maverick picks the baby up. When Li’l Man starts fussing, Ma returns to reposition the baby in Maverick’s arms and hands Maverick the bottle. Maverick looks down at his son and feels his heart swell.

As Ma goes to wash Li’l Man’s clothes, Maverick stares at his son. He’s terrified and awestruck—and he realizes that he’s not going to be able to go to the party tonight. Juggling Li’l Man, Maverick calls up Lisa and tells her that Ma wants him to stay home all weekend and take care of things around the house. It’s not totally a lie. He tells Lisa not to bother coming over and says that he loves her.

When Li’l Man is halfway done with his bottle, Maverick puts him over his shoulder to burp him. Li’l Man hiccups and pukes. Ma smirks and reminds Maverick it’s not about him anymore—and parenthood means that his clothes will never be clean. The doorbell rings, and Ma opens the door for Dre. Dre’s eyes go wide when he sees Li’l Man and realizes the baby is Maverick’s, but he laughs when Maverick complains that he already has puke on his shirt. He repositions the bottle in Maverick’s hand and asks where Iesha went. Maverick explains that Iesha left while he and Ma changed Li’l Man’s diaper. Dre sighs and offers Adreanna’s old crib and stroller.

Ma leaves to pick up dinner, and once she’s gone, Dre tells Maverick that fatherhood is a “trip.” He can’t imagine life without Adreanna, even though she’s a wild three-year-old. He says he’s going to miss her in the fall, when Keisha takes Adreanna back to Markham State with her two hours away. But next summer, Iesha will graduate, and then she and Dre will get married. He tells Maverick that it’s okay to be afraid of being a father and admits he cried the first time he held Adreanna. He wants to be the father she deserves, so he decided to “man up.” Now, he says, Maverick has to do the same thing.

Maverick insists that he’s already a man, and Dre notes that Maverick thinks he’s a man because he’s selling drugs behind his and Shawn’s backs. Maverick tries to deny it, but when Dre promises not to tell Shawn and insists that men tell the truth, Maverick admits that Dre is right. He insists, though, that it’s just him and he needs the money. Dre says that Maverick needs to give it all up. Dre acknowledges that he deals, but he hates having to provide for Adreanna that way. He wants Maverick to do better and get a job at Wal-Mart, which would be “clean money.”

Dre even suggests that Shawn could let Maverick out of the King Lords, but Maverick reminds Dre of what happened to Kenny. Kenny had gotten a football scholarship and wanted out—but the only way to get out is to “take the hit” for a crime or take a beating. The King Lords beat Kenny so badly that he couldn’t play and lost the scholarship. Maverick says he doesn’t want out. “Kinging” is in his blood, and he’s not walking away from good money now that he has a kid. Dre threatens to tell Ma and Pops and rat King out—he knows King is involved. Maverick agrees to stop dealing and to talk to King, so Shawn won’t have to.