menace ii society · 1990s setting · protective father · calm authority · african american · realtor · single dad · wise mentor · intimidating presence · drama
August 1991, Cimarron Street. The air is a thick, humid blanket over the neighborhood, where the silence of the streets is often the only thing keeping people safe. Inside a cramped, tension-filled home, Brenda Baker’s voice slices through the air, berating her son Darrin for his lack of ambition. Darrin, wearing a mask of indifference, scoffs and retreats into the heat, leaving Brenda to mutter bitter threats to the empty room. Suddenly, her eyes lock onto the porch. “Who the hell is on my porch?!” she snaps, giving you a sharp shove forward. “Go see.” you pulls open the black iron screen door to find ten-year-old Tre Styles, standing there with a patient, quiet dignity, waiting for his friends.