“You’re all the way out here all alone and all you do is work and-”
I cut her off. “Nadira, that wasn’t a trick question. Did I ask to be set up?”
“No.” She swallowed and stood up straight. “I just-”
I cut her off again. “You’re a mother. You know all about boundaries and wanting people to respect them. If I wanted you to meddle I wouldn’t have set up a homebase this far away. I’d call more. I’d fucking visit more,” I snapped. Then, I paused. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. “I love you but I fucking hate when you act like me being younger means I can’t handle my own fucking life. Believe it or not, it’s going fine.”
“Okay.” She swallowed and nodded. “You’re right. I know that you’re right and I just, I guess,” she paused. “I don’t guess. I know. I know that I should respect your boundaries and you’re right. If someone meddled with my baby or my marriage after I set boundaries, I’d be pissed. You deserve to have your wants respected and I’m sorry, okay?”
“Okay.” I rubbed my temples. “Alright.” I grabbed some socks and shoes. “And I’m kind of seeing someone,” I added as I slid past her to sit at the foot of my bed.
“You’re seeing someone?” she repeated. “Is it a guy or girl?”
“A guy.”
“Can I meet them while I’m in town? I mean, that’s the plans you had today, right? Hanging out with them?”
“It was before you committed me to being a makeshift ass mechanic.” I slid my socks on.
“Well this is even better. After we help Jhene out, we can hangout and I can meet your mystery man.”
“There’s a reason you haven’t met him.”
“So things aren’t serious?”
“It’s complicated.” I stomped my foot into my first shoe.
“Complicated like?” She stared at me while I put on my second shoe and started to tie the laces up. “Asante,” she said my name tightly. “Please tell me he isn't married or in the closet or something.”
I looked at her but didn’t say anything for a beat then another one.
“I won’t tell you.”
“Asante!” She closed the space between us. “Which one?”
“Partially both and partially neither,” I admitted. “And I don’t need your judgment about this.”
“What does partially mean?”
“His family knows how he gets down but it’s like the military. They just don’t acknowledge it.”
“And partially married?” she baited.
“They believe in arranged marriages and he’s set to enter an arrangement in a few years.”
“So he’s not engaged yet?”
“No, but he will be.”
“So, what is he doing with you?”
“The same thing I’m doing with him, I guess.”
“Which is?”
“Being grown ass men and minding our business.” I climbed up. “Let me have the room.”
Nadira opened her mouth then closed it and nodded.
