“Ain’t they always when we pull up on the scene?”
“Then the car is going to be there,” Charlie spoke roaming back toward the door. “See you, nigga.”
“Aight.”
Once Charlie was gone and DJ secured his house, he plopped down on the couch and stared at the blank walls. There was no life in this house. No laughter, nothing. Just stillness and his thoughts.
He let his body sink into the cushions and he pulled in a deep breath. Loneliness wasn’t for him and as of late it’d been his best friend. Before it swallowed him he needed to get out. Pushing himself off the couch, he stalked back through the kitchen. DJ grabbed his keys and gun and headed out his spot to his shop.He’d paint the car on the rack until he felt tiredness rest in his bones.
three
Nyna
“Here. Eat. You look like you haven’t eaten in weeks,” Big Mama motioned to the kitchen table.
Nyna sat and sighed. “I haven’t, actually.”
“Don’t leave me with the suspense. Talk to me. I knew it was something when you didn’t call me to tell me you were coming home. Just sent me the ticket information. What has happened to you.”
Nyna pushed the food around the plate. It wasn’t Thanksgiving dinner reheated. It was roast, macaroni and cheese and some green beans. It prompted her ask, “y’all didn’t have Thanksgiving dinner?”
She swayed her head no. “DJ and I had a baked chicken and some rice and watched football all day. He’s not a bad cook. But don’t deflect.”
“Can’t eat when your jaw is so sore you can barely open your mouth,” Nyna admitted, dropping her head. “I wanted to be here for Thanksgiving but I missed the first flight because he wanted to fight. Missed the second one because he took my phone. The little bit of savings I could manage, without him using hisaccountant to drain ,went to getting me back here with what I could.”
Big Mama closed her eyes and groaned in pain. Not physically, but her heart broke for Nyna. “How long has this been going on?”
Nyna shrugged not wanting to divulge the actual timeframe. Partially because she wasn’t taught to let a man do whatever he wanted to do. The other part – pure embarrassment that she let him keep her isolated so long.
“Nyna Rae,” Big Mama’s voice came out like a hug. “This is nothing to be embarrassed by. In all the history of women they’ve had a bad hand at no good ain’t shit men. How long was that man putting his hands on you?”
Nyna licked her lips and looked up. “It started on Veya’s birthday last year. I guess he got tired of my grief or my depression. I don’t know which made his façade break. He slammed me into the wall so hard my head put a dent in it. I cried myself to sleep and when I woke up there was flowers everywhere. A shopping spree to celebrate her birthday and an apology. He said he’d never do it again.”
Big Mama grunted.
“It was two months before he put his hands on me again. The same cycle. Then the pushing, shoving, hitting was a norm and there wasn’t any more apologies. Every Monday, Thursday or Sunday I would pull myself together and make him look good and cheer and smile and when the cameras were gone I was right back in hell.”
Big Mama moved to her forcing her to turn around and wrap her arms around her.
“I’m so sorry I stayed away so long,” Nyna cried into her shirt.
Big Mama stroked her hair. “Don’t you apologize to me. I’m so happy you’re home. You got to eat.”
Nyna pulled back, wiped her face and nodded her head. “Yeah, this looks good.”
Big Mama took a seat and studied her. The engagement ring shined brightly - almost. “You keeping that as a token?”
Nyna paused and looked down at her hand. “Forgot I had it on. Maybe it’ll help me start over because everything in those bags is everything I have.”
“What’s the plan? You have degree you haven’t used in years. It’s just a piece of paper in my living room collecting dust.”
“I applied for an assistant personal manager. I don’t know if I’m going to get it since my experience in business management is little to none. I just need something. I don’t want to be sitting around here all day and night. And you need help.”
“I don’t need help,” Big Mama spoke confidently. “DJ’s been taking good care of me.”
Guilt hit Nyna in her chest. When she met her ex the monthly payments to Big Mama came in on time. When his representative left so did the payments. The money he’d give her to shop, she’d send back to Big Mama. But when his fists became the next gift he handed out without warning, Nyna attempted to sell bags and whatever else she could to make sure her grandmother was fine until she couldn’t do anything at all.
“Don’t feel bad. You know he was going to do it whether or not you could or couldn’t. I knew something was going on but you were so closed off. So damn convincing you were fine. I started second guessing myself.”
