“Of what moment?” Kay’s voice made me look up from my mama to her as she walked into the room.
“Rim done ran off and got married to the nigga with the tattoos on his face. Same shit you and I did, except she went to City Hall,” Aroyal answered before me or my mother could.
“Says the nigga with the tattoos on his face as well,” my mama muttered, making us all laugh as Kay approached me.
“You did what? Oh my god! How long? Where are yo?—”
“I love how y’all congratulate her impulse but everything I do is ridiculed.”
“Different motherfuckers, shorty. How you gonna compare yourself to a motherfucker whose lifestyle ain’t funded by our mama?” Aroyal responded and Kay put her hand to his chest. His patience for Ariya was nonexistent, especially after howshe’d handled the Brysheer situation. Leaving your kid over a nigga was something you couldn’t come back from, especially after you signed your parental rights away out of spite. Bitch was bonkers.
“Fuck you, Aroyal! You’ve never had my back. And neither have you.” She pointed her fury in my mother’s direction, moving forward.
I stepped in front of my mother instantly. I had no problem flooding her ass over my mother. Shit, I’d flood anybody over this lady. “You know that’s not true. You’re mad nobody is paying you attention.”
“I wasn’t talking to you, Karim.” She exhaled heavily.
“But I was talking to you.”
“You went off and married a nigga and they still look at you like the golden child. While I’m treated like shit under your shoes. Where is that fair?”
“Yo, you’re grown as fuck talking about fair. You left your whole fucking child for somebody else to raise and you got your stupid ass in here talking about fair. Fuck outta here,” Aroyal fumed.
“Oh my god! When are you going to get over this? It was my decision and I made it. It was the best choice for me,” her selfish ass said like she was discussing buying a fucking dog or something.
“That is enough.” My mother’s voice filled the room as a slight cough followed her words. “I will not have you all arguing while those kids are in there. Ariya, carry all this mess you’re slinging up out of here because I have had enough.”
“See! It’s always me. Why am I always the blame when it’s them too?”
“It’s not them. It’s you. It has always been you. You refuse to take accountability for anything you do. You come here and guiltme for everything that has gone wrong in your life, but no more. I will no longer be the reason you can’t grow up.”
Ariya’s eyes grazed the room. “You know what, fuck this. I’m out of here.” She snatched her coat off the chair and ran out of the room like a child.
My mother shook her head. “I don’t know where I went wrong with her, nothing is ever enough for her.”
I spent a while longer with my family, then Ro and I cut out to meet Reminisce. Of course, my mama had to feed her and get her hooked then send her off with her own food while having me promise to bring her back when we finally did dinner. The thought made me smile. My mother was genuinely happy about the idea of adding another grandchild to her spoil list even though Romance shared not a lick of blood with her.
“Yo, why yeen get me a plate from your mama’s house?” Reminisce asked, digging into my food like it was his plate.
“I didn’t even ask for a plate. She only made my plate because she made Ro one.”
“Give me Ro’s. She doesn’t need it.” He gnawed on the oxtails she’d packed to go.
“Rem, aren’t you eating mine?”
He sucked his teeth. “Your mama’s house is right up the street, right?”
I nodded, looking around the lavish kitchen while he maxed like he hadn’t eaten all day. This place was beautiful, like something out of an art magazine.
I was too quiet for him because he pulled me into his lap, saucy hand and all. “You good?”
“Yes, why wouldn’t I be?”
“’Cause you quiet, like you didn’t miss me today. I missed the fuck outta you and your lil hungry ass best friend.”
A smile found its way onto my face faster than anything. How in the hell did he always know what to say?
“You already had me looking sap as fuck in front of my twin when you didn’t tell me you loved me back.”
